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Reporting for Radio and Television |A Practical Guide

DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to those who stand for the truth; the persecuted and prisoners
of conscience for always insisting on equal opportunity, fair play and justice, irrespective
of race, creed and gender.
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The Author
After reading History and Journalism at University of Lagos, Nigeria and Nigerian
Institute of Journalism, Mike Echi worked for years as independent producer and later
joined the all-time award winning Channels Television as reporter, producer and editor.
He taught broadcast journalism in one of Nigeria’s private Broadcasting Institute,
currently coordinates activities in a Media College, Alberione Institute of
Communication Education, Iju, Lagos, Nigeria, an outpost of S.P.I.C.E.-St. Paul Institute
of Communication Education, Mumbai, India. Mike Echi is the chief executive officer of
Eminem Communications a media and related services company.
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REPORTING FOR RADIO AND TELEVISION: A PRACTICAL GUIDE
PUBLISHERS
Eminem Communications Books and Journals
Copyright © Mike Echi 2016 Revised edition 2021
ISBN 978-978-973-746-8
Conditions of sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise,
be lent, re-sold, hired out or circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form
of binding or cover other than that which it is published and without a similar condition,
including this condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
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Contents
Preface: Reporting For Radio & Television- A Practical Guide.
Chapter 1
Communication, Media Defined
History of Broadcast Media in Nigeria
Role of Electronic Media in Society
Role of the Reporter and other Broadcast Functionaries
Chapter 2
Challenges facing the Reporter, Editor
Broadcast Format: The Airwaves Content
Who is the News Editor in a News Room Setting?
Is the News Editor still the gate keeper in the News Room?
Chapter 3
News Evaluation & Budgeting
Headlines and Headline Writing: Definition of Headline
Functions, Kinds, Characteristics & Skills of the Headline Writer
Guidelines on Headline Writing
Interview Techniques
Chapter 4
Make Up/Screen Display of Graphics
Use of Graphics, Deployment of New Edge Technology – TV
Sound Effect/Mood – Radio
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Chapter 5
Broadcast Ethics
Press Law
Scripting for Television & Radio
Writing Documentaries/Dramas for TV & Radio
Broadcast Equipment, Tools for Production
Online Media-Skills Required of the Reporter
Digital Broadcasting
Chapter 6
Understanding News And What Is News?
Characteristics of News
Guidelines on News Writing
Types of Lead
Chapter 7
Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing
News Gathering Techniques
Who Qualifies As A Journalist/Reporter
Approved Training Institutions
Mass Media Write Up
Editorial Writing
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Preface
Reporting for Radio & Television-A Practical Guide as the title of the book suggests, is
meant to refresh the thought process and encourage media reporters and consumers
to appreciate the dynamic nature of the language of communication. Language is not
static; it keeps evolving according to space and time. As media professionals we are
made to understand that nothing is cast in gold. Flexibility is the watch word as it
concerns reporting the media.
Currency in the choice and use of words, and even idiomatic expressions tells much
about the journalist. Did you know that expressions and idioms such as “rub minds,”
“make ends meet,” “blueprint,” “turn a blind eye,” “a bold from the blues” are now tired
words that have lost their original impact because they have been overused? Find out
the current usage and avoid being trapped by stale and boring phrases in the book
Reporting for Radio & Television-A Practical Guide
Or look at the coinage “upliftment” meaning to raise, lift up has notoriously gained
currency, desperately invented by the local church pastor to emphasize God’s
uncommon grace on the faithful, if not checked may sooner than later be counted
among the 10,000 commonly used words in the English lexicon. What should be the
correct usage? The answer is in Reporting for Radio and Television-A Practical Guide.
Again, the colloquialism “a lot of” or “lots of” has become one of the unfortunate victims
of overused words or phrases, waiting and begging for employment in every day speech
and in writing, weakening the power of the word concerned and can therefore be
regarded as misuses. Check out the correct and current usage in Reporting for Radio and
Television-A Practical Guide.
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Still on commonly misused phrases, “Knowing full well” and “knowing fully well,” “rest
assured” and “be rest assured.” Where do you draw the line? Be guided by Reporting
for Radio and Television-A Practical Guide.
In his book Wordpower: A Test Yourself Guide, Neil Wenborn listed among others, the
tag in this day and age, the point is, I hate to mention it but…and to tell you the truth,
far be it from me to… as some of the many clichés and blind spots in the written and
spoken English you will find and more of the booby traps in the book one should avoid.
Similarly, tautology, according to the author, is the practice of saying the same thing
once in different ways. For example, completely unique has no comparison. Something
that is unique is complete. Nothing can be “relatively unique” or “less unique.” The same
applies to words such as fundamental, empty, supreme, simultaneous, ultimate,
absolute and perfect which are also often misused.
Reporting for Radio & Television-A Practical Guide also gives a step-by-step approach,
even for the layman who desires to follow the production process and what takes place
behind the camera in a Television station, broadcast functionaries and their tools.
The book also teaches you how to write and produce top flight documentary, News
reporting that would inform, educate, entertain and persuade, and above all, rouse
curiosity.
The style and approach used or adopted in this book is journalistic rather than scholarly.
It covers every aspect of the broadcast media up to giving details of Newsroom
production process in a typical Radio or Television station.
It is also designed to meet the needs of beginners, students preparing to acquire
industry experience. Practicing broadcast and print journalists, mass communication
students, teachers, and media researchers would also find the book useful.
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2.5% of your investment on this book and indeed, other Eminem Communications titles
is donated to charity such as internally displaced persons around the world. Buy now
shelter the homeless and feed the hungry. Thank you.
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CHAPTER 1
BROADCAST MEDIA
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Communication, Media Defined: As a matter of fact, according to the communication
experts, you need media today to succeed in all spheres of life, whether you engage in
commerce, education, entertainment, politics, relationship, organizations, and even
religion; in everything.
Malcolm X, the American political, religious rights activist affirms that: “The media is the
most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to
make the guilty innocent, and that is power because they control the minds of the
masses.”
Media and Communication are two words often used and misunderstood as meaning
the same thing. Communication generally refers to the effort by living beings to relate
to their environment.
Human communication refers to human activity aimed towards sharing or conveying

meaning, relating to and with one another, sharing or exchanging of ideas.
Media refers to all the various means through which these human activities are
enhanced.
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Media is the plural of medium. A medium is whatever we use when we want to
communicate indirectly with other people rather than in person or by face-to-face
contact. A medium is an instrument for mediating human interaction.
Basics of Human Communication: From the above, media can only be discussed and
understood within the context of human communication. Animals communicate but
they do not use the media because they do not invent means or tools to mediate their
communication process. Basically, we identify two major models of communication; the
Linear or Transportation Model and Convergent or Communion Model.
The Linear or Transportation Model: This is one way traffic or the sender receiver model
of communication. Here, one person speaks while the others listen. It is the conveying
or transporting of information from one person (encoder) to the other person or several
persons (decoder.)
The Communion Model: This is the interactive model. It gives room to all units involved
in the given community to share their views. It is dialogical because it is based on respect
for the dignity of the individual and his right to speak and be heard; the right to self-
expression. It is interactive thereby making everyone in the community one and at the
same time listener and speaker.
Elements of Authentic Communication:

Following from the communion model, we come to understand human communication
as a process of sharing ideas, information, and feelings between peoples. It is dynamic
and not static.
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The basis of this sharing or exchange is in order to establish a common ground of
understanding.
Communication as understood here is an inter-conveyance, inter-transmission or
inter-exchange of meaning for messages between any individual and group of persons.
Communication, for it to be authentic, must give room for feedback thereby making all
units of the community both subjects and objects simultaneously. (Inter-subjectivity
means an activity that is carried out between subjects as opposed to that between a
subject and an object or between objects.) It is in this manner that communication
expresses and maintains social reality.
James Carey says that communication is a process through which a shared culture is
created, modified, and transformed. It is directed towards the construction and
maintenance of a meaningful and a cultural world.
Communication, Culture and Society: Relationship

No society (community) without communication, just as no communication without
society. Social order is based on communication, when communication is effective;
there is social harmony and growth. Therefore in a given community, media and culture
are interrelated.
Media and culture:

The means of communicating (media) in every age is the greatest singular factor which
determines the prevailing culture of the time. This is because, culture is dynamic, (i.e.
product of interactions among the people of a community), and it is the dominant

culture that rules. This dominant culture is determined by these ideas that find easiest
access through the prevailing and most effective media at the time. E.g. today, video,
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music, blackberry, social networks, satellite TV, GSM phone and all its possible
applications are mainly found here.
Some media experts in their submission noted that whoever is able to capture or control
some of these mediums, indirectly controls the culture of the age and time.
Conclusion: Media as a Currency

Today, Media is not just an agent for creating, transmitting and sustaining culture, it is
culture itself.
Since they are currencies, they are owned and controlled by whoever is ready to possess
it. That means that he who pays the piper dictates the tune. If you “acquire” the
“currency,” you determine its content and use. You are at liberty to determine the type
of meaning you use it to create and to share. The media, according to the
communication experts, are used to promote the ideology of its owner.
Broadcast Media in Nigeria-Evolution

History of Radio in Nigeria: Radio broadcasting began in Nigeria with the Nigerian
Broadcasting Service which terminated in 1957 when its successor, the Nigerian
Broadcasting Corporation was established.
Indeed, the war period caught Britain, Nigeria colonial masters in a state of
unpreparedness, for oversea broadcasting to her colonies, including Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Germany, the Great War power was dishing out effective propaganda to
overseas countries preparing to launch itself into the war. Before now, the British has
just what can be regarded as “overseas service of the BBC.”
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Modern broadcasting was introduced to Nigeria in
1932 by the British colonial administration.
However, modern broadcasting in Nigeria began
in 1958 through an Ordinance. A committee
known as the Plymouth Committee was set up by
the colonial masters to
consider and recommend what step could be taken to accelerate the provision of
broadcasting service in the colonial empire, co-ordinate such services working in
tandem with the BBC- British Broadcasting Corporation (Service) to make them more
effective instrument for promoting local and imperial interest. One of the outstanding
recommendations was to set up a wireless broadcasting. This was however, perfected
by the Turner-Byron Report of 1949 which saw the urgent need for the setting up of a
well-organized radio broadcasting for the British Colonies.
They recommended that studio centers should be established in Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna,
Enugu, and Kano using the major Nigerian languages such as Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba,
Edo, Ibibio and Efik to inform and sensitize people of the different ethnic groups in
Nigeria.
In Nigeria, radio broadcasting business began as part of the Department of Post and
Telegraphs, under government control. The Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (Service)
NBS was established in 1954, divided into three regions, Western, Eastern and Northern
regions, from then it metamorphosed to the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in 1958
and now the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON),
became an arm of its External Service.
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History of Television in Nigeria: Television
broadcasting unlike radio broadcasting was
introduced in Nigeria through efforts of Nigerians
themselves. This took place 27 years after radio
had arrived and made impact on mass
communication.
The story of the Western Nigeria Television, first in Africa we are familiar with. Chief
Obafemi Awolowo’s vision brought about WNTV in 1958.
This step taken by the Western Government led by the Action Group however
influenced the Federal Government few years after to establish its own Nigerian
Television Service (NTS) in February 28, 1963 and later the Nigerian Television Authority
(NTA). Colour television broadcast debuted in Nigeria in 1976.
Today Nigeria relies heavily on Eutelsat in Europe and other foreign based satellite
stations to relay its signals to homes, efforts by the Nigerian government to build its
own satellite has so far failed but then efforts are still on the drawing board to float a
truly home satellite. Indications are that the authorities are about getting it right, as
Nigerian owned satellite is in orbit and reportedly being test-run, and utilized by
selected broadcast stations within and outside the country.
The Role of Electronic Media in Society

Every Broadcast media, just as print media is a medium for transmitting some kind of
message. This message may be news; it may be ideas, entertainment, education,
information or propaganda. To transmit any or all the massages effectively, the design
or mode of presentation, is essentiality part of the process.
However, the mode or presentation of a given broadcast station must be determined
by its message or philosophy and that design make up the “personality” of each
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broadcast outfit-be it, Radio or Television. Basically, broadcast journalism can be
classified into three broad groups, the News station, Entertainment and Sports, then
Documentary channels.
The News channels, though it appeals to the high class and the educated elite,
essentially the business class, top civil servant or university teacher, it targets also the
man in the street, that is persons of average education who standard of living is seen as
modest, or even humble. Channels television, TV Continental, Nigerian Television
Authority (NTA), African Independent Television (AIT), Arise TV, BBC, CNN, Aljazeera,
CCTV, for example, are some of the serious and popular News stations that most
Nigerians watch to get the latest news and events around the world.
The Entertainment channels thrive mainly on music, football (sports), dramas and soaps
etc., and targets the youths and adults alike. Here we can talk of broadcast stations such
as Brilla Sports devoted to reporting sport stories, live relay of matches, both local and
international sporting events. SuperSports on DStv, GOtv, Mtv Base music, Hip-Hop
music etc., are some of the popular entertainment channels on the DStv bouquet.
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Documentary channels such as History channel, Nat. Geo Wild and others churn out
historical artifacts, wild life to entertain and educate the viewer on the rare but very
important aspect of human life and the environment.
In developing countries such as Nigeria, where the elite groups are too few to support
a truly serious broadcast station, heavily dependent on dishing out just news on the
hour, the tendency has been for the so-called popular stations to try to cater for the two
main social groups by means of combining the three, News, Entertainment and
Documentary. This is why, a times, is difficult to say categorically whether stations such
as TVC, NTA, STV, MITV, AIT and many others are not a combination of all the three to
remain relevant in the broadcast sub-sector.
In Europe where there is clearly discernible distinction between the serious press and
the popular press in the broadcast industry, among the main characteristic of the latter
are:
1. The generous use of music, drama and soap opera.
2. News items are scantily displayed in text and bulletin.
3. High premium on entertainment TV, Radio programmes and movies.
4. A deliberate bias for stories and dramas with mass appeal.
5. A contemptuous disregard for or underplaying of serious feature documentaries
and stories.
Broadcast Format: The Airwaves Content of
Broadcast Media
Without doubt, and quoting, Adidi Uyo of the
Department of Mass Communication of the
University of Lagos, “programming is central
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function of broadcasting organizations.”
Programmes are the instrumentality by which the
communication functions of information,
education, entertainment, and persuasion are
enacted. Programmes constitute the link between
broadcasting outfits and the publics.
In communication theory, message itself an element of communication is said to have
three elements-code, content and treatment as propounded by Berlo (1960:57-59.)
Examples of message contents include assertions (facts or information), inferences and
judgments (opinions or comments.) Shoremaker and Reese (1996:229) insist there are
countless ways in which we could attempt to categorize media content. Besides
materials, they identify some as audience appeal (highbrow and lowbrow), particular
effects (pro-social and antisocial), sexual substance (pornographic and non-
pornographic.) One common approach is based on the use, or function that content is
designed to serve.
The essential elements are surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission and

entertainment. Surveillance implies news content; correlation implies interpretation,
analyses as well as comments, view point; or opinion; cultural transmission implies
education and values, and entertainment implies amusements, relaxation, or
recreation.
Accordingly, the essential content of media messages, whether print or electronic media
boils down to news, interpretation, opinion, education and entertainment.
Content is the core factor in broadcast programming. How much time the stations and
networks devote to news programmes, interpretative programmes, educational and
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entertainment programmes depends largely on how the country broadcast system is
fashioned and influenced by ownership/public/ opinion.
Content symmetry and the big challenge:

The question is, over the years, what has been the proportion of these content
categories in Nigerian broadcasting? What challenges do broadcast programmer in
Nigeria faces in view of what is in the best interest of the country? Quality comes into
play here. What is the quality of broadcast programmes in Nigeria today, how does it
compare with what existed in the past?
Erudite media scholar, Adidi Uyo give some examples of quality programmes in the
days of redifussion in the early 60s and early 70s and 80s characterized by live
broadcasts of English and literature lessons via redifussion to highlife music, featuring
the like of Victor Olaiya, Roy Chicago and Rex Lawson on the NBC, the Big Beat,
starring Benson Idonije, Ben Jay, and that one could also listen to programmes such as
Around Nigeria by Rex Lawson.
There was also the Bar beach Show, featuring Art Alade, The Village Headmaster,
featuring Jab Adu on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.
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Later on, in the early 80s we relished watching programmes such as “mirror in the sun,”
“cockcrow at down, checkmate.” Then came Frank Olize’s must watch News Line on
NTA.
Quoting Adidi Uyo, “whereas prices of goods go up and up in Nigeria, the qualities of
programmes go down and down;” right or wrong the need to shore up or raise the bar
in programming has become imperative.
The Nigerian dilemma: To crown it all, Adidi Uyo compares the down, down trend of
programming in Nigeria as lover of pun would humourously put it, “seemingly, the
content of Nigerian broadcasting does not leave many people content.” Can we also say
proliferation of stations may have negatively impacted on content?
To some people, the biggest challenge of broadcast programming in Nigeria today is

how to formulate content that will not let Nigerian listeners or viewers become
foreigners in their country, because they are immersed in the content of foreign
stations, or in the foreign content of local stations.
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CHAPTER 2
Role of the Reporter, other Broadcast Functionaries

Reporter/Correspondent- His or her assignments are in most cases outside the
broadcast stations. Call them foot soldiers, or field men whose duty is to source for
and gather information from relevant sources. It could come as press invitation from
the government, the private and corporate bodies, institutions and other agencies.
Sometimes the reporter or correspondent is asked to do human angle or general

interest stories. Many stations devote sizeable airtime to report stories of human
interest which command greater listenership on Radio and viewership on the Television.
Follow ups often characterize human interest report; but how many broadcast stations
have been able to sustain the tempo when it breaks, besides those generated by the
reporter or the station concerned here?
The reporter or correspondent, especially those planted in the states, regions and
places, away from their operational base are expected to mechanize their scripts if the
report is taken in the studio, more so far the Television reporter.
The reporter as a matter of fact, should know a bit of every human endeavour ranging
from the sciences to the arts; he or she should read wide.
Qualities of a Good Reporter:

a. Researches into the subject matter before writing.
b. Reads the works of famous and prolific writers.
c. Evolves a good writing style which is used to entertain, inform and to educate by
adding humour and use of appropriate words to captivate readers’ interest.
d. Display of good command of English. He should also have adequate register on
the subject matter.
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e. Currency in the use of words and spellings such as “alleged” not “alledged” “a
wake” or “a Christian wake” or “a Christian wake keep” not “a Christian wake
keeping” “a ground breaking event” not “a foundation laying ceremony” “a fund
raising launch” not “a fund raising launching.”
f. Illuminates his mind by reading all books under the sun so as to mirror and
shape society.
g. He should have adequate knowledge of support equipment like information
technology and cameras, still cameras and video cameras and tape recorders.
h. He should listen to news on television and radio, and read newspapers to
influence his perception of event.
i. He should have passion for this profession.

j. He should be polite always and should not undermine the integrity of others.
k. He should write within the limit of the law and ethics of the profession.
l. Getting the right logistic ready for the assignment.
m. Should be neatly dressed for the event.
n. Early arrival to event venue.
o. Know whom you are writing for.
Editor:
The Editor gathers the materials both scripts and visuals (rushes) in the case of
Television, do the needful, to ensure accuracy, conformity to office or house style for
quality delivery of the news. The Radio Editor uses the same approach but without
visuals. He deploys music or sound effect to complete the process.
In some broadcast stations the news editor doubles as the production editor. The
production editor whose duty among others, is to organize the production desk along
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with other production personnel and ensure that scripts and tapes are serially arranged
according to the line-up of broadcast materials.
In accomplishing his jobs, the production editor marks and distributes the scripts, first
to the anchor person or presenter at least one hour ahead of reading the news.
The Controller of News- he or she captains the production crew and ensure quality
delivery of the news. He along with the news editor, production editor plans the
schedule of news items of the day with the approval of the co-ordinating chief executive
officer/editor- in -chief of the broadcast station.
The editorial, sometimes referred to as the front office accommodates the editorial staff
of the station. The back shop office has the production staffs who are mainly involved
in the technical aspects of production.
Other important broadcast functionaries are:

Finance and Administration: The Finance and Administration Department oils every
activity that goes on in the broadcast station. The purchase and maintenance of
equipment and recruitment, discipline and welfare of staff is crucial in the running of
any organization, so it applies to the broadcast stations worldwide. That explains why
some stations set up human resources department for the recruitment and regular
training and retraining of its personnel to expose them to the application of new ideas
and technology for better performance.
Advertising and marketing: The Advertising and Marketing Department as the name
suggest, take charge of all paid advertisements and announcements, canvassing and
maintaining clients for the station, provide the materials; schedule and duration, time
of airing such item should be indicated in the copy. Copies of Advert schedule should
be conspicuously displayed on the production desk and the transmission room, the
MCR for the editors and operational/technical staff to use as a guide during
transmission of the news bulletin.
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The interdependence of all the departments mentioned above cannot be over
emphasized. They have their roles to play and complement one another as an entity.
Who is the News Editor in the News Room?
Functions of the News Editor Defined: The News Editor is one among the editorial
functionaries in a typical newsroom. His duty is to edit script to fit into available space,
correct grammatical errors, ambiguity or legal or ethical issue, maintaining the house or
office style of the broadcast station.
Copy editing, symbols, markings, news schedules, rewrites, follow ups, tracking
developing stories are all but some of the duties carried out by the Editor.
The News or Production Editor in some media organizations gathers the materials
both scripts and visuals in the case of Television and ensure, or to effect the following:
1. Ensures accuracy
2. Trims or strikes out unnecessary words
3. Protects and polishes the language.
4. Correct inconsistencies.
5. Makes the story conforms to style.
6. Eliminates libelous statements.
7. Eliminates passages in poor taste.
8. Makes certain the News bulletin of the day is well delivered and completed.
After marking the copy, the Editor or Production Editor writes the headlines and the
aims will be to:
1. Attract viewers attention
2. Summarizes the news
3. Help the viewer follow the content of the News bulletin
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4. Depict the mood of the report
5. Provide adequate graphical relief
Broadcast Language
The Nigerian Broadcast language is the Standard English inherited from our colonial
master, Britain or the United Kingdom. To date it is assumed in many quarters that
English still remain the acceptable means of communicating ideas across the board.
 The key to writing News report is simplicity of language.

 There should be no grammatical error.
 The paragraphs should be clearly stated and logically following each other.
 There should be relaxed, friendly, inviting and contemporary acceptable.
 Avoid excessive use of words. Let synonyms and antonyms help you.
 You have the power to express that individuality by making your brand more
stylish.
 Write tightly to save space.
Example:
Ask for Question Basic for Elementary Buy for Purchase Each for Every End for
Conclusion Hurt for Injury Long for Lengthy Often for frequently on for upon rebuke
for reprimand send for transmit speech for address start for commence sure for
certain and so on.
Note on modern journalistic/ current usage of English as stated by the “Purist”.

English is dynamic; you just have to keep with the changing time.
Incorrect usage/Cliché Correct / Current usage

1. this time around 1. this time round.
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2. 10TH year anniversary 2. 10th anniversary
Incorrect usage/Cliché Correct/Current usage
15. my grouse about him
15. my grouse against him
16. a police informer
16. a police informant
17. he is a duper
17. he is a dupe
18. owing to my ill health
18. due to my ill-health
19. infrastructure (no plural)
19. infrastructures
20. of a sorts
20. of sort or of sorts
21. the like of
21. the likes of
22. at present or currently
22. presently
23. skeleton in the cupboard
23. skeleton in his/her cupboard
24. paid through the nose
24. paid through his//her nose
25. beehive of activity
25. beehive of activities
26. media have
26. media has
27. the police have
27. the police has
28. hold the bull by the horns
28. hold the bull by the horn
29. wear
29. wears
30. letter head paper or letter
30. letter headed paper
heading
31.pay installmentally
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Commonly misused phrases and constructions
People in the street means the masses, is the correct usage.
People on the street, on the other hand are those living off the goodwill of people,
beggars living on the street, the homeless.
Onset of the rain, disease etc. at the beginning of something is the correct term.
Outset of something, from the past, in the early stage or time when certain things
occur is the correct term.
Wrong (this will go a long way in addressing the problems the villagers are facing daily
in dealing with the outbreak of the cholera epidemic).
Right (this will go a long way towards addressing the problems the villages are facing
daily in dealing with the outbreak of the cholera epidemic.)
Clichés to avoid in Scripting

Take note that clichés are expressions that have lost their original impact because
they have been over used.
a bolt from the blues captain of industry

abreast of the times make ends meet
acid test blood is thicker than water
attached here to busy as a bee
add insult to injury by and large
as a matter of fact by leaps and bounds
avoid like a plague compared favorably
be that as it may conspicuous by his absence
born and bred contents carefully noted
by hook or crook co-operate together
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to cut a long story short
far and wide
needs no introduction
powers that be
in the neighborhood of
in this day and age
it stands to reason
make ends meet
kill two birds with one stone
if the worst comes to the worst
golden opportunity
first and foremost
up in arms
turn a blind eye
with flying colors
each and every
enclosed herewith
taken into custody
thanking you in advance
we wish to state
the weaker sex
the plot thickens .
a storm in a teacup
pure and simple
a sweeping statement
slowly but surely
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on the spur of the moment
go the whole hog
every effort is being made
Make conscious efforts to pronounce these words correctly when making public
speech: Quasi (kweizai), sycophant (si-kuh-fant), sycamore (sikdmd:(r)), grand
prix/gra:pri granite/graenit, hades/heidi:z, chaste/tseist, chastity/tfaetdti,
gigantic/dzdigaentik, Guinness/ginis, guiter/gita:(r), etc.
The challenges facing the reporter, editor

The broadcast stations airtime often times is limited with so much material to cope with.
The challenge before the reporter and the editor is how to effectively utilize available
space to fit in tons and tons of materials at his or her disposal without compromising
quality and excellent delivery of the bulletin of the day.
One of the solutions is to prioritize the news, take those that are time bound and topical,
then consider others, if time and space permit.
Another way of achieving this is to summarize the news. In short, Radio and Television have
no room for verbosity and long winding sentences, unlike the Newspaper that needs to be
filled with too much space to spare. The news items on radio and television are summaries
of the day’s event; therefore, the radio and television reporter and editor should write
scantily and edit tightly to accommodate items lined up for the news. Often times we hear
such slogans as, “we are running out of time”, or “our time is up” to drive home the point
that time is of essence in the broadcast industry. In the extreme cases,
programmes are yanked or taken off the air to the disappointment of the listener or
viewer. To make way for transition, a one hour or thirty minutes programme is edited
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to fifty five (55) minutes. Live programmes taken in the studio, or via the outside
broadcast van (OB van) suffers the same fate.
As explained earlier, the broadcast media thrives on these four but essential letters-
KISS (Keep It Short and Simple).
Still on the production chain for television and radio, other newsroom broadcast
functionaries: Broadcast functionaries have their roles clearly defined, as earlier stated
the Editor gathers the materials, does the needful as mentioned in our exercise to
ensure quality production of the news.
The Radio Editor uses the same approach but without the visuals, but deploys music and
sound effect to complete the process.
The Production Editor whose duty among others, is to organize the production desk with
other production personnel ensure that scripts and tapes are serially marked and
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arranged according to the lineup handed to him or her by the Controller of News, or in
his place, the News Editor.
In carrying out his job, the Production Editor marks the script to match reports and other
illustrations with text. The treated script is then handed to the anchor or presenter to
get familiar with the contents of the scripts often times, one hour ahead of broadcast
time.
The tapes which have the edited visuals, but now replaced with the miniature memory
card, or films and the hard copies of the news bulletin are sent to the master control
room (MCR) for the director of the news and the transmission staff to use in packaging
the news. Meanwhile, the presenter’s scripts are uploaded into the teleprompter in
addition to the hard copy should the teleprompter fail as sometimes is the case.
Here the person who directs the news or the director and the producer work hand in
hand to ensure tapes and matching scripts are harmonized for smooth production of
and transmission of the news.
The Reporter or Correspondent: - His or her assignment is to hunt for the news or
source for news as may be directed by the News Editor or Controller.
The reporter as a matter of fact, should know a bit of every human endeavour from
the sciences to the humanities.
The Presenter or Anchor Person:
The presenter or anchor personality
is generally seen as the face of the
station. Nothing is spared therefore,
to ensure that he or she delivers his
or her lines clearly with good diction,
fluency in the language and flawless
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voice texture, mastery of the idea or
issue on focus. Comportment and
self-confidence are some of the
attributes a good presenter or
anchor person must possess.
The presenter should, when it becomes necessary, adlib- make a statement without
preparation away from a prepared text in the event of technical problem at the peak of
production. The presenter should be able to point out grammatical errors, or wrong
choice of words and correct them.
Before now, the gate keeping role was the exclusive duty of the editor. Today, the
modern presenter plays the gate keeping role in virtually all the broadcast stations
around the world. By this, the presenter is able to pick out grammatical errors, wrong
choice of words, ambiguous or clumsy sentences, cut them to size, mark words for
stresses; use the presenter symbols for smooth delivery of the news.
We now have sophisticated presenters with good education and command of the
language. He or she should possess a minimum of a B.A. in English or the arts and
sciences to be able to take on the role of the gate keeper in the newsroom.
The Back shop or Production Personnel: Here we have the cameraman, studio
engineer, ENG (electronic news gathering) editors, and the master control room (MCR)
where the mixing of audio visual takes place, director of the news, graphics and other
technical staff who maintain broadcast facilities on and off air.
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The cameraman: His tool is what sometimes we call the electronic news gathering
hardware –the camera. They come in
different sizes and dimension. They are the

simple and easy to use cameras such as
camcorders, mobile phones installed
camera and other miniature cameras to the
professional cameras that are handled by
trained personnel. Television stations
mainly use professional and high definition
cameras such as Sony HD, Max, and
Panasonic etc. for news gathering and to
broadcast signals from the studio to
television sets at home.
The Studio Engineer: The Studio Engineer is charged with the maintenance of facilities
in the studio, while the Premises Engineer overseas the entire facilities within the zone
ranging from the generator house and indoor equipment to ensure steady and
uninterrupted programming round the clock.
ENG Editor: As the name implies, the Electronic News Gathering Editor’s responsibility
is to cut out or edit the visuals, or what is technically known as rushes, shot or gathered
by the cameraman to eliminate unwanted details and keep to the duration or time to
fit in the limited airtime made available for such item.
The Graphics Man: The graphics personnel generate pictures, maps, captions,
illustrations as directed by the News Editor or Controller. They come in colours and
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dimensions to depict the mood of the news and provide graphical relief to the viewer.
Sound/Vision Mixer: These are trained personnel who man and mix the sound or
visuals for effect. Harmony exists in using hardware and machine during live broadcast
of events.
The Librarian: The library is another important organ in the production chain. The
librarian ensures that tapes, memory cards, and other hard and software that contains
rushes and edited visuals and scripts used before and after the news are carefully
marked and stored for future reference or retrieval when issues or situation arise.
It is imperative to keep in the morgue or can visuals and audio recordings of important
personalities and memorable events in case of emergency, and for reference purpose.
The Producer: The producer generates or works on already existing idea, develops and
fine tunes it for broadcast. Be it news programme, or any other programme for that
matter, he or she shops for the talents and props, designs and produces it often with
the supervision or approval of the Executive Producer who provides the enabling
environment and logistics in a television, radio or movie setting.
The Director: He or she directs the news or live programmes from within and outside
the studio. He directs for good camera positioning and framing. It is the director’s duty
to ensure that all items lined up for the day’s broadcast, live programmes in most cases,
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are taken at the right time and duration allotted, otherwise he could over run or under
run. It is viewed as unprofessional to do either of them that explain why the television
director or radio producer is conscious about time. This is so to make out time for
smooth transition, at least five minutes to take on the next programme. At this time the
station identity (id) or commercials and even music, in the case of radio, especially could
be used to usher in a standby programme.
In almost every live production, the director and producer work hand in hand to avoid
mistakes of guest identity and other useful materials and insertions that go with the
programme.
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CHAPTER 3
News Evaluation and Budgeting
A good Editor or Manager of News should be able to evaluate and budget the news from
the following angle: Currency, proximity, prominence, oddity, conflict, suspense,
emotion and consequence.
In determining the above, accuracy, balance, objectivity, conciseness and clarity are
core in reporting news.
Accuracy: Every statement in the news story, names, dates, age, every quotation, word
or expression must be precise and factual, then presentation of verifiable fact.
Balance: A news story that is balanced has all sides to the story reported.
Objectivity: News should be reported without personal bias or external influence that
would make it attain some colouration or tainted.
Conciseness and Clarity: A news story must be simple, concise and clear, direct and
logically coherent.
Currency: The element of time is a very important determinant of news.
Proximity: What is news to some is not necessarily news to others. What happens
close to you or nearby is news
Prominence: The degree of importance of an event to the people makes it
newsworthy.
Oddity: News is rendered newsworthy when it is odd. For instance “dog bites man” is
not news, but “man bites dog” is news.
Conflict: Wars, crisis situations such as Book Haram, ISIS, Taliban, corruption in high
places among other scandals are newsworthy.
Suspense: Is another attribute of news selection. Would the children of a collapsed

building in a secondary school be rescued?
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Emotion: Anything that speaks to peoples’ experiences will help them connect to the
message.
Consequence: When the story affects someone else’s life or organization that is news
to them, make your story impact on someone else.
Headline and headline Writing

The headline is a device for describing briefly in readily legible type, the most salient
points of a story. Other functions of the headlines include:
1. To save the reader time in finding the meat or central idea of the story
2. To summarize the news
3. To convey relative significance of the news through type display
4. To convey relative importance of the news through headline size
5. To help sell the story to the listener or viewer.
6. Provide the ingredients of attractive display package essential to eye catching,
balanced and attractive slide or caption (TV.)
Functions and Characteristics: The high point of lead and summary form of writing
facilitates reading and listening, raises and satisfies curiosity and keeps the audience
waiting to get details of the gist carried in the headline of the story. It must be colourful,
proportionally designed and bears the mood of the story.
Skills of the headline writer and some guidelines on headline writing

In writing headlines, the skill of the writer comes into play. Certain words are
understood and therefore omitted. These are the articles “a” and the verb “is” and
“are.” Also “here” and “today” are assumed understood and consequently omitted
except where they reinforce the headline positively. Take for instance, in writing the
headline for the end of the Nigerian civil war, it will not be adequate to write “Nigerian
Page | 37
civil war ends” rather it was written “the war has ended” or “the war is over.” Headlines
are normally written in the present tense, to give the illusion of currency, or in the future
tense if future is to be denoted.
Script Writing
Why are you writing?
1. To inform straight forward report of an event as news or documentary
2. To explain reports, background and implication.
3. To analyze the facts, detail information, explanation and discussion of
implications.
4. To interpret explanation with deep insight and conclusions
5. To expose or draw attention to situations with intent to influence.
6. To convert facts or fancies well presenter
Writing for Television or Radio and indeed for Advertising or Public Relations, the
characteristics and ingredients mentioned earlier must apply.
Your script must have an introduction (INTRO) or lead and the body. The INTRO is to
prepare your mind for the major gist of the story or event as read by the presenter and
then the narration-body, by the reporter. Someone else can also take the voice in the
studio.
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Interview Techniques
What is Interview?
Interview is an official face to face meeting of important figure. It is the questioning of
a person or a conversation in which information is elicited. It is also a formal discussion
with somebody for the purpose of an evaluation
(promotion) or job candidates.
However, the kind of interview that perhaps needs
special technique is the one conducted by journalists.
Sometimes it is an unscripted, unrehearsed conversation
in which one person answer the question put by another
person and the third person (listener) listens.
Types of Interviews
There are different types of Interviews: News Interview, on the Spot Interview,
Personality Interview, General Information Interview, Vox Pop (vox populi or voice of
the people), and Tele Conference Interview, One on One Interview.
News Interview
The News Interview is to get the background and additional information of an event
already covered for news.
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Spot Interview: The spot interview is to get the assessment or the appraisal and the
reactions of an official who had just inspected a government project or an eye witness
to shed more light on an unexpected occurrence e.g. accident, disaster, crashes.
Personality Interview: The personality interview is for the purpose of knowing the
public figure the more; he or she may be an explorer, writer, an astronaut, or someone
who has suddenly become newsworthy. The question may be scripted and rehearsed.
Information Interview: The general information interview is for the purpose of knowing
what’s going on may be in the government circle, the public etc.
Vox pop: Vox pop is an interview conducted for a sizeable number of people for the
purpose of knowing their viewers, reactions and comments on certain public discourse
or government policy on an issue, e.g. the fuel scarcity, security challenges, national
conference etc.
Tele-conference Interview: It’s an interview with a personality or a Television
Correspondent who is far away to the Interviewer.
One on One Interview: One on One Interview is usually a face to face meeting with the
interviewee to get the fact, or the truth of the subject matter.
Interview Techniques: For a journalist, the main purpose of conducting an interview is

to get a news story for his or her organization, to seek additional information to his or
her story, or to get a fresh background to the news report he or she already had.
Reporters get their exclusive stories from interviews.
News worthiness, general notification where the reporter makes a list of questions, a
good location before the interview should be considered.
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The reporter should also think of questions to ask and if possible send the questions to
the interviewee. Follow up questions are expected during the interview and should be
well handled. Don’t load your questions and let it be direct, short and concise. Don’t
beat about the bush. Think about the medium. If you are interviewing for audio or
video, you want to ask a two part question, which encourages the interviewees to talk
for longer blocks of time. Avoid obsessing- don’t be occupied with single topic or
emotion. Sometimes be provocative: Don’t be afraid to relentlessly revisit a question
or topic that you feel hasn’t been properly addressed by the interviewee. Be a little
sneaky: continue taking notes even after the interview is officially over. You may get a
scoop. Empower your subject, work them up e.g. ask “what is your ideal solution or
resolution?”, or “what would you like to be remembered for?” and “why do you care
about this issue?” Avoid interrupting the interviewee except when he or she goes off
the mark or issue in focus- derailing.
General Guide: As a reporter, before going out to conduct an interview you must be
well dressed, take along your pen, your reporter’s notebook and your audio tape
recorder. It is only the television reporter that need in addition, to go along with his or
her camera. Checks must be carried out on the camera before the assignment.
Comportment: Get a brief bio-data of the interviewee (though this is optional.) The
reporter must sound conversational. Let your question be direct, brief and clear.
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For the news interview and on the spot interview in which the question is unscripted,
the reporter must be well knowledgeable, articulate and be well versed in all
professional callings.
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CHAPTER 4
Writing Documentaries
Writing Documentaries for Television and Radio: Documentaries are generally an

expanded form of the news but deals with specific topics in details. It could be to sell an
idea, product or service, educational or entertainment, or just propaganda to draw
attention or sympathy, and win over the viewer or listener to act. It comes in 10, 30 or
60 minute’s duration.
Documentaries, like the news are tightly written and straight to the point. The
respondents are usually experts and sometimes ordinary citizens in the street
depending on the issue in focus.
Propaganda documentaries are mainly political in nature. The government for example,
uses documentaries as a tool for social mobilization. (See the author’s documentary
script on political mobilization entitled Uche Ngaji The Change We Need on page 59) as
a case study produced for television.
We also have product or commercial documentaries to create awareness and for the
consumer to act. It could come in the form of infomercial. (See the author’s 10 minutes
documentary script on GkK entitled Nigeria: A Land of Challenges And Opportunities on
page 55) produced for television as another case study.
Writing radio drama, Situation Comedy and Soap Operas

Techniques: Radio drama/situation comedy (sitcom) story which emphasizes action,
drama or excitement will have short sentences, perhaps, some of only one or two
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words. If a more leisurely pace is desired then sentences should be longer and written
with greater flow.
Like the Radio, Television drama, situation comedy and soap opera etc. embodies the
same characteristics in writing style, but pictures are matched with sound, and so, we
see body movement or sign with less talk.
Action, they say speaks louder than word. Television drama script like the Radio is short,
crisp and tight. It is advisable to write in simple and plain language if you must have the
audience on your side.
Make-up/Screen display of graphics
Make-up/screen display of graphics, captions, and layout are aided with the deployment
of modern technology. The use of computers and other software to create and generate
images, slides and background or backdrops for Television station is now in vogue. What
is technically called chromakey that often comes in blue or any other colour moving and
dissolving at the same time has taken over a larger chunk of the job of the set designer,
or set man of the early 80s and 90s whose tool was the wood and other accessories to
decorate and give our television studio the aesthetic appearance we all love and admire.
The moving blue, yellow or any other colour for that matter, backdrops that often adorn
our television screen is all about visual communication that can be effectively and
efficiently employed to entertain and sway viewership in favour of the Television
station. Watch the BBC, CNN, SuperSport, Channels Television and other stations that
generously deploy imaginative and breathtaking visual effect to excite and hold the
viewer interest during News hour and sporting events.
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These images are created and generated by the graphics and animations experts using
laptop and desktop computers and other software. The graphics person also create
captions, still pictures, slides, maps, designs and illustrations to match a news item or
programme on display.
The duty editor also plays a major role in the design and layout of the bulletin. The
personnel or duty editor corrects the copy-from language, to taste; from spelling errors
to errors of facts; from innuendoes to matters liable to give rise to litigation. He may re-
write, and extract fact, supply background information or expunge unnecessary details.
He also marks the copy to indicate captions-chest and story captions based on the
materials made available to him. He cast the headlines.
Having done all the above stated on the manuscripts, he performs the same function on
or any appropriate illustration or graphics that may go with the matter. In other words,
he either drops or marks the illustration and also writes out the caption to the
illustration. The personnel or duty Editor lays out the page, in this case the production
sheet or line-up-a process by which he indicates the writer/reporter, date, duration and
source/place. Having carried out these duties, he sends the various elements to the
appropriate sections- the composer or teleprompter operator and graphics. These
sections will then carry out all instructions as indicated on the manuscripts, the
illustrations and line-ups. First, the manuscript goes to the computer section where the
matters are set in type size, often in capital letters. Illustrations and graphics go to the
graphics person where they are all processed in appropriate colours and dimensions for
the bulletin.
Graphic communication which applies chiefly to printed or written words, includes
things that are seen, such as pictures, charts, graphs, sculptures, designs statues,
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puppets and the like, and photographic reproductions of these things. It tends to
disseminate information through visuals of representation of ideas that may be
abstract or difficult to express in words under stringent laws of the land-Sulaiman A.
Osho (1996.)
Distribution of news, views, pictures, graphics and illustrations

News, views, pictures, graphics and illustrations (TV) are proportionally distributed to
achieve quality broadcasting. Every broadcast station in Nigeria tries hard to balance
“materials” be it live or delay programme, to actualize the key communication functions
of information, education, entertainment and persuasion.
Sound effect/mood to draw attention- Radio

Sound effect and actuality, and mood are generously used by the Radio station to draw
the listener attention to it. The sound effect in motion pictures and radio create
suspense or tell the story better. For example, signature tune or what some people call
station identity indicates the personality of the station while motion picture relies on
sound to create mood.
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CHAPTER 5
Broadcast Ethics
Like any other professional body, journalism practice has rules guiding it. In medicine
for example, there is what is called the Hippocratic oaths sworn to by medical doctors
not to compromise or act in any manner to endanger human life but to protect it. So
also the journalist is bound to observe certain regulations while going about his or her
job.
The Nigerian Press Organization (NPO), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Nigerian
Guild of Editors (NGE) had drawn up a code of conduct based on popular canons of
journalism world-wide for the press in Nigeria to follow. It is a guideline to the practice
of journalism.
1. That the public is entitled to the truth and that only correct information can
form the basis for sound journalism and ensure the confidence of the people
2. The journalist or reporter must remain unbiased in reporting events. He has the
obligation to give to readers, without bias news of significance to be alive, as fairly
and complete as professional practice and judgement permit.
3. That it is the duty of the journalist to publish only facts; never to suppress such
facts as he knows to falsify either to suit his own purposes, or any other
purpose.
4. That it is the duty of the journalist to refuse any reward for publishing or
suppressing news or comments, other than salary and allowances legitimately
earned in the discharge of his professional duties.
5. That the journalist shall employ all legitimate means in the collection of news and
he shall defend at all times the right of free access (as provided in the newly
enacted Freedom of Information Act passed by the 7th National Assembly and
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assented to by former president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan at the twilight
of his administration) and provided that due regard is paid to the privacy of
individuals.
6. The reporter must not disclose the source of information and must not expose the
identity of the individual, more so, if expressly demanded not to be named. They
deserve to be protected by all means against any embarrassment, exposure, and
threat to their lives and job security.
7. “It is the duty of the journalist to regard plagiarism as unethical.”
8. That it is the duty of every journalist to correct any published information found to
be incorrect.
Press Law/watch dog role of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)

The Nigerian press, Newspapers/Periodicals of the late 50s were highly critical of
colonial rule just as the agitation for self-rule heightened, the British colonialist became
impatient, and uncomfortable with the critical press therefore, something must be done
to cut down the power of the local press that has begun to multiply in their numbers
with Nigerians as proprietors and editors.
The colonial governors then, starting from Freeman to Lord Frederick Lugard applied
the Sedition Offences Ordinance and the Newspaper Ordinance to deal with the press
decisively, and send some of them packing.
The various laws passed by the colonial masters to checkmate the activities of the
Nigerian press during the first thirty years after 1900 have today formed the basis of
Nigerian Press Law. These are laws which constitute legal requirements for publishing
Newspaper; there are laws of defamation and others like contempt of court, seditions
publication, obscene and indecent publications and law of copyright.
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However, these laws have developed from the 1903, 1906, 1909, 1916 and 1917 laws
have been modernized by Nigerian legal luminaries and the Authorities.
For instance, there was also the controversial Newspapers Amendment Act of 1964 as
part of the development of the laws under which the Nigerian press operated. This act
was enacted during the civilian era of the late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa.
The Military that forcefully took over power since 1966 up to 1998 also came up with
decree number eleven of 1976, and decree number four of 1984 and later abrogated in
1986 by General Ibrahim Babanginda regime in line with its principles of liberalism and
human rights policy.
For the broadcast media, the laws governing the press also affects its operations just as
the print media which fall under the Nigerian Press Organizations made up of Nigerian
Union of Journalist (NUJ), Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN) and
Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) often tagged the militant organization perceived merely
as pressure groups. The media is also regulated by the Nigerian Press Council.
In addition, the broadcast media also have to contend with its watchdog, the National
Broadcasting Commission (NBC) that regulate and keep tab on the operations of
broadcast stations. The NBC as a government agency under the Ministry of Information
issues licenses and can revoke such license or sanction erring stations found to have
violated the codes and regulations as laid down by the NBC to be observed by all
broadcast stations operating within the Nigerian space.
We have the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), and Independent

Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN), the former comprising both the public and
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privately owned broadcast stations while the latter represents the interest of media
entrepreneurs as pressure groups for the broadcast stations.
Broadcast Media Equipment and Tools

The Microphone, Audio and Visual Mixer: - The microphone is a device which converts
mechanical energy into electrical energy. The audio cable relays the electrical impulse
to the audio mixer which converts the electrical energy to audible sound which is heard
on the public address system. Vision mixer is for images interchanging from one shot to
another.
Pick up pattern of microphone

1. Uni Directional: This microphone picks from one direction. This is good for news
casting and running commentaries.
2. Bi Directional: This microphone picks on two directions. This is a good for
interviews.
3. Omni Directional: The pick-up pattern of this microphone is on all directions.
This is the ideal microphone for picking up sounds from the crowd. It is also used in
drama.
Still Camera: This is an apparatus for taking photograph. Basically, it is a simple box
with a piece of film in one end and a hole in the
other end which allows light to enter the box.
The light strikes the chemically sensitized
surface of the film and freezes the image. When
the film is developed and the image printed into
the paper, the picture is produced.
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Television or Video Camera: It is an equipment which
converts optical images into electrical energy which is
processed and relayed by a special cable called video
cable which goes into a video monitor or TV set where
the pictures and images are seen. Since video and
television is all about sound and picture, an audio cable is looped from the microphone
into the camera. If the recording uses more than one camera, it will require equipment
known as vision mixer to use the different shots by all the cameras.
A video cable capable of carrying audio and video signals will be relayed to the
recording machine that records it into video
tape.
Camera shots
1. Close-Up: Concentrates on the face or a specific detail of an object with little
background. Passport photographs are close ups.
2. Extreme Close Up: Is an extreme version of the Close Up. Extreme Close Up of
the face would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background.
3. Medium Shot: Contains a figure from the knees and waist up and is normally used
for dialogue scene. This shot has to be a maximum of three people. When there
are more than three people, the shot becomes long shot. It has a background.
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4. Long Shot: This is full shot of a human being from toes to the head. This shot has
a background.
5. Extreme Long Shot: This is very wide short of a scene. It could be landscape or
panorama. There will be little details in shot. A good example is the photographic
shot of all participants in the seminar seated in the lecture auditorium.
Online Broadcast
Online broadcast is steadily picking up, almost every station now uses the internet and
online platform to reach a global audience at the click of the button. Unlike terrestrial
broadcasting (free to air) that is regulated by the government and limits the stations to
certain area of coverage, although some stations now resort to network and cable news
to send their signals to beat the restriction placed on them, online broadcasting enable
the stations to stream live all its programmes to different parts of the world
simultaneously. Many broadcast outfits are now exploiting the unregulated medium not
only to reach wider audiences but also to attract big advertisements from the big
companies and organizations with global appeal.
Skills Required of the Reporter and Editor

The skills required of the reporter and editor remain same as earlier stated, but there
are specialized skills the online reporter and editor should possess to successfully run
online broadcasting, from the use of hardware and software such as the computer and
other cutting edge devices; a reporter and editor should be able to apply them to
achieve tangible result.
Digital Broadcasting
Now that the world is fast transiting from analogue to digital broadcasting, we are now
exposed to the application of new edge technology in the broadcasting sub-sector.
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In Nigeria, the deadline set for the takeoff of digital broadcasting owing to the non-
availability of “boxes” and other digital broadcast components is June 2017 by the federal
government for all broadcast stations to go digital. Government is experimenting with
digital broadcasting in Jos, the Plateau State capital. While some of the private stations are
set for digitalization provided the government plays its part, by putting in place enabling
environment for a smooth take off of digital broadcasting as it is obtained in the first world,
there are however, strong indications that the digitalization of the Nigerian broadcast
system would, in a matter of days become a reality.
ANNEXE
1. Script on Uche Ngaji Campaign Doc- Political
2. GKK 10minutes Doc Script- Commercial.
3. Editing Symbol.
4. Log Book: The log book keeper is like the auditor who ensures that all broadcast
materials that have been used are entered in the log book after transmission for
inspection or view by the monitoring agency, the National Broadcasting
Commission, (NBC) or advertisers and persons with a stake in the broadcast
industry; on whether such a material was used at the right time, and for the
purpose of accountability and transparency.
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SLUG: NIGERIA- A LAND OF CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
DURATION: 10 MINUTES DOCUMENTARY (MECHANIZED SCRIPT)
VOICE OVER: MALE
SOUND TRACK: JAZZ
AUDIO VISUALS
Like other emerging democracies elsewhere, Swearing in Ceremony,
Nigeria is not without her share of problems. The Bad roads
difficulties of doing business in Nigeria include
lack of infrastructural facilities, unstable policies
and low purchasing power.
Though Nigeria is blessed with a long stretch of Pix showing the FRCS boss
coastal water ways and rail systems, these have talking about billions lost to
traffic jam. Pix of trailers at
Warf, Road, etc.
not been developed and fully harnessed to ease

the transportation of goods from one point to
another. (Up Sound)
Page | 54
Again, epileptic power supply makes companies to Pix of generators,
rely extensively on generators thereby increasing Discos Installation
operational costs.
Lately, the activities of ritualists have attained Pix corpses and police at the
unprecedented proportion as in the Okija shrine shrine.
Shots of
arrest
being
saga in Anaba State. This calls for caution in made
penetrating the hinterland. Also, the activities of counterfeiters DG NAC MAN
fakers and counterfeiters have over the years President.
affected genuine manufacturers. These add to the
cost of business through provision of anti-faking
devices apart from loss of sales.
Again, Government policy somersaults add to the

pains of doing business in Nigeria. For example, the
deregulation of the Petroleum Industry has
Pix people working on rigs,
resulted in incessant increase in pump price of
long queues at filling station
petroleum products with its over bearing effects on
Okan-Nlas Budget speech
the cost of production.
Speech by Compto-Gen of
Furthermore, products including GKK Senses are
Custom on banned products.
banned without giving ample opportunities to
manufacturers to adjust as contained in the
following statements. (Up Sound)
Page | 55
addressin
Frequent labour strikes to agitate for better pay and Pix of Oshomo
Pix labour leader Bode Justin g
conditions of service have become the order of the Labour.
addressing union members
day in the country with the attendant effect of loss
Pix market on fire, people selling
of sales.
in the street, customers making
purchases streets
Frequent fire outbreaks in major markets where a Empty markets, ,
Show CPCI Chairman on
lot of selling activities take place also constitute bornfires.
corruption or any top
another major challenge.
government official on
corruption
Bad as the situation may seem, recent Government President BJ Justice Akan of
Pix showing NAFDAC, other
actions to stamp out corruption and restructure the CPCI talking about stamping
government agencies at check
economy show that there is indeed, a silver lining out corruption. Shots of
in the horizon. (Up Sound) points, roadsand
destruction being burning
repairedof
or
fixed
adulterated products.
The clearing up activities of the National Agency Show
Shot seaofof heads,
roadscrowded
being
for Food and Control and Governments attempt to market place,Byand people
maintained LATMAbuying
or
provide some basic infrastructure are pointers to & selling. Pix products on display
FEM
efforts aimed at restoring good business (Crusade type), pix large coy logo
environment. / selling. Commercial.
The success of Government in the measures taken Shots of sea of heads

so far hopefully will impact positively on the (Crusade) type, pix large
Page | 56
country’s large population and improve its
purchasing power.
However, the Company still has to contend with
competition from low cost producers such as
chichi, Fuman, Deeli and Six for Live.
Though the challenges are daunting, GKK
Consumer is determined to face them in the
pursuit of our set goals.
----------------------------------------END-------------------------------------------
Names and places in this documentary are the writer’s imagination
Page | 57
SLUG: UCHE NGAJI, THE CHANGE WE NEED
DURATION: 30 MINS (NON-MECHANISED SCRIPT)
DATE: 23-02-2010
VOICE: MALE 1
OPENING: CAMPAIGN JINGLE FACE OF NABA STATE NATURAL
SOUND
HER POPULARITY HAS SOARED HIGH SINCE SHE TOOK NABA POLITICS BY STORM-
KEEPING MANY GUESSING, WHO IS UCHE NGAJI!
-------------TRACK UP---------------
YET, SHE IS SET TO BREAK THAT JINX. HONOURABLE UCHE NGAJI BELIEVES NOTHING
SHOUL D STOP A WOMAN FROM AIMING AT THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND. IN HER
WORDS “I SEE BEING A GOVERNOR AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEFEND THAT WHICH IS
FAIR AND JUST”
----------------TRACK UP-------------------
HER ANTECEDENT AS A LAWMAKER SPEAKS VOLUME OF THE
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES IN HER. AT THE HEIGHT OF CRIMINAL
ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTH REGION OF NIGERIA, PARTICULARLY HER
OWN STATE OF NABA MISUSES UCHE NGAJI SPONSORED A MOTION ON
THE FLOOR OF THE LOWER CHAMBER TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION.
ALSO, THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY ALLIANCE GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE
IN THE NABA POLL WENT OUT OF HER WAY TO MOVE THE MOTION ON
THE EROSION MENACE IN ANKA WHICH HAS RENDERED MANY PEOPLE
HOMELESS, ALL IN HER DESIRETO SEE TO THE PROGRESS AND UNITY OF
THE STATE.
Page | 58
------------------TRACK UP-----------------------
A DISTINGUISHED BANKER WHO SERVED IN MANY CAPACITIES, UCHE NGAJI ADMIRERS

SEES HER AS A ROLE MODEL, THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS AND A PHILANTHROPIST.
SHE IS CREDITED TO HAVE ASSISTED OVER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY
UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS GAIN EMPLOYMENT IN BOTH THE PRIVATE AND
PUBLIC SECTORS. SEVERAL WOMEN AND YOUTH HAVE ALSO BEEN
GIVEN THE LIFELINE, THROUGH THE HONOURABLE UCHE NGAJI YOUTHS
AND WIDOWS SUPPORT CENTRE. ON RECORD, OVER FIFTY INDIGENT
STUDENTS FROM NABA STATE WERE AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO
PURSUE THE CAREER OF THEIR DREAMS JUST TO MENTION BUT A FEW
OF HER WELFARE SCHEME.
-------------------TRACK UP------------------------
JUST AS SHE IS SEEN AS A GRASSROOTS PERSON, HER ENVIABLE TRACK RECORD
APPEARS TO WORK IN HER FAVOUR. FROM THE INAUGURATION OF SEVERAL BODIES,
SUCH AS NGAJI BABES TO FACILITATE HER CAMPAIGN, TO THE ONE MILLION WOMEN
RALLY FOR UCHE NGAJI, THE PEOPLE ARE UNITED TO BRING ABOUT THE CHANGE THEY
NEED.
------------------TRACK UP--------------------------
THE FACE OF NABA STATE TODAY IS NOT WHAT THE CITIZENS WOULD WANT TO SEE,
WHAT WITH BROKEN DOWN FACILITIES AND DECAYING INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT LITERS
THE LANDSCAPE. IN THESE HOSPITALS, AND EVEN SCHOOLS OUTSIDE THE STATE CAPITAL,
NO ONE APPEARS TO BE IN CHARGE.
THESE ROTS ATTRACTED SOME COMMENTS FROM THE PPA TOUCH
BEARER, EVEN AS THE CITIZENS LAMENT THE DEPLORABLE STATE OF
THINGS IN NABA STATE.
Page | 59
------------------TRACK UP---------------------------
HAVING TOURED THE THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE WARDS AND SEVERAL
COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE, MISSUS UCHE NGAJI SAYS SHE KNOWS WHAT THE PEOPLE
WANT, AND WOULD GIVE IT TO THEM.
-----------------TRACK UP------------------------
THE BOTTOM TO TOP APPROACH, ACCORDING TO THE PPA GOVERNORSHIP
CANDIDATE, WOULD CHANGE THE UGLY FACE OF SETTLEMENTS SUCH AS OKPIKI IN
OSHA AND NABA WEST.
-------------------TRACK UP----------------------
ORDINARILY, NABA STATE THAT PRIDE ITSELF AS THE SUN OF THE

NATION, ENDOWED WITH NATURAL RESOURCES, INTELLIGENT AND
HARD WORKING PEOPLE, WITH A THRIVING ECONOMY IN OSHA, AND
OTHER TOWNS HAS NO JUSTIFICATION ROMANCING WITH POVERTY.
THAT MISSUS UCHE NGAJI BELIEVES SHE WOULD CHANGE. SIMILARLY,
AGRICULTURE, TOURISM AND SPORTS WOULD ALSO RECEIVE
ADEQUATE ATTENTION.
------------------------TRACK UP-----------------------
POWER GENERATION, HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT, WOMEN AND YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT ALSO TOPS HER AGENDA.
AS THE FEBRUARY NINE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION BECKONS, THE
GENERAL CONSENSUS IN NABA STATE IS THAT NEC SHOULD CONDUCT A
FREE AND FAIR POLL, AND THAT HARD TIME AWAITS THOSE WHO
WOULD WANT TO RIG THE PROCESS.
--------------------------TRACK UP-------------------------
Page | 60
AND FOR THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY ALLIANCE GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE, MISSUS UCHE
NGAJI, THE JOURNEY TO STARDOM DID NOT JUST START TODAY. ARMED WITH A
BACHELORS DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING AND MASTERS IN BUSINESS AMINISTRATION,
MISSUS UCHE NGAJI, HAS
SEVERAL LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL AWARDS AND CHIETAINCY TITLES IN HER KITTY,
AMONG THEM IYA UGOWATA OF ABI.
THE LAWMAKER REPRESENTING ANA, NJIKA, OFA FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY, REMAINS A
STRONG CONTENDER FOR THE NUMBER ONE CITIZEN OF THE STATE, EVEN AS HER
NUMEROUS AMIRERS ACROSS THE NATION AND INDEED NABA STATE WISH HER WELL AT
THE POLL ON FEBRUARY THE NINTH, TWO THOUSAND AND TEN.
---------------NATURAL SOUND – FADE OUT--------------- --------
------------------------------END--------------------------------------
Names and places in this documentary are the writer’s imagination
Page | 61
Editing Symbols Commonly Used In The Newsroom
paragraph
let it be or cancel
underscore or underline
u/l upper and lowercase
Cap set in Capital letters
paragraph on the borderline
close up gap in a sentence or

word
separate closed words
transpose letter or word in a sentence

#
conclusion or the end of script
Close up broken words
Page | 62
Chapter 6
Understanding News and what is News?
To every mass communicator, whether as student, practicing journalist or reporter and
in indeed, in whatever discipline in mass communication one chooses to specialize, the
knowledge of news reporting and writing cannot be overstated.
It is important to note that there can be no effectiveness in message dissemination
without a thorough knowledge of news reporting tools and what it takes to get the
message to the media consumer; in Public Relations, Advertising, Broadcasting and
Journalism-the four major areas or disciplines in mass communication, the practitioner
needs to be equipped with the right tools.
The writer’s concern here and emphasis in on broadcast journalism and journalism as in
radio and television and the print media.
Broadcast journalism here refers to a situation where news item of information are
gathered, packaged and distributed or aired through the airwaves by the various
electronic media such as radio, television and the online media.
Journalism is basically, about the business of writing and editing news for dissemination
through the mass media, with special emphasis on the print media.
What is News?
News has been given different meanings by various persons and authorities. Simply put,
the majority of authorities in the discipline define news as “An account of an event that
is current, timely and made available to the people or public about what is going on.” It
also been defined as “The timely and accurate reporting of an issue or issues that has
the public interest and most often relevant to the public.”
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Yet others define news as “An accurate, unbiased account of the significant facts or a
timely happening that is of interest to the readers of a newspaper, or to the listener to
radio or viewer of television that broadcast or report event.”
In summary, a News definition reveals three major components-the event in which
some kind of action occurs. A report in which the action is described or recorded in a
comprehensive manner; an audience to whom the news or description is presented,
either in print format, on the air, on telecast; moving screen or by words on television
or online platform.
Let’s also consider types of News stories, in determining News.

There are basically, two types or format through which news story can be classified;
Hard news and Soft news
Hard news simply refers to the presentation of information to the audience in a straight
forward way. It can also be referred to as raw news. It often comes in the form of normal
news of the day and breaking news, all belong to the category of hard news.
The goal of hard news is to inform or pass the information to the audience without
adding or giving the media, or writer’s opinion to the news (opinionating.)
Soft news, on the other hand is the opposite of hard news. It gives information that
could allow the audience relax and have a nice time. Also, it seeks not to over burden
the newspaper reader, radio listener or television viewer with hard news.
Most of the entertainment and educational function of the mass media fits in this kind
of news format. Soft news also help give the audience details about existing news, news
behind the news, presenting the issues in such a manner as to add flavour in your
participation as a viewer, listener or reader.
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Furthermore, it provides details, in depth analysis and interpretation to issues than the
hard news would usually provide. Often, features stories fall within this kind of writing
or presentation. Entertainment news, musical news, sports, religious news, etc. fall
within the category.
Characteristics of News:-
News is all about facts, objectivity, truth, impartiality, simplicity.
Facts: We must, as responsible journalists and reporters base every news story on facts
and not “hear says” or imaginations. It must be verifiable. That is, the journalist or
reporter should not tamper with the facts of the news for whatever reason, editorialize
or come with his or her personal view (opinionating.)
Objectivity: Every journalist or reporter should avoid sentiment and operate beyond
religion, political bias, learning or philosophical convictions. The journalist is expected
to be fair, sincere and non-judgmental in his or her reportage and news delivery. Present
stories only with the public interest at heart, and based on the theory of social
responsibility, in which all practitioners are called to uphold.
Truth: The journalist or reporter should base all his or her report or news judgments on
the truth. False reportage runs counter to the tenets of the journalism profession.
Unverifiable claims, rumour mongering is not an option to the journalist, at worse it
destroy or damage the reputation of the reporter or media organization he or she
represents, creating the atmosphere of doubt and suspicion.
Impartiality: Balance reportage is seen as the hallmark of journalism practice. The
reporter should as much as possible strike a balance between two issues that could tend
to bend his or her decision in favour of one party against the other, capable of creating
the impression of partiality or favouritism.
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Simplicity: The popular axiom, KISS-keep it short and simple, simply tells the reporter
what to do with every day news story. News is not meant for only the highly educated
or elite, but for the generality of the society who make up the media audience.
Reporters and journalists are expected to use simple and plain words, straight forward
expressions and grammatical constructions instead of using high sounding and flowery
phrases to enhance effective communication. The journalist is not meant to impress but
to express the news story.
Guidelines on News Writing

For the news writer or reporter consider the two broad areas of news writing which
include the Lead story, and the body, and or conclusion because every write up would
normally has a beginning, more details known as the body and lastly the concluding part
of the story.
As a reporter or journalist, your introductory part of the story, referred to as the Lead,
should normally carry the important gist of the story of the day through the 5Ws and H,
the Who, Where, When, What, Why and How in the first two or three paragraphs, and
then allows other details to come later, the additional details, the body about the event
or incident as the conclusion. The already known fact or historical additional is referred
to as back grounding.
It is important to note that the news story is written not in the conventional writing style
of the normal essay writing, providing preliminary information as introduction and then
centralizing the entire gist of the story in the body is because the news is supposed to
be served hot to hold the audience as they are so many things to read and worry about,
particularly in this part of the world. Even in most civilized countries as research has
proved, people do not take to reading but prefer viewing.
The lead story must be short, detail, straight to the point, inviting and meaningful. The
lead sentence summarizes the major elements of a news event. Leads are usually the
Page | 66
exclusive of hard stories so as to forestall the temptation of the readers, listeners or
viewers having to guess or wait to find out what the story is all about.
For purposes of effective communication, the lead is not expected to be more than 35
to 50 words as this are the conventional style for writing news. This differs from one
media house to the other in keeping with their preferred office or house style. They do
not necessarily conform to the conventional style of lead writing.
As explained earlier, every good lead must or seek to answer the 5Ws and H, Who,
When, Where, What, Why and How.
Who-the who answers the question of the person the story revolves around. Stories
quite often, revolves around prominent personalities. They command attention at the
mention of their names, whether in politics, entertainment, business, education, health,
judiciary, sports and the media.
When-this has to do with the date, time and occasion. Depending on the style of
writing, the when could form the major plank of a news story. Take for example; “The
Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade on Tuesday performed the ground
breaking ceremony of the Calabar-Ikom superhighway to boost commerce in the
area.” Where-the where answers the question of place, location and venue. It seeks to
answer where an event, the incident took place, or is ongoing.
What-this answers the question of what happened. In some cases, the ‘What’ of a story
could form the basis and major elements in the news story. For example; “the recent
industrial action embarked on by University lecturers over unpaid salaries and
allowances is said to be responsible for students staying idle, while some of them take
to criminal activities such as drug peddling and gangsters”
Why-this attempt to explain the reason, motive and essence of an event or
occurrence.
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It also helps to provide more details or insight into the event or occasion. How-the
how tries to explain the process or methods of an occurrence. It gives details of the
procedure followed or the issues that culminated to arrive at a particular incidence to
make the news.
A short lead is preferable. As explained, it should be between 35 to 50 words. Must have
subject and predicate. It should be an independent sentence or clause.
The most acceptable, in writing the lead story, is to present it in present tense and not
past tense. For example; “100 people die in plane crash,” “Hit and run driver in police
net.”
All lead story should be written in the active voice style and not passive. Another area
of emphasis to the reporter or journalist should not forget is choice of focal point in
writing the lead. When covering an event the journalist is confronted with many focal
points. The news writer should as a matter of fact, select the most important and
impactful focal point, what I call the meat of the story. How would it affect the ordinary
person in the street?
The writer must attribute his/her story to a particular source. This may not be advisable
in the lead rather from the point of view of the eye witness and then attribute it in the
subsequent paragraph. Let the lead be alive and active rather than bury it. The most
important point in the story should be accorded priority at the beginning of the
paragraph. As a news writer, you dare not editorialize. Avoid it. The news reporter
should not opinionate. Don’t let your personal view surface in the lead.
Remember to spell names and titles correctly. When writing a person’s name, write in
full, first name, other names, and of course, the titles should be correct. The reporter
should politely ask the interviewee or subject to write down his or her name and titles
Page | 68
on a piece of paper to avoid making costly mistakes that could ridicule the reporter or
the medium.
We can identify and summarise the different types of lead as spelt out by some
authorities in the business of mass communication as Summary Lead, Narrative Lead,
Contrast Lead, Staccato Lead, Direct Address Lead, Question Lead, Quotation Lead,
Descriptive Lead, Epigram Lead, Delayed Lead, Effect Lead, and Cartridge Lead.
Types of lead and their impact on the news story

Summary Lead: just as the name implies, this is the lead that summarizes the story. The
gist of the story is in the first paragraph. The lead summary is usually ideal for hard news.
Why the summary lead, because most people have no time to read the entire news from
beginning to the end. People spend little time with the news, which demand the most
important point of the story at the beginning.
Narrative Lead: This type of lead is most popular in writing features stories, non-
breaking news. Such stories you find in magazines and newspapers. It takes the form of
storytelling news.
Contrast Lead: The contrast lead tries to compare or differentiate one person or thing
from the other with the motive of laying emphasis. The contrast lead talks about the old
and new, past and present, cold and hot, the hero and villain, the proud and humble,
day and night, good and bad etc.
Contrast lead can be used on any kind of story. A typical example is “Sergeant Okoro
Laibe would once more walk the streets of Enugu as a free man after three years in jail
undergoing trial but haven been acquitted by Justice Ini-Obong Awara of the charges of
murder level against him by his flat mate, Mr. Ogbonna Akiba.”
Staccato Lead: This type of lead is most common in the broadcast media, more so, for
the television. The phrase is short but impactful. It calls the reader, listener or viewer
into the story by dishing out some of the key elements of the news story. It is meant to
Page | 69
tease the audience and set the right mood for the reaction that would follow. For
instance, “Ken SaroWiwa 1941-1995, Tuesday, the day the sun set for the playwrights,
environmental rights activist and true federalism advocate, the day of his departure to
the great beyond masterminded by a dictatorial government of the military era.”
Direct Address Lead: This type of lead tries to bring the audience into the story by
personalizing the lead using words such as “you.” This is ideal for posters or handbills
or newspapers. But the reporter can also employ it to invite the reader and help
sustain attention. It involves the reader or listener in the story and gets him or her
emotionally connected and captures the curiosity of the reader or listener and sustains
it.
Question Lead: This type of lead can be used effectively to begin a news story, features
stories and articles. It must be appropriately applied when it is used. It is adopted for
stories likely to generate or provoke debate amongst readers or listeners. The question
in most cases must be answered. For example; “Can two wrongs make a right?” “Is it
possible to forgive and forget the wrong meted on you by a close friend you so much
trusted? This is the question we all must attempt to provide answers to in a short while.”
The question lead teases the reader and desires him or her to read more. Again, it
present the story in a more relaxed and analytical form, especially when the writer tend
to hold back the story, not in a hurry to tell it once.
Quotation Lead: Here the central character or the personality involved is allowed to
begin a news story by talking directly to the audience. It is very important to use the
exact words of the character when using the quotation lead. Take for example; “My
ambition and indeed, any one ambition is not worth spilling the blood of any Nigerian
citizen,” paraphrasing the words of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, in one of his public
statements while seeking for votes en route occupying the Presidential villa and in his
second but aborted bid to elongate his stay in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Page | 70
Quotation lead adds more credibility to the story as the exact words of the character in
the news is used. Again, when used on radio or television, it affords the audience to hear
or see the subject in his voice/appearance while making the speech. Direct quotation
properly packaged cannot be faulted.
Descriptive Lead: The descriptive lead is used when the reporter wants to set a scene
of event in motion in the minds of the audience. It helps to create or paints the
appropriate mental picture even where the matching visuals are not available. He writes
from the point of view of the eye witness account or expert opinion. For example; “The
practice of self-medication can be dangerous to health. This according to Doctor John
Johnson of the University of Jos Teaching Hospital would result in the damage of
sensitive organs of the body which could progress to terminal illness and subsequent
death.”
Epigram Lead: Epigram lead is usually associated with certain structured words
referred to as proverbs, words of wisdom or sayings of our fathers. They could also be
idiomatic expressions used in telling a news story. Most of the words or wise sayings
are already popular or known and help convey morality. Take for instance, “The
rejected stone has become the pillar of the house has become true for Abubakar
Imam, who as a child was regarded as the least promising among the seven siblings of
the Imams, but is, as we speak, now the bread winner of the family,” “When two
elephants fight the grass suffers,” “A stitch in time saves nine,” “Make hey while the
sun shines.”
Delayed Lead: Note that in writing the lead in news story, not all stories adopt the
inverted pyramid style, especially with stories that are of human angle or feature
stories. The story develops gradually until it gets to the climax, suitable for stories that
are interesting and not hard in nature. This kind of lead is also referred to as delay
Page | 71
intro lead. In the delayed lead, the writer relies more on his knowledge of the subject,
dexterity, literary prowess, humour and suspense to pass the message across the
audience easily. The lead is also expected to be short, but the impact could be felt
more in the narrative-the body.
Effect Lead: The effect lead is a lead that considers the end result of an event. The smart
reporter or journalist could use it as basis for telling the news. In other words, it tells of
the likely consequences or result of an event that is used in presenting the story. For
instance, “Nigerians will have to pay more for transportation fare in attempt to be with
their love ones this holiday season as well as kerosene beginning from next week, owing
to the decision of the Federal government to increase the price of petroleum products
by one hundred percent of the normal price.”
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Cartridge Lead: The style of lead can be used for events or occurrence considered as
remarkable and epoch-making. They are normally given prominence using the cartridge
style of lead. The mere mention of the gun cartridge is scary enough, talk less of a gun
cartridge that is loaded is pointed at an individual. It is meant to attract attention of the
audience by employing powerful but penetrating words. For example; “Nigeria’s
maximum ruler and military head of state, Sani Abacha has been confirmed dead in the
early hours of the mourning.”
It is pertinent to draw a line between the lead and the lead story. According to the
authority and the purist, findings show that some writers can’t really distinguish
between the lead and lead story. The lead story deals with the introductory paragraph
and sentence of the story, the lead story on the other hand refers to the story
considered to be most prominent or important to the particular edition, publication or
bulletin for radio and television. The most important stories, usually ranging from five
to fifteen requires the editor’s news judgment prowess to display them in bold
characters or what is referred to as headline news.
Page | 73
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing

In writing the news story, particularly for the broadcast and print media, employ style
that differs strongly from the familiar narrative style of wring.
It uses the inverted form of pyramid in presenting the news. Simplicity of language is
preferred which is lacking in narrative. It also uses block-paragraphing as a means for
achieving simplicity in delivering the message to the audience.
How is this achieved? In the inverted pyramid style of writing the story, the important
piece of information takes priority, than the additional facts arranged in descending
order of importance come next and then ends with back ground information, back
grounding, which involves a presentation of additional information that would help the
reader or listener understand the story better. Back grounding is like going back to
history to draw a correlation between related event and occurrence, and helping the
reader or listener have a clearer picture of the more recent development.
The inverted pyramid style of writing differs from the normal narrative style which
begins with introductory messages and then builds up to a climax. The style of writing
is usually adopted when writing an essay or report. For the broadcast and print media
story it is the opposite. It starts with the climax.
In summary, the inverted pyramid style of writing the news story becomes the preferred
choice because the average reader reads few items and moves on to the next; and for
the broadcast media, owing to its transient nature-shortness of time allowed for an
individual to get a broadcast message, it would require more attention to listen and
understand media message. It is therefore advisable to write in brief to avoid losing the
audience during broadcast.
Page | 74
The main gist comes first before any additional facts or information. Readers of today
are too selective about what they read. Study shows that only four out of ten readers
read a story from the beginning to the end. The longer the story the smaller the
proportion of the audience and the faster chance of losing the reader or listener.
Simplicity of language must again be emphasized here, more so for the broadcast media.
If the reporter or journalist must use technical or specialized words, it must be
immediately explained in more familiar words. Slangs, colloquial words and jargons such
as “Tokumbo,” “Lepa” as used for second hand (imported) goods and extremely tiny
person; “Ogogoro” in referring to locally brewed gin, must be explained.
Block-paragraphing emphasizes simplicity in arranging sentences. It makes for easy
reading and editing. For instance, the newspaper page is arranged in columns with the
standard column being slightly more than two-inches wide.
News Gathering Techniques

There are different sources for gathering news story. Basically, we have the informal
and formal news sources.
Informal news sources are those news stories we probably stumble into as accidental.
A good example could be a car accident, earthquake, flooding, and outbreak of
epidemic. A good reporter can still utilize the information to make a good story.
Formal news sources are those sources that are institutionalized and easily accessible
and verifiable. PR department of organization, police, army, government ministries,
departments and agencies, offices and organizations are some of the established and
popular sources of news.
Press releases/conferences, research materials, morgue, news agencies; Associated
Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France Presse (AFP), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),
Page | 75
Pan African News Agency (PANA) etc. Interviews; studio based interview; phone and
field interview etc. are all formal news sources.
Other news sources include organized events such Annual General Meetings (AGM),
conferences, seminars/workshops, luncheon, convocation amongst other social events.
We also have the regular beats where reporters are assigned to. Areas considered as
prone to newsworthy event.
The beats could range from education, police, court, sports, health, government house,
national and state assembly complexes, stock market etc.
Investigative Reporting
The reporter is required to put in extra effort to uncover certain unknown facts about a
particular case or incidence. Such incidence, in most cases is crime related or how
conspiracy between certain persons involved wants to keep secret from the eyes of the
public. For instance, the issue of corruption involving highly placed government officials,
the judiciary, unresolved high profile murder cases etc.
People as news sources-most reporters compile a list of contacts for news purposes.
Such persons are people the reporter may come across in the course of carrying out his
official duties or people introduced to him by other reporters or friends. The reporter
should be able to identify a regular meeting spots, or places where such persons could
be easily seen, whether on official hours or not, (clubs, bars etc.)
Exclusive reports or news could be obtained from these sources. From my personal
experience, as a correspondent for Channels Television, a female contact first broke the
news of the ADC plane crash to me in a remote area of Abuja that claimed many lives,
including an Emir, two serving senators and their siblings. Of course, Channels TV broke
the news, leaving others to go for the details of the crash afterwards.
Page | 76
Still there are the visible and invisible sources of news story the reporter must be
familiar with, and then not ignoring the less visible sources.
The visible sources include people holding sensitive positions in government and private
organizations while the invisible source may just be the office clerks, messengers, even
supportive staff of politicians, advisers, special aides, confidential secretaries and even
the cleaner.
Less visible sources the reporter may also exploit, include professionals and other
regular persons in society who go about their daily activities. Bankers, industrialists,
property owners, transporters and those described as salesmen of ideas-Clergymen,
teachers, salesmen, opinion leaders, newspapers or food vendors to the anti-
establishment persons-opposition party members, leaders of crime syndicates,
specialists such as doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers, accountants etc., close
associates are potential sources of information.
Places and things, such as natural falls and scenes, police stations, documents, books,
judiciary, schools, newspaper clippings, government gazette etc. could provide the
journalist useful information.
Qualification of the Journalist

The controversy of who qualifies as a journalist is still unsettled. Media experts are
however, unanimous about the minimum acceptable qualifications of the journalist or
reporter. A case has similarly been made for the training and retraining of journalist to
maintain the standards and professionalism.
The argument is that, and rightly so, to become a qualified lawyer, the individual aside
from attaining a degree in law from a reputable institution must pass through the law
school to qualify to practice the profession; just as it also apply to the accountant, the
engineer and indeed, any other profession, the person must be certificated by a
Page | 77
specialized training institution to practice after obtaining first degree or diploma, so also
the aspiring journalist or reporter is expected to acquire practical experience from a
recognized institution to qualify to practice.
Here are the recommended qualifications of the journalist and identified training
institutions to obtain practical experience on graduation.
Qualifications of the Journalist/Reporter

1. Diploma in Mass Communication or Journalism or related discipline
2. Ordinary National Diploma (O.N.D) in Journalism or related discipline
3. Higher National Diploma (H.N.D) in Journalism or related discipline
4. B.A. or B.Sc.(Hons) in Journalism/Mass Communication or related field
5. Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism/ Mass Communication or related field
6. M.A or M.Sc. in Journalism/Mass Communication or related discipline
7. PhD in Journalism/Mass Communication or related discipline
Approved Public and Private Training Institutions
1. National Broadcast Academy, formally Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
(F.R.C.N) Training School, Shogunle, Ikeja, Lagos – Public
2. Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos – Private
3. Alberione Institute of Communication Education, Oremeji Str. Iju, Lagos – Private
4. Daily Times Training School, Abebe Village, Iganmu, Lagos – Private
5. Television College, Jos, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria – Public
6. Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN), Lagos – Private
Amongst others approved but not mentioned in this book
Mass Media Write-up/Report

The mass media, in order to satisfy the yearnings of the diversified audience and fulfill
its fundamental and basic functions of educating, informing and entertaining the
Page | 78
audience, the mass media has to come up with programmes such as news, whether,
hard or soft news covering both the usual, unusual, sensational, human or general
interest in nature. In this case, don’t forget to use the 5Ws and H to make sense out of
the news story.
Feature Stories: A Feature story is like the expanded version of the news story with in
depth analysis of event. It afford the writer to add new twist to an existing news story
by providing additional back ground or go beyond what the 5Ws and H would have done.
News Analysis: This option of the news story is very common with the broadcast media,
radio and television. On television, it becomes the station’s big story stuff or special
report of the week taken within the bulletin.
A news analysis could be an appraisal of key issues that affects the well-being of the
people, government policies on the various sectors of the economy- education, health,
social infrastructure, the economy, judiciary, sports and entertainment.
Articles: Though articles could hardly be separated from a feature, it is more lengthy
essay containing ideas, personal opinions or facts not necessarily in news form like that
of a feature story. Note that articles are usually written by an author who may not be a
journalist. He or she contributes to issues and debates of interest in the media, ranging
from politics, science, religion, sports, economy, finance, culture and tourism, arts etc.
Editorial: Editorial gotten from the word editor indicate the gathering of editors of a
particular medium, especially for the print media to take a common stand on topical
issue that affects the generality of the society. The opinions expressed are carefully
weighed by the medium concerned looking at the pros and cons before arriving at a
conclusion.
Commentary: Commentary on the other hand, is seen by some as the “editorial of the
air,” mostly used by the broadcast media. Commentaries are written, for example, to
explain government actions to a particular issue of the day. Check the commentary
Page | 79
usually done on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (F.R.C.N), 7am, 4am and 10pm
daily and other private radio stations. Television adopts this within the bulletin in the
form of special focus or the big story on issues of the moment.
Column: This is usually written and handled by a particular person called the columnist
in a particular medium. The author of this book maintains a regular column entitled
‘English for Communicators’ in the influential the Catholic Herald Newspaper, a
publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, for example.
The print media is popular for this. The columnist, in most cases is an experienced writer
or an expert, but where he or she is not an expert, he or she is expected to seek expert
opinion and sometimes present the expert during the programme, especially for
broadcast media.
The columnist or presenter might not be working for the particular medium. Columns
or air time could be dedicated to general issues such as sports, idle talks and gossips,
entertainment, music, science and technology, religion, business, education, single
affairs, marriage issues, others.
Editorial Writing
Editorial writing is further broken down to: Explanatory or Interpretative editorials,
Argumentative and Exhortative editorials. One authority, Wilson (2000: 66.68)
explained further that explanatory or interpretative editorials try to provide details or
do an appraisal on a particular issue. According to the writer, it helps to expose and
provide answers to certain issues already on the public domain and create room for
public understanding of an issue believed to have been misconstrued by the public, in
attempt at enlightening the public on issues at stake, while argumentative editorials is
meant to support or buttress an issue by presenting various angles to it.
Page | 80
In doing an argumentative writing-up, the writer is expected to remain unbiased and
factual in line with the public interest in mind. The mood could either be that of anger,
disappointment, sincerity or humorous.
Exhortative editorials, the author argued, must be appealing or persuasive in approach
in getting the public or audience to support a particular issue or course.
Similarly, Adefela (2008) says an argument involves giving reasons for or against
something, proving or trying to prove by giving reasons, to persuade by giving reasons,
to contend or disagree in words and to consider the pros and cons to an issue.
We may also include here methods of arguing. Providing evidence, using the cause and
effect approach, comparison in argument, definitions and descriptive argument are
some of the named method of arguing to make ones position on issues clear and
understandable.
More on Feature Stories and Types

Feature stories, simply put, is an in depth analysis of news and events that have made
the round or the news earlier. Additional details which the conventional news story may
not provide are required. It also looks at the facts and back ground them.
The authorities identify five major kinds of feature story for the media to include profile,
expose, travelogue, do-it-yourself articles and review writing.
Profile: Is used to create awareness and educate the reader about people,
organizations, places and events believed to be of public interest.
Expose: This type of feature story brings out the ills of society often considered as
inimical and a menace to human existence.
Travelogue: Travelogue gives the audience details of trips of places of interest.
Do-it-yourself Articles: Teaches the audience certain skills to improve lives.
Page | 81
Review Writing: Attempt at analyzing other peoples work, such as book review, the art,
music etc.
Feature story requires extensive research by the writer to make any head way, covering
published works, press releases, and contact with individuals, observing and taking
note. Arm yourself with good reference materials such as dictionaries, encyclopedia etc.
NEWSMAN’S ENGLISH. PLEASE READ AND MAKE THEM YOURS

DON’T SAY PREFER
actually the truth is, in fact, indeed
a lot many, much, more
celebrant celebrator
canvass for canvass
come 2018 in 2018
advocate for advocate
the likes of the like of
upliftment uplift, uplifting
rub minds meet minds
it will go a long way in it will go a long way towards
pure and white pure white
be rest assured rest assured
on the ground item in question
in the Diaspora overseas, abroad
zero eight zero oh eight oh (telephone nos.)
new innovation new or innovation
completely unique unique, complete
abrasions and contusions scratches and bruise
absence of no, none, vacant, void
accede to grant, allow, permit
accommodate hold/seat, harbour, keep
accommodation rooms, seats, hall, residence
accordingly so
acquaint tell
act as bad substitute for the verb “to be”
a cut on his ears a cut ear, injured ear
adequate bus transport enough buses
adjacent to near/or next to
adumbrate outline/sketch/foreshadow
affluent rich/well-off, comfortable
ahead of schedule early
a large proportion of many, chunk
Page | 82
a man by the name of named, addressed
ameliorate improve, redress
a percentage of some, fraction
approximately about, almost
arrangements were in the hands of arranged by, handled
ascertain learn/find out, verify, study
as far as is concerned as for (but it is better to be direct); for his part
assistance help/aid
at an early date soon
attempt try
at the present time/at present now, currently
attired in wore, dressed
behind schedule late
best of health well/healthy, sound
beverage drink
bid (except at an auction) attempt
bifurcate/bifurcation split in two/fork
called a halt/come to a halt stopped, halted
carry out the work do the work, do
caused injuries to injured, hurt
centre round centre on/in
cloud burst heavy rain
commence begin, start
compared with than
concerning about/on
conflagration fire
conservative (estimate) low/cautious
consist of bad substitute for the verb “to be”, comprise
constructed of wood wooden/made of wood
continues to remain stay/constant
currently now
customary usual, habitual
completely untrue false
deceased death/die
deceased/defendant prefer the name
definite decision decided
declared redundant sacked, retired
demise death
demonstrate show
dentures false teeth
described as called, cited
despite the fact that although
discontinue stop
dispatched sent
donate/contribute give
Page | 83
donation gift, present
draw the attention of show/remind/point out
dwell/reside live
edifice building
endeavour try
en route on the way, through, via
envince show
exceedingly very, very much
exceeding the speed limit speeding, speedy, fast, over speeding
expedite hasten/hurry, speed-up, act
facilitate ease/help, enhance
filled to capacity full
following (i.e. later in time) after
from out of the out of/from
from Ayodele’s point of view to Ayodele
gained entrance to got in/entered
gathered together met
give consideration to consider
give rise to cause
hails from comes from
headache (except figuratively) problem/difficulty, puzzle
heretofore before/until now
hospitalized went to hospital, admitted into clinic
illuminated lit up, brightened
implement (verb) carry out/do/fulfill, enforce
impossible of discovery cannot be found, lost
in addition to also, plus
in advance of his meeting with before meeting…ahead of
in attendance present/there
incapacitated (put) out of action, disabled
in conjunction with with/and/or
in consequence of because of
inferno fire
inform tell, give notice, notify
in isolation alone/by itself/isolated
initiate, institute begin, start
in many cases/in the case of often/with
in order to to
enquire ask, seek
in short supply scarce
in spite of the fact that despite, although
in succession running
in the course of in/during/while
in the direction of towards
in the event of in/if
Page | 84
in the field of in/with
in the majority of instances mostly, largely
in the vicinity/region/neighbourhood of about, near, around, close
in view of the fact that since, because
is of the opinion believes, thinks, holds
it cannot be denied that undeniably, agreeably
lady woman (unless lady is a title)
larceny theft/stealing
leaving much to be desired unsatisfactory, bad
less expensive cheap, affordable
local authority council, local government
made an approach to approached, moved on to
made good their escape escaped, disappeared
manufacture make, produce
materialise happen/come about/appear
maximum greatest/most
merchandise goods
minimum least/smallest
miraculous surprising/unexpected
missive letter, note
more preferable preferred
necessitate force
objective aim
occasioned by caused by
of the order of about, ranked
one of the purposes one purpose
one of the reasons one reason
on account of the fact that because
owing to the fact that because
on the part of by
participate share/take part
pay tribute to thank/praise, laud
per should be followed with another Latin
word, e.g. per annum, but prefer a year,
a head, a mile etc.
personnel men/staff/crew/workers
peruse read
placed under arrest arrested
possessed had
predecease die before
prejudge in advance biased
prior to/preparatory to/previous to before
proceed go, move
proceeded up went
Page | 85
progress to reach
proliferation spread, flourish
prove beneficial benefit, gainful
provided if
purchase buy
put in an appearance appear/appeared
quit leave
quiz (verb) question/ask
red faces (except figuratively) embarrassed, troubled, worried
regarding about/on
remunerate pay
rendered assistance to helped
request the appropriation of ask for (more) money, funds
residence home
resides at lives at
respecting about/on
result in end in, keep result/resulted in.
for scores in sport
resuscitate revive
retain his position as remain
retired for the night went to bed, slept
shortfall in supplies shortage, cut back
since the particular time since then
special ceremonies marking celebrated, marked
the event were held ceremonies, marked the event
submitted his resignation resigned
subsequently later
subsequent to after
succeeding in defeating defeated
succumbed to his injuries died
sufficient enough
sufficient consideration enough thought
summon (except legal summons) send for
sustained injuries was hurt, injured
take action on the issue act, effect
terminates end, stop
the remains the body, corpse
this day and age today/nowadays
to date so far
took into consideration considered
took up the cudgels on behalf of back/supported
transmit send
transportation transport or bus, car etc.
the tools they employed their tools, instruments
under active consideration being considered
Page | 86
under preparation being prepared
under privileged poor/deprived/masses
under the circumstances in this/that case
utilise use
valued at worth, cost
voiced approval approved
was a witness of saw, witnessed
was of the opinion that believed, thought, held
was suffering from had
went one’s way went
weather conditions weather, climate
when and if if
which included including, comprising
whole of all
will be the speaker at will speak at, guest speaker
with the exception of except
with the minimum of delay as soon as possible, swift
with the result that so that
went their way went
“H” was in collision with “Y” “H” and “Y” collided
Watch out for these redundancies and stale expressions as compiled by a onetime teacher and veteran
journalist, Titus Ogunwale in his book Modern Sub-Editing, which you can avoid or improve on.
absolute perfection complete monopoly

35 acres of land completely outplayed
acute/serious crisis completely untrue
adequate enough concrete proposals
a distance of connect up/together
a hearing to discuss case consensus of opinion
all of continue in existence
all-time record continue to remain
among the delegate expected to attend cooperate together
an authority in his own right cost the sum of
a number of examples date back from
a period of definite decision
appear on the scene depreciated in value
appear to be descended down
appointed to the post of died suddenly
appreciated in value divided up/off
ascend up doctorate degree
as compared with downright lie
as never before in the past drink up/down
as yet driver by occupation
a team of 12 workmen during the course of
at some time to come early hours
Page | 87
attach together eat up
awkward predicament eliminate altogether
best ever enclosed herewith
blends in endorse on the back
blue coloured car end product/result
bold and audacious end up
broad daylight entirely absent
chief protagonist entirely new departure
circular shape entirely spontaneous
classified into classes entire state/community, congregation
close approximately equally as
collaborate together essential condition
commented to the effect that ever since
commute to and from exact counterpart
face up to inter-personal friendship
falsely fabricated in the city of Manchester
few in number in the course of the operation
final completion/upshot/settlement in the process of building
flatly rejected in the interim period between
follow after intolerable to be borne
for a period of in two year’s time
forbid from invited guest
for the making of involved in a car crash
for the month of it is interesting to note that
for the purpose of joined together
foundered and sank joint cooperation
fresh beginning join up
frown on his face just recently
full complement of last of all
full satisfaction lend out
funeral obsequies less essential
future prospect link together
gainfully employed little sapling
gather up/together lonely isolation
good benefit made out of
grateful thanks major breakthrough
have been engaged in producing may possibly
have got meet together
heard various requests men who are unemployed
he lost his eyesight merge together
he was seen in the morning on his more preferable
pre-breakfast walk more superior
he went in an effort to determine mutual cooperation
hoist up nearly inevitable
hot water heater necessary requisite
Page | 88
hour of noon needless to say
hurry up need necessarily
if and when never at any time
in abeyance for the time being new beginning
include among them new creation
intents and purposes new recruits
new record recommended back
new renovations reduce down
new tradition regular monthly meetings
nobody else but repeat again
not at all resigned his position as
not generally available everywhere results so far achieved
old adage return back
old veterans revert back
one of the last remaining reward back
on the occasion when root cause
on the question of saved from his earnings
original source seldom ever
over and done with self-confessed
over take a slower-moving separate apart
pay off debt serious danger
pare down seriously incline
partially harmless settle up
passing pedestrian/car short space of time
passing phase sink down
past history skirt around
patently obvious small in size
peculiar freak smile on the face
penetrate into spent his whole life
periods of time staunch supporter
petrol filling station still persists/continues
polish up strangled to death
poor state of disrepair sufficient enough
prejudged in advance summoned to the scene
presence on the scene sunny by day
pressing for the imposition of a surgeon by occupation
30 mph limit surrounding circumstances
prominent and leading temporary reprieve
proposed project the court was asked to decide as to
protrude out whether or not
quite empty throughout the whole length and breadth
quite perfect to consume drink
radical transformation topped the 200 mark
raze to the ground total contravention
recalled back total extinction
Page | 89
uncommonly strange totally destroyed
unite together true facts
universal panacea watchful eye
usual customs ways and means
utterly indestructible whether or not
value judgements whole of the country
vandals willfully broke whole of the country
violent explosion widow of the late
vitally necessary win out
worst ever young infant
young teenage
STALE EXPRESSIONS
acid test bolt from the blues
aired their troubles breakneck speed
all walks of life breakthrough
appear on the scene breathless silence
armed to the teeth bring up to date
at pains to explain brook no delay
beat a hasty retreat brutal reminder
bees in his bonnet brute force
beggars description built-in safeguard
bewildering variety burning issue
bitter end calm before the storm
blaze (for fire) chequered career
blazing inferno cheered to the echo
blissful ignorance cherished belief
city fathers forgone conclusion
clean pair of heels from time immemorial
cold collation gay abandon
colourful scene gay cavalier
commendably patient getting into full swing
concerted move given the green light
conspicuous by its absence glared daggers
cool as cucumber goes without saying
coveted trophy gory details
crack troops grim reaper
crowded to capacity hardy souls
crude fact headache (for problem)
crying need heap coals of fire
curate’s egg heartfelt thanks
dame fashion heart of gold
daring daylight robbery high dungeon
dark horse hook line and sinker
dashed to the rescue hook or by crook
Page | 90
dastardly deed hot pursuit
dazzling sight hub of the universe
deafening crash inextricably linked
deciding factor in full swing
deftly manipulate inspiring/unsporting display
dig in their heels internecine strife
ding-dong struggle in the nick of time
doctors fought in the same boat with
dog in the manger in the twinkle of an eye
64,000 dollar question iron the difficulty/problem
dotted the landscape lashed out
dramatic new move last but not least
dreaming spires last-ditch effort
draw a line leaps and bounds
fair sex leave no stone unturned
fall between two stools leave severely alone
fall on deaf ears lift up in the air
far cry lending a helping hand
fickle fortune like rats in a trap
filthy lucre limped into part
finishing touches lock, stock and barrel
fit and bronzed pros and cons
fly in the ointment proud heritage
long arm of the law psychological moment
long years raced/rushed to the scene
loom up raining in sheets
luck few rat in a trap
luxury flat/yacht red faces
mantle of snow red letter day
man worthy of his steel red rag to all bull
marked contrast reduced to matchwood
marshal support reins of government
matter of life and death remedy the situation
mercy dash rose to great heights
milady sadder but wiser
move into higher gear sea to upturned faces
never a dull moment selling like hot cakes
news leaked out shackles which fetter
nipped in the bud sigh of relief
none the worse for wear sons of the soil
not be outdone spearheading the campaign
not to put too fine a point on it speculation
official capacity spirited debate
open secret spotlessly whites
over and above square peg in a round hole
Page | 91
paid the penalty staff of life
painted a grim picture steaming jungle
paramount importance stick out like a sore thump
part and parcel storm of protest
patience of job storm-tosses
paying the piper stuck to his guns
pillar of the church sweeping changes
pinpoint the cause taking the bull by the horns
place in the sun taking the situation in the stride
pool of blood terror-stricken
poured scorn this day and age
power keg through their faces
pretty kettle of fish throwing a party
tiny tots vanish in thin air
tongue in cheek voiced approval
top-level session wealth of information
tower of strength weighty matter
true colours whirlwind tour
turned turtle widespread anxiety
unconscionably long time winds of change, was rife
up in arms wreak havoc
upset the apple cart writing on the wall
Wordy, Weak, Redundant Simpler, Stronger, Functional

In the field of education in education
registered his objections to objected to
draw the attention of remind
with the passage of time eventually
come his defence defend
dropped the idea of decided against, withdraw
amongst among
commence, commencement begin, beginning
lawyer by profession lawyer, attorney
at no time never
trying to reach an agreement negotiating
express an opinion about comment
examine critically examine, study
the way in which how
in the same way as such as
broad daylight day light
together with together
bring into existence establish, create
other matters described also discussed, agenda
give approval for approve
Page | 92
repeat it again and again repeat
bring to an end end
held a meeting met
crashed down crashed
domicile home, residence
tuition fee tuition
twelve noon noon, mid-day
went on to say said
pedestrian footbridge footbridge
consensus of opinion consensus
times without number often
notwithstanding the fact that although
make a study study
get in touch with contact, reach, visit
currently going on going on, happening
over and above over
far off in the distance far away, distant
scattered in different directions scattered, dispersed
general public public, masses
apportion blame blame
an authority in his own right an authority
few in number few, limited
doctorate degree doctorate
depreciate in value depreciate
10 acres of land 10 acres (or in hectares)
total extinction extinction, dead
may not be unconnected related
scorched by heat scorched
is to be will
More on vocabulary; extract the proper word at the proper time to be understood
that or which is used for things, who is used for people or person
The words “thief,”” burglar,” “robber,” and “bandit” have differences of meaning in spite of certain
similarities. The good reporter would know these differences so he can pick the right word at the right
time.
Ghastly motor accident shows that no life was lost but that the car was badly damaged while fatal
accident means that the accident left one or more persons dead or that casualties were recorded.
Take note that cliché’s are expressions that have lost their original impact because they have been
overused.
• A bolt from the blues To cut a long story short
• Abreast of the times Far and wide

Page | 93
• Acid test In the neighborhood of
• Attached here to In this day and age
• It stands to reason By hook or crook
• Make ends meet Born and bred
• Kill two birds with one stone Avoid like a plague
• Be that as it may As a matter of fact
• Golden opportunity If the worst comes to the worst
• Add insult to injury Busy as a bee
• By and large Blood is thicker than water
• By leaps and bounds Captain of industry
• Make ends meet Conspicuous by his absence
• Contents carefully noted With flying colours
• Compared favourably Cooperate together
• Each and every Enclosed herewith
• Taken into custody Up in arms
• Turn a blind eye Thanking you in advance
• We wish to state The weaker sex
• The plot thickens First and foremost
• A storm in a teacup Pure and simple
• A sweeping statement Slowly but surely
• On the spur of the moment Go the whole hog
• Every effort is being made to Reading between the lines
CURRENT TREND IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

WRONG RIGHT
Upliftment Uplift, uplifting
Page | 94
The likes The like
Celebrant Celebrator/ celebrater
Advocate for Advocate
Canvass for Canvass
On the ground The matter or item in question
Pure and white Pure white
Must have to Have to
Can be able Be able
Like I said As I said
To lift the game To give the game a boost, flip, stimulus
Be rest assured Rest assured
APC-led administration APC administration
Evidences Pieces of evidence or mass of evidence
New innovation New or Innovation
In the Diaspora Overseas or abroad
Come 2018 ... In 2018 ...
Zero eight Zero ... Oh eight Oh … (phone numbers)
One year anniversary First anniversary or first year
Celebration
Re-occurrence Recurrence
It will go a long way in … It will go a long way towards …
 Above all know your media organization house style or style sheet
 Clichés are over used words or hackney words.
 Don’t impress but express yourself. Avoid flamboyant words or
sentences. Keep it simple, especially for the broadcast media

 Adopt the acronym KISS - Keep it short and simple
 That or which is used for things and materials. Who is used for people or persons
 The man in the street means common people. The man on the street
are the homeless, beggars and those living on the street.
Page | 95
PRONUNCIATION
 Status-quo/stay-tuhss kwoh
 Sycophant/si-kuh-fant
 Grand prix/gron pree
 Stipend/stypend
 Falcon/fawl-k’n
Page | 96
REFERENCES
Dayo Duyile(1987) Makers of the Nigerian Press, Lagos: a Gong publication.
Henry Odukomaiya (1990) Text of Lecture delivered; Newspaper typography and
layout.
Neil Wenborn (1982) Word Power- A Test Yourself Guide: Corgi Books, London. Padre
Mike Umoh (2014) Basics of Human Communication: CMD – Center for Media
Development, Lagos Lecture
George Egbodor (2014) Practical Guide to Writing News – Lectures, Lagos, Nigeria.
George Egbodor (2014) Photographs That Tell Stories-Lagos Lectures.
Mike Echi (1987) The Journalist: Breaching Ethical Codes – Published in The Republic
Newspaper.
Ajose Fadeyi (2014) Interview Techniques –Lagos Lectures.
Adidi Uyo (2002) Development of Broadcast Content in Nigeria (NBC) Workshop Paper
– Keynote Address, Lagos.
ICL (1990) The Language of News, Lagos – Lecture.
Dayo Duyile (1990) Ethics: Reporters And Their Sources –, Lagos Lecture
Dayo Duyile (1990) Ethics: Plagiarism And Copyright – An Ethical Issue – Lagos Lecture.
Titus Ogunwale (1990), Modern Sub-editing; Penmen’s Studies Manual, published by
Penmen’s Press Services Agency, Ibadan-Nigeria.
Bayo Oguntuashe (2009) Mind Your Language, Modern English Usage-published in the
Daily Sun Newspaper.
Oxford Dictionary of Current English – Fourth Edition, Edited by Catherine Soanes, etal
Page | 97
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 Communication skill and the art of public speaking and much more.
We also offer on and offline training for prospective broadcast journalists.

Contact us @ 21 Oremeji Street, Obawole, Iju, Lagos, Jorebet Plaza (ground floor), #15
Charity Road, New Oko-Oba, Agege , Lagos State, Nigeria.
Tel: +2348066938408, +2348023588897, +2349036849118
Email: eminemcomms@gmail.com
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Reporting for Radio and Television |A Practical Guide

Eminem Communications Books and Journals

Copyright © Mike Echi 2016 Revised edition 2021

Sound Effect/Mood – Radio

Human communication refers to human activity aimed towards sharing or conveying

Elements of Authentic Communication:

Communication, Culture and Society: Relationship

Media and culture:

product of interactions among the people of a community), and it is the dominant

Conclusion: Media as a Currency

Broadcast Media in Nigeria-Evolution

The Role of Electronic Media in Society

The essential elements are surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission and

Content symmetry and the big challenge:

To some people, the biggest challenge of broadcast programming in Nigeria today is

Role of the Reporter, other Broadcast Functionaries

Sometimes the reporter or correspondent is asked to do human angle or general

Qualities of a Good Reporter:

i. He should have passion for this profession.

Other important broadcast functionaries are:

 The key to writing News report is simplicity of language.

Note on modern journalistic/ current usage of English as stated by the “Purist”.

Incorrect usage/Cliché Correct / Current usage

Clichés to avoid in Scripting

a bolt from the blues captain of industry

The challenges facing the reporter, editor

KISS (Keep It Short and Simple).

different sizes and dimension. They are the

Suspense: Is another attribute of news selection. Would the children of a collapsed

Headline and headline Writing

Skills of the headline writer and some guidelines on headline writing

Interview Techniques: For a journalist, the main purpose of conducting an interview is

Writing Documentaries for Television and Radio: Documentaries are generally an

Writing radio drama, Situation Comedy and Soap Operas

Make-up/Screen display of graphics

Distribution of news, views, pictures, graphics and illustrations

Sound effect/mood to draw attention- Radio

Press Law/watch dog role of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)

We have the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), and Independent

Broadcast Media Equipment and Tools

Pick up pattern of microphone

Skills Required of the Reporter and Editor

not been developed and fully harnessed to ease

Again, Government policy somersaults add to the

The success of Government in the measures taken Shots of sea of heads

A DISTINGUISHED BANKER WHO SERVED IN MANY CAPACITIES, UCHE NGAJI ADMIRERS

ORDINARILY, NABA STATE THAT PRIDE ITSELF AS THE SUN OF THE

u/l upper and lowercase

Cap set in Capital letters

paragraph on the borderline

close up gap in a sentence or

separate closed words

transpose letter or word in a sentence

Close up broken words

Let’s also consider types of News stories, in determining News.

Guidelines on News Writing

Types of lead and their impact on the news story

The Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing

News Gathering Techniques

Qualification of the Journalist

Qualifications of the Journalist/Reporter

Mass Media Write-up/Report