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What’s Fit to Print: Writing for Journalism

What’s Fit to Print: Writing for Journalism. Driving Questions: What techniques do journalists use in order to write with consistency, clarity, accuracy, and brevity? How is information organized differently in a news article as opposed to an essay?. What’s the news?.

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What’s Fit to Print: Writing for Journalism

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  1. What’s Fit to Print: Writing for Journalism Driving Questions: What techniques do journalists use in order to write with consistency, clarity, accuracy, and brevity? How is information organized differently in a news article as opposed to an essay?

  2. What’s the news? Take one minute to write down 5 things that you think make a story worthy of the news?

  3. What IS News? • According to Gatlung and Ruge’s (1973) theory on news values, society determines whether or not a story is news worthy based on “values” like: Relevance Timeliness Simplification Predictability Unexpectedness Continuity Composition Elite People Elite Countries Negativity

  4. The Associated Press - AP News • According to website: “a non-for-profit news cooperative” founded in 1846 • An independent news-gathering source that focuses on objective, accurate journalism • It has literally written the book on journalistic style in writing called...

  5. The AP Stylebook • Updated every year, the AP Stylebook is the most used handbook for conforming journalistic material • Gives specific guidelines for how to put all kinds of information into articles - information like dates, names, numbers, titles, etc.

  6. AP Style Pop Quiz Based on the four principles of AP Style, which do you think conforms to the AP Stylebook?

  7. Question #1 • Which of the following addresses do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • 12501 S. Isis Ave.- OR - • Twelve Thousand Five Hundred One South Isis Avenue

  8. Question #1 • Which of the following addresses do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • 12501 N. Isis Ave.- OR - • Twelve Thousand Five Hundred One North Isis Avenue • The Stylebook stresses brevity - less is more!

  9. Question #2 • Which of the following dates do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • Blue Ivy Carter was born January 7th, 1987.- OR - • Blue Ivy Carter was born Jan. 7, 1987.

  10. Question #2 • Which of the following dates do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • Blue Ivy Carter was born January 7th, 1987.- OR - • Blue Ivy Carter was born Jan. 7, 1987. • Months, titles (like Mr., Mrs., Dr.) and state names (ex: Calif., Mass.) are often abbreviated.

  11. Question #3 • Which of the following numerals do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • She had 2 dogs, 16 cats, and 30 birds.- OR - • She had two dogs, 16 cats, and 30 birds.- OR - • She had two dogs, sixteen cats, and thirty birds.

  12. Question #3 • Which of the following numerals do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • She 2 dogs, 16 cats, and 30 birds.- OR - • She had two dogs, 16 cats, and 30 birds.- OR - • She had two dogs, sixteen cats, and thirty birds.

  13. Question #3 • Which of the following numerals do you think would be properly listed in a news article according to the AP Stylebook? • She had two dogs, 16 cats, and 30 birds. • Generally,Numbers < 10 = Words (ex: one, two, three)Numbers > 10 = Figures (ex: 256,000)

  14. The AP Stylebook • Tells journalist how to cite information • The AP Stylebook was first published to help journalists achieve a common sense of: • Consistency • Clarity • Accuracy • Brevity

  15. = FORM ???= CONTENT

  16. The Inverted Pyramid The basic, accepted structure for how information is organized in a news article.

  17. The Inverted Pyramid • In MOST news articles, the content is arranged so that... • Information of highest importance comes first • Information of lowest importance comes last • A newspaper article is arranged so that if somebody only reads the first few paragraphs, they will have all or most of what is important

  18. The Five W’s • These are the five basic questions that any article should address: • Who is involved? • What is he/she/it doing? • Where is this occurring? • When is this going on? • Why or How is this happening?

  19. The Lead • The information of The Five W’s should all fit in the first paragraph • The first paragraph of a news article is referred to as The Lead • The Lead tells the readers the absolute essentials of the article (usually in less than 40 words) • The lead is NOT the headline!

  20. News Article Organization • Headline • Author and Publication • Dateline • Lead Paragraph • Body Paragraphs

  21. Sample Article • On my DP, please go to the article titled: “Lady Macbeth Dies Amid Siege on Castle” • Things to look for: • The Five W’s • The Lead • AP Style

  22. “Lady Macbeth Dies Amid Siege on Castle” • Answer these questions in your journal: • What are the Five W’s of this article? • Are all of these questions answered in the Lead Paragraph? • What are three elements of the article you noticed that were probably dictated byAP Style?

  23. Activity:What’s Fit to Print?

  24. Driving Questions:What techniques do journalists use in order to write with consistency, clarity, accuracy, and brevity?How is information organized differently in a news article as opposed to an essay?

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