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BASIC NEWS REPORTING Instructor: Ajarn Joel Gershon.
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Transcript of BASIC NEWS REPORTING Instructor: Ajarn Joel Gershon.
BASIC NEWS REPORTING
Instructor: Ajarn Joel Gershon
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Agenda
1. Course Syllabus• Class assignments and homework• Evaluation and Exams
2. What’s News?Understanding:
News elements News values Ethics
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Course Syllabus
What we will study:
• What makes something news or a newsworthy event
• Basic news gathering skills: interviewing, data collecting
• Practicing basic news writing skills• Learning to write for different media
platforms
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Evaluation1. Class participation
Contributing in class Paying attention/listening well
2. Assignments and Current Event Quizzes
3. Exams• Midterm Exam• Final Project - Feature
Story/Video• Final exam
+/- 10 %
+/- 30 %
+/- 20%+/- 20%
+/-20%
AsssignmentsYour assignments will include: News writing drills Writing a profile Writing a business story Writing news for broadcast media Making videos (optional)Late submission = After one day you lose 2 steps of a
grade.
(A becomes B+; B+ becomes B-, etc).
After two days, it’s a full grade deduction (A+ becomes B+;
A becomes B, etc).
After 5 days = you lose two full grades (A becomes a C).
After one week = no credit
Final Project
News feature/investigative piece (written/video)
STEPS Start with coverage plan First, you will need to establish:
News sources for the story and arrange interviews
Story outline Background information research
Must communicate your progress with me throughout the process
Class Reading Eng, Peter. Reporting & Writing News: A
Basic Handbook, Bangkok: The Indochina Media Memorial Foundation, 2001.
Rich, Carole. Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method. (4 th ed.), Belmont: Wadswor t
h, 2005.
2009 Associated Press Style Book
Following the top news stories regularly
What is News?
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Basic Principles
KNOW YOUR READERS! What do they do? Where do they live? What do they want
to read about? In this class,
your readers are your fellow classmates and me
Determine Writing Style What kind of story will
it be? Hard news or feature?
What “tone” will the story take? For example, is a humorous lead appropriate?
NEWS Elements/ News Values
ImmediacyProximityProminenceConsequence
Mystery
UnusualConflictRomancesEmotions/Human InterestProgress
Conditions for News Timing: Deciding what kind of story it should be based
on when the events occurred and how it fits in the news. Seriousness: How much impact of the story has. Unexpectedness: Something out of the ordinary has a
greater news value than something which occurs everyday.
Ambiguity of the outcome: Will this story continue or does it have an ending?
Competition: Commercial or professional competition between media leads journalists to trying to outdo stories by rivals and come up with “new” news.
Co-optation: A story that is only marginally newsworthy in its own right may be covered if it is related to a major running story.
What makes a good story?
Meaningfulness: How will the particular audience respond or react to the topic? How are people affected? How many people might be concerned. What is important and why?
Consequences: Is the outcome of an event was great interest to people and why? What were the important elements at stake that led to that point?
The draw of power: Stories about leaders, people who are rich and powerful or famous often get more coverage because these stories capture the greater public’s interest even if they’re not as important as stories with amore local angle.
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What makes a good story (cont.)
Conflict: A problem that is not resolved easily provides a ‘hook’ and he public wants to have information about it.
Interest: Does the topic have widespread or just marginal appeal?
New developments: Is there a change in an ongoing story that can provide continuity? Is there anything available to satisfy people’s appetite for the latest information.
Relevancy: It covers an issue that has been on the forefront of people’s minds at a particular time.
Impacts on the ability to do a story
Time constraints: Traditional news media such as radio, television and daily newspapers have strict deadlines so only some stories can be researched and covered quickly.
Resources: The ability to deploy staff members and/or equipment may determine whether a story is covered.
Space in the publication: Stories may need compete with one another for space in the media, so stories are sometimes cut short or made longer - to be decided by an editor.
4 Pillars of Good Journalism
Thoroughness
• Don’t just rely on easy news sources. Dig deep!
• Be resourceful. What can enhance the story?
Accuracy
• Get your facts straight
• Report on what is not already known,
Fairness
• Listen to different viewpoints
• Try not to allow your personal beliefs get in the way
Transparency
• Where did you get your information? Is it possible your source was biased? If so, indicate this.
What are “good stories”?
Solid Writing
“ABC” Accuracy
No Distortion Correct figures/
quotationWhen In Doubt,
Leave It Out! Brevity
Clarity
Responsible stories
Balance & Fairness Present different
sides of the story Verification
Double-check your sources
Objectivity Always get different
views and make sure to attribute your sources
Qualities of Good JournalistsThe pen is mightier than the sword (so be careful) Ask many questions (make sure you understand
what you are writing about) Be a good listener Be balanced and fair Get information from many sources and double-
check information Be credible and responsible to readers/audience Be honest and do not copy your work Be disciplined (always meet the deadline)
Style Guide
The Economisthttp://www.economist.com/research/
StyleGuide/
BBC http://www.bbctraining.com/pdfs/newsstyleguide.pdf
Guardianhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide
2009 Associated Press Stylebook