Journalism
Chapter 6
Writing for Publication
Chapter 6
Identifying the Central Point
Chapter 6.1
Readers, viewers, and listeners:
 are busy
 have multiple options for news
Journalists have to:
 work harder
 identify the central point
 deliver stories that get the point across clearly
and quickly
 Write a lead that makes readers want to read on
 Write a lead that teases viewers to stay with the
channel
Identifying the Central Point
News stories are written in journalistic
style so that readers and listeners may
quickly absorb the most important
information.
What is the central point?
• Most important piece of information the
writer wants to get across
• Will have the most impact
• Will have the most emotional punch
• Thesis statement
When does the reporter find it?
• While collecting information
• Reporter constantly asks, “What is this
story really about?”
• Subject to change as the reporter learns
more
Five W’s and an H
Who?
What?
Who is this story about?
When?
When did the event or occurrence take place,
or when will it take place?
Where?
Where did the event or occurrence take
place, or when will it take place?
Why?
Why did the event or occurrence take place.
What circumstances led up to it?
How?
How does this story impact the community,
the nation, or the world. What makes it
newsworthy?
What happened, or is going to happen?
What event or occurrence is the story about?
Applying the Five Ws and an H
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24091870/clemsonconfident-of-setting-new-crowd-noise-record-vs-seminoles
Applying the Five W’s and an H
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Clemson fans
Effort to set crowd noise record
Tomorrow, during first defensive snap
Death Valley, Clemson, SC
To be recognized by the Guinness
Book of World Records
The Administration made a public
appeal to fans
The Lead Summary
•
•
•
•
1st paragraph in a news story
summarizes story in one paragraph
establishes the angle or central point
gives readers most important information
immediately
• Answers the questions Who? What?
When? Where? Why? and How?
• The central point is expressed in the first
sentence of the paragraph
Partner Assignment
Identifying Leads
Read a news story on one of the websites on the list,
then answer the following questions about the opening
paragraph:
1. What is the central point?
2. What happened?
3. Who did it happen to?
4. Why did it happen?
5. When did it happen?
6. How is this story important?
7. Are all questions answered in the lead
summary?
Alternative Leads
Descriptive Lead – allows the writer to become a
storyteller
Few things about Elizabeth Taylor are subtle
except, perhaps, the place where she lives.
Nestled into the hillside of ultra-ritzy Bel Air,
Taylor’s massive California-style ranch house
has sweeping views of Los Angeles, feels as
secluded as an island, but is just yards from
neighbors and 10 minutes from the heart of
Beverly Hills.
Alternative Leads
The Question Lead – readers are asked a
direct question
What would you do if you won $5,000,000
in the South Carolina Education Lottery?
Public school janitor, Lawrence Hicks, is
asking himself that question today…
Alternative Leads
The Quotation Lead – opening with an
important or engaging quotation
“I’m lucky to be alive,” said Marie Johnson
as she surveyed the rubble of the home in
which she survived a tornado.
Alternative Leads
Direct Address Lead – readers are told to
do something
Imagine a school where heavy backpacks
full of thick textbooks are replaced by light
and thin Kindles.
Alternative Leads
Surprise Lead – in which the writer
supplies a twist
Officer Bob Hawthorne was enjoying a
quiet routine shift, until he saw the glowing
orb hovering silently over the high school
football field.
Computer Lab Group Activity –
Alternative Leads
Each member of your group must share an amusing,
entertaining, astonishing, interesting, fun, infuriating,
dramatic, unexpected or notable event that he or she
has experienced during this school year.
The group must then write one news story covering the
event.
The group must write four alternative leads for this news
story (1-5 sentences each), including a question lead, a
quotation lead, a direct address lead, and a surprise
lead.
Using Free Writing To Get Started
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Writing with complete freedom
Doesn’t require complete sentences
Doesn’t require punctuation
Follow where the words lead you
Use a laptop or a notebook
Technique designed to find the central point
Write without notes after returning from interview
or scene of the story
Questions to Ask Yourself During
Free Writing
• What’s my story really about?
• Who’s my story about? (who are the major and
minor characters?)
• Where and when are the best places to find the
story?
• When should the story begin and end?
• How did the story happen, unfold, come to be?
What’s the plot?
• Why am I telling this story? (Why does it matter?)
• In ONE WORD, what’s my story really about?
Chapter 6.2 Group Activity
1.
Review the material on pages 154-156.
2.
Consult the following websites:
http://cubreporters.org/grammar_for_journalists.html
http://www.grammaruntied.com/
http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.html
http://www.englishchick.com/grammar/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
3.
Prepare a five minute grammar lesson covering:
Group #1: What are subjects and verbs, and how you begin sentences with them
Group #2:
Group #3:
Group #4:
Group #5:
Group #6:
4.
What verbs are, and how to use more active verbs to make writing interesting
What adverbs are, and why it is important to use them sparingly
What adverbs are, and why it is important to use them sparingly
What periods and commas are, and how to use them to control the flow of the story
What are slang and dialect, and why they should be avoided when writing a news story
Your lesson should do all of the following:
State the applicable rule(s)
Provide examples of the rule(s) as it is applied to writing news stories
End with practice that requires the class to apply the rule(s) by correcting or editing writing samples.
Your practice should have five questions or exercises.
Be entertaining (Don’t bore the class.)
Class Presentations
Group #1: What are subjects and verbs, and how you
begin sentences with them?
Group #2: What verbs are, and how to use more active
verbs to make writing interesting
Group #3: What adverbs are, and why it is important to
use them sparingly
Group #4: Active vs. Passive voice.
Group #5: What periods and commas are, and how to
use them to control the flow of the story
Group #6: What are slang and dialect, and why they
should be avoided when writing a news story
Chapter 6.2 - The Pyramid
Textbook, pages 150-153
The Great Inverted Pyramid P
Organize into groups of a minimum of
three and a maximum of four students.
If you cannot find a group, I will assign you
to one.
Write your group members’ names on a
piece of paper and turn it in to Mr. White.
Pipe down, sit with your group members,
and await further instructions.
GROUP PROJECT
Examine your assigned
article carefully.
Identify each part of the
Article that corresponds
To the parts of the
Inverted pyramid chart
Using poster paper and markers, crayons,
or colored pencils, create a classroom display
that Includes 3 things: a model inverted pyramid,
the article itself pasted on the poster, and an
inverted pyramid diagram with the appropriate
parts of the article copied and written into the
appropriate
places on an inverted pyramid diagram.
Like This:
Who: SC Legislators
What: Named Collard state vegetable
When: April 26, 2011
Why: Historically important
How: Shows government priorities
First cooked by slaves. The vote
was 30-12. Sen. Martin was
confused. The House hasn’t
voted yet.
COLUMBIA — South Carolina
senators have named collard
greens the state's official
vegetable.
The Senate on Tuesday
approved recognizing collard
greens with a 30-12 vote. The
proposal needs to get routine
final approval Wednesday
before being sent to the House.
State Sen. Greg Ryberg of Aiken
wondered why collards were
getting singled out for
recognition and not something
like green beans.
State Sen. Larry Martin of
Pickens said the designation
was for a leafy vegetable and
green beans weren't leafy
vegetables.
But the legislation doesn't limit
the designation to a leafy
vegetable.
Tea, milk, wolf
spider, and
dolphin also
Have been
named.
Now, back to the textbook…
Review the material on pages 154-156.
Here are some websites to consult if you have any
problems with grammar:
http://cubreporters.org/grammar_for_journalists.html
http://www.grammaruntied.com/
http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.html
http://www.englishchick.com/grammar/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Here are six of the most common writing pitfalls:
#1 – Use more active verbs.
#2 – Use passive, rather than active voice.
#3 – Avoid sentence fragments.
#4 – Avoid run-on sentences and comma splices.
#5 – Use sentences and commas to control the flow of the story.
#6 – Avoid slang and dialect.
Avoiding Sexist or Offensive Language
• Editors and writers must avoid stereotypes
• Language (fireman, policeman, his, etc.)
• Using race or ethnicity as identifyers
(Police are looking for an Hispanic man in
his mid-twenties.)
• Words that diminish a group (treehuggers)
• Photographs (show different races,
ethnicities, and religions)
Individual Classroom Activity
Correct the following news story:
A 20-year-old Hispanic is being sought in connection
with an armed robbery and assault that occurred last
night at the Fast Fare Convenience Store in
Westminster, South Carolina, at approximately 10:00
PM. The suspect fled before policemen arrived on the
scene. He is described as being 5 feet, 8 inches tall,
with black wavy hair and brown eyes. According to
eyewitnesses, he was last seen dressed like an Hispanic
construction worker – a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a
baseball cap. Police Department spokesman, Sgt. Kris
Hines, advises any citizen who sees him to call 911,
because he is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone who tries to approach him is putting himself in
grave danger.
Individual Classroom Activity
Correct the following news story:
A 20-year-old man is being sought in connection with an
armed robbery and assault that occurred last night at the
Fast Fare Convenience Store in Westminster, South
Carolina, at approximately 10:00 PM. The suspect fled
before police officers (the police) arrived on the scene.
He is described as being 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with black
wavy hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a
white t-shirt and blue jeans. Police Department
spokesperson (representative), Sgt. Kris Hines, advises
anyone who sees him to call 911, because he is
considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who tries to
approach him is putting himself or herself in grave
danger.
Individual Interview Activity
College Admissions Project
Steps:
 Identify two out-of-state schools that offer a major in your area of
interest. One school must be a large university, and the other a
small college.
 Send an email to the admissions department, requesting an online
interview with an admissions counselor.
 Send email interview questions to the counselor.
 Reduce your interview to question and answer format and type it out
to turn in for a grade.
 Prepare to present your findings about these two universities in a
class PowerPoint presentation comprised of a minimum of 5 slides.
 You will find the following links helpful:ccsd
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/search/college/college_search_tmpl.jhtml?referrer=GoogleCollegeSearch&gclid=C
P_wsPSWwqgCFQ5-5QodJHbqsA
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp
eMail Inquiry
My name is
. I am a junior at T
L Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina. My
Journalism teacher, Mr. Keith White, has given me an
assignment that requires me to conduct an online
interview with an admissions counselor at
, and to present what I learn to my class. Could you
please provide me with the name and email address of
someone who could take a moment to answer a few of
my questions? Thank you for your kind attention.
Possible Questions
• Do you offer my area of interest
as a major?
• What grade point average and SAT or ACT scores are
necessary before I can be considered for admission?
• How would you describe your school’s overall
atmosphere?
• How would you describe the character and make-up of
your student body?
• Are there any unique traditions or customs observed or
celebrated by your students during the school year?
• Are there any unique clubs or organizations located on
campus?
• What are your school’s greatest strengths?
• Are tours of the campus available to interested students?
• Does your school have any famous or unusually
successful alumni?
eMail Inquiry:
My name is
. I am a junior at T L Hanna High School in
Anderson, South Carolina. My Journalism teacher, Mr. Keith White, has given me an assignment
that requires me to conduct an online interview with an admissions counselor at
, and to present what I learn to my class. Could you please provide me with
the name and email address of someone who could take a moment to answer a few of my
questions? Thank you for your kind attention.
Possible Questions after you receive a reply:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do you offer my area of interest
as a major?
What grade point average and SAT or ACT scores are necessary before I
can be considered for admission?
How would you describe your school’s overall atmosphere?
How would you describe the character and make-up of your student body?
Are there any unique traditions or customs observed or celebrated by your
students during the school year?
Are there any unique clubs or organizations located on campus?
What are your school’s greatest strengths?
Are tours of the campus available to interested students?
Does your school have any famous or unusually successful alumni?