Before You Go
This document tells you where you are going, when you are going, the context you need to attend your story and deadlines for the story
Upon arriving at an event, you should immediately do this so sources know who you are and why you're there.
Identify yourself as press "My name is ___, student reporter for the Kentucky Kernel"
This type of question — which cannot be answered with yes or no — produces better quotes
Open ended questions
This is the first paragraph of a news story, designed to grab readers and answer the most critical questions
Lede or lead
This federal law gives journalists the right to request documents from most federal government agencies
FOIA
Before leaving for your assignment, you should always gather this so you can reach sources after the event
Contacts, Names (First and Last)
Reporters write down what information about an event outside of interviews?
Five Senses, What is happening, details, etc.
Before pressing record, a reporter must always tell the interviewee this thing.
This story structure places the most newsworthy information first
Inverted Pyramid
Publishing a false factual statement that damages someone's reputation can expose a journalist to this legal claim
Defamation or libel
A reporter's first communication during an assignment should always be with this person
Your editors, Adah and Sylvia
Your assignment was canceled when you arrived. You should ask this before you leave
Why was it canceled?
What do reporters do when a source is being vague?
Let them keep talking, leave room for silence. Ask follow-up questions
Most style guides recommend a strong news lede be no longer than this many words
35 or less
Accepting gifts, free trips or expensive meals from sources creates this ethical problem the Kernel prohibits
Conflict of interest
These five questions must be answered in every story's lede and nutgraph
Who, What, When, Where, Why
What should your first questions be when interviewing someone?
First and Last Name, Spell it, Pronouns, Title or Occupation, Hometown
This sourcing arrangement means a source will talk to you, but their name cannot appear in your story
Anonymous source
The words after a closing quotation mark that identify who said something — such as " Smith said" — are called this
Attributions
Before publishing claims about someone, what do we ask them before publishing and add into the story
Give the person the right to comment on the claim, write refusal to comment or the comment itself
Reading previous stories, court records, social media is called doing what
Background research
At a city council/SGA/BOT/senate meeting, a reporter should request this document at the start of the meeting
Agenda
After an interview, a reporter should do this as a best practice
Ask them any information they need to reconfirm or double check (Spellings, Names, Places)
This story is rarely published, relying on only one voice or source and will most likely need revision
Single-source story
Students who work for another publication must do this before publishing their next article
Tell their editors