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Reporting and Writing I
Week Two
Story structure
Introduction
• Story structure
• Finding an angle
• Writing intros
• First assignments
Story structure
Structure
The most important or eye-catching facts come first
Remember: Who, What, Where and When
How and Why are often left to later paragraphs
Quotes from attributed sources are used to back up the
facts or add opinion –but don’t use them to state the
obvious
The most disposable details come at the bottom, and
can be cut off if necessary.
The inverted pyramid
Most important
facts
Supporting
details and
quotes
Loose
ends
The inverted pyramid
“News writing always
starts with the most
important fact. When
you report on a football
game, you do not start
with the kick-off, you
begin with the final
score.”
Lynette Sheridan Burns
Understanding
Journalism
The inverted pyramid
Historical
Increased emphasis on sticking to the facts and direct,
objective reporting after First World War.
Practical
Stories are written long before a space is allocated for
them on a page –if all the least important details are at
the bottom of a story, it can be quickly cut to fit a hole.
Online
Search engines rank text on a web page by its position text in headlines and intros has a higher score. Using
the most relevant details, people’s names and places
high in the story makes your article easier to find.
Why?
Medway Council carries out a survey of 144 shoppers to find out what
they think of Gillingham market. The results will be used to inform a plan
to modernise the twice-weekly event.
Survey results included:
90 per cent
Thought the town should have a
market
63 per cent
Knew there was a market
52 per cent
Said they would visit it in future
41 per cent
Said they would never visit (mostly
high-earning men)
Older people were concerned about the distance of the market from the
town centre.
Finding the angle
This was a story in
Maidstone in 2007.
I was struck that 37 per
cent did not know the
800-year-old market
even existed.
Fears of older people
would also be a valid
angle, as they are its
most likely users.
The high-earning men
stat is not a surprise –it
would make for a boring
intro.
Finding the angle
Intros are short: max 25
words, but try to get
below 20.
Use active language and
lively verbs –in this case,
“quizzed” is better than
“asked” or “questioned”.
An intro should be one
idea, in one sentence.
Turning an angle into an intro
Out of order
Keep it simple
Back it up
The final cut
News stories are rarely chronological. Put the most
important details first, answer who, what, where etc.
then go back and fill in missing elements.
Split the story into paragraphs, usuallyone for each
new sentence. Sentences should be about 30 words
long. Keep your language simple and jargon-free.
Make sure facts and opinions are attributed. Saying
where they’re from helps the reader to trust that your
story is true.
Make sure the least important detailscome last –and
keep the important ones a safe distance from the
delete keys of stressed subs.
Writing the rest of it...
120 –140 words with a strong angle and a clear structure.
Follow CfJstyle.
Write your name at the top of the story and give it the catchlineMARKET
Email it to:
[email protected]
Now write it…
Our survey
said…
A barometer
Young reporters are often sent to survey readers about
trending topics –known as voxpops.
They are a quick way of summing up a range of
opinions (and getting people’s names and faces into
the newspaper)
They also provide a good measure of what people are
thinking and can even provide a direction for future
stories on a particular issue.
Vox pops
Avoid asking questions that can
be answered “yes” or “no”
Our “dumb questions” are
sometimes just an attempt to get
a clammed-up source to put their
thoughts into a good sentence!
Never put words in someone’s
mouth (“would you say that…”)
Always take notes.
Make sure when using direct
quotes, it is exactlywhat they
said and in the contextof how
they said it.
Interview basics
“Newspapermen ask dumb
questions. They look up at the sun
and ask if it is shining.”
Sonny Liston, boxer
Name
Age
Address
Check
spellings
Never forget…
“I think cake is amazing. I
secretly eat lots of it after
lectures.”
Rob Bailey, 34, Maidstone
Sometimes the opinions
will be used in a column,
with a photo of the
speaker and a single
soundbitequote like
this:
Writing them up
“Cheesecake is the best
kind of cake. Yum.”
Rob Bailey, 34, Maidstone
But I want you to write a
story based on what
you’ve found –taking
the most popular or
most interesting quote
as your angle .
Lecturers at the Centre for Journalism
secretly gorge themselves on cake when
they’re not in the newsroom.
According to a survey, their favourite secret
treat is cheesecake.
But some admitted eating Chelsea buns
and even cupcakes when students aren’t
looking.
“Cheesecake is the best kind of cake. Yum,”
said Rob Bailey, lecturer in Reporting and
Writing.
…
Writing them up
• How many people do you need to talk to before you can draw a
definitive conclusion? If the first 5 people you talk to in Medway say
they think climate change is made up, does that mean everyonein
Medway believes it?
• Have a clear idea about what you want to ask, and plan some followup questions.
• Listen out for unexpected responses and follow up on them.
• Try to spot emerging patterns in the answers –they’re your angle.
• Be chatty and persistent but not forceful or rude! Make it feel like a
friendly chat rather than a terrifying interview: it will make people
open up.
Think about…
A poll revealed Manchester is the
music file-sharing capital of the
UK, and the most shared album is
Ed Sheeran’s+
According to the survey, the
album is shared 50 times a week
in Gillingham.
Your story: Do Medway students
think music sharing is theft?
Work in groups of 3 or 4
Everyone should write their
own 200 word story, and email
it to me by 5pm on Wednesday.
Your first vox pop