Contents
PART I • How to Write the Right Words and Sentences
1 The Right Words, The Right Stuff
What You’ll Learn—words you ought to use, and others you shouldn’t
Short Is Better than Succinct—using the simplest words
Learn These, for a Start—the best words for the idea you want to convey
Translating English into Better English—don’t use insider lingo
Translating Other Tongues into English—don’t use foreign words and phrases
Be Dynamic When You Can—how to keep your audience’s attention
Judgmental Verbs May Be Accurate, But Wrong—let the audience reach its own conclusions
Exercises to Hone Your Word Skills—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—write the way you talk
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
I Can’t Hear You—the case against contractions
Turning Numbers into Words—when to spell out numbers, too
Turning $ into Dollars—the case against symbols
Sounding Smart, Saying It Right—saying it in English
English , Revisited—good grammar and split infinitives
English , Revisited Yet Again—good grammar and dependent clauses
When Time Doesn’t Matter—excluding extraneous information
The Important Thing, About Commas—a new use for the comma
Giving It Some Punch—how to emphasize what should be emphasized
Exercises to Hone Your Writing Skills—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—telling too little or too much
TMI (Too Much Information)—only tell what needs to be told
If It’s a Question, Answer It—don’t raise questions you don’t answer
Generalizing Is Always Wrong—don’t generalize
Exercises to Hone Those Skills Even Sharper—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—the idiosyncrasies of writing
Leaving Expert Judgment to Others—reporting on medical conditions
Giving Credit Only Where Credit Is Due—writing about terrorists
You Don’t Always Have to Attribute Things—don’t attribute the obvious
Print Journalists Don’t Write the Way They Talk—differences between print and broadcast newswriting
Crowds, Dead or Alive—counting crowds, reporting casualty tolls
Personalizing Complex Economics—helping an audience relate to big numbers
Take My Word for It—quoting people effectively
The Final Potpourri—simple traps, simple solutions
Exercises to Further Hone Your Writing Skills—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—how to use sound
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Is That a Fact?—don’t use sound bites to say what you can say
Is That Gobbledygook?—choosing and editing sound bites judiciously
You’ve Got Your Bite, Now You Write—leading into a sound bite
Tag, You’re It—following a sound bite
Exercises to Say It Twice—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—being a story teller
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Is That the Telephone Ringing?—keeping it simple for distracted audiences
Start Strong, End Strong—most important parts of a story
The Sounds of Silence—knowing when not to talk
Exercises to Test Your Judgment—homework or classwork
PART II • But Before You Write…
7 Organizing Your Facts, Organizing Your Story
What You’ll Learn—organizing yourself to organize your work
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Giving New Meaning to “Running to the Bathroom”—making notes in the worst of conditions
Figuring Out What to Keep, What to Cut—organizing notes and sound bites
What to Note After the Notes—prioritizing notes
Exercises to Hone Your Organizing Skills—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—how to choose your lead
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Burial in My Darkest Hour—about burying the lead
How to Recognize the Lead If It Doesn’t Recognize You—critical elements for a lead
Choosing One Lead From among More Than One—the judgment call
The Exception to Every Rule—when picture or sound help dictate the lead
After You’ve Picked It, You Have to Write It—simplicity, not complexity
Another Exception: Soft as You Go—the soft lead
And on the Second Day—fresh leads for an old story
Exercises to Put Your Lead in the Lead—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—how to choose your close
Simplicity—by the end, you should have told the story already
How to Find Your Close—critical elements for a close
What Does the Story Mean?—giving meaning to your close
Where Does the Story Go from Here?—telling the audience what to expect
The Point of the Point—the last thing you might have to do
Exercises to Put an End to All This—homework or classwork
PART III • And After You Write
10 Proof Positive of Proofreading
What You’ll Learn—proofreading
What You Are Looking For—mechanical flaws, reporting flaws
Finding Mistakes Before They Find You—list of traps
Being Noisy—proofreading aloud
Is It a Bother to Proofread Aloud?—learn to ignore external noise
No Excuse Is a Good Excuse—no reason not to proofread
Whoops, More Reasons to Proofread Aloud—for flow, accuracy, background information, length, etc.
Exercises to Hone Your Proofreading Skills—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—how to make script corrections
Bringing Out the Worst—making a bad script better
Just Follow the Roadmap—universally universal pencil corrections
Corrections From the Front of the Class—a system of corrective marks
Exercises to Correct Any Lingering Incorrectness—homework or classwork
PART IV • Finding Out What to Write
12 News Hunters and News Gatherers
What You’ll Learn—use curiosity and persistence
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Who Reports, Who Writes?—everyone’s decisions help shape stories
From the Melodramatic to the Mundane—atlas, almanac, dictionary, and encyclopedia
Making Sure You’re Wired—check it yourself
Wired Language, Your Language—don’t depend on others
The Final Indispensable Tool—research with computer, Internet
An Even More Indispensable Tool: The Interview—sometimes not for sound bites, just information
Not Every Interview Is a Blockbuster—when someone gives information
The Curiosity Factor—what would someone who cares want to know?
The Importance of Persistence—press for clarification, direct response, honesty
Do Not Try This If It’s Not Your Home—sometimes tread cautiously
A Few Tricks to Try at Home—simple rules to get good sound bites
What They Call “Investigative Journalism”—difference between reporting and investigative reporting
Exercises to Hone Your Newsgathering Skills—homework or classwork
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Running Down Tips—modest beginnings can have huge outcomes
For a Common Cause—media hanging together
If You Don’t Like That Reason, How About This One?—care even if you don’t care
Seeing Every Color, Every Hue—note the details, whether you care or not
Questions When They’re Not Allowed—don’t let them tell you not to ask
Exercises to Help You Run in Place—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—the unique value of pictures and sound
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
How a Rose Tells the Story—don’t waste words where pictures tell the story
When There’s No Rose Left Alive—using words to highlight the pictures
Wallpaper, Instead of a Rose—using video, no matter how dull
Fight to Avoid a Fight—avoid conflict of pictures and words
When There’s Better Sound Than Just Words—sound tells the story too
Microphones and Cameras Where They’re Not Allowed—fight to use your critical tools
Exercises to Put the Angels in Your Work—homework or classwork
15 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
What You’ll Learn—about shooting and editing
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Zooming to Dizzying Heights—don’t overdo it with the zoom
Zooming Cuts Both Ways—give yourself options for the edit
Panning for Gold—don’t overdo it with the pan, either
The Story’s in the Background—choosing a background for a standup
I Was Framed!—don’t waste space
Cut Away for a Cutaway—more options for the edit
Proving the Reporter Is There—why the reporter comes up on camera
Where You Make It or Break It—mediocre material, marvelous editing
Exercises to Put Pizazz in the Picture—homework or classwork
PART V • It’s All Part of the Show
What You’ll Learn—everyone on the same page
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
The Shape of Your Script—how the page looks
The Look of Your Script—upper or lower, single or double, clear or not?
Slug Every Script—for everyone to identify it
Exercises to Fit In—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—putting a whole broadcast together
The Terms of the Story—words and phrases for the first time
Taking the Lead, Closing It Out—starting and ending the show
Filling in the Holes—the middle of the show
Bridging the Gap—transitions between topics
Change Your Pace—keep the audience’s interest
Ending Your Show—neither too early nor too late
Teasing Your Audience—telling the story without telling it
Exercises to Line Up Your Rundown—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—the best radio newscast
The Voice of Authority—placing your reporter there
Shifting Your Lead—making old stories sound fresh
Let Us Count the Ways—different radio news packages
Who’s Talking—identifying every speaker but one
Exercises to Sound You Out about Sound—homework or classwork
PART VI • Being the Right Kind of Journalist
What You’ll Learn—rules for dealing with sources
Hold On—keeping the lid on temporarily
When You’re Told Not to Tell—trading information for anonymity
Making Sure You Know What to Tell and How to Tell It—comparing terms with sources
Exercises to Hold onto Your Sources—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—being fair, honest, respectful
What Passes for the Truth—sometimes there are two truths
No Question about Accuracy—don’t guess
Fairness Above All—putting personal opinion aside
Different Rights to Privacy—public versus private citizens
Benefit of the Doubt on Libel—advantage: journalists, but don’t abuse it
Staging for the Stage—if it isn’t happening, don’t cover it
Gifts Worth Too Much—avoiding even the appearance of bribery
Checkbook Journalism—about paying for stories
Covering the Disorder, Not Creating It—walking that fine line
When You Don’t Have to Treat Everyone Equally—news versus entertainment
How Free Is Information?—the public’s rights, the journalist’s rights: the same
Our Ethical Foundations—constitutional and professional codes
Exercises to Reinforce Your Ethics—homework or classwork
What You’ll Learn—starting your career in journalism
What to Take to Get There—college courses
Once You’ve Gotten There—go with the flow of the newsroom
And While You’re There—fulfilling careers