Writing Cutlines
Fact-checking and
Unanswered Questions
Writing cutlines
As the saying goes, pictures can say a thousand
words. But, unfortunately, they won’t write a cutline
for you. And you can’t highlight the photo on your
screen and hit the “c” key and get a cutline either.
Of those thousand or so words, you are likely going to use
fewer than 100 for your cutline. So which ones do you
choose?
First of all, when it comes to getting information for
a cutline, the most important person in the
equation is probably …
Little ol’
YOU
Especially if you
are the only
journalist at the
scene or event.
You just might
have to put on your
reporter hat.
Know the basics
What if you had to write a short story based on the
information you gathered at an assignment – could you do
it? You have to remember to at least get the basic
information. What are those basic questions?
Who
When
Why
What
Where
How
** Some of my colleagues ask that you include your phone
number with your cutlines in case a question comes up.
DECIDING WHAT ELEMENTS
The Who
– The celebrity / notoriety factor is a definite reader
hook. Use titles or other identifiers with names when
the subject is not well-known (may be a slight gray
area and somewhat subjective).
– The “who” is essential for attribution. The Chronicle is
not saying the man was arrested in the killing; police
are.
– Make sure the identifier is appropriate to the story. ExMarine (no!), Vietnam veteran, black principal,
DECIDING WHAT ELEMENTS
The What
– The “what happened” is often the most critical
element.
– In a sports story, the “what” is often the score.
– The “what” can also reflect conflict, and conflict
makes for an excellent device.
DECIDING WHAT ELEMENTS
The When
– The time element is an absolute must.
– Using “today” is OK, but AP prefers you use the day of the
week rather than “yesterday” and “tomorrow.”
– The time element could become a focal point -- a few
years ago, the U.S. Senate gave themselves a pay raise
just before adjourning at midnight. The action was too late
for East Coast news outlets, which gave the action a
somewhat sinister appearance.
The Where
– Gives the reader a sense of place, and provides a level of
significance.
– What happens in our backyards generally gets more
attention than what happens in Timbuktu.
DECIDING WHAT ELEMENTS
The Why
– It could be the most compelling element, but often is
unknown at the outset.
– Why a plane crashed or why someone was murdered
could supersede the other questions.
– Why was the apartment fire able to spread to 40
apartments?
The How
– Can be related to why
– Often speaks to the process involved in what happened
– The “how” details could be the most compelling element.
How did Karla Faye Tucker and Clara Harris kill their
lovers?
MORE ELEMENTS
Some other angles to include or
at least consider …
MORE ELEMENTS
What’s next -- Where the action goes from here could be
the most critical or interesting element. Where does the
court case or legislation go from here? What happened to
those involved in the car crash or the apartment fire?
So what -- Tell the readers why this matters to them, why
should they care. Give them some perspective. What’s
going on here besides what’s going on here? Is there a
local angle? What makes this a Page 1 photo?
How many -- How many folks are affected or how many
times something has occurred may be a key element. Is
this a “first”? Is this the 12th murder in a particular area.
Also, there’s the “Heinecke rule” – five dead here
supersedes 50 dead in Bangladesh.
Writing cutlines
Responding to an Associated Press Management Editors
survey, one editor wrote: “Photo captions are some of
the most important text we write every day. Standards of
clarity, good writing, accuracy and completeness are – if
anything – higher than for body text. Desk chiefs should
give the highest priority to writing photo captions.”
We all know that body text (some people call them stories)
go through several layers of editing before getting on a
page. Yet at many shops – including the Chronicle – staff
cutlines, an important form of display type, don’t receive
a similar level of vetting. They often go from the
photographer’s computer straight to the copydesk.
Writing cutlines
So you have to remember your role as a photojournalist –
you are both reporter and photographer. Even if you have a
reporter accompanying you on an assignment, you
shouldn’t depend on that person getting all of the
necessary information or getting it right. Your photo
captures a moment, while the reporter’s story will likely
take a broader approach. Your words will often have to
bridge that gap.
Who knows, you might even have to write the story, just as
Howard Castleberry did when he made Page 1 with a story
about Oilers GM Ladd Herzeg mooning a wedding party.
Writing cutlines
Why are good cutlines so important? There are the obvious
answers, such as upholding the credibility of the paper,
maintaining your own personal credibility, avoiding legal
and ethical problems, providing clarity and context or
perhaps adding a dash of creativity to this sea of gray we
swim in each day.
It’s also important to note that photos are the primary way
readers enter a page – whether color or B&W, according to
eye-tracking research.
Eye-Trak results
On a color page, 49 percent of
readers entered the page through
the dominant photograph.
On a black and white page, 35
percent of readers entered the
page through the dominant photo.
What makes a good cutline?
 Accuracy: You have to get the information right,
particularly the names of the people in the
photograph. Get a business card or get them to
write their names for you. Go to PublicData.com.
Try a Google search. Count the number of folks
in your photo and make sure you have a like
number of names in your cutline. Check the crop
to make sure some of the folks identified in your
cutline didn’t get cropped out of the photo.
Here are some examples where rampant brainfartism struck …
Those doggone names …
This cutline had several problems. As submitted:
Bernaard Rychlick, mayor of Caldwell, samples a kolache outside the
Kolache Capitol Bake Shop Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, in Caldwell. The
Kolache Festival is held in Caldwell on Sat. Sept. 8, 2007. Rychlick,
who has Checkoslovakian roots, says its a weekend where everyone
can be "Check for a day."
The mayor’s name is Bernard Rychlik and someone needed to run
spell-Czech on “Checkoslovakian” and “Check for a day.” Should
also be it’s not its. Why is spelling important? Often editors will cut and
paste your cutline into the coding.
And what number does he wear?
Alek Jeremy Babineaux, 7, is
comforted by his father, Marine Sgt.
Nicholas Sauer Medlicott, left, and
grandmother, Juyne Sauer, right,
during funeral for her son Lance
Cpl. Matthew Sauer Medlicott , 22,
at Houston National Cemetery
Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007, in Houston.
Nicholas said his son Alek is
wearing the Marine uniform to
honor Matthew, who is Nicholas'
brother and Alek's uncle. Lance
Cpl. Matthew Sauer Medlicott, of the
1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division,
Charlie Co. 1st Platoon was killed in
action in Saqlawiyah, Iraq.
This is actually a pretty good cutline.
There is a ton of information here.
Unfortunately, the age of the
deceased was incorrect (story and
PublicData.com show he was 21.)
Look ma … no ma
The cropping tool has been known to make whole families
disappear.
The cutline writer said this guy
was carrying a Texas flag. It’s not
– it’s the flag for the nation of
Chile. FYI, the Texas flag is
shown at right.
This cutline has a couple of problems. Is she from Houston
or Galena Park (not park)? And it’s hard to tell how “pretty
in pink” she is in a black-and-white photo. Does Strasburg
need explaining?
The cutline says this is a photo of the cafeteria, but the
books on the shelves and cart indicate it’s the library
instead. Also, it’s Lone Star State, not state.
What makes a good cutline
 Explains fully: Don’t make the reader guess at who’s
who or what is going on. Provide the necessary
explanation. The cutline writer may need to provide
context, convey how one frame fits into an entire event.
You might have to explain conflict; don’t just say
protesters gather in front of city hall without giving the
reason for the protest. You might need to give the
outcome of event or situation – did the runner score on
the close play at the plate or not? You might have to ask
yourself: what details / angle made this a Page 1 picture
(in addition to its composition etc.)? What detail kicks it
up a notch, like Emeril would do. Don’t forget to provide
the necessary directional clues to aid identification.
This photo was selected as the main photo for a Chronicle Page 1A.
Although the names of the two soldiers were CQ’ed (checked), the
soldier on the left is missing his first name and the soldier on the right
is missing his rank. The relationship of the pair to the dead soldier
was not given. The photographer was forced to call Fort Hood on a
Friday night to get the information.
At least we know it was firm …
And what was the
horse’s name?
The names appear to be
correct, but who is who
The reader will likely
assume the names are
given left to right, but is
that always a correct
assumption? You know
what happens when you
assume.
Identification clues don’t
always have to be
directional – you can say
Mary Smith, wearing the
red dress … or John
Jones, on the drums …
etc.
Cutline info: Members of the Fort Hood Honor Guard carry the
casket of Army Pfc. William L. Edwards as his parents Mary
Kay (SP 2nd from right) and Bill Edwards (right) look on,
Edwards was killed in Iraq on Saturday by a sniper while on
foot patrol, at Easterwood Airport Friday, Aug. 17, 2007, in
College Station.
The cutline as it ran, added
information in yellow
A fallen son comes home
Members of a Fort Hood honor guard carry the
casket of Army Pfc. William L. Edwards to a
hearse Friday in College Station, under the gaze
of dignitaries and his parents, Bill and Mary Kay
Edwards, right. The 2002 graduate of Stratford
High School (localizes) was killed Aug. 11 by a
sniper in Baghdad (tells which war) during a
deadly ambush that claimed four other U.S.
soldiers. He was 23.
1.
2.
These were the cutlines on these two photos …
1. Bryan Cannon leads the dragon race as Elliott Lapin, 13 brings up the
end with the help of Andrew Koenig during the Camp Periwinkle
Olympic Day at Camp For All in Burton, TX. August 1, 2007
2. Bryan Cannon leads the dragon race as Elliott Lapin, 13, behind tree,
brings up the rear with the help of Andrew Koenig during Olympic Day
at Burton's Camp For All on Tuesday.
Notice a similarity? And, do you see the words “cancer patients” anywhere?
How should we identify Elliot? Do we say “in wheelchair”?
The cutlines that ran:
1. DRAGON RACING: Bryan Cannon leads the dragon race as
Elliott Lapin, 13, behind tree, brings up the rear with the help of
Andrew Koenig during Olympic Day at Burton's Camp For All
on Tuesday;
2. SIDELINE SUPPORT: Members of competing teams lead cheers
at the start of Camp Periwinkle Olympic Day at Camp For All in
Burton.
The blurb that ran with the two-photo package:
PATIENTS from the Texas Children's Cancer Center and their siblings
competed in Camp Periwinkle's Olympic Day, held Tuesday at Camp
For All in Burton. The weeklong camp, founded in 1983, offers a variety
of activities to children of ages 7-15 with cancer and blood disorders.
A copy editor had to find the info about cancer patients on the Internet.
Note that Camp For All becomes Camp Periwinkle for this week. There
was also additional information in the Chron archives – stories on
Camp Periwinkle or its counselors ran on 7-12-07 and 4-5-07.
As turned in: Ganiha fled
from Telafar nearly two
years ago due to
escalating violence. She
now lives on the outskirts
of Erbil with her 10
children, who are unable
to access education.
What ran: AWAY FROM HOME: One woman fled from an Iraqi city two
years ago to settle on the outskirts of Irbil, also in Iraq. Her 10
children are unable to access education. According to a United
Nations official, between 25,000 and 50,000 Iraqis flee their homes
for other parts of Iraq each month.
The original was problematic in several ways; upon fact-checking, there
were multiple spellings of Telafar found, so the work-around was to
delete the reference. AP prefers Irbil to Erbil. More importantly, a
stronger tie to the refugee story was needed (is it a story about her
or was it a story about the refugee problem in Iraq? The latter.)
Cutline info: Isaac Rosario, (cq-left) a veterinarian technician at the
Houston SPCA, talks with Elizabeth Grabowski, (cq) as she and her
daughters (Sequoyah Grabowski, cq, 6, center; and Sierra House
cq, 9, far right) drop off two kittens Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007. The
SPCA has instituted a new policy that requires pet owners who give
their animals up to participate in a 15-minute counseling session to
learn if the animal is a candidate for adoption or will be euthanized.
The cutline as it ran, added
information in yellow
Reality check at the SPCA
Isaac Rosario of the Houston SPCA talks with Elizabeth
Grabowski as she and her daughters -- Sequoyah, 6,
and Sierra, 9, right -- drop off two kittens Wednesday.
The SPCA's new policy requires those bringing in
animals to receive a mandatory consultation. Before the
client leaves, they will learn if the animal is a candidate
for adoption or needs euthanasia. The cats Grabowski
brought in were eligible to be adopted (lets the reader
know the fate of these kittys).
Actually, there was a lot of detail in the original cutline, but
we felt cat lovers needed some reassurance. Would this
photo have stayed on Page 1 if it was learned the kittens
were going to be euthanized?
Roger Bornstein (cq), center, is escorted through Hobby Airport by Star Wars
characters as he arrives from California with Luke Skywalker's original Jedi
Lightsaber Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007, in Houston. To celebrate the space saga's
30th anniversary, lightsaber prop is scheduled to fly aboard the Space Shuttle
Discovery in October. The lightsaber will be put on display at Space Center
Houston through Labor Day and then be sent to be put aboard Discovery.
Lots of info, but anyone know who Roger Bornstein is? What ran:
Star Wars characters escort Roger Bornstein of Space Center Houston as he
arrives Tuesday at Hobby Airport from California. (A second photo, a detail
shot, revealed what was in the briefcase – a Star Wars lightsaber.)
One line cutlines can sometimes suffice, especially on large horizontal
photos. But not only does this cutline state the obvious, it gives no indication
what it is supposed to show – is this a “holiday crush at the airport” story, a
parents flying with kids story or what?
What makes a good cutline?
 Avoid libel: People can be libeled in a cutline or
a photo just as they can in a story or headline.
The Texas Supreme Court has come up with its
own version of libel per quod (the Sylvester
Turner case) where journalists can be held liable
if the give the impression that the subject has
done something defamatory.
This is a photo of some day laborers waiting for working. A similar
photo ran years ago in the Conroe Courier with a story about illegal
immigrants, and the cutline labeling the men as illegal immigrants.
Any problem there?
Also some years ago, the Chronicle ran a Page 1 photo of some
women who worked for an oil firm to accompany a story called “Sex
in the Oil Patch” on companies that obtain contracts by using their
female employees to … well, you figure it out. The women in the
photo claimed they didn’t do such things. Any problem there?
What makes a good cutline?
 Achieve the proper tone between photo and caption.
Watch for taste problems: It is just as jarring to read a
tragic story and see a smiling face in an accompanying
photo as it is to read a caption that is out of tone with the
photo. Don’t try to be light and bright in the caption
unless it is warranted. In other words, don’t invite a
clown to a funeral unless it’s the clown’s funeral.
Hare today,
gone tomorrow
This cutline is not bad (although pagua should not be
capped and if you don’t know what a pagua is, you won’t find
out here), but obviously some care had to be taken with the
phrasing to achieve a, ahem, fruitful cutline.
What makes a good cutline?
 Avoid duplication:
This is more my job than yours, but
it’s an issue that could come up in a photo page you
design. Don’t parrot the headline or the lead to a story.
All cutlines and other display type should stand on their
own. This can get tricky since the Chron’s style call for
lead-in heads with each picture and there are just so
many ways to describe flooding or hot weather.
 Avoid editorializing: Be careful with those adjectives and
modifiers. Are the protester’s eyes blazing defiance or
fear? Was it really a dramatic rescue? Is it a routine
traffic stop if someone is killed? While we want to be
punchy in our writing, often it’s better to let the reader
decide what adjective applies best. As an alternative,
consider using a quote from someone.
What makes a good cutline?
 Avoid ambiguity:
Explain unusual objects or activities;
don’t leave the reader guessing. For example, is the
pope laughing or crying? Usually captions should identify
anyone whose face is clearly recognizable and who
appears to be part of the main action. However, note that
it’s kind of silly to write “President Bush, left, signs the
legislation …” However, not long ago, several members
of the news copydesk confessed that they did not
recognize Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte and thought
that a directional guide was needed. Face recognition
can be a subjective thing.
This is a photo I use on
the final exam in my
editing class. The wire
service cutline provides
the usual details: name,
place, time element,
what she’s doing, etc.
and explains that the
vehicle in the
background belongs to
this woman’s aunt. It
amazes me each
semester how many
students will focus the
cutline on the foreground
and miss the element
that makes this photo
worth publishing.
What makes
a good cutline?
 Be complete,
but don’t write
too long: If the
depth of the
cutline
matches or
exceeds the
photo, then
perhaps it
should be
turned into a
story.
In the end …
Getting words and visuals to work together effectively takes
teamwork – from the photo staff, the originating desks and
the various copydesks. We all have common enemies –
time, deadlines, staffing issues, equipment difficulties, work
pressures, etc. But we all have the common goal of
wanting to put out a good product. Daily. All parts of the
team have to work together. In football, the offense and
defense can be great, but you can still lose if the special
teams let you down. DON’T LET YOUR TEAMMATES
DOWN!
If you do, you could wind up having to explain it to a jury of
your peers …
Remember, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there – and sometimes it seems
like you are the one wearing Milkbone underwear! As the immortal Billy
Clyde Puckett said, "Well, nobody said it wan't gon' be semi-tough."