COR cosy ne ssn vitor In Focus: Writing the Whole ferric a News Story To have news value is to have a tin can tied to one’ tail. - TE. Lawrence 4 LEARNING OUTCOMES « Identify various types of news story Distinguish the proper uses of transitional devices » Evaluate importance of information in news articles « Critic given news excerpts + Compose a news article out of the given set of data LEARNING OUTPUTS. Portfolio entry: diagrammatic analysis of news development « Actual news story on school activity Critical essay on select news stories « Advance news story of actual school activity « Interview session with news writers More Concepts in News Writing If the lead tells the story in capsule, the body of the news explains the facts in detail. Should one base the meaning of news writing on this argument, a writer may surmise two concepts. First, the body of the news retells the story found in the lead. Second, the facts are to be arranged logically in the body of the news. With these conclusions, the writer should not only be good at sensing newsworthy items and gathering news but also be adept in weaving the facts into the most comprehensible and logical way. As you go on to write the body of the news item, you should not delete the image of the inverted triangle, which tells that the most important facts should come first. However, this is mostly true to a fact story or a straight news. For an action story, the version is different. The action story follows a chronological arrangement of data other than according to the importance of facts. Sample stories under action story include stories that lead to themselves such as accident, fire, some sports events and the like. Piece mime sunn ean tsi tiny ch fe Qualities of News The aim of a n iters ji within the ane ews writers is I lle and to engage the reader win te fi 'W Sentences and, in the middle, to widen, deepen or sharpen thei jowledge. As a writer you should ensure that the news articles are of quality. Wher can you say that your articles are of good quality? 1. Fairness and balance to provide stories to Start! | As a reporter, you must learn to get other’s point of view. This may mean calling a person late at night to get his side of the story or even holding back an investigative story for a day. But you must do so. This is the best way to bring balance in the copy. There may be times when, an individual may avoid making a statement. In such a case, state the point, indicating the efforts you made to get his point of view. Fairness requires that you do not impute motives. Remember that your ews report is going to be read by hundreds of people, and you can influence their thinking by using loaded words. It is always best to use neutral words, q 2. Accuracy Asa reporter, you have much power. What you write can influence decisions, help form public opinions of people and contribute to the general attitude of your readers. With that opportunity in dipping your finger to public forum come the igo inadvertently committed an ibilities that cannot be taken so lightly. Say, you inadv " eden croedcal like, misspelt the name of the guest speaker, Samu the a of ° ial pit i 2 Yi t only distort i itted an essential piece of information. You not only dis Te rata cee mnage the credibility of your campus paper. Hence, being ae ee our writing, whatever article that may be, is your primordial yardstick accurate in y in telling if your article is of good quality. iter once opined, “I pardon the slight error on comma and period, but Labh thee error on detail and fact.” Further, by being accurate means editing the or article before you send it. fe Reh ue ee eatcA CAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach The facts that you need to check are: a. names and their spellings b. their school designations c. incident details. In case it is an accident, you must know the exact number of people who were injured or killed. d. statements; The quote reported in the news report must be accurate and in context. It should not be misinterpreted to imply another meaning. e. scientific names if it is a science story, you must make sure that all scientific names are correctly spelt and explained. £. number of runs or goals if it is a sports story, then you must make sure that the number of runs made or goals scored is mentioned accurately. 3. Attribution All news reports, with a few exceptions, must be sourced. This ensures that you are injecting both facts and opinions, but the opinions are not yours. Always ask yourself, “Who said this?” The source can be identified as follows: a. Individual. An individual, who witnessed an accident or survived an earthquake, can be quoted by name as an eyewitness. b. Organization. Do not forget to attribute the statement to a spokesperson authorized by an organization to brief the media on its behalf. An organization in the school may be the Parent Teachers Association, the Faculty Club, Performing Arts Society, Supreme Student Government and others. The spokesman can be referred to by: 1. name and designation Sample: Mr. Pedro Agdeppa, president of the Parent Teachers Association, said that the auditorium is... 2. designation alone Sample: The president of the Parent Teachers Association said that the auditorium... 3. anonymous sources. There are occasions when a news source, who happens to be a senior government official or an important leader, does not want his or her name to be oes ciescaveusounnauisewitin ore fel used. In such case, the reporter can attribute the story to informed sources, well-connected sources, official sources or sources who do not wish to be named. However, the reporter must know the source well and should trust that the information provided is correct. Sample: According to a trusted source coming from the school, the auditorium... 4. exceptions: The reporter need not to worry about attribution in those cases that he/she has witnessed. For instance, the reporter can report a volleyball match or a rally stating what happened. This is because these are statements of fact that have occurred in public domain and have been witnessed by scores of people. The same applies to the swearing in of a new principal or president of the college or historical facts. 4, Brevity and Clarity Newspaper writing is not just academic writing. Hence, as a journalist, do not use big words and long sentences to show the readers how smart you are or how extensive your vocabulary is. Your Communication Arts teacher must have shouted this, “Write to express not to impress.” Also, remember that, as a writer, your target readers or audience are pressed of time. You have to give the news very quickly, concisely and briefly. Think of this: if all your news stories are newsworthy and with high degree of interest, then every story in the campus paper competes for the reader’s attention. With every story you write, ask yourself, “What is the news here?” Then, ask yourself, including the persons around you — say, your co-writers — what questions will the reader have that I need to answer? Jot them down and be sure none is left unanswered. When the reader starts to scratch his scalp, there are only two reasons why the reader does so. First, his scalp is truly itchy. Second, you, as the writer, have failed to attain clarity. If his reason is the second one, then the reader must be lying on a bed of thorns to grasp the details of your news story. The culprit must be your lengthy sentences and paragraphs. In short, write short. Write short sentences, short paragraphs and short articles. Use simple words. One tip to ensure clarity is to read your story aloud. Doing this technique may be awkward, but it will help you find sentences difficult to understand. The importance of this characteristic cannot be over stressed. You must learn to write short stories without missing important facts. Please remember that today’s reader is in a hurry. He does not have lengthy patience to go through longnews reports. Brevity does not only mean writing a short story. It also means using short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. 5. Style Good writers are artists, so are news writers. As a promising news writer, you can entertain, inspire, educate and sometimes earn the ire of your readers. A song goes, “Never to walk in anyone’s shadow.” So, act according your own style. Do not copy others’ style but always remember to follow the guidelines in writing , news articles. Look for some opportunities like the construction of your paragraphs and phrases, to veer from the old and traditional scenes in the newspaper. Never forget, though, that your primordial objective is to tell people what they need to know, not to show them how much of a literary artist you are. First Five Formula for an Inverted Triangle News Story 1. Effective lead, focused, short, memorable 2. Asecond paragraph that amplifies the lead 3, A third paragraph that continues to build detail 4. Additional details in decreasing importance 5. Power quote: an interesting quote that propels meaning, not just a fluffy quote that gets in the way The Do's of News Writing Style Omit needless words. Be sparing with adjectives but lavish with verbs. Beware of your special words. Simplify words. Remember your signposts. we Se The Dont’s of News Writing Style 1. Colloquialism. This can be described as writing in the way that one would speak. In doing so, you should avoid using “filler” words like beginning the sentence with “basically,” “often,” “well,” and “so”. Avoiding contractions is also included in the ambit of colloquialism. As a journalist, you replace “can’t” with cannot [take note: cannot is one word], “doesn’t” with does not, “aren’t” with are not, “could’ve” with could have, and so on, In news writing, too, you should limit your use of subjective pronouns. That is, use third person perspective. Do not use first or second person pronouns like “I,” “me,” “you” and “we”. Included in the list of rules in writing is to avoid vague words. They are ‘A Worktext for Jou Soenews reports. Brevity does not only mean writing a short story. It also means using short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. 5. Style Good writers are artists, so are news writers. As a promising news writer, you can entertain, inspire, educate and sometimes earn the ire of your readers. A song goes, “Never to walk in anyone’s shadow.” So, act according your own style. Do not copy others’ style but always remember to follow the guidelines in writing , news articles. Look for some opportunities like the construction of your paragraphs and phrases, to veer from the old and traditional scenes in the newspaper. Never forget, though, that your primordial objective is to tell people what they need to know, not to show them how much of a literary artist you are. First Five Formula for an Inverted Triangle News Story 1. Effective lead, focused, short, memorable 2. Asecond paragraph that amplifies the lead 3. A third paragraph that continues to build detail 4. Additional details in decreasing importance 5. Power quote: an interesting quote that propels meaning, not just a fluffy quote that gets in the way The Do's of News Writing Style 1. Omit needless words. 2. Be sparing with adjectives but lavish with verbs. 3. Beware of your special words. 4. Simplify words. 5. Remember your signposts. The Dont's of News Writing Style 1. Colloquialism. This can be described as writing in the way that one would speak. In doing so, you should avoid using “iller” words like beginning the sentence with “basically,” “often,” “well,” and “so”. Avoiding contractions is also included in the ambit of colloquialism. As a journalist, you replace “can’t” with cannot [take note: cannot is one word], “doesn’t” with does not, “aren’t” with are not, “could’ve” with could have, and so on. In news writing, too, you should limit your use of subjective pronouns. That is, use third person perspective. Do not use first or second person pronouns like “I,” “me,” “you” and “we”. Included in the list of rules in writing is to avoid vague words. They are ‘A Worktext for Journalist Wannabees in the CampusA confiagrati: heightened the anxious on which spurred before the sun stroke its rays of the neighboring families of Maasim Elementary School on the 25° day of our Lord last year. Clearer paragraph Started at dawn of April 25 last year, the fire in the Home Economics Building of Maas: lementary School created commotion among the neighboring families Transitional Devices One way to attain the smooth flow of facts when putting them on the right perspective is the use of transitional devices. They are like bridges between parts of your news. They are cues that help the reader interpret ideas your news develops. Moreover, transitional devices are words or phrases that help carry a thought from one sentence to another, from one idea to another or from one paragraph to another. Finally, transitional devices link smoothly sentences and paragraphs so that there are no abrupt jumps or breaks between ideas. You should be aware, too, that you only use these when needed. Do not overuse them by starting each paragraph with a transitional device. There are several types of transitional devices, and each category leads readers to make certain connections or assumptions. Some lead readers forward and imply the building of an idea or thought, while others make readers compare ideas or draw conclusions from the preceding thoughts. Here is a list of some common transitional devices that can be used to cue readers ina given way. 1. To add: and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, further- more, nor, too, next, lastly, what’s more, moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.) 2. To compare: whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the contrary, by comparison, where, compared to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in contrast, although this may be true 3. To prove: because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in fact, in addition, in any case, that is 4, To show exception: yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes 5, To show time: immediately, thereafter, soon, after a few hours, finally, then, later, previously, formerly, first (second, etc.), next, and thenCAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach ) 6. To repeat: in brief, as said, as noted. 7. To emphasize: definitely, extremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly, always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation 8. To show sequence: first, second, third, and so forth. A, B, C, and so forth. next, then, following this, at this time, now, at this point, after, afterward, subsequently, finally, consequently, previously, before this, simultaneously, concurrently, thus, therefore, hence, next, and then, soon . 9. To give an example: for example, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the case of, to demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate 10. To summarize or conclude: in brief, on the whole, summing up, to conclude, in conclusion, as shown, as said, hence, therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result, consequently The Mystery in Winning News Writing Competitions One of the prime purposes of this worktext is to provide aid to contestants joining press conferences in any levels and in any categories, whether basic or tertiary. During news writing competitions, the lecturer-judge may confront the contestants from among the five situations as motivations in the contest proper. First, the lecturer- judge may compel the contestants to write about the opening program of the press conference. Second, he may send contestants to a press briefing. Sometimes, the contestants are not aware that they are sent to a press briefing. Third, he may send the contestants to a specified venue to identify newsworthy topic of their choice, gather the necessary data and finally write a five-to-seven-paragraph news article (for elementary and secondary) or seven-to-twelve-paragraph article (for tertiary). These three options entail the unleashing of skillful gathering of data and crafting the news article in just a spur of a moment, say one and a half hours. The three options require extreme focus on major and minor details. In this way, the contestants should always have a notebook and a pen, plus a recorder. Sometimes, too, the lecturer-judge requires two direct quotes and one indirect quote or the otherwise. The main technique here is to accumulate many factual statements as possible. If necessary, read in advance the DepEd or CHEd memorandum of the event. List the rationale of the activity. Enumerate at least five key points of the speaker, while you record the message using your smartphone or digital recorder. Do not forget the theme of the event and the name of the keynote speaker. Right away, ask for the number of participants and the number of competing schools. eoecae ee UkeCR For press release motivation, ensure you know the one giving a simulated press release? Prepare your voice recorder. Jot down important information only. Start with the main SW’s before supplying the specific W’s and H. As much as possible, prepare a matrix ahead of time so that you can just shoot the specific W’s and H on the cells of the matrix. List the repeated statements of the lecturer judge; sometimes, this is what the perspective of the news which he/she most likely wants to see in your output. Also, be wary of the cause and effect factors of what the spokesperson or the lecturer-judge says. (PUS JOURNALISM within your reach For gather-data-write-own-story motivation, the prime technique is to be wary of your time. While going to the venue, quickly anticipate the topic that you want to report. You cannot afford to waste any time, since you are only given a very limited time to gather information and write the article. Your eyes should be sharp to capture sources of news, primarily persons to be interviewed and documents to be read. Make sure names, including their designations, are accurately spelt. Be careful on time elements, cause and effect relationships and chronology of events. Get the exact name of the source, his/her age, and significant detail that will contribute to making the source a reliable and credible source of information. The arrange-facts-make-own-story style is the fourth motivation or situation in news writing competition. Here, data will not be gathered as they are jumbled in a sheet of paper. The skill that is tested is primarily on the judicious weighing of the writer on the importance of each information so as to craft the news in its right and true perspective. In doing so, the first thing to do is to read the whole set of data to understand its direction. By reading it, a contestant should do it twice, thrice and so on, until he/she comes in a time that he/she understands the situation on the news. He/she now labels the facts by numbering the most important to the least important facts. He/ she makes his/her first draft and editing follows. Finally, the lecturer-judge may opt to use the convert-document-to-news style. This motivation in news writing is also a challenging play. The contestants are given a document or a set of documents like a municipal ordinance or school resolution. They will be asked to convert it into a news item. The contestants should be skillful to detect the angle that will make the news of high interest to the lecturer-judge or the reader. When the perspective is identified, weave the facts into a news article following the instructions given, say five to seven paragraphs or so. Do not forget to cite the source, the chronological order, the cause and effect, the importance of the act, etc. Ieee CeecA CAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach For press release motivation, ensure you know the one giving a simulated press release? Prepare your voice recorder. Jot down important information only. Start with the main SW’s before supplying the specific W’s and H. As much as possible, prepare a matrix ahead of time so that you can just shoot the specific W’s and H on the cells of the matrix. List the repeated statements of the lecturer judge; sometimes, this is what the perspective of the news which he/she most likely wants to see in your output. Also, be wary of the cause and effect factors of what the spokesperson or the lecturer-judge says. For gather-data-write-own-story motivation, the prime technique is to be wary of your time. While going to the venue, quickly anticipate the topic that you want to report. You cannot afford to waste any time, since you are only given a very limited time to gather information and write the article. Your eyes should be sharp to capture sources of news, primarily persons to be interviewed and documents to be read. Make sure names, including their designations, are accurately spelt. Be careful on time elements, cause and effect relationships and chronology of events. Get the exact name of the source, his/her age, and significant detail that will contribute to making the source a reliable and credible source of information. The arrange-facts-make-own-story style is the fourth motivation or situation in news writing competition. Here, data will not be gathered as they are jumbled in a sheet of paper. The skill that is tested is primarily on the judicious weighing of the writer on the importance of each information so as to craft the news in its right and true perspective. In doing so, the first thing to do is to read the whole set of data to understand its direction. By reading it, a contestant should do it twice, thrice and so on, until he/she comes in a time that he/she understands the situation on the news. He/she now labels the facts by numbering the most important to the least important facts. He/ she makes his/her first draft and editing follows. Finally, the lecturer-judge may opt to use the convert-document-to-news style. This motivation in news writing is also a challenging play. The contestants are given a document or a set of documents like a municipal ordinance or school resolution. They will be asked to convert it into a news item. The contestants should be skillful to detect the angle that will make the news of high interest to the lecturer-judge or the reader. When the perspective is identified, weave the facts into a news article following the instructions given, say five to seven paragraphs or so. Do not forget to cite the source, the chronological order, the cause and effect, the importance of the act, etc. EM as uuu eeu)CAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach aI Other Winning Tips in News Writing Contest In writing though, the following may be helpful tips that may veer your work from the typical entries: 1, When writing a news report, use the active voice. The active voice is more understandable and has more impact. Make short, concise sentences with action verbs. Your language needs to be simple and does not have extra words that do not really contribute to the focus of the story. For example, the weather or the fashion statement does not need to be included unless it has a bearing on the overall story. While you are writing, try to anticipate any questions a reader might have while reading your story. The passive voice is formed by using some form of the verb “be” with the past participle of an action verb: is shot, was shot, has been shot, had been shot, may be shot, will be shot. The word “by” may also signal the sentence is written in passive voice. Rewrite sentences to eliminate the word “by.” Examples: Passive voice: The PTA officers were ordered by the principal to make the payment. Active voice: The principal ordered the PTA officers to make the payment. 2. The lead needs to be strong so it will grab the readers’ attention and make them want to read more. Remember, the main verb should be housed within the first six or seven words of the paragraph. Also, if it is a hard news story, which is the breaking news or up-to-the-minute news, then you include as many facts as you can in the summary of the story. If it is a soft news story, a human interest story or background information, then you put the facts in the body of the story. 3. The lead needs to tell the reader what the story is about and why it is important. The lead tells the reader why he should read the story. It needs to sound like you are having a conversation and that you are telling a friend about the latest news. 4. Some errors that are found in leads include the lead having more than one main idea. When this happens, the reader will be confused. 5. Leads can exclude certain readers if they are full of jargons. Make sure the news report is suitable for everyone to read. Make sure your sentences are under 25 words and contain only one idea. Use a simple subject-verb-object form. Do not use too many commas. yeas Paragraphs need to say something new and, like sentences, they should be short and to the point. 10. Never put more than three prepositional phrases into one sentence. 11. Never put more than three numbers in one sentence. ‘AWorktext for Journalist Wannabes in the Campus20. 2 22: 23. 24. 27. 28. 29, . Keep leads short. Those with 35 words or less are preferred. . Avoid starting leads with “when” or “where” unless the time or place is unusual. Most leads start with “who” or “what.” Avoid beginning leads with “there” or “this.” . In leads about future events, the time, day (date) and place usually go at the end of the paragraph. . In leads about past events, the day (date) of the event usually appears before or after the verb. Sometimes the day (date) comes at the end of the first sentence or the paragraph if it is a one-sentence lead. . Keep paragraphs short. Those limited to 60 words or less or no longer than 10 typeset lines are preferred. Paragraphs limited to one to three sentences are preferred. . Remember short paragraphs encourage readers to continue reading. . Eliminate too many “that” whenever possible. . For past events, report it happened “Friday,” NOT “last Friday.” Eliminate the word “last.” For future events, report it will happen “Monday,” NOT “next Monday.” Eliminate the word “next.” Eliminate the “be” verb. Write “she will resign” instead of “she will be resigning.” Write in future tense (will) instead of future progressive tense (will be “ing”). . Eliminate words such as “when asked” and “concluded.” These are weak transitions. Just report what was said. A long title should follow the name. A title that follows the name should be lowercased and set off in commas. Shorter titles that precede names should be capitalized. Avoid the contractions of he’d and they'd. “He'd” can mean both “he had” and “he would,” and “they’d” can mean both “they had” and “they would.” . Always double check the spelling of names. 25. 26. Make sure numbers match the items listed. Make sure “only” is placed properly in a sentence. The location of “only” can change the meaning of a sentence. Write. Rewrite. Revise. Rewrite. Revise. Edit. Revise. Edit. Edit. The first version of a story is NOT good enough. Someone once said, “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” . Read the story out loud to catch awkward sentence constructions. . Be very wary of your time. Remember, you are in a contest. 30. Always stick to the instructions and taste of the lecturer-judge. Do not insist what you want. Remember, you are in a contest. enon) piousCAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach 3 Grammar 31. If “none” means “no one” or “not one,” use a singular verb, Consult the AP Stylebook or Grammar for Journalists for more information, Example: None was found guilty. 32. When you use a pronoun to refer to a team or a group, the proper pronoun to use is “its,” NOT they. Example: The team wants to improve its record. 33. Make sure verbs or other phrases are “parallel” or the same in structure when they appear in stories or list. Examples: He likes gardening, fishing and hunting. The fire killed at least 12 persons, injured 60 more and forced scores of residents to leap from windows. 34. Use third person (she, he, it, its, her, hers, him, his, they, them, their, theirs) in news stories. Only on rare occasions do you use first person (I, mine, we, our, ours) or second person (you, your, yours) in news stories. 35. When “either ... or” and “neither ... nor” are used, the verb agrees in person with the nearer subject. Examples: Neither the principal nor the advisers are to blame. Neither the advisers nor the principal is to blame. Miscellaneous 37, When something is not clear, make a drawing of it. Putting it on paper can clarify the situation. 38. When in doubt, leave it out. This has to do with questionable information that may be libelous, incomplete information and information the writer does not have a clear understanding of. Nonsexist, Non-ageist, Nondiscriminatory Communication 39, Avoid words that reinforce ageist, racial and ethnic stereotypes. 40. Avoid racial identification except when it is essential to communication. 41. Substitute asexual words for “man” words or sexist words. NO YES mankind people, humanity, human beings, human race man-made synthetic, artificial, manufactured, of human origin manpower workers, work force, staff, personnel A Worktext for Journalist Wannabes in the CamCOR eersoesy vitor Organization 42. Make sure information introduced or outlined in the lead is covered in the same order in the body of the story. 43. Avoid introducing new information at the end of a story. All aspects of a story should usually be introduced or outlined in the first few paragraphs. 44. Transitions are necessary to show the reader that the writer has a sense of direction. A word, phrase, sentence or paragraph can move the reader from one thought to another. Parts of Speech 45. Avoid using “like” for “as.” The word “like” is a preposition and takes a noun or pronoun object. “As” is a subordinate conjunction that introduces dependent clauses. Example: As the guest speaker was about to finish, she conducted a mini-quiz bee. 46. Most adverbs are unnecessary. Redundant adverbs weaken strong verbs. Instead of “tightly clenched teeth,” write “clenched teeth.” Instead of “the radio blared loudly,” write “the radio blared.” n 47. Most adjectives are unnecessary. The concept is oftentimes already in the noun. Use adjectives sparingly. 48. Choose verbs that suggest what they mean. “Active” verbs add pace, clarity and vigor to writing. Verbs are writer’s most important tools. Avoid “be” verbs. Punctuation 49, Use a comma with “according to.” Example: According to the news release, ... 50. Avoid comma splices and comma blunders. If a comma is placed between the subject (noun) and predicate (verb), it is called a “comma splice.” Example: The Fountain of Youth, is not in Uyugan. (The comma is NOT needed.) If two independent clauses are joined by a comma, this is a “comma blunder” or “comma fault.” Example: The Fountain of Youth is not in Uyugan, it is in Mahatao. En NopeCAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach &3 (This is known as 2 run-on sentence. A period or a semicolon should replace the comma. If a period is used, the “i” on “it is” also needs to be capitalized.) Improved: 1. The Fountain of Youth is not in Uyugan. It is in Mahatao. 2. The Fountain of Youth is not in Uyugan; it is in Mahatao. 51. A comma should precede “such as,” “especially” and “including” when these words introduce examples Examples: a. The advertised price of the tour does not cover some personal expenses, such as laundry, entertainment and tips. b. He likes fruit, especially oranges. ¢, Innewswriting, students study various approaches to writing, including the inverted triangle, chronological, narrative, personalized and first- person. When “such as” is used with a restrictive application, the comma is omitted. Example: Magazines such as these should be thrown in the trash. 52. Quotation marks go outside commas (,”) and periods (.”). They go inside semicolons (“;) and colons (“:). 53. In a series, a comma is NOT needed before the “and.” Example: red, white and blue. 54, The dash is a long mark (—- or ; ). There should be a space before and after the dash. The dash should be used before words and sentences run as lists. 55. The hyphen is a short mark ( - ) and is used to divide words or to link hyphenated adjectives. Do not hyphenate adverbs ending in “ly” with adjectives. Write “frequently misused words,” NOT “frequently-misused words.” 56. Use an exclamation point in only the rarest of situations and only after brief interjections. Exclamation points are “graphic tantrums” and sometimes demonstrate a lack of control on the writer’s part. The order of the words in a sentence should be arranged in such a way that they make the desired impression. Let the reader decide if the content is humorous or exciting on his or her own. Quotes and Attribution 57. Use attribution only once per paragraph. 58. Attribution is needed when policy change statements are made, when opinions are expressed or when “professional” opinions from physicians, scientists, engineers and others are used. Attribution is also needed with direct quotations and indirect quotations (paraphrased information). EerieCAR crrusjusescis itinyow et 59, 60. 6 62. 63. 64, 65. 66. . Attribution is NOT needed when facts are commonplace and NOT subject to dispute or when they are accepted and historically true. Attribution should be placed at the end of the first sentence when the quote is made of two or more sentences. . When one quote follows another, but the second one is from a different source, attribution for the second quote should be placed at the beginning of it. This helps the reader know immediately that a different person is speaking. “Said” is the best word for attribution. Other words can be used, but they should accurately represent how something is said. Use past tense verbs (said vs. says) for attribution in news stories. Let quotes begin the paragraph. Show them off. Quote marks attract the reader’s eye. Use them to encourage the reader to continue reading. Avoid the use of partial quotes. Quote or paraphrase material. Do not mix the two. Each time a different source is cited, start a new paragraph. Sentence Structure 67 68. 69. 70. ale 2: 23. . Avoid using the same word twice in a sentence. The optimum number of words to use in a sentence is 14 to 17, The average reader can hardly comprehend a sentence with more than 35 words. When writing becomes cumbersome, turn one long sentence into two or three shorter ones. If a long sentence must be used, place a short sentence before and after it. Do not have more than three consecutive prepositional phrases in a sentence. Prepositional phrases start with about, above, against, at, between, by, down, during, for, from, in, like, on, over, through, to, toward, under, up, until, upon, with... Count the words in a story’s sentences. Sentence length should vary. Stories become dull when sentences are all the same in length. Do not start or end a sentence with “however.” Start the sentence and then work “however” into it as soon as possible. This word is intended to cause an interruption in thought. iedCAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach eB Vocabulary 74. 75. 7 T a 2B. 79. 80. 8 82. 83. - Use simple words. Never send the reader to the dictionary. Words such as “thing” and “a lot” annoy some readers. Avoid using them. (Note the correct spelling of “a lot.”) Specify the amount, instead. Be careful how the word “held” is used. Make sure the object can be “held” physically. Example: Weak: The meeting will be held at noon Monday in Anthony Administration Building, Room 125. Better: The meeting will be at noon Monday in ... . Avoid using words that qualify how someone feels, thinks or sees. “Little qualifiers” include the following: a bit, a little, sort of, kind of, rather, around, quite, very, pretty, much, in a very real sense, somewhat. . Avoid technical jargon unless 95 percent or more of the readers will understand it. If technical jargon is used, and it will not be understood by the majority of readers, be sure to explain each term used. Learn the difference between “affect” (usually a verb) and “effect” (usually a noun). Consult the AP Stylebook or a dictionary for more information. Know the difference between its (no apostrophe for possessive pronoun) and it’s (the contraction for it is). Examples: The dog has a thorn in its (possessive pronoun) paw. It's (contraction) time to go. . Know when to use “their” (possessive pronoun), “there” (adverb) and “they’re” (the contraction for they are). Examples: It is their (possessive pronoun) project. The project is over there (adverb). They’re (contraction) working together on the project. Know the difference between whose (possessive pronoun) and who's (the contraction for who is). Examples: Whose (possessive pronoun) coat is this? Who's (contraction) going on the trip? é Know when to use “to” (preposition), “too” (adverb) and “two” (adjective). Examples: The team is going to (preposition) Palarong Pambansa in Albay. The public relations group wants to go, too (adverb). eecy 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 9 CAMPUS JOURNALISM within your reach Some members are not going on the trip because it will take too (adverb) much time from their schedules. The two (adjective) groups will go to Legazpi, instead. Apperson dies “unexpectedly,” “apparently of a heart attack,” “after a brief illness,” “after a long illness,” “of injuries suffered or sustained,” “following or after an operation” or “of a disease.” In connection with suicides, it is best to say the person was “found dead” or “fell or plunged to his or her death” until the coroner completes his or her investigation. When suicide is reported, used died by suicide vs. committed suicide. In connection with arrests, write: “arrested in connection with,” “sought in connection with,” “charged with” or “arrested on charges of.” If a confession is involved but the confession has not yet been admitted as evidence in court, report only that the prisoner “has made a statement.” Injuries are “suffered or sustained,” not received. With murder, arrests are made “in connection with the death of.” It should not be reported that a victim was murdered until someone is convicted of the crime. In obituaries, it may be said the victim was “killed” or “slain.” 1 Remember two objects must be moving to “collide.” If a vehicle runs into a parked one or an object, say the vehicle “struck” the stationary one. Sometimes information cannot be verified. If doubt exists regarding a person’s name, report the person “was listed by police as John Dimagiba” or he “gave his name as John Dimagiba.” If a person is dead or unconscious and there is no identification, he or she is “unidentified,” NOT unnamed. If there are questions about where a person lives, report “address not given” or “address unknown.” . With fires, a building is “destroyed,” NOT completely destroyed. Buildings also are damaged “lightly,” “moderately” or “heavily.” A fire may “gut” or “destroy” the interior of a building. To raze a building is to level it to the ground.