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Writing about crime and more

Writing about crime and more. JRNL 13 – Prof. Vaccaro – Hofstra U. Today’s roadmap. News Quiz No. 2 Story pitches for Assignment No. 1 Lecture on crime, disasters and more. Writing about crime. Crime is a people story Crime is a community story Crime is a trend story

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Writing about crime and more

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  1. Writing about crime and more JRNL 13 – Prof. Vaccaro – Hofstra U.

  2. Today’s roadmap • News Quiz No. 2 • Story pitches for Assignment No. 1 • Lecture on crime, disasters and more

  3. Writing about crime • Crime is a people story • Crime is a community story • Crime is a trend story • Crime is a political story • Crime always keeps people wanting more • Crime involves investigation

  4. Knowing your crimes • Felonies: sent to state or federal prison • Misdemeanors: lower-level crimes usually punishable by 90-day or shorter terms in local jails or fines • Traffic accidents: or other accidents that involve death or injury • Fires: both arsons and accidental fires

  5. Writing the incident story • People are innocent until proven guilty in America, remember that when writing. People are “accused of”, “charged with” or “held on charges of”. • Attribution is KEY. Where did this info come from? HAS to be official: Police departments or government agency. • Find human element when possible, and be professional when observing/reporting for those elements

  6. Writing accident stories • Identify drivers and passengers of significance • Describe the action: direction of vehicles, types of vehicles, ages of people, roads and location, times of incident(s) • W, W, W, W, W and H are extremely important • Respect presumption of innocence

  7. Writing fire stories • Provide basic news elements with context • Add sharp focus on victims and cause, preferably with attribution from official sources • The cause should be a telling detail in the story, whether accidental or not

  8. Writing about disasters • Eyewitnesses help tell the story. Their details are most important. • Be safe, be aware of your surroundings and make sure your family/friends are okay. • Stock up on supplies and equipment. • Multimedia is key with everything nowadays, but imagery – photos/videos – are really important in covering disasters.

  9. Talking with victims • Journalists help victims and survivors tell their stories • “I’m sorry for your loss,” is always fine to say • Don’t assume someone doesn’t want to talk • If they don’t want to talk, then respect that • Make sure people understand terms of interviews, who you are and why you’re there • Pay attention to your own emotions and reactions

  10. Element’s of victim’s story • Let readers live the victims’ experiences • Explain how the victim got into the situation • Show readers the victim’s personality • Tell what has happened since

  11. All incidents • Respect police lines and boundaries • Seek PIO or PR reps from official agencies • Take photos and gather multimedia • Be careful of imagery that may be too strong or offensive (blood, bodies, etc.)

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