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Journalism 101

Journalism 101. Just the facts, please! A presentation by Mike Duffin. The Inverted Pyramid. Using the inverted pyramid. Organize the facts What information is essential? Who are your sources? Why should we read this?. The lead. This is the most important part of any story

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Journalism 101

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  1. Journalism 101 Just the facts, please! A presentation by Mike Duffin

  2. The Inverted Pyramid

  3. Using the inverted pyramid • Organize the facts • What information is essential? • Who are your sources? • Why should we read this?

  4. The lead • This is the most important part of any story • After reading the lead, readers decide whether they want to continue on • Leads should not be more than 34 words

  5. Types of leads • Summary lead • Delayed lead • Anecdotal lead

  6. Summary lead • Summarizes what happened • With this lead, the reader will get a general idea of what the story is about • The Bears won their season opener 42-16 Sunday afternoon in San Diego against a Charger team considered by many to be a Super Bowl contender. • Cedric Benson scored three touchdowns (how) as the Bears (who) defeated the Chargers 42-16 (what) Sunday (when) afternoon in San Diego (where).

  7. Delayed lead • This lead is broken into two sentences • The first is short and allows the writer some degree of creativity • The second provides the real information • It’s time to rewrite the history books, asterisk or not. (This is short and catchy.) • With all the controversy surrounding his alleged steroid use, Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record on Tuesday night during a 4-3 loss to the Nationals in San Francisco. (Here is the delayed lead.) • The 44-year-old slugger hit a 374-foot shot into the right fields seats at SBC Park in the fifth inning off of Washington pitcher John Adkins. (Additional information.)

  8. Anecdotal lead • This lead puts a personal spin on the story • On Monday, Jackie Benson was cleaning her son John’s clothes in preparation for his first year of college. On Tuesday, she was making his funeral arrangements. • John Benson, 18, was shot by a stray bullet outside his Calumet City home at about 6:36 p.m. Monday. He was taken to Advocate Christ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. • For the third time in a week, gang-related violence has claimed the life of an innocent bystander. • “It just isn’t right,” Jackie Benson said. “My son was never involved in gangs. He was a good student with a bright future.” • Police spokesman Pat King said no arrests have been made in the shooting, although he added that there are several leads. • Benson was set to attend Purdue University, where he had a scholarship to play basketball. The 6-foot-5 guard earned All-State honors after scoring 25 points per game in his senior season at Thornwood High School.

  9. Sources • Who should you quote? • What type of quotes should you use? • Look for sharp, to-the-point quotes • Don’t be afraid to ask the same question twice (just word it differently) • Do not publish a cliché response such as, “We’re giving it our all” or “We’re taking it one day at a time”

  10. Facts • Make sure that you answer the who, what, where, when, why and how… • Is the information correct? • Is every name spelled right? • Is there any other information that is vital to your story?

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