Campus Newspaper Overview
Transcript of Campus Newspaper Overview
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
1/18
Campus Weekly Newspapers
Advice and suggestions on betternews gathering and writing
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
2/18
2/2/2012
Generating Ideas Observe the people and places around you
Talk with people and listen to theirconversations
Examine local and national stories Divide broader topics into smaller
components
Pay attention to new and established
programs Read personal and classified ads
Create an interesting article ideas folder
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
3/18
2/2/2012
Getting Started Write a focused statement that succinctly
explains the point of your story
Use specific facts
Conduct any necessary backgroundresearch to be sure you understand whatyoure writing about
Conduct interviews and be ready withspecific questions
Dont interview without doing your homeworkfirst literally
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
4/18
2/2/2012
Gathering Information Understand the difference between fact and
opinion Fact: information about an issue you can verify
is correct (or incorrect) Opinion: someones view of an issue
Info can be gathered through your ownobservation, interviews, backgroundresearch, public records research
This should be the hardest part of your job;but if you do this well writing the articlewill be easy well, easier.
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
5/18
2/2/2012
Before You Write ANYTHING Make sure youve done all the work you
need to do and that youve presented allsides of an issue accurately
Create an outline of what youve learned starting with the most important piece ofinformation and ending with the leastimportant
Provide answers to the 5 Ws and H: Who?What? Where? When? Why? How? If you cant answer these, you arent ready to
write your article
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
6/18
2/2/2012
Writing an effective lead Start with the most important piece of
information Make it relevant to readers immediately
Dont say the budget came out Say the new budget if approved will cost
taxpayers $300 more a year
Keep the first sentence to under 30 words Include as many of the 5 Ws and H as
appropriate Use active voice verbs Write in the present tense
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
7/18
2/2/2012
The Inverted Pyramid A journalism standard
Lede sentence
Opening paragraph that presents themost significant information in the story
Present information in descending orderof importance (and that support the lede
and opening paragraph) Least important information appears at
the bottom of the story.
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
8/18
2/2/2012
Remember Your English lessons Avoid cliches like the plague
Dont start sentences with There is,
There are state the facts Use as few words as possible be
concise, accurate and specific
Keep sentences short
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
9/18
2/2/2012
A Word About Plagiarism If you use a sources specific word or
words, you must place those words
within quotation marksand
you mustcredit the source.
if you obtained the information orideas you are presenting from a
source, you must attribute the source
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
10/18
2/2/2012
News Gathering The homework of news reporters
Collect as much relative information as you can aboutyour subject
Contact any agencies or associations with interest orexpertise in the area
Create a list of people you want to interview; coverboth sides of the story by interviewing people on bothsides of the issue
Collect government statistics and reports on the
subject, if relevant Get old press releases or reports to use as
background
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
11/18
2/2/2012
Interviews Be prepared
Write out a set of questions
Consider taping interviews Be ready to adapt your story based
on what you hear
Be courteous and respectful Take good notes quotes and
background
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
12/18
2/2/2012
Interviewing Tips Develop a positive, polite, but still objective,
relationship with the person you are interviewing.
Explain the ground rules of the interview, and mindyour subject's reactions to your questions.
Pace the difficulty of your questions according to yoursubject's responsiveness.
Maintain control over the interview. Don't let themstray away from the topic.
Don't try to predetermine what quotes or information
you will come away with. Remember: your subject isthe expert on your topic, not you.
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
13/18
2/2/2012
Note taking Create your own shorthand
No vowels
Make sure they are legible Hold on to them for a period of time
Be consistent in how you handle
notes Dont share your notes with anyone
but your editor
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
14/18
2/2/2012
Quoting Sources Know when to paraphrase and when to quote
Quotes should add emphasis or support yourwords
Think of what "your own words" would be if you weretelling someone who's unfamiliar with your subject
what the original source said Don't simply drop quotations into your article and
leave it to the reader to make connections
Be sure you use exact quotes
Use ellipsis points (. . .) to indicate an omission within
a quotation Within quotations, use square brackets [ ] to add your
own clarification
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
15/18
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
16/18
2/2/2012
Now What? Gather your notes, interviews and
research into a file
Review your notes Look for a common theme
Search your notes for good quotes orinteresting facts
Develop a focus Write the focus of the article down in
two or three sentences
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
17/18
2/2/2012
Essentials Write what you know
Interview at least three people for
any given article Dont plagiarize or fictionalize
Use quotes to emphasize, not to
explain Communicate with your editor
Meet your deadlines
-
8/3/2019 Campus Newspaper Overview
18/18
2/2/2012
Suggested Activities Watch All The Presidents Men and
Shattered Glass
Check out online news training sites Newsu.org
Poynter.org
SPJ
Read good newspaper writing