JN 311 Lecture 1: JN 311 8/22/16
23 Aug 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
August 22, 2016
Journalism 311
What makes a good news story?
>Accuracy
>Good Sources
> Newsworthiness
>Clear, concise writing
> Adherence to journalistic style
Make it simple but interesting (8th grade level)
Avoid BIG & long paragraphs
>2-3 sentences then hit enter
What makes a journalist?
>Curiosity
>Writing ability
>Creativity
>Motivation and tenacity (same for Public Relations)
How is the news selected?
How do journalists select news stories?
>Often they’re assigned by an editor
>Sometimes reporters select the angle of coverage, but sometimes the editor selects
that too.
>Typically reporters will cover issues that are part of their “beat” or specialized area of
reporting.
How do journalists select news stories?
>The space allotted for the story is often restricted.
>Editors used to make this assignment based on inches
> Now, editors assign based on word count
> Depending on news outlets online capabilities, may be unlimited too.
> People’s attention spans are short
>Depending on the publication, reporters have a varied degree of freedom in selecting
their stories and the content of these stories
>It is relatively common for reporters to pitch stories to their editors
-they explain the story of interest
-they ask, “Why should people care?”
-content and angle are the post important.
Types of news stories.
Hard vs. Soft News
Hard News = Breaking News
immediate/quick
crime and government often included
Soft News = Feature Stories
reported when seen fit
humanistic issues
Practice Identifying differences
The Development of a News Story
> A major news event can elicit numerous news stories
> These news stories typically develop in a systematic way
> First, the major news event happens
-journalists report the breaking news
-what type of news story would be best?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Make it simple but interesting (8th grade level) >sometimes reporters select the angle of coverage, but sometimes the editor selects that too. >typically reporters will cover issues that are part of their beat or specialized area of reporting. >the space allotted for the story is often restricted. >editors used to make this assignment based on inches. > now, editors assign based on word count. > depending on news outlets online capabilities, may be unlimited too. >depending on the publication, reporters have a varied degree of freedom in selecting their stories and the content of these stories. >it is relatively common for reporters to pitch stories to their editors. Hard news = breaking news immediate/quick crime and government often included. Soft news = feature stories reported when seen t humanistic issues. > a major news event can elicit numerous news stories. > these news stories typically develop in a systematic way.
