Banner News
The Boone Campus Student
|
Fall 2009
Table
of Contents
Editor in Chief 3
Managing Editor 3
Section Editors & other editorial positions 4
Advertising & Business Managers 5
Hiring Procedures 6
Role of Adviser 8
Editorial Policy 9
Advertising Policy 10
Code of Ethics 11
Corrections
Political Activity
Conflicts of Interest
Freebies
Arrests
Crime Victims 12
Racism & Sexism
Obscenity
Sources
Press Releases 13
Interview
Data Gathering
Prior Review
Fabrication & Plagiarism 14
Final Responsibility
Writing and Reporting 15
What is
Coaching Concept 16
Tips for Good
Sports, Features, and Opinions 19
Interview Tips 21
Editing 22
Writing Headlines 24
Photo Captions/Cutlines
Avoiding Libel & Invasion of Privacy 26
Style Guide 27
Forms 28
Banner News
Editorial Board
· Editor in Chief: This person is responsible for the overall operation of Banner News. It is the editor in chief’s responsibility to ensure that all tasks, from planning to distribution, are completed. The editor must be familiar with the staff manual and able to enforce the guidelines laid out in the manual. The editor is a DMACC student and represents Banner News at any and all college functions. Specific duties of the editor include the following:
n motivate and maintain entire staff by assisting the other editors and managers in creating and facilitating an open and inviting atmosphere
n oversee the organization of the staff and the assignment of tasks so that the newspaper is published in an orderly manner and by deadline
n supervise all positions to ensure the fulfillment of the job responsibilities; explain and enforce all policies and deadlines
n look at all pages after final editing has been done to check for any glaring errors or potential legal issues
n determine procedures for dealing with press releases and other media outlets
n hold regularly scheduled meetings of the editorial board and the full staff and run those meetings
n be available as a resource for all staff members
n meet regularly with the adviser to keep her updated about ongoing issues and problems (ethical, legal, equipment, budgets, internal discipline, etc.)
n maintain regular office hours during business hours in order to address all potential concerns of the DMACC community and Banner News staff
n represent Banner News at official functions
n recruit and train new staff members
n in conjunction with the editorial board, determine content and general layout of the newspaper
n act as a liaison with the DMACC community
n answer questions from the DMACC community regarding Banner News
n in conjunction with the editorial board and adviser, determine Banner policy when needed
n groom younger staff members for upper level staff positions and help select the next editor in chief
The editor in chief receives a $1,000 semester stipend, payable in two payments at the middle and at the end of the semester.
· Managing Editor: This person is responsible for the overall internal operations of Banner News. It is his/her responsibility to ensure that all tasks of section editors, from planning to deadlines, are completed. Specific duties include:
n assist editor in chief in all assigned duties
n assume duties of editor in chief in his/her absence
n motivate and maintain entire staff in creating and facilitating an open and inviting atmosphere
n oversee assignment of stories and photos so that the paper may be completed and published in an orderly manner and by deadline
n oversee opinion pages and assist in the development of the staff editorial
n look over final pages in conjunction with editor in chief
n supervise section editors
n attend regularly scheduled meetings
n maintain regular office hours
n assist in recruitment of new staff members
n ensure that all stories and photos get submitted
n in conjunction with the editorial board, assist in the determination of the content and general layout of the newspaper
n act as a liaison between editor in chief and staff
· Section Editors: This may include sports, features, entertainment, and news. General duties include the following:
n assist editor in chief in all assigned duties
n create and facilitate an open and inviting atmosphere
n assign stories and follow up with writers regarding their progress
n give photo needs to photo editor
n work with graphic designers on the visual needs of the section
n do final content copy editing on all stories
n attend regularly scheduled meetings and keep at least one hour of office hours each week
n be available and a resource for all staff
n meet regularly with editor in chief to keep them informed and updated on the progress of stories or any potential problems
n assist in recruiting new staff members
n act as a liaison between Banner News and the DMACC community
n take pride in and accountability for your area of responsibility
Other editorial positions may include the following:
· Assistant Section Editors: Works with the section editors to fulfill all assigned duties. Follows up with writers to ensure that story progress is satisfactory. Helps gather information to complete stories at the editing stage.
·
Graphic
Design Editor: This person is responsible for the overall visual
presentation of Banner News. May work with editor in chief on new design
elements, special features, or a new flag or other standing elements.
Responsible for maintaining consistency of all standing elements, as well as
consistency across all layout elements (white space, headlines, subheads,
bylines, ad sizes, etc.). Oversees photo scanning and placement. Works with editor
in chief and advertising manager to determine placement of advertising. In
conjunction with the editorial board, helps to develop the general layout of
Banner News. Responsible for page one design each week.
·
Assistant
Graphic Design Editor: Assists the graphic design editor in carrying out
all assigned duties. Works on page design in conjunction with the editorial
board.
· Photo Editor: Works with section editors to get photo assignments. Assigns photos to individual photographers and ensures that all photos are submitted by deadline. Maintains organized file of photos on paper and in the computer.
· Copy Editor: This person does the initial copy editing of all stories before turning them over to a section editor for content editing. This person is responsible for checking spelling, grammar, accuracy, AP style, and basic news values.
The following are designations for writers and photographers for Banner News:
· Staff Writer: This person is contributing articles assigned by an editor on a regular basis.
· Contributor: This person is submitting copy/photographs as a student of a journalism course.
· Special To: This person is submitting copy/photographs on an irregular basis. This person is not enrolled in a journalism course.
· For U-Wire Campus: This person is a writer or photographer whose work was selected from the wire service.
· Staff Photographer: This person regularly takes photographs for Banner News.
· Graphic Designer: This person regularly works with the graphic design editors on page layout and design, as well as advertising design.
The following positions are part of Banner News’s business operations:
· Advertising Manager: Responsible for selling ads, placing ads on the pages (in conjunction with the editor in chief and graphic design editor), ensuring that there is sufficient ad content in each issue to cover costs, making sure that all scanned ads are in the proper location for collection by the printer, and submitting advertising remittances to the business manager. Should communicate with the editor in chief regarding ad content on a regular basis. Responsible for maintaining Banner News’s policies regarding advertising content and for proof reading all ads. Maintains regular office hours.
· Business Manager: Responsible for maintaining the budget, billing advertising clients, depositing checks, and bookkeeping. Also may be responsible for mailing subscriptions.
· Sales Representatives: Sells advertising to local and national companies. May also design advertising as needed.
Selection of Editor in chief
The editor in chief is selected through an application process. Candidates must fill out the application, write an essay detailing their goals and objectives for Banner News, and be interviewed by the selection committee. The appointment to editor in chief is for one academic year (fall to spring).
All applicants for the position of editor in chief must meet the following eligibility requirements:
· A DMACC student with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.
· Be willing to complete training as needed.
· Have strong communication skills and ability to motivate a staff.
· Willing to work closely with the adviser to Banner News
· Willing to work with the advertising and business managers.
Desired, but not required, are the following:
· Journalism major
· Completion of JOU 121
· Previous work on Banner News staff
Applicants must complete the application process by the deadline set by the adviser. All applicants will be interviewed early in April and the new editor in chief will be announced in time to publicize it in the final issue of Banner News for the academic year.
The selection committee is composed of the outgoing editor, the adviser, the provost, and two other faculty members at DMACC. There must be five members of the committee in order to ensure that there will not be a tie vote. Each member of the committee will be given a complete copy of the applications, and is responsible for reviewing those applications and preparing questions for the candidates. The committee will discuss the applications and vote following the completion of all interviews. The committee has the authority to waive any and all requirements for positions if there are no candidates who meet all of the requirements or if in the opinion of the committee there is an otherwise qualified candidate.
Selection of Section Editors and Other Staff
Section editors, assistant section editors, and business staff must also fill out an application for their position. These positions will be filled only after an editor in chief has been selected. Candidates will be interviewed by the new editor in chief and adviser together near the end of April, prior to final exams (or at the beginning of fall semester). The editor in chief will then select the staff from those applicants.
The appointment term for these positions is one academic year; although those students who are participating in spring semester study abroad may apply for fall only positions. Their positions will then be opened and applications taken during the fall semester.
Termination and Replacement
The editor in chief is responsible for the supervision of all staff, including staff discipline. The editor in chief may terminate a staff appointment if work is not satisfactory. The editor in chief must first discuss the situation with the staff member, and termination may occur if no resolution is reached. The editor in chief may then appoint another person to the position at his or her discretion.
The editor in chief may be terminated by the adviser for failure to perform duties, violation of policy, legal or ethical violations, or reckless disregard for standards of journalism. In this situation, the adviser may temporarily appoint another editor in chief to temporarily fill the position until applications for a new editor in chief can be taken.
Reporters may not be terminated. However, an editor may choose to not assign further work to a staff member whose work is not satisfactory.
Role of Adviser
The adviser is responsible for understanding and enforcing Banner News’s policies, interpreting college rules and policies, assisting editors and staff members with understanding the objectives of Banner News and their roles and duties, and teaching staff members about newsroom management, law, ethics, and basic journalistic tenets and techniques. The adviser serves as a consultant to problems and offers advice when it is solicited. The adviser may hold workshops and seminars at the request of the staff. The adviser will offer a weekly critique of Banner News, offering both praise and criticism in an effort to improve the work done by the staff of Banner News.
The adviser shall not engage in prior review, restraint, or censorship, adhering to the principles of freedom of expression. The adviser will follow the Code of Ethics for Advisers of Student Publications outlined by College Media Advisers.
Staff Editorial
Banner News’s editorial board consists of the editor in chief, managing editor, and all section editors. The editor in chief may also appoint two additional staff members at their discretion. The board meets weekly to discuss current issues affecting students. From these issues a topic will be selected. One person will be selected from the board to write the majority opinion as the staff editorial each week. As simple majority is all that is needed in making a decision regarding the stand Banner News will take on an issue. These editorials will be Banner News’s official stand on the issues considered by the board, and they are to be unsigned.
The staff editorial should not be used as a forum for rebuttal of letters to the editor or other criticism; however, it may be used to clarify the position of Banner News or to correct blatant misconceptions about newspapers in general or Banner News in particular. This should be used rarely and with caution.
Columns
Columns may be written by regular staff members or by guest contributors. They may be assigned by the managing editor or unsolicited. These are signed statements of opinion, and should reflect a variety of viewpoints. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators at DMACC are encouraged to submit interesting, pertinent, or humorous columns or editorials. Anything submitted may or may not be published at the discretion of Banner News staff. Columns must be held to 500 words and will be edited for style, spelling, and clarity. A name, address, and telephone number must accompany unsolicited columns. Columns must follow the policies of Banner News, as well as all applicable laws.
Letters to the Editor
Banner News welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be kept under 250 words. Banner News reserves the right not to print all letters. Banner News reserves the right to edit for libel, style, spelling, and clarity. All letters must be signed and accompanied by name and phone number. Letters submitted by email must come from a verifiable email address. Letters might be verified, usually by a phone call. Staff members may not submit letters to the editor.
Banner News accepts advertising from sources within the university and from the DMACC community. Banner News will not print unethical, misleading, or offensive advertising. Banner News does not knowingly accept advertising that discriminates on the basis of sex, age, religion, race, national origin, or physical disability. Banner News reserves the right to edit, properly classify, cancel, or decline any advertising. If an advertisement is denied publication, all material will be returned to the advertiser.
Please report any errors promptly. If the error is the result of the layout and design created by Banner News staff, a price adjustment will be made.
Advertising prices are established by the advertising manager and are competitive with other community college newspapers. Discounts are available for on campus organizations as well as multiple insertions.
Banner News will print advertising that is created on site or camera ready ads as given to the newspaper. Layout and design assistance is provided at no extra charge.
All advertising will be placed at the discretion of Banner News staff. Preferred placement or positioning cannot be guaranteed.
All display ads must be received by the Friday prior to the Wednesday publication. For classified ads, the information and the payment must be received together by noon on the Monday prior to the Wednesday publication. Requests for insertions must be made at least 10 days prior to publication, and Banner News must receive the inserts at least 5 days prior to publication. Inserts must be purchased for the entire run of the newspaper (1,000 issues).
Upon the placement of an advertising order, each client must submit information that contains the name of a contact person, a billing address and phone number. Invoices and tear sheets will be sent to clients following publications.
Banner News does work with several national advertising agencies to solicit advertising.
The views expressed in the advertising in Banner News may not necessarily be the views of Banner News staff. Advertising in the paper should not be seen as an endorsement for the product.
These policies may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the editorial board.
Code of Ethics
Banner News follows ethical guidelines set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. In addition to those general guidelines, Banner News also enforces its own code of ethics.
Corrections and Clarifications
Corrections and clarifications will be published promptly after the staff determines accuracy. The section editor must verify each complaint. On controversial subjects, corrections must be verified by no fewer than two sources. Every serious complaint will warrant a written response or apology. The section editor is responsible for notifying the reporter or person responsible for the error.
Political Activity and Outside Activities
Members of Banner News staff may not hold office in the Student Activities Council in order to avoid conflict of interest. Members of Banner News staff should not participate in any student protests on campus that the newspaper may cover.
Staff members should not run for any major influential campus office or campaign for any issue. Any questions should be directed to the editor in chief or adviser.
Conflicts of Interest
Staff members must avoid situations where conflicts of interest may occur. Do not write articles on stories in which you have a personal interest or investment. Avoid being quoted in someone else’s story unless it is absolutely necessary to the story.
Freebies and Integrity
Staff members should not solicit free items from record companies, athletic departments, movie studios, or bookstores under the pretext of using them in an upcoming article.
Banner News staff members may accept free admission to concerts, plays, or games that they plan to cover as long as the reporter did not specifically solicit free gifts.
Staff members should never promise that any offered goods would be used in an article. Do not give favorable publicity to companies solely because they offer goods to the newspaper.
Unsolicited freebies such as CDs, books, and tickets must be kept in Banner News office. They may not be sold. Unsolicited freebies may be distributed by the editor in chief in a lottery at the end of the academic year.
Arrests
Banner News will print articles concerning the arrest of any student, faculty, administrator, or staff member as deemed newsworthy. Banner News will not kill any truthful, newsworthy item upon request.
Crime Victims
Victims of rape or sexual attack are granted anonymity in Banner News. Their names will be printed at their request only. All other crime victims will be identified by name but their address will be withheld to protect their privacy.
Racism and Sexism
Banner News does not identify the race of anyone in an article unless it is relevant to a story. When writing descriptions of a person, two distinguishing characteristics, such as hair color or identifying marks, must be included before race can be printed.
Racial stereotypes and sexist remarks are generally not permitted in Banner News. In order for a racial stereotype or sexist remark to be printed, it must be contained in a quote that gives insight to the character of the speaker.
Obscenity
Banner News makes every attempt to exclude profanity from its articles, columns, and editorials. In order for an obscenity to be printed, it must give added insight into the character of the speaker. The full word is not printed. The first letters are printed, and the rest of the word is replaced by dashes (-). Words such as hell, damn, and bitch are not considered obscene. The section editor, managing editor, and editor in chief must be consulted before an obscenity is printed.
Sources
Banner staff reporters should avoid off the record comments and quotations. Reporters should attempt to persuade any source that wished to remain off the record to go on record with his comments. Off the record conversations should be agreed upon by both the source and the reporter before the conversation takes place. In extreme cases, consult with the section editor, the managing editor, or the editor in chief. Reporters must stick to the agreement after the conversation takes place. Conversations may not be put off the record retroactively.
Banner News strongly discourages the use of anonymous sources. Reporters do not have the power to grant anonymity to a source. Anonymity may be granted only when it is absolutely essential. This privilege must be granted by the editor in chief or managing editor.
Members of Banner News staff, including writers, cartoonists, and advertising staff, may not be used as sources in Banner News unless it is absolutely essential to the story. This must be cleared by the editor in chief or managing editor prior to publication. A reporter may never quote him/herself in a story.
Protection of Sources
Members of Banner News staff should refuse to disclose sources or provide unpublished information, including notes, to anyone, even if the information was acquired without the promise of confidentiality. Any request for unpublished information should be reported to the editor in chief and the adviser immediately.
Press Releases and
Banner News accepts submissions of press releases. Banner News may or may not choose to send a reporter to cover the event, or may choose to run the press release with attribution to the source.
A tip is any information about an event, individual, or idea that may lead to further investigation or directly to a story. Students, faculty, staff, administration, or anyone else may give tips to Banner News. The editor of the relevant section must assess a tip for timeliness and newsworthiness. Reporters and editors must be wary of any tip submitted to the newspaper. Tips must be checked for accuracy and not taken as fact. Pursue with great caution any whistle-blowing stories where the informant has great personal interest.
Interviews
Banner News prefers that all interviews be done on site and in person. Banner News prefers that interviews be done in a person’s home or office in order to gather a sense of place and more personal information about a subject through observation. If a personal interview is not possible, a phone interview is acceptable.
Email is not an acceptable form of interviewing since it is harder for the interviewer to stay in control. Email interviews do not allow the reporter to judge a subject’s emotions. It also prohibits them from asking immediate follow up questions. Email interviews also allow a subject to more easily dodge questions they do not want to answer. Email interviews may be done only as a last resort after the consent of the subject is gained. Email is an acceptable way to make initial contact to set up further interviews with elusive sources. Email is also acceptable as a way to verify quotes, clarify information, or ask follow-up questions.
Data Gathering
Banner News staff may use several acceptable journalistic procedures for gathering information for a story. Personal interviews, library, and computer research as well as personal observation will be typical methods of data gathering. The Internet is an acceptable source of information if proper attribution is provided. All information must be gathered from reliable sources and must be verified by an expert in the field. Do not rely on chat rooms or bulletin boards for information.
Prior Review
Banner News will not allow any outside source to prior review a story. A source may be asked to verify quotes, and may request such verification for accuracy, but no source or outside body may see a story prior to publication.
Fabrication and Plagiarism
Plagiarism by staff writers or editors will not be tolerated. This included making up quotes or interviews and distorting the facts. This also includes reprinting stories previously published in Banner News or other publications without proper attribution. Fabricating information will result in the immediate dismissal of a staff member.
Final Responsibility
The final responsibility for ethical considerations and decisions rests with the editor in chief alone. In any case where an ethical consideration surfaces, the editor in chief should be notified and has final decision on the procedure. In the event that the editor in chief is not present, the decision rests with the managing editor. The adviser may be consulted whenever there is an ethical decision to be made.
Writing and Reporting
·
Impact:
Information that affects a large number of people in the reading audience.
Always keep in mind that the primary audience for Banner News is composed of
students, faculty, and staff.
·
Prominence:
Information about important or famous people or celebrities.
·
Proximity:
Physical proximity is the element of news that refers to information generated
from the same geographical area as the general reading audience. Emotional
proximity is that element of news that refers to information with which the
general reading audience may have some kind of non-physical tie. For example,
DMACC students may have an interest in hearing about news from other community
colleges. Although there is no physical proximity, there is emotional
proximity.
·
Timeliness:
That information that has been generated in the most recent news cycle.
·
Unusualness:
Ever wonder why it is news when man bites dog but not vice versa? The element
of unusualness is why. Readers are drawn to news that is out of the ordinary.
·
Human
interest: Readers are interested in news about other people, particularly
when they are involved in dramatic matters. Readers are also much more likely
to be interested in news about complex issues and events if human actors are
involved.
·
Conflict:
Much of the news involves some kind of conflict, whether it be
between man and man, man and nature, or man and himself.
Banner News receives lots of press releases announcing events and achievements. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to scout around for story ideas. For your assistance, here are a few places you’ll be able to find the news:
·
Campus
events: Forums, celebrations, plays, sports, theatre, and more.
·
Academic
activities: The out of the ordinary things students are doing in the
classroom, in the labs, or on their own; unusual teaching approaches of the
faculty; changes in the curriculum.
·
Campus
organizations: Academic and extracurricular.
·
Student
government: Virtually anything these people do is news.
·
Student
activities: At DMACC and throughout the state, nation, and world.
·
Political,
social and economic issues: The environment, alcohol and drugs, political
campaigns, employment, male-female friendship, crime, religion, poverty,
minorities, etc.
·
Meetings:
Faculty, Board of Directors, state higher education task forces.
·
Financial
matters: Tuition, student activity fees, student government allocations,
university and departmental budgets.
·
College
Administration
·
Varsity
and intramural sports
·
Higher
education in general
·
Alumni
activities
·
Faculty
activities and research
In the old days of newspapering, the relationships between writers and editors commonly were top-down relationships: Editors gave orders and writers did what they were told to do. In theory, it’s a very efficient way to get work done, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to quality journalism. Communication in such situations is strained, and in many instances the other staff members working on a project – writers, photographers, artists – are isolated form one another. In other words, the old system often resulted in the left hand of a project not knowing (and often not caring) what the right hand was doing.
Contemporary reporters, editors, photographers, and artists are more likely to work in a cooperative environment. The concept underlying that environment is known as coaching. This method has four steps: conceiving, collecting, constructing, and correcting a story. As described below, the method is more than the responsibility of a reporter; rather, the key to the success of the coaching method lies in the dedicated work of all members of the editorial team.
·
Conceive:
It is at this stage where story ideas are developed. This should be a
collaborative process involving editors, writers, photographers, and other
artists. All members of the team should chip in with ideas, and all should
understand what their responsibilities are and when they’ll be expected to have
their work completed. At the end of the conception stage, all members of the
team should have the answers to several questions: What is this story about?
What strikes you as the most interesting or important part of the story? What
does the reader want/need to know? How are we going to tell this story
(graphics, photos, text, etc.)? How are we going to hook the reader?
·
Collect:
This is the stage at which writers, photographers, and artists report the
story. Gather as much information as you can about the topic. Be flexible and
alert so as to be open to gathering more information than you originally
thought you would generate. Don’t rely on only one source – gather your
information from as many sources as necessary. One hint on determining how many
sources are needed: jot down notes on every person or group who has a stake in
a story and then make sure you contact them or a representative for input. When
gathering information on sources, make certain you get the answers to the basic
questions (who, what, where, when, why and how) and also two other important
questions that are often missing from journalistic practice: So what? and Why should the audience care?
·
Construct:
This is the writing stage, and it works best when the writer or artist goes to
work constructing the story with a plan in mind or on paper. Your work began
with an idea of what the story was about, and your reporting centered on that
story focus. Now go through your notes and identify what’s important to include
in the story and what’s not. Organize your notes by key words and quotes. Then
go to work on your first draft.
·
Correct:
Here, a writer revises his or her work. All student journalists are responsible
for copy editing their own work before submitting it to a section editor. Read
critically and make any needed changes or revisions – minor or wholesale – that
you feel are needed.
Writing the story is perhaps the most crucial step in presenting the news. You may have a great idea and have done a great job of gathering information, but if you can’t write the story in a cogent, intelligible and attention-grabbing manner, all you work will have gone to waste. No one will read your work.
There are a variety of structures for writing news stories. Most stories are written in what is known as the inverted pyramid style, but there are other styles that help tell and sell a story in compelling ways. Regardless of the style you choose, all stories should include several elements. You should do your best to develop your skills to include all of these elements in your work:
·
Headlines:
Headlines include main heads, deck heads, and summary heads. Typically, page
designers write these during the final layout of the newspaper prior to
submission to the managing editor and editor in chief.
·
Leads:
The beginning of any story is a lead. It is the most crucial part of any piece
of text because it is at the lead that most readers decide whether or not to
take time to read the entire story. In a hard news story, the lead is typically
one-sentence that gives the most important information in the story. Such leads
are called direct leads and answer the most important questions a reader has.
In most feature stories and in some sports and hard news stories, the lead is
indirect or a soft lead. Here, the writer tries to paint a picture or call up a
mood or tease a reader into a story. Then the writer comes in with a paragraph
that provides the significance of the story for the reader. That paragraph is
called the nut graph and is often identical to a direct lead.
·
Lead
backup: Leads provide only a smattering of information for the reader. It’s
the writer’s responsibility to immediately back up the lead with more
information that substantiates the information in the lead.
·
Lead
quote: Quotes are an essential element of news stories. The first quote
that backs up a lead is called the lead quote. It’s usually the strongest quote
you have, and it supports the concepts in the lead without repeating the same
information or wording.
·
Impact:
Why is this story important? Why should readers care? Many journalists
mistakenly believe a story is important because they are writing it. Readers
don’t always share their sentiments. Your story should answer in some way the
following questions: What is the significance of this story? What in the story
makes the readers care?
·
Attribution:
As is the case in academic writing, journalists need to tell their readers
where the facts and opinions in stories are coming from. All quotations –
direct, word for word quotations in quote marks and indirect, summary quotes
without quote marks – must be attributed to the source that provided you with
the information. Also, factual information that you didn’t personally witness
must be attributed. Information that is common knowledge or indisputable need
not be attributed.
·
Background:
Don’t assume your reader is fully up to speed on the subject of your story.
Good news stories provide background information on the history or development
of a new subject so that the reader can fully understand the context of a
story.
·
Elaboration:
Supporting points leading to the main issue are elaboration. These can be
statements, quotes, or more detail to explain what happened, how and why the
problem or action occurred, and reactions to the event. Writers should seek
other points of view to make certain there is balance and fairness in the
story. Stories based on only one source are commonly guilty of bias. Remember
that there are often more than two sides to a story.
·
Ending:
Unlike composition writing, which features a formal concluding section, newswriting does not have a conclusion. But writers have
developed common methods for ending a story. The most common include referring
to future action regarding a subject, statements or quotes that summarize
previous information without repeating it, or more elaboration.
·
Photos,
art, and infographics: Remember to think of the
ways to tell the story visually.
In addition to the above elements, there are a number of conventions that you should be familiar with. These include:
·
Be
concise: If a piece of information doesn’t fit into a story or doesn’t
offer anything substantial in terms of information, cut it out. The precise
length of your story is a decision you should arrive at in consultation with
the section editor.
·
Use the
active voice, not the passive: If you write a sentence in which the word
“was” is used in conjunction with a verb, it is probably a passive sentence.
·
Be
thorough, specific, and accurate: Check, check, and check again. Check
facts, spelling of names, figures, titles, and even quotes. Student journalists
often have little credibility with their readers or sources. That’s because
they get their facts wrong at an alarming rate. You can earn that credibility
by always being right, but that doesn’t just happen. It takes care and
practice.
·
Don’t
editorialize: That means keeping your opinion out of the story and
including only opinions that are properly attributed to someone else. It is
very difficult to remain opinion-free in your writing. That is why it is
important to be specific, thorough, and accurate.
·
Identify
everyone you introduce in a story: Don’t assume that everyone knows that
Robert Denson is the president of DMACC or that Orv Salmon is the varsity
basketball coach. They don’t. And be sure to check AP Style for guidelines on
how to write titles.
·
Use a
direct quote only when someone says something unique or someone says something
uniquely: Otherwise summarize in an indirect quote. When Yogi Berra said,
“It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings,” that was an
example of someone saying something unique. But if he had said, “The game is
not over until the third out of the ninth inning,” you wouldn’t quote that. Do
you see why?
Writing news in a lively and informative way is not as easy as it seems at first. But it is a utilitarian style of writing and thinking that helps you order information in a coherent manner. Once you get that knack of it, it’s easy.
Features and the feature approach to writing are very important to college newspapers. Publications that are not daily tend to rely on features to make the newspaper interesting and informative. The trend in features is to report in depth on topics of substance. Fewer light, inconsequential topics are being used for features today. There are several types of features:
· Interpretive: Probes an issue or topic, give all sides, attempts to explain, clarify, and possibly give solutions. Does not advocate.
· Experience: Narrative and description.
· Human interest: Unusual incident briefly told, light or serious.
· Personality sketch: Depth report on an individual, avoiding obvious facts (birthplace, birthdates, likes, dislikes) but capturing the essence of the person.
· Historical and seasonal: Anniversaries, seasons, special days/weeks/months
Long range planning is essential for features; a good feature may take several weeks or longer to gather and write. Each issue can be made distinctive and different from others by careful planning of varied features. Use planning to break features when interest in keenest. Plan features for the semester or the year early in the fall or spring. Modify plans to take advantage of special opportunities, but don’t abandon good features because they are hard to get and write. Keep a future book for features and continually check on progress by writers.
Avoid trite subjects (new teachers, new courses, and new students) and look instead for things of significance to all readers. Some ideas include unusual and interesting academic activities; fashions, books, records, movies, TV shows; social and political issues; unusual jobs and vacation trips or activities; library, food service, building and grounds, trustees, president; student and group projects, faculty projects both on and off campus.
A feature story should be more polished, carefully worded, and emotional than a hard news piece. You might want to consider trying another format, such as suspense or chronological order rather than the inverted pyramid. Your lead should also be more creative and varied than those of hard news stories. Use rich description and choose your details carefully, capturing the subject and conveying it to the reader through mood and emotion. Use the third person in a feature story. A headline for a feature story should be clever but should clearly indicate what the story is about.
Sports writers in a bi-weekly paper have a unique task – making a week old game seem interesting. Here are some tips for accomplishing your goals:
· Use as many names as possible.
· Place special emphasis on the future.
· Edit carefully and make every word count.
· Keep a file of statistics and records to consult.
· Know the rules of the sports you are writing about.
· Know the jargon of the sport you are writing about, but use these slang terms sparingly in stories.
· Be absolutely factually correct.
· Stress action in your stories, in content and style of writing. Relatively short, crisp sentences will aid in that task.
· Study professional sports writing.
· Be careful of overplaying the “hero.” Be alert to good performances by others who may not be as well known and emphasize these as much as possible.
· Avoid discussing a team impersonally. Remember that teams are made up of individuals, and in talking about the individuals, you are also talking about the team.
· Be careful of placing too much emphasis on the so-called “major” sports. Other sports are just as important and your sports pages should show this.
· Do not be afraid to criticize, but do so with caution and knowledge of what you are doing.
· Identify the significance of a game or event (Is a championship at stake? Effects on all time records? Effects on season’s record? Rivalries? Does the outcome suggest either contestant’s probable strength against future opponents?)
· When discussing a victory, discuss how it was won (Winning play, style of play on both sides, costly errors and mistakes in judgment, spurts that overcame an opponent’s lead)
· Focus on important plays rather than describing each play in detail (spectacular plays, penalties/fouls, disputed decisions by umpires/referees)
· Emphasize individual records and team performances
· Details: injuries, crowd, weather, riots, etc.
· Box scores and summaries tie things up for the reader
Columns and editorials are opinion based and therefore require special attention to details. Columns are individually written opinion pieces. Editorials reflect the opinion of the newspaper on a particular topic. Both types of pieces should start with the following premises: be sure the topic is of interest to the readers, have a purpose in mind, be sure you fully understand the topic, do your research, and consider running a news story on the topic concurrently. Never write an opinion piece on the spur of the moment, in anger, or without research.
All opinion pieces should be organized into three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. They should begin with a strong lead and should describe the situation leading to the piece being written. The body should be developed using clear facts about the situation. Conclusions can leave the reader with a definite idea (formal) or let the reader draw their own conclusions, but don’t leave the reader feeling that something is missing (informal). All opinion pieces should be clearly labeled, and subject-verb headlines should be used.
When considering topics for the Op/Ed
pages, think in terms of timely, specific topics rather than general ones such
as apathy, sportsmanship, tolerance, scholarship, and courtesy. Write on
community, state, national, and international issues as well as things on
campus – the world doesn’t end at
· Have a list of questions prepared ahead of time.
· Listen – let the interviewee talk.
· Concentrate on how and why questions.
· Ask questions the interviewee is qualified to answer.
· Clarify jargon, acronyms, etc.
· Ask questions you already know answers to (get them to say it!).
· Clarify answers through follow-up questions.
· Verify statistics and dates.
· Ask for examples.
· Ask for chronology.
· Ask about a person’s feelings, emotions.
· Repeat questions that are being avoided.
· Don’t let someone go off the record in an interview.
· Don’t apologize when asking tough questions.
· Make sure questions are focused and clear.
· Ask only one thing at a time.
· Avoid leading questions.
· Avoid questions with yes or no answers.
· Don’t be afraid to ask questions – if you don’t ask, you won’t get an answer.
· Open-ended questions invite more complete responses.
· Take careful notes – ask interviewee to repeat an answer if necessary, and do not rely on a tape recorder, as they may fail you.
· Be on time for interviews.
· Select a site that is comfortable for the interviewee.
· Take note of your surroundings, the actions/non-verbal cues of the interviewee – be an active observer of the situation and the subject of the interview.
When reading a story for content,
you should start by asking the following questions:
· Is the story precise? Is it clear?
· Is the pacing of the story appropriate to the content?
· Are there transitions to take readers from one thought to the next?
· Is the story appropriate to the community?
Then, think about the following:
· The lead: Does it explain the story? Is it interesting? Does it propel the reader into the story? A lead should not be confusing to the reader, and should not be cluttered or overly long – don’t try to pack a lead with too much information. The lead also should not back into the story – in other words, be straightforward. It’s okay if the lead makes use of suspended interest, but it must then be compelling enough to make the reader want to continue throughout the story. Also, avoid clichés, say-nothing leads, and using a lot of statistics in the lead.
· The style: Are all stories inverted pyramid, or are there a variety of approaches across the stories? Consider narrative stories, personalized approaches (focusing on one person and then transitioning to the larger issue), and chronological stories. A nice mix of styles makes for more interesting reading overall.
· Sources and attribution: Are sources from both/all sides of an issue represented? Are both students and administrators/faculty/staff included? Are all people identified completely and properly? Also, think about the use of quotes – should you ever change a quote to “fix” the language? When using a quote, use SAID – the synonyms do not add anything, and said is simple and preferable to the synonyms.
· Tell them, don’t tease them: Don’t be afraid to give details. If you are still asking any questions about the story when you finish reading, your readers will be too. Make sure the story is complete and doesn’t leave the reader still asking questions. At the same time, avoid extraneous details that do not add to the story.
Also consider:
· Word clutter and redundancy
· AP style
· Grammar and spelling
· Titles
· Dates
· Avoid clichés.
· Avoid jargon – speak to the everyman.
· Context – is there a history that needs to be explained?
· Avoid the use of multiple metaphors – if using them in a story, keep it limited.
· Stereotyping – be careful about relying on them, and be sensitive to all groups.
· Be precise in the terms you use.
Here are some suggestions for making headlines as attractive as possible:
· Make them simple and straightforward. Fancy heads will confuse readers.
· Avoid “label” headlines. Make the head tell the news with action.
· Don’t try to put too many facts in a headline.
· Stick to the facts in the story. Additional material can be confusing.
· For interest, write the feature as well as the news into a headline when possible.
· Don’t express your opinions in the head. You may use the opinions of others, as long as you indicate the source.
· Don’t use past tense in a head and don’t use present tense with a statement of past tense.
· Use active and not passive verbs.
· Try to avoid beginning a head with a verb.
· Avoid beginning a head with an infinitive (“To break ground next week”).
· Watch out for heads with double meanings. These usually result from words that have different meanings according to the manner in which they are used.
· Don’t use “a” or “the” to begin a headline.
· Avoid repeating words used in the lower banks of a headline if they are used in the upper banks.
· Watch out for the headline that attempts to be funny but that lays an egg or is actually distasteful.
· Try to make each unit of the head a complete unit in itself.
· Abbreviate when necessary but only when necessary and only when the abbreviation is completely clear.
You want every picture to say all it can. The way to do that is to combine the right words with the photo to complete the story that the photo only begins. Besides completing the story, captions or cutlines can correct camera distortion, camera angles that don’t show the full view of the action and the loss of the third dimension when three-dimensional reality is transformed into a two-dimensional representation. In addition, still pictures do not show movement that was there in real life, adding another function to captions.
Not all photos are alike in composition or purpose, so all captions needn’t be alike. Some general principles do apply in most cases:
· Get names at the time the picture is taken. Photographers should do this as part of their routine.
· Captions are needed to give specific facts, such as dates, times, places, action that preceded and followed the picture, names, attendance figures, winners and the outcome or result of the pictured action.
· Captions complete the story and should not merely repeat what is obvious in the photo.
· Captions should not offer comment or opinion on what is pictured.
· Always use first and last names in identification.
· Captions must be complete sentences.
· Captions are usually written in the present tense.
· When a photo is accompanied by a caption only, the caption must include all pertinent information because it is the story as well as the explanation of the picture.
· When a picture has both caption and copy, the caption should summarize the most significant information and should be worded differently from the copy.
Media law can be a highly complex and, for the journalist, dangerous area. Which stories may spark lawsuits is often difficult to tell. The media law textbooks are filled, however, with cases that grew out of stories that probably seemed insignificant at the time that they appeared in print. The point is that a story need not be high profile to invite trouble. All a newspaper needs to do to invite litigation is be sloppy, careless, and go about its business ignorant of general legal principles.
The following guidelines should serve as a working, day-in, day-out checklist for student reporters and editors to protect against lawsuits claiming libel or invasion of privacy, the two areas of law most fertile for claims against a newspaper:
· Avoid slipshod, indifferent, or careless reporting. Whenever a statement could injure someone’s reputation, treat it like fire. The facts of a story should be confirmed and verified in accordance with customary standards.
· Truth is a defense, but there may be a vast difference in what is true and what can be proved to be true to a jury. When in doubt, check it out. Remember that a retraction is not a defense to libel but merely serves to mitigate or lessen damages.
· There is no such thing as a “false opinion” so you have greater leeway with expressions of opinion than fact. But base your comments or criticisms on facts that are fully stated and accurate.
· Watch out for the routine story of minor significance. It frequently gets less editing attention and is therefore more likely to contain errors that go uncaught.
· Take particular care with quotes. The fact that a person is quoted accurately is not necessarily a defense to libel if the quoted statement contains false information about someone.
· Never “railroad” a story through – carefully edit to make sure it says precisely what you want it to say. Don’t use sly or cute innuendo to suggest some misbehavior that you don’t describe explicitly. If you’re going to attack someone, do it right.
· Don’t use unauthorized names and photos for advertising or other purposes. Don’t use unidentified pictures to explain social or other conditions.
· If an error has been made, always handle demands for retractions that come from an attorney for a potential plaintiff with the advice of counsel. A well-meaning but poorly worded retraction may actually prejudice your defense in a lawsuit.
·
Check with the
Style Guide
Banner News follows The Associated Press Style Guide as its standard. This manual is readily available in Banner News office and you should have your own copy at home.
In identifying faculty and students at DMACC, Banner News does set its own style rules. Faculty is identified by proper title. The individuals should be contacted for their current title. Administrators who are also faculty are identified by their administrative title (dean of liberal arts and sciences, president of the college) unless the story deals with a class that they are teaching, in which case their faculty position should be identified. Students are identified by their class standing. If the story is academically based, their major will also be identified.
Each editor in chief reserves the right to change the flag and other stylistic elements of Banner News. What follows are current guidelines for the newspaper:
Body text:
Headlines:
Subheads:
Cutlines/captions:
Bylines:
Photo credits:
Index box text: