WRITING FOR BROADCAST

Broadcast writing demands a special set of skills and knowledge

from the journalist. Broadcast copy is written to be read out loud
by a news reader rather than to be read silently by a news
consumer. The words and sentences must be constructed so they
are accurate and clear. They must also complement the pictures,
video and audio that accompany a story.

General rules of writing

1. The best way to learn broadcast style is to listen to radio

deejays and television anchors/reporters.

2. Write clearly. Read copy aloud to hear how it sounds.

3. Use conversational style—simple and direct.

4. Transitions are necessary, but pay close attention to how

natural they sound in the broadcast.

5. Use active voice.

6. Emphasize the latest news of a continuing story, but give

necessary background early to provide context for the story. The
rule is that every story should stand on its own.

7. Use present tense, but don’t belabor it. Not every story must
sound as if it just happened moments before the newscast.

8. Don’t cram too much information into the lead. The 5 W’s and
H lead (from the print media) will confuse audience. Try for a
softer lead with non-essential facts that get audience’s attention
to the story but are not too complex.

9. At the same time, don’t underestimate your audience and talk

down to them.

10. Keep sentences short (easier for broadcaster to say and

easier for listener to follow) and economical (give necessary info
in as few words as possible).
11. Avoid highly technical words, professional jargon, clichés and
obfuscation by bureaucrats.

12. Avoid sexism in pronouns.

13. Find the lead, then tell story chronologically.

14. Answer logical questions, and if you don’t know the answer,
say so but do not ignore the question.

15. Use humor sparingly. Humor often muddles the distinction

between a serious subject and a lighthearted one.

II. Mechanics of style and grammar

1. Contractions: Use them because that’s how we speak. Be

careful when contracting "not"—n’t is not always discernible to
the audience and can create serious miscommunication.

2. "Says": In broadcast more than print it is necessary not to

overuse a word. Some suggestions for replacement:
acknowledge convey claims
admit recount confirm
declare state explain
*note=see Be Careful entry below for warning against using in
improper context.

3. BE CAREFUL! The following words have more than one

meaning and must not be used improperly:
accident= Accidents happen all the time, but so do intentional
acts. Don’t predetermine cause by a haphazard word choice.
admit= Other than meaning to grant entrance, the word means
to concede or confess and implies acknowledgement of
wrongdoing.claim= Claim means to demand or assert a right
(generally used in legal context).elderly= This may be viewed as
a negative. Use only for people 65 years of age and above—and
even then, use carefully.ghetto= Don’t use lightly. This is a
section of the city overwhelmingly inhabited by members of a
minority group and/or a minority group that has been forced to
live in that section.guerrilla, insurgent, rebel= Guerrilla fighters
generally employ hit-and-run tactics; insurgents or rebels fight
against the government generally and are more appropriate
terms to use in most cases.illegal= Use only in reference to a
violation of law.leftist, rightist, radical= Use more precise political
descriptions. These are at best subjective terms as are
conservative, left, right, moderate. Also, a radical wants
upheaval of the existing government, so be particularly careful.
sanction, sanctions= Sanction, as a verb or noun, means
authoritative approval. Sanctions, as a noun, usually in
international law, refers to efforts of one or more countries to
force another to change some policy. When speaking, be sure to
make the distinction clear.survey= Only use this word if there
has been an actual survey.

4. Common problems. The following list represent some of the

most misused, misunderstood or mispronounced words by
broadcasters. Be sure to articulate words accurately so they
cannot be misunderstood as another word with a different
meaning. Also, make sure the word you say, is the one you
mean!

accept, except= accept is to take; except is to excludeallude,

refer= allude is to speak of something indirectly; refer is to speak
of directlyallusion, illusion= allusion is a casual reference to
something; illusion means to create a false impressionboycott,
embargo= boycott involves an organized refusal to buy, use or
participate in something; embargo involves a government-
imposed restriction on tradedie, kill= all people eventually die;
some people are killedemigrate, immigrate= emigrate means to
leave a country to settle elsewhere; immigrate means to enter a
country from the outside.ensure, insure= unless you’re speaking
about insurance, the proper word is ensureirregardless= not a
word, use regardless insteadrebut, refute= rebut means to argue
against with evidence; refute means to prove wrongtoward= not
towardswhether or not= should almost always be just whether

5. Names, titles, initials:a) Do not begin a sentence with an

unknown name unless preceded by an identifying titleb) Drop
middle and first initials from namesc) No courtesy titles (except
for clarifications)d) Long, involved titles should follow a namee)
Professional titles may be used on first reference6. Beware of
personal pronouns. Make sure no doubt as to the reference.7.
Attribution at the beginning of the sentence or as a break in the
sentence, but never at the end.8. Direct quotes:a) Use phrases
to tell reader of a direct quote (ie: The senator attacks what he
calls—”Needless and irresponsible use of federal powers.”)b) Use
sparinglyc) Avoid quotes with “I” or “we”d) Use neutral verbs—
says, declares—to avoid editorial flavor where not indicated by
speaker9. Make sure location of story is clear.Sources:UPI
Stylebook, Third Edition: The Authoritative Handbook for Writers,
Editors and News Directors. Lincolnwood, Illinois: National
Textbook Company, 1992.Popper, Robert A. Broadcast News
Writing Stylebook. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1995.By Laurie
Lattimore