lcome to the world of
urnalism, where
porters have been
gging dirt, raking muck,
king headlines and
adlines for centuries
w. It’s a history full of
bloid trash, of slimy
nsationalists, of
runkards, deadbeats and
mmers” (as a Harvard
iversity president once
scribed reporters).
But it’s a history full of
roes, too: men and
men risking their lives
tell stories of war and
agedy, risking
prisonment to defend
ee speech. And as you
n see here, reports have
come beloved characters
p culture, too, turning up
movies, comics and TV
ows as if guided by an
cult hand.
Every culture seeks
effective ways to spread
new information and gossip.
In ancient times, news was
written on clay tablets. In
Caesar’s age, Romans read
newsletters compiled by
correspondents and
handwritten by slaves.
Wandering minstrels spread
news (and the plague) in the
Middle Ages. Them came
ink on paper. Voices on
airwaves. Newsreels, Web
sites, And 24-hour cable
news networks.
Thus when scholars
analyze the rich history of
journalism, some view it in
terms of technological
progress—for example, the
dramatic impact of bigger,
faster printing presses.
Others see journalism as a
specialized form literary
expression, one that’s
constantly evolving,
reflecting and shaping its
culture.
Others see it as an
inspiring quest for free
speech, an endless power
struggle between Authority
(trying to control
information) and the People
(trying to learn the truth).
Which brings to mind the
words of A.J. Liefling:
“Freedom of the press is
guaranteed only to htose
who own one.”
In the pages ahead, we’ll
take a quick tour of 600
years of journalism history,
from hieroglyphics to
hypertext: the media, the
message and the politics.
Technical advances and
brilliant ideas forged a new
style of journalism. It was a
century of change, and
newspapers changed
Inside Reporting
Tim Harrower
3
Newswri'ng basics dramatically. The typi
newspaper of 1800 wa
undisciplined mishma
legislative proceeding
long-winded essays a
secondhand gossip. B
1900, a new breed of
tor had emerged. Jour
had become big busin
Reporting was becom
disciplined craft. And
newspapers were bec
more entertaining and
essential than ever, w
most of the features w
expect today: Snappy
headlines, Ads, Comic
Sports pages. And an
“inverted pyramid” sty
writing that made stori
tighter and newsier.
Radio and television
brought an end to
newspapers’ media
monopoly. Why? Well
yourself: Which did yo
Newswri'ng Basics Just the facts The five W’s The inverted pyramid Beyond the basic news Lead Leads that succeed A>er the lead…what next? —  (con%nued) 2 Newswri'ng basics (con%nued) Story structure RewriFng EdiFng NewswriFng style Making Deadline 3 Just the Facts You must try to be objective. Truthful. Fair.
—  Good reporters respect integrity of facts. —  Facts tell the story. —  Readers draw their own conclusions. 4 The Five W’s Facts usually fall into
5 The Five W’s The WHO
The WHAT
Readers love stories that focus on people. WHO keeps it real. Who’s involved? Who’s affected? Who’s going to benefit? Who’s geVng screwed? 6 WHAT gives news its
substance.
Stories become dry and
dull if they focus too much
on WHAT.
Need WHO.
The Five W’s The WHEN
Timeliness essenFal to every story. When events happened or will happen. How long they lasted or will last. 7 The WHERE
The closer the event, the
more relevant it is for
readers.
Many stories require
supplements.
Map
Diagram
Photo
The Five W’s The WHY
Finding explanaFons difficult. The WHY is what makes news meaningful. 8 The HOW
Often requires detailed
explanation.
Sometimes omitted to save
space.
Readers love “how-to”
stories.
The Inverted Pyramid Newswriting format summarizes most important facts at story’s start
9 The Inverted Pyramid The typical news story uses the inverted pyramid
Summarize first. Explain later. Resolve everything in the beginning. Allows editors to trim stories from bo_om. 10 Wri'ng Basic News Leads How to write an effective news lead
—  Collect all your facts. —  Lead should summarize. —  The more you know, the easier it is to summarize. 11 •  Sum it up. Boil it down.
•  List who, what, when,
where, why of story.
Wri'ng Basic News Leads How to write an effective news lead
—  WriFng leads o>en a process of trial and error. —  Try different approaches. 12 •  Create different leads
using the…
•  Who.
•  What.
•  When.
•  Where.
•  Why.
Wri'ng Basic News Leads How to write an effective news lead
—  PrioriFze the five W’s. —  Lead contains the most important facts. —  Which of the key facts deserves to start the first sentence? 13 •  Rethink. Revise. Rewrite.
•  Is
•  Is
•  Is
•  Is
it
it
it
it
clear?
active?
wordy?
compelling?
Wri'ng Basic News Leads Not every story begins with a roundup of essential facts
—  Basic news leads can be too dull and dry. —  All good reporters spend Fme searching for the perfect lead. 14 Beyond the Basic News Lead Story checklist
ü  Be accurate. ü  Ask “Why should I care?”
ü  Remember what day it is. ü  Sell the story.
ü  Don’t name names. ü  Use strong verbs. 15 ü  Don’t get hung up.
ü  Move attributions to the end of
the sentences.
Leads That Succeed A roundup of commonly used options
—  Basic news leads —  Anecdotal/ narraFve leads —  Scene-­‐se_er leads —  Blind leads —  Roundup leads 16 •  Direct address leads
•  The startling statement
•  Wordplay leads
Leads That Succeed A roundup of commonly used options
— Basic news leads —  Summary lead —  Combines five W’s into one sentence. —  Delayed idenFficaFon lead —  Withholds the name of the person in quesFon unFl the second paragraph 17 •  Immediate identification lead
•  Uses a public figure or
celebrity in the sentence.
Leads That Succeed A roundup of commonly used options
—  Anecdotal/ narraFve leads •  Scene-setter leads
•  Lack urgency of hard-news
—  Have a beginning, middle and leads.
end. •  Borrowed from fiction.
—  Will be mini-­‐story with •  Blind leads
•  Extreme delayed information
symbolic resonance for bigger lead.
story. • Deliberately teases reader.
18 Leads That Succeed A roundup of commonly used options
—  Roundup leads —  Rather than focus on one person, place or thing, impress reader with longer list. —  Direct address leads —  Use second-­‐person voice. 19 •  The startling statement
•  Also called a “zinger” or a
“Hey, Martha”
•  Wordplay leads
•  Encompass wide range of
amusing leads.
•  Watch out. These can be
corny.
Leads That Succeed …and three lazy leads you should usually reconsider
—  Topic leads —  Convey no actual news. —  QuesFon leads —  Are irritaFng stalls. —  Quote leads —  Don’t fairly summarize the story. 20 AAer the Lead…What Next? Add another paragraph
—  Know how long the story should be. Write the nut graf
•  Paragraph that condenses the story idea into nutshell. 21 Story Structure Giving an overall shape to writing
—  No one-­‐size-­‐fits-­‐all soluFon. —  Every story unfolds in a different way. 22 Story Structure Organizing your story
—  The inverted pyramid —  Use for: Most important facts
—  News briefs. Additional facts
—  Breaking news. More facts
Etc., Etc.
Etc.
23 Story Structure Giving an overall shape to writing
—  The marFni glass —  Use for: —  Crimes. The lead
Key facts in invertedpyramid form
—  Disasters. —  DramaFc stories. Chronology of events
Kicker
24 Story Structure Giving an overall shape to writing
—  The kabob —  Also called Wall Street Journal formula, the focus lead or the Circle. —  Use for: Anecdote
Nut graf
—  Trends. Meat
—  Events where you want to show Meat
actual people. Meat
Anecdote
25 Story structure Keeping readers from getting bored
—  Modern journalist’s job basically boils down to —  Teaching. —  Storytelling. 26 •  Use narratives when you can.
•  Think like a teacher.
Story structure Writing tips as you move from paragraph to paragraph
—  Keep paragraphs short. —  Write one idea per paragraph. —  Add transiFons. 27 Alternatives to long, gray
news stories
Bullet items
Sidebars
Subheads
Other storytelling
alternatives
Story structure The big finish
—  Good writers agonize over the kicker as much as the lead. —  Plan ahead. —  Don’t end with a summary. —  Avoid clichés. —  End with a bang. 28 Rewri'ng Good story. Now make it better.
—  WriFng is rewriFng. —  Make things a li_le be_er. —  Few stories arrive fully formed and perfectly phrased. —  Most require rethinking, restructuring and rewording. 29 Rewri'ng 5
Reasons to hit the delete key
—  Passive verbs —  Start sentences with their subjects. —  Replace to be with stronger verbs. —  Redundancy —  Avoid unnecessary modifiers. 30 Wordy sentences
Jargon & journalese
Filter out jargon and
officialese.
Clichés
Lower the IQ of your
writing.
Edi'ng The role editors play in your stories
—  Before you write —  Assigning story. —  Planning angle. —  EsFmaFng scope. —  AnFcipaFng packaging. 31 While you write
Adding details.
Monitoring speed.
Fine-tuning.
Layout changes.
Edi'ng The role editors play in your stories
—  A>er you write —  EdiFng content. —  Copy ediFng. —  CuVng or padding. —  Assigning follow-­‐up stories. 32 Newswri'ng style Who’s right?
—  Every news outlet customizes guidelines. —  Copy desk’s job to standardize style. —  Know AP and your news outlet’s style. 33 AP Style Highlights —  Numbers —  Titles —  CapitalizaFon —  AbbreviaFons —  Addresses 34 The Internet
Parentheses
Possessives
Prefixes
And others…
Making deadline Live by the clock
—  Deadlines are mandatory. —  Pass the deadline checklist. —  Accuracy. —  Fairness and balance. —  WriFng style. 35 lcome to the world of
urnalism, where
porters have been
gging dirt, raking muck,
king headlines and
adlines for centuries
w. It’s a history full of
bloid trash, of slimy
nsationalists, of
runkards, deadbeats and
mmers” (as a Harvard
iversity president once
scribed reporters).
But it’s a history full of
roes, too: men and
men risking their lives
tell stories of war and
agedy, risking
prisonment to defend
ee speech. And as you
n see here, reports have
come beloved characters
p culture, too, turning up
movies, comics and TV
ows as if guided by an
cult hand.
Every culture seeks
effective ways to spread
new information and gossip.
In ancient times, news was
written on clay tablets. In
Caesar’s age, Romans read
newsletters compiled by
correspondents and
handwritten by slaves.
Wandering minstrels spread
news (and the plague) in the
Middle Ages. Them came
ink on paper. Voices on
airwaves. Newsreels, Web
sites, And 24-hour cable
news networks.
Thus when scholars
analyze the rich history of
journalism, some view it in
terms of technological
progress—for example, the
dramatic impact of bigger,
faster printing presses.
Others see journalism as a
specialized form literary
expression, one that’s
constantly evolving,
reflecting and shaping its
culture.
Others see it as an
inspiring quest for free
speech, an endless power
struggle between Authority
(trying to control
information) and the People
(trying to learn the truth).
Which brings to mind the
words of A.J. Liefling:
“Freedom of the press is
guaranteed only to htose
who own one.”
In the pages ahead, we’ll
take a quick tour of 600
years of journalism history,
from hieroglyphics to
hypertext: the media, the
message and the politics.
Technical advances and
brilliant ideas forged a new
style of journalism. It was a
century of change, and
newspapers changed
Inside Reporting
Tim Harrower
3
Newswri'ng basics dramatically. The typi
newspaper of 1800 wa
undisciplined mishma
legislative proceeding
long-winded essays a
secondhand gossip. B
1900, a new breed of
tor had emerged. Jour
had become big busin
Reporting was becom
disciplined craft. And
newspapers were bec
more entertaining and
essential than ever, w
most of the features w
expect today: Snappy
headlines, Ads, Comic
Sports pages. And an
“inverted pyramid” sty
writing that made stori
tighter and newsier.
Radio and television
brought an end to
newspapers’ media
monopoly. Why? Well
yourself: Which did yo