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Other basic story forms

Other basic story forms. Covering speeches, news conferences and gov’t meetings (and a bit of newsroom math). Covering speeches. Speeches often produce rather routine stories, especially when covering the same stump speech by a candidate for the umpteenth time. But then

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Other basic story forms

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  1. Other basic story forms Covering speeches, news conferences and gov’t meetings (and a bit of newsroom math)

  2. Covering speeches Speeches often produce rather routine stories, especially when covering the same stump speech by a candidate for the umpteenth time. But then there’s the day you go to the Conroe Kiwanis club luncheon and hear Gregg Bingham, then of the Houston Oilers …

  3. Speeches, news conferences, meetings presentation • Today, we will talk about three other basic types of stories: the speech, the news conference and the meeting story. Now, just because these are common stories doesn’t mean you treat them as routine or formulaic. • Each of these story types often require a judicious use of quotes -- make sure you understand the difference between direct, indirect and partial quotes. Direct quotes add immediacy, color, credibility and emotion -- but too many direct quotes can make your story take on the form of a transcript. Partial quotes and indirect quotes can be space savers -- but their overuse can make your story appear lifeless. • PR reps are often very involved in the organizing and conducting of speech and news conference events. In addition to serving the needs of the client -- the speaker perhaps – PR reps need to fulfill the needs of the media as well.

  4. THE SPEECH STORY • What makes a good speech? Journalists are generally “speech coverers” not “speech givers,” so how can they judge whether a speech was effective or persuasive? Here’s some help. The ancient Greeks and Romans concluded that all public speech could be broken down into six separate parts (see handout): 1) the introduction (exordium), 2) the proposition(narratio), 3) the outline of what's to follow (partilio), 4) theproof (confirmatio), 5) the refutation (refutatio), 6) the conclusion (peroratio). • Poynter link – What political reporters say about covering speeches http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=72092

  5. Checklist before the speech • Prepare -- Go to the library, go online, go to your newspaper archive. Check books and magazine articles. Can you get an advance copy of the speech? Will you have to write an advance story? • Background of the speaker -- Make sure you have the right person. • Background of the topic -- If you are clueless about a speech topic, undoubtedly that will carry over into your story. Educate yourself. • Gather your materials and troops-- Will you need media credentials? Will you be bringing a photographer or another reporter who is doing a sidebar (maybe, if it’s a major address)? Bring extra pens, notebooks, tape recorder and batteries. Know what time to be there and arrive early. Positioning can be important, especially for photographers, TV cameramen or the journalist’s ego.

  6. What you don’t bring to a speech (unless it’s in Baghdad) ... a gun … especially if you are covering a speech by Ted Kennedy or, for that matter, any other member of the Kennedy clan.

  7. Checklist for writing the speech story 1. The lede should focus on the most striking or significant elementsor issues addressed by the speaker. Speech and news conference stories often have a two-paragraph lede approach since the subject and attribution can make one paragraph a bit bulky. No book report ledes, please 2. If the speech coincides with a special occasion, it could be part of the story. 3. Include the audience and its reaction when it becomes newsworthy. 4. Develop the contents of the speech by summarizing the key points and arguments presented by the speaker. For the most part, you develop the speech’s contents with indirect phrasing -- but don’t fail to use direct quotes to bolster key points. This is called the concept/quotesformat -- you summarize a comment or concept and then follow with a direct quote.

  8. Quote/concept example Concept graph: Support for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appears to be diminishing on both sides of the aisle in Congress. Quote(s): “I think he should resign immediately,” said Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Her GOP counterpart, Minority Leader John Boehner, said, “It’s time for him to get out of Dodge.” Concept graph ______________________ _________________________________ ________________________________. Quote “__________________________ ____________________________.”

  9. Checklist for writing the speech story 5. Details about the speaker’s expressions, tone, hand gestures can add color to your story. 6. Include biographical informationabout the speaker where it fits best. 7. If there are other speakers, follow the same routine. Hang around for any Q&A. 8. Follow inverted pyramidstyle. Remember, a quote is a good way to end such stories. 9. As you are preparing or finishing your story, remember to fact-check and check for spin

  10. Speech story in Pyramid Form Speech Story Example

  11. The news conference story

  12. THE NEWS CONFERENCE: A checklist Before and during the news conference: 1. Prepare(if possible). Much like with a speech story, do some research. 2. Often those staging the news conference will have an opening statement. 3. After the opening statement, it’s generally time for Q&A. You may have your own set of questions, but listen to those by your colleagues. 4. Sometimes, it is the question itself or the questioner that can become a story. 5. Cover the event-- Note the mannerisms of the main participants and audience reaction. 6. Hang around afterward. Check to see if you can interview any of the participants after the news conference.

  13. THE NEWS CONFERENCE STORY Writing the news conference story: A checklist 1. Determine the main topicfor your lede. 2. Organize the remaining material into some sort of logical order. You may want to use a series of bullets to introduce secondary topics. 3. After the lede, follow the speech story approachfor filling out the rest of the story.

  14. The meetings story When government entities are your “beat”

  15. The meetings story Reporters generally fall into two categories -- the general assignments reporter and the beat reporter. GA reporters may have to cover meetings from time to time, but for beat reporters, meetings are almost part of the job description. All kinds of governmental entities and civics organizations have regular meetings, and if that agency or group is part of your “beat,” then you will likely be going to their meetings. It’s a good idea to keep a calendar that indicates what agency meets when.

  16. THE MEETINGS STORY Texas Open Meetings Act There are a lot of rules and laws that dictate how governmental entities conduct their meetings. Some overviews of the Texas Open Meetings Act can be found at: http://www.burger.com/omindex.htm http://www.tml.org/legal_pdf/2006TXOpenMtngAct.pdf Easy Guide to the Texas Public Meetings/Records Act: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/publications.shtml

  17. Meetings stories: agenda examples • North Forest ISD (pdf) handout: Note that much of the meeting is in closed session for the discussion of personnel matters (the renewal or non-renewal of educator contracts) • HISD board meeting (pdf) handout: HISD board agendas are much more complex. The agenda in the handout includes a sample of additional documentation related to item D-7 on the itinerary. Note that some agenda items are somewhat routine, such as renaming a facility (item D-5), but others are higher profile, such as the repairs to Key Middle School (item F-3). HISD board meetings can easily take three hours, says Chronicle reporter Ericka Mellon.

  18. THE MEETINGS STORY Here are several items to note: 1. Notice of a meeting-- with time, place and subject -- must be made 72 hours in advance of the meeting. For emergency meetings, only two hours notice is required. 2. Quorums are defined as a “majority of the members of the board who are authorized to vote.” If you have nine folks on a school board and five of them sit together at a football game to discuss a pay raise for the football coach, that’s a quorum and that would be an illegal meeting. 3. Open session vs. closed -- State law lists the topics for which a governmental body can go into discussions that are closed to the public. There are exceptions and some of them are somewhat hazy.

  19. Covering a government beat – tips Here are some crucial factors and practical principles for any reporter on a government beat: 1. Information is power. The person within a government who knows what makes it tick and where the bodies are buried is the person you need to get to know. 2. The budget is the blueprint. The money trail will tell you many things. How the money comes in and where it goes are important areas for you to keep an eye on. 3. Distributing money and power is called politics. Politics provides the mechanism through which limited resources are allocated to competing groups. The maneuvering to get the money can be entertaining, as well as newsworthy.

  20. A lede to avoid As submitted by a student in a colleague’s class: On March 5, 2007 the city of Sugar Land conducted their Regular Business Meeting and Zoning Workshop. Items discussed in this meeting were, consideration of an amendment to the United Health Care Administrative Services Agreement, teachers paying for their meals on school sponsored trips and then being reimbursed later, and parents concerns about bus routines. (second sentence has 37 words)

  21. Covering a government beat – tips A handy guide for journalists on a government beat is Covering Government: A Civics Handbook for Journalists by Rob Armstrong, a former CBS correspondent. Before and during the meeting: A checklist 1. Governmental agencies are required to post meeting agendasin a public place, and mail them to anyone who requests them. Will you need to do an advance story? 2. On meeting day, prepare as you would for the speech story and news conference. Remember to cover the eventas well. 3. Interview the participants after the meetingfor additional comments or explanation.

  22. Covering a government beat – tips Writing the meetings story 1. Again, rank the topics by newsworthiness. Never, never, never begin a meetings story with something like: “The Conroe City Council met Thursday to discuss ….” 2. Note that thereaction to the action(s) taken could be just as newsworthy as the action itself. 3. Make use of the concept / quotes formatfor handling the main topic and sub-topics. Secondary topics that require some length to develop or explain could be turned into sidebars.

  23. Covering a government beat – tips Writing the meetings story 4. Consider the bulleted items technique as an option for handling more routine items. 5. Remember that you writing for the reader; not for the government body. 6. Writing for readers handout. 7. ONLINE: Covering News Events: www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/nr_reporterstoolbox/covering-ws.html

  24. The government beat – budgets BUDGETS AND MATH Covering government meetings or those beats will require that you learn something about budgets. Since budgets have numbers, you will need a small dose of newsroom math. -- Deciphering Budgets – tips from UH Prof. Ted Stanton -- Newsroom math: handout First, let’s check YOUR math skills …

  25. NEWSROOM MATH Take out a sheet of paper and do the following: A. Write down a number between 1 and 10, inclusive of those numbers. B. Multiply that number by 2 C. Add 8 D. Divide by 2 E. Subtract your original number from the dividend obtained in answer D F. Apply that new number to a corresponding letter in the alphabet; for instance, if your answer was 10, then write down the letter J G. Write down the name of acountry that begins with the letter in answer F H. Go to the next letter in the alphabet and write down a mammal that begins with that letter (example: M for monkey) I. Note the color of your mammal. J. Now concentrate on the country, the animal and the color of the creature. Keep the mental image going for as long as you can.

  26. Some common types of math for journalists Average -- add up the numbers in a series and divide by the sum of the numbers in the series. Example: 67 74 89 90 100 = 420. Divided by 5 gives an average of 84. Median -- the middle number in a series that is arranged in ascending order. From the previous example, the median is 89. But in this series -- 67 74 83 89 90 100-- the median is 86 (the midpoint between the middle two numbers, 83 and 89). Mean-- the dividend between the highest and lowest numbers in a series or group. Using the first example: 67 + 100 = 167. Divided by 2 =83.5. Percentages-- The part divided by the whole x 100. Say you have a city with 200,000 residents and 10,000 are jobless. What is the percentage of jobless folks? 10,000 divided by 200,000 = .05 x 100 = 5 percent. Percentage increase/decrease-- Take the NEW number and subtract the OLD number, divide that result by the OLD number and multiply by 100. Using the previous example, lets say the jobless figure grows to 15,000. The percentage of jobless becomes 7.5 percent. What is the percentage increase? 15,000 (new number) minus 10,000 (old) = 5,000. Divided by 10,000 (old) = .50 x 100 = a 50 percentincrease

  27. Danger areas • Note that the difference between 5 percent and 7.5 percent is 2.5 percentage points-- not 2.5 percent. That 50 percent increase translates to 5,000 human beings. This is where spin comes in: When talking about their record, which figure would a mayoral incumbent prefer to be used for the jobless numbers -- 50 percent, 5,000 or 2.5 percentage points? • Also, be aware that a 200 percent increase is not the same as “double.” It’s a 100 percent increase that is actually the figure that is twice the size of the previous number.

  28. Tax rates • Government bodies get revenue from a variety of sources -- grants, utility bills, franchise fees (such as cable TV), fines, user fees (parks), sales tax, bonds etc. But the primary source for most entities is from taxes levied on commercial and residential properties. • Texas law requires that the actual appraised valueof the property, not some assessed value, be used in the property tax equation. County appraisal districts provide property values to all of the governmental bodies in that county. The government body -- a school board, city council, utility district, fire department district etc. -- sets a tax rate, which is then applied to every $100 of the property’s appraised value. In your stories, the style for referring to tax rates is: The board approved a tax rate of $1.12 per $100 value.

  29. Tax rates • When doing stories about budgets and tax rates, provide the reader with an exampleof how the tax rate will affect the average homeowner. Appraisal districts can tell what the average price is for a home in a particular community. Example: Let’s say you have a $120,000 home in Katy Katy ISD tax rate is $1.10 per $100 value. 120,000 divided by 100 = 1,200 x 1.10 = $1,320 that you owe Katy ISD City of Katy tax rate is 95 cents per $100 value. 120,000 divided by 100 = 1,200 x .95 = $1,140 that you owe the city of Katy Note that commercial and residential tax rates may differ. Also note that a variety of tax exemptionscould reduce the amount owed.

  30. Newsroom math: Handouts • Common math problems for journalists (on previous slide) • AP style guide for using numbers • Guide for dealing with rates

  31. Exercise ALVIN COUNCIL MEETING A. Make up name of the cop (creativity appreciated) B. Use quotes as needed C. Note that it’s only aproposed budget, not in final form. The council (which is an it, not a they) took no action at this time. D. Do the math on the taxes; check the percentages E. Get the news in the lede; use the pocketbook issues (taxes going down but utility rates going up) or the conflict (threat of a police strike) or both if you can pull it off. F. Ending could be quote or the what’s next element. G. Write seven to 12 graphs or so; remember to double space

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