BAMBOO OFFSHOOT JOURNALISM GUIDEBOOK

BASIC NEWS LEAD CHECKLIST Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism by Tim Harrower Be concise. Streamline your ideas, your words, your sentence structure. Think

subject-verb-object. The biggest problem with most leads? They’re too wordy. Remember,

most news leads are just one sentence. Most use fewer than 30 words. That’s not an ironclad rule – just an observation based on millions of successful news stories.

Be accurate. Get your facts and spelling right. One mistake in the lead will

sabotage the entire story.

Remember what day it is when readers read your story. If there’s a chance of confusion when you write about tomorrow’s concert or last night’s game, use the names of the days to be safe.

And speaking of days: Be careful to put the date in the right place. Wrong: The panel will meet to discuss drug use on Friday. Right: The panel will meet on Friday to discuss drug use.

Don’t name names. Don’t say John Smith was hit by a bus in your lead, unless

everyone knows who John Smith is. (Don’t just say A man was hit by a bus, either. Try to add a touch of description, like An elderly Mudflap man was hit by a bus.)

Use strong verbs. Which means rewriting that sentence above to make it active, not passive: A bus struck and killed an elderly Mudflap man Tuesday…

Beware of soft, mushy verbs like “be,” “try” and “plan” – or dull, bureaucratic verbs like “considered,” “met” and “issued.” Don’t let your leads bog down in meetingspeak. And speaking of meetings:

Ask “Why should I care?” Write from the reader’s point of view as often as

possible. Don’t just report – explain. Explaining why things matter often makes the best lead.

Sell the story. Find out what makes this story different or special, and use that to punch up the lead. Who wants to read another ordinary meeting/game/speech story?

Don’t get hung up by a problem lead. Unsure of how to start the story? Just jot something down and move on. Finish the story, then loop back around and revisit the lead.

Move attributions to the end of the sentence, the reporting textbook said. Not:

The reporting textbook said to move attributions to the end of the sentence.

lusf file facts When you write a story, you must try to be objective. Truthful. Fair. You can't just pull material from your memory, or quote your friends, or make pronouncements about the way things ought to be. You must be factual- which means basing your stories on the best facts you can find.

Good reporters respect the integrity of facts. "Vhen you select them carefully and arrange them skillfully, you can communicate without inserting your own opinions. For instance, this fact by itself seems trivial: Percentage ofAmericans who can name two freedoms granted by the First Amendment: 28.

But now add this fact: Percentage of Americans who can name two members of "The Simpsons" cartoon family: 52.

Together, those two facts lead to a logical, unspoken conclusion - that Americans pay more attention to TV characters than to government. True? Arguably. But it's a good example of how journalism should work: The facts tell the story, and readers draw their own conclusions.

JIRD .OW, POSSIBLY THE WORST STORY EVER WIIITTE. How many different kinds a Encouraged to attend? Byoferrors does it take to screw Campus vegetarians will hold a puke-in at

whom? This smacks of partisanup a news story? Here's a Turkle Hall Friday to protest the dormitor'Y's cheerleading.frightening (but fictional) o unhealthy food policies. All students are example: encouraged to attend. {) o Highly respected? In whose

"The menu in that dorm is just meat, meat, opinion? Objective newswritingo Unhealthy? Says who? meat," said Ben Dover, the highly respected 0 should avoid vague, biasedThat's an unsupported opinion.

president of Vegetarians Opposed to Meat in generalizations like this.Reporters shouldn't take sides

Turkel (VOMIT). "That's why so many Turkleon controversial issues. o Says who? According toresidents have been getting sick this year." 0 what statistic? It's irresponsibleAccording to Dover, Turkle's 200 residentso Bad math alert! The dorm to Quote an allegation like that

were fed more than 160,000 hamburgers last is open 40 weeks per year; that without adding facts to supporto year while eating just J,000 pounds of earrots. means each resident ate 20 it (or acounterargument to

In other words, a typical student ate just oncburgers a week. likely? No. refute it). In fact, because this carrot for every 160 burgers.And one carrot does not weigh story relies entirely on just one

Dover said the protest was sparked after a one pound, so this second sta­ source - Dover - it's far too tistic is bogus and misleading. stUdent worker in Turkel'S cafeteria spotted a unbalanced to be trustworthy.

crate of beef labeled "Grade 0: ~lt for Human 0 o There is no such thing asConsumption." Many colleges try to savce This is pseudoscience. "Grade 0" meat. In fact, this money by buying Grade 0 meat products, What specific "research" has entire paragraph is an urbanwhich include brains, skin and testicles.proven that meat is bad? Which legend: folklore popularly

Research has shown that a diet heavy incancer rates are lower in Japan? believed to be true. Agoodmeat is bad for you. In .Japan, where rice is aAren't other factors (stress, reporter would have checked

lifestyle. environment) also o staple in people's diets, there is a much lower out this story and discovered responsible for causing cancer? incidence of cancer. My own health has that it's a fabrication.

improved dramatically since I stopped eating o Inserting religious opinion meat last year. 0 o Never inject yourself into a into any news story is a sure­ Even spiritual masters like Gandhi and the news story. "My" opinions and fire way to offend readers. o Buddha proved that a vegetarian lifestyle anecdotes about "me" are Believe whatever you want. irrelevant and unprofessional.brings you closer to God. politically or religiously. but "Our puke-in has received letters of support 4I!) By misspelling Oprah and never try to pass it off as news. from famous vegetarians like Opra Winfrey Yoakam. the reporter under­

and D\\'ight Yokum." Dover added. CD mines the credibility of thisCD June only has 30 days. A (!) The event begins at noon Friday, .June 31, entire story. (Note, too. howmistake as simple (and dumb) outside the Turkle Hall cafeteria. many times the reporter hasas this can cast doubt on every

flubbed the spelling of Turkel)other fact in the story.

" OUOTED " "Credibility - more than news itself-- is our stock in trade. An informative story is important. A dramatic story is desirable. An honest story is imperative." DavtdShaw,

/05 Angeles Times media writer

"What matters to me most is the truth. That's the only thing that matters in journalism. The jimdamental reason you're reading journalism is because it's truthful. Ofcourse, everyone believes their own version of the truth. Ifyou believe it, it's truc. So truth is ill the same place it will always be: the hazy middle."

MeI'VJD Keizer, chief of (esearch at US Weekly

"Facts are stupid things." Ronald Beagan,

misquoting John Adams. who said "Facts are stubbom things"

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their ownflKts."

Daniel Patric;k MoyaihaD, scholar and US senator

"We are recorders and reporters of the facts not judges of the behavior we describe."

Alfred C. KiDsey, founder. Institute for Sex Research

"Every/tICt has the same weight. I(you screw tip on something small, trivial, then you cast doubt on the whole piece. We trudge through every inch ofit because once you've lost your credibility, that's it."

Sara IJppmc;oU, editor and fact-checker. The New Yorker

"For one 'Talk of the lown' piece, I had to determine the number of Ritz crackers in a huge New jersey supermarket. 1called the general manager of the store, who then shouted to an assistant over their PA system. The assistant went to count the number a/Ritz boxes on the floor while the manager and I tried to estimate the Ilumber of crackers in a box. We then went through the same process with hot dog packages."

Peler Canby, fact-checker for The New Yorker

SO WHERE DO OPINIONS BELONG IN JOURNALISM? Journalism, it has been said, presents a maximum of Journalists debate these questions endlessly. And

information with a minimum of opinion. But isn't it the answers aren't always simple. Most newspaper sometimes appropriate to add emotion and attitude to stories can be placed on a continuum that ranges newswriting? Doesn't complete objectivity suck the life from rigidly objective (breaking news) to rabidly out of stories? Where do you draw the line? opinionated (movie reviews). Here's what we mean:

NO OPINION

An earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale shook western .Japan on Sunday. forcing hundreds to evacuate as quake-generated tsunami waves approached. (Reuters)

President Bush roared out of his New York convention last week, leaving many Democrats nervous about the state of the presidential race.

Gov. Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania said Kerry "has got to start smacking back." m,e ,\'cU' York Times!

ThIs news story is straightforward, factual and unemotional even though this event resulted in deaths and injuries. The reporter makes no attempt to overdramatize the situation or to philosophize about the human tragedy.

In political news stories like this one, reporters must be careful not to inject their own political views. It's OK to use colorful descriptions if they're accurate (Bush "roared," Democrats are "nervous"), but opinions should bei expressed only by people Quoted in the story.

, anile;qH.,

"Many a good newspaper story has been ruilled I)y oververification."

James Gordoll BelllleH, 19th-century newspaper editor

''I'm a great fall of reality. Truth is easier. And weirder. And funnier. Not all the time, but you can fall back on the truth. You cau'! fall back all a story you made up, because then you start to wonder if it is good or fWIIlY or right. I'm lazy. If J have a fact, 1dou't have to worry about if I've lIlade the right move 'or said it properly."

RUllter S. ThompsOll, legendary gonzo reporter

"J have a built-in bias against reporters who have axes to grind. f think there arc reporters who allow their own bias to encroach on their journalism, and that's a crime against journalism."

DOli Rewitt, executive producer. 60l1inlltes

"People don't ask for facts in making lip their minds. They would rather have one good, soul-satisfying emotioll than a dozen facts."

Bobert Keith Leavitt, author/journalist

"The problem is not that journalists can't get tlleir facts stmight: They can and usually do. Nor is it tilat the filets are obscure: Oftell, the most essential facts are also the most obvious ones. The problem is that journalists have a difficult time distinguishing significant facts facts with consequellces

from insignificant ones. That, ill tum, comes from Ilot thinking very hard about just which stories are most worth telling."

Bret Stephens, Waif Street Journal

'J\. newspaper cannot really congratulate itselfon having got at the facts impartially when it has quoted at length from two uninformed idiots all opposing sides ofall issue."

A.I. WiggillS, editor-publisher of

The Ellsworth (Maine) American

STRONG OPINION

Tom Brady was uncannily accurate as usual, throwing for ;3;~5 yards and three touchdowns, but that WOUldn't have been enough if not for two big plays by a defense that had becn pushed around all night. IThe Associated i'ress}

Only in an election year ruled by fiction could a sissy who used Daddy's connections to escape Vietnam turn an aetual war hero into a girlie-man. (,J'he Neu: York Times!

Shamelessly devoid of intelligence. interesting characters, scares or gore, "Alicn VB. Predator" is a eoncept that fails to deliver on any of what made the original films so great. IWii/ametie Week!

Sports stories often add flavor and attitude to the reporting. like aplay-by-play announcer, this reporter blends fact ("335 yards") with interpretation ("uncannily accurate as usual"). Sports fans - unlike readers of hard news ­accept some colorful spin on their stories.

Opinion (olumns must be truthful, but they can be partisan and passionate, too, like this excerpt from acolumn critical of George Bush's 2004 campaign against John Kerry. Readers understand that this is commentary, not news.

This movie review doesn't pull any punches. And that's what readers expect from critics, whether they're reviewing music, food, drama or video games. Reviewers, like columnists, are expected to mouth off in provocative ways.

Distorting the news with your opinions is as damaging and unprofessional OBJECTMTY as defacing a photograph. Still need convincing? Read the following excerpt from VS. OPINION ­the Staunton Spectator. Oct. 7, 1862. This is how a typical Virginia newspaper

HOWTOGIVE reported that President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation to LINCOLN HELL free the slaves. Here's what results when reporters dispense with facts:

LINCOLN'S FIENDISH PROCLAMATION Since the time our first parents were expelled

from Paradise. and "They hand in hand, with wandering steps

and slow. Through Eden took their solHarv way. ..

there has not been as much joy in Pandemonium as at this time. The Arch-Fiend in the regions of woe "grins hOrribly a ghastly smile," for he and hiS emissaries upon earth the extreme abolitionists - have succeeded in prevailing upon "Old Abe" to issue aproclamation of emancipation which will send athrill of horror through all civilized nations_ .

Before he committed this act of atrocity, in reply to the Committee sent bV ameeting of the "Christians (!) of all denominations" of Chicago, who were, at the insllgation of Satan, urgrng upon him to

perpetrate it, he said that "he had been considering it night and day for some time ...."

In aword, the devil trrumphed. and lincoln issued his proclamation, which has "crowned the pyramid of

his infamies with an atrOCity abhorred of men. and at which even demons might shudder."

After the Committee of abolitionists from Chica­go had retired. and when he was in some perpleXity as to the course he should adopt, Satan. his potential ally, "squat like a toad at his ear." addressed him, as Milton represents Death as

addressing Sin within the gates of HelL ...

Think you can write a better lead? Try the exercise on page 64.

MORE ON WRIT1HG COMMENTARY .. 130

Is It wordy? Do readers trip over any unnecessary adjectives or phrases?

Is It compelling? Will it grab readers

BASICS

Wriling basic news leads It's the essence ofjournalism: the key facts summarized in a concise way. Some journalism experts insist that the lead (or "lede") of a story must be just one paragraph.

And that paragraph must use just one sentence, And that sentence must be 25 words or less. And if you violate that formula, angry readers will scoff. Your story will be doomed.

Fortunately - or unfortunately it's not that simple. As we'll see in the pages ahead, you have many, many options for writing smart, engaging leads.

Let's begin by focusing on the most fundamental option, the basic news lead for inverted-pyramid stories. It's the style of newswriting that comes closest to using a dependable formula. And here's the good news: If you can master the process of writing leads - identifying key facts and expressing them concisely you'll have a solid command of the craft of journalism.

Still, learning to write even the simplest leads takes time and practice. For many writers, just starting the story is the most agonizing, time-consuming part of the job. But that's why they pay writers the big bucks. So start honing your speed and skill now.

BERE'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU "BUBY THE LEAD" Every so often, a surly editor may tell you to actually ran in a New Jersey paper a half-century

rework a story because you buried the lead. \Vhich ago. This paper had recruited secretaries from local means, basically: You blew it. You thought that thing organizations to report on their groups' activities. was the most important part of the story, but it's But because these women weren't trained reporters, actually this thing the news you buried down in they didn't know how to write news stories or the twelfth paragraph. So fix it, you knucklehead. more importantly, how to write news leads. So they

Here's a memorable example of a buried lead that ended up with this:

The Parent·Teacher Associa­ that the nominations be closed. between the eyes. Constable tion of Comelis Banta School Mrs. Gianello Venutoleri arose Abraham Brinkerhoff came and held its regular monthly meeting and said that she wanted to nom­ escorted Mrs. Venutoleri to the Tuesday evening in the school inate Mrs. Nuovo Cittadino, Mrs. county jail. The body of Mrs. ten cafeteria, for the election of offi­ Giuseppe Soffiate, and Mrs. Sal­ Floed was removed to Van cers for the coming year, with "\-'atore dal Vapore. Mrs. ten Floed Emburgh's Funeral Parlor. Mrs. Noah ten Floed, president, ruled Mrs. Venutoleri out of There being no further busi­in the chair. The nominating order. Mrs. Venutoleri appealed ness, the meeting adjourned for committee proposed Mrs. Douwe to the parliamentarian, Miss refreshments. which were Taleran for president, Mrs. Sarah Kierstad, who sustained served by Mrs. Adrian Blauvelt's David Demarest for vice presi­ the chair. committee. The next meeting dent, and Mrs. Laurens van Mrs. Venutoleri took a small will be held on Friday evening, Boschkerken for secretary-treas­ automatic pistol from her hand­ Sept. 10, for the installation of urer. It was moved and seconded bag and shot Mrs. ten Floed officers.

BOW TO WRITE AN EITEC'I'IVE NEWS LEAD

OCOLLECT ALL YOUR FACTS

This is essential, for two reasons: • If you don't know the whole story, your lead can't accurately summarize what's going on. • The more you know about the story. the easier it will be for you to sum it up and boil it down.

O SUM IT Up,BOIL IT DOWN

If you had just 10 seconds to shout this story over acell phone with dying batteries, what would you say? If it helps you organize your thinking, jot down the five W's in a liSt, like so: WHO: Three Mudflap passengers

were injured. WHAT: Aprivate plane crashed. WHEII: Friday night, 9:12 p.m. WHERE: The Mudflap River behind

Mudflap Airport. WHY: Abolt of lightning struck the

plane, killing the engine.

O PRIORIl'lZE THE FIVE W'S

The lead needs to contain the facts that are most important and only those facts that are most important. So evaluate each of the five W's. Ask yourself: Which facts must be in the lead? Which can wait a paragraph or two? And which of the key facts deserves to start the first sentence?

O RETHINK, ~ REVISE,

REWRITE Write a first draft, even if it's not perfect, just to get things rolling. Then ask yourself: Is It clear? Are the key points easy

to grasp? Is the wording awkward in any way?

Is It active? Have you used astrong subject- verb-object sentence structure?

and keep them interested?

ORGANIZING YOUR STORY: THE MOST COMMON SHAPES

You may think newswriting is a free­form, seat~of-the-pants, spur-of-the­moment, sit-down-and-start-typing kind of thing.

Wrong. Write that way, and your stories become clumsy, rambling jumbles of random facts and quotes.

Readers hate chaos. If you confuse them, you lose them.

So think before you write. Organize your ideas. Plan your story, whether by sketching a quick outline, visualizing a mental image or brainstorming with an editor whatever helps you draw a road map for your story to follow.

If you get stuck, try carving your story's structure into broad sections, such as:

I. The Problem II. What It Means III. What Happens Next

Or try something like this: I. Look: This Person Has a Problem II. Uh-oh. The Problem Is Everywhere III. What the Experts Say IV. What the future Holds V. What It All Means for 'fhat Person

We Met at the Start of the Story

That structure, it turns out, is quite popular with journalists - especially feature writers at the Wall Street Journal. To save time and effort, many crafty reporters automatically pour their stories into that tried-and-true shape (just like they pour breaking news into inverted pyramids).

Yes, we know: Every story is different. Still, if it helps you to visualize stories in physical shapes like pyramids, circles or martini glasses, consider the options at right.

Story structure Giving an overall shape to your writing. Let's be clear: There's no simple, droolproof, one­size-fits-all solution for organizing stories. Every story unfolds in adifferent way.

Still, there's nothing random about good writing. Every story needs a beginning, middle and end. You can't just toss facts together as if you're flinging spaghetti against the wall. If you want readers to stick with you, you've got to organize each story's overall structure. Here's how.

THE INVERTED PYRAMID MOST IMPORTANT FACTS

Best for: News briefs, stories about breaking news events. ADDITIONAL FAm Not recommended for: Anything else. MORE FACTS How it works: Summarize the key facts in a concise lead. Then organize the story as logically ETC, ETC as pOSSible, arranging paragraphs in descending order ETC of importance. End the story when you run out of facts (or you run out of room on the page).

THE MARTINI GLASS THE LEAD Also known as: The hourglass.

KEY FACTS INBest for: Crimes, disasters or other dramatic INVERTED PYRAMID news stories where you want to include a FORM

chronology to show how events unfolded. How it works: Begin with an inverted-pyramid summary of the story's most important facts. Once CHRONOLOGY OF that's done, shift into achronological narrative. EVENTS (Try setting it up with a phrase such as Police gave this account of the accident:). Then detail what happened, step by step. If pOSSible, end with a kicker (a surprise twist or strong closing quote). Example: See "Check-Writer sets off clerk's internal alarm" in the Morgue, page 223. KICKER

THE KABOB Also known as: The Wall Street Journal formula or the circle. ANECDOTE Best for: Stories on trends or events where you want to Cshow how actual people are affected or involved. How It works: The story begins with a Quote or anecdote NUT

GRAfabout a specific person. Then it broadens into a general "-­diSCUSSion of the topic. It ends by returning to that ~;"

specific person again. • Think of it as arranging meat and veggies on a shish I.- MEAT

kabob skewer: Start with ajuicy red tomato (an anecdote). Follow that with a nut graf. Then add meat - chunk after

chunk after chunk - until L.- MEAT CLOSING OPENING you reach the end, where you

ANECDOTE ANECDOTE reprise with another tomato Ca final quote or anecdote). MEAT

The Wall Street Journal NUf is well known for writing

DETAILS GRAF stories this way. Some also ANECDOTE view it as a circle like the one at left. Whatever.

Example: See "For those cut off, a life primeval," page 213.

AND AS YOU MOVE FROM PARAGRAPH TO PARAGRAPH, REMEMBER: • Keep paragraphs short. Short, punchy paragraphs are much easier for readers to scan and absorb.

Really. Some reporters have

even trained themselves to write just one sentence per paragraph.

Like this. Think of it this way: In

a thin newspaper column, thick paragraphs (like the one you're reading now) get dense and daunting as long, wordy sentences stack up, giving your eyes no place to rest. Deep paragraphs may actually discourage readers from sticking with your story. So you should also try to:

• Write one idea per paragraph. Keep your focus tight, especially when explaining complex material. Parcel out your information in short, paragraph-sized chunks. Think about hitting the return key every time you type a period. • Add transitions. To keep your story flowing, guide the reader from one idea to another with care­fully placed transitions ­words or phrases such as:

However. Meanwhile, In addition, Previously. Finally. On a related issue,

In this example, notice how transitions (in italics) help connect the ideas from sentence to sentence:

Police will cast a watchful eye on downtown revelers this New Year's Eve.

But police admitted they will not be as prepared for trouble as they had hoped. For one thing, backups from the state highway patrol will probably not be available.

Instead, Police Chief David Barker said he will rely on reservists to augment the city's regular officers,

NUMBEBS • Spell out one through nine, then go to figures for 10 and up. If asentence begins with a numeral, either spell it out or rewrite the sentence. Figures for years, however, are an exceptIOn: 2004 was an election year. • Always use numerals for ages: He's an 8-year-old genius. The law is 1year old. • Always use numerals in ratios: 5he won the election bya No-1 ratio. • For dimensions, use figures and spell out inches, feet. etc.: 5he is 5 feet 9 inches tall. • Write percent, not per cent or %. Depending on the sentence, you may use either a Singular or plural verb. Both of these are correct: The teacher said 75 percent was a failing grade. As a result, 25 percent of the students were failing the class. • Dollars and cents: Both are written lowercase. Use a dollar sign ($) and numerals for an exact figure: The hamburger cost $3.99. For amounts less than a dollar, use numerals: It cost 99 cents. Use a $ and numerals to two decimal points for amounts of $1 million and up: The plan costs $7931 million. Spell out casual uses: I loaned her a dollar. 5he looks like a million bucks.

TITLES • Titles generally are capitalized only when used before a name: President Roosevelt, Professor Tate, Pope John. But when used otherwise, do not capital­ize: The president spoke to (ongress. The professor scheduled a committee meeting. • Some titles are descriptive of occupations and are not capitalized: astronaut Tom 5wift, assistant coach Janet Johnson. • King, queen and other royal titles follow much the same guidelines. Capitalize them only directly before a name. If I were a king, I'd want to be like King David. • Some titles are a bit more complicated, such as former President Gerald Ford or acting Mayor Jill Fox. Note that the qualifying word is not capitalized. • For long titles, it's best to put them after a name for easier readability: Jim McMullen, president of the association, wants taxes lowered. Or, if you prefer, you can say The president of the association, Jim McMullen. wants taxes lowered.

CAPITALIZATION • Always capitalize proper nouns: Wally, Nike, Boston. • Capitalize common nouns when they're a part of the full name for a person, place or thing: Republican Party, Dixon lake, Benson Boulevard. In other references, the nouns are not capitalized if they stand alone: the party, the lake, the boulevard. • Some words derive from a proper noun and depend on that word for their meaning. They should be capitalized, as in (hristian, English, Marxist. But other words no longer depend on the proper nouns for their meaning: french fries, pasteurize, venetian blind. • The first word in a sentence is always capitalized, even if it is a proper noun that otherwise is not. For instance, e.e. cummings is all lowercase, but at the beginning of a sentence it would be fe. cummings, which looks odd and should be recast to avoid. • In composition titles, the prinCipal words in a book tilie, movie title and the like are capitalized, including prepOSitions or conjunctions of four or more letters: "Gone With the Wind."

APSTYLE HIGHLIGHTS

"The Associated Press Stylebook" is the ultimate desktop reference for print reporters and editors,

It's the book you'll turn to first when you're unsure about usage, grammar,

capitalization and punctuation. 'There's a lot to learn in its 400 pages, but here's a roundup of the guidelines you'll use most often. (To save time

later, commit these to memory.)

I

J of

~

ABBBEVIATIONS • Abbreviate these titles before a full name, except In

quotations: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr.. Mrs" Rep.. the Rev. and 5en. When used before a full name in a quote, spell out all except Dr., Mr., Mrs. and Ms. • Alter a name. abbreviate junior or senior as Jr. or 5r. Alter the name of a business, abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated and limNed. • Always abbreviate a.m.. p.m., A.D. and B.C • When a month IS used with a specific date, abbrevi­ate Jan., Feb., Aug., 5ept., Oct., Nov. and Dec Spell out months when used alone or With ayear only: We met in December 2000, then got mamed on Dec 14, 200l. • Spell out the names of all states when they stand alone. Eight states are never abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. The others are abbreviated when used with the name of a city, town, etc., whether in datelines or in texL See the stylebook for the acceptable state abbreviations.

ADDBESSES • Abbreviate street, avenue and boulevard when they're used with a speCific address, such as /234 Della 5t., but spell them out otherwise: We took a drive down Electric Avenue. Other designations. such as court, lane and road, are always spelled out. • Always use figures for the address number. • Spell out First through Ninth if they're street names, then go to figures after that: 222 10th Avenue. • If you have a complete address, abbreviate any compass pOints, such as 712 Jones 5t. 5.E But without an address, it's just 50utheast Jones 5treet (note 5treet is spelled out and capitalized).

TBEINTEBNET • Some basic styles: Internet, the Net, World Wide Web, the Web, Web site, dot-com, JPEG, DVD, (O-ROM, online. cyberspace, e-mail. • When listing Web addresses, use this format as a guideline: http';/www.timharrower.(om

NEWSWRITING BASICS 55

PARENTBESES • When a phrase in parentheses is inside a sentence, place the closing parenthesis inside the period: They gave everything they had (but they still lost). If it's a separate though\, the closing parenthesis goes outside the period: They gave everything they had. (Unfortunately. they stililost.J • Use parentheses to insert a state name or similar Information within a proper name: 5he's a sports reporter at the Allentown (Pa,) Morning (all. • Do not use parentheses to set off a political deSignation. Instead, use commas: Joan Jeffries, D-Fla., said Thursday that she would run for re-election next year.

POSSESSIVES • For plural nouns not ending in s, add '5: men's clothing. If they end in s, add only an apostrophe: the dogs' leashes. • For singular nouns not ending in s, add's: the school's playground. This applies to words ending in xor zas well. • For singular common nouns ending in s, add's unless the next word begins with s: the waitress's order book, the waitress' sugar. • For singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe: Jones' music, Phyllis' car. • It's is not a possessive: it means only "it is." Its is a possessive: Adog likes its food, not it's.

PBEFIXES • Use a hyphen If the prefix ends in avowel and the word that follows begins Wittl the same vowel: re-entry, anti-inflammatory. (Cooperate and coordinate are exceptions.) • Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized: The song was wrttfen by ex-Beatie Ringo 5tarr. Guidelines for specific prefixes: pre-; The stylebook does list exceptions to Webster's New World Dictionary, including pre-empt, pre-exist and pre-election. (0-; For nouns, adjectives and verbs that describe a partnership, use a hyphen: co-author, co-worker, co-pilot. Do not use a hyphen in other cases: coexist, coeducational, cooperate. sub-; In general, no hyphen is needed: subtotal, subcommittee, submachine gun.

A FEW OTBEB NITPICKS WOBTH BEMEMBEBING: • It's adviser, not advisor. • amid, not amidst. • ad nauseam, not ad nauseum. • minuscule, not miniscule. • doughnut, not donut. • amok, not amuck. • 5mithsonian Institution, not Institute. Further/farther; • Further is an extension of time or degree: We need to take this idea further. • Farther is used to show physical distance: I live farther from school than you do.

Imply/infer: • You imply something by what you say or write. • People infer something by reading your words.

EXERCISES IN STYLE AND GRAMMAR'" 62

NEWSWRITING BASICS 57

/ ACCURACY YES NO

Have you checked the spelling of every name? Double-checked it with the actual person? (Is it (hristvn? Krvstin? Or just Kris?)

o Have you verified all dales, places and times of events?

o Have you personally tested all phone numbers mentioned in your story, uSing what you actually typed on the screen? Did someone answer and approve the number for publication?

Have you personally tested any Web or e-mail addresses in your story? Are you sure all Web addresses will still be valid when the story is published?

o ::J Have you double-checked every job title? Company name?

Cl n Have you run spell check? Double-checked all unusual spellings (Smvth, Millar)? Caught any homonym mix-ups (their, there)?

[I Have you tested all the math in your story? Do the numbers and percentages correctly add up? (If in doubt, ask acolleague to recalculate your figures for you.)

n [-1 Have you checked the accuracy of facts or claims made by sources Quoted in your story?

In reviewing all the sources of information you used, are you sure that everything is reliable and up to date?

fl For stories on complex topics that are new to you, have you tried running your story by an expert on the subject?

-- -I Have you checked the accuracy of all information in related sidebars or photo captions? Does everything match what's in the story?

. Do all Quotes accurately capture what was said, and convey what was meant? Are they clearly and correctly attributed?

n ~j Have you added middle initials where appropriate (especially crime or court stories)?

FAIRNESS AND BALANCE

WRITING STYLE .._-_...._ .._-_...._--_.... _--- --- ­

YES NO

Does the lead or nut graf clearly state what the story's about?

Does the story back up what's said in the lead?

, Is your lead concise? Fewer than, say, 30 words?

C Are all the five W's clearly explained without making readers dig through the rest of the story to find them?

. Does the story convey whV readers should care?

Have you taken pity on your readers and explained complex/inside information in a way that ordinary folks can understand?

[J Do you personally understand everything in the story?

:= If appropriate, does the story give readers enough tools to get involved (phone numbers, Web sites, event information, organizations to contact)?

[J Have you gone through the story to weed out all excess flab, like unnecessary adjectives and adverbs?

n r-c Are sentences short enough?

J Are paragraphs short enough?

Are sentences written in the active voice, with strong verbs?

Have you corrected all grammar and punctuation problems?

[] i.J Have you removed all jargon and journalese?

Have you made all cliches as scarce as hen's teeth?

Have you ever actually seen hen's teeth? You know why you haven't? Because they are so freaking scarce, that's why.

Have you eliminated inappropriate slang, such as "freaking"?

:::::J Does your story avoid unconscious sexist or racist phrasing?

[J Have you eliminated all dull, meaningless, say-nothing Quotes?

Have you clearly sourced and attributed all information that's

YES NO

Is the story fair? Are all sides of the issue represented?

[J Have you given all your sources an opportunity to respond to any negative charges or opinions?

Can readers clearly tell tact from opinion in your story? Are you sure that your story doesn't disguise opinion as fact?

[J _ Have you clearly labeled any facts that may be in dispute?

[J D Is there adiversity of voices Quoted in the story: a representative mix of genders, races, ages, etc.?

lJ Have you avoided unnecessarily alluding to anyone's race or religion unless it's relevant to the topic?

not general knowledge?

[J Have you considered how your sources will react to this story? Are you sure you haven't violated their trust, included any information without their consent, or caused them any emba rrassment?

Have you refrained from mentioning yourself in the story or using "I," "me," "we" or "us" (except when Quoting others)?

Have you alerted your editors to anything in your story that readers may find offensive or objectionable?

::::: Have you read a printout of your story? (This will help you view the story with fresh eyes, and it may reveal errors you missed on the computer screen.)

MORE ON SOURCES. 68 MORE ON QUOTATIONS" 80 MORE ON ATTRIBUTIONS. 82

66 newswriting tips Boring-but-important advice every reporter should memorize. Luckily for you, this book won't bog itself down analyzing grammar, syntax and punctuation. Instead, on these two pages we've summarized key principles every reporter should know ­adapted from the "Hot 100" tips compiled by Sheryl Swingley of Ball State University.

WRmNGLEADS

1) Keep leads short. The first paragraph should usually be 35 words or fewer.

2) Try to limit leads to one or two sentences.

3) Avoid starting leads with the when or where unless the time or place is unusual. Most leads start with who or what.

4) Avoid beginning leads with there, this or it.

5) Use quote and question leads sparingly.

6) The first five 10 10 words determine if the lead will be an attention-getter.

7) Remember, what happened makes a better story than the fact it did.

THE REST OF THE STORY

8) Vary your sentence lengths. Stories become dull when sentences are all the same length. If you notice that happening, try turning one long sentence into two or three shorter ones.

9) If you must write a long sentence, try using a short sentence before or after it.

10) Avoid using several prepositional phrases in a sentence. Prepositional phrases start with some of the following words: obout, above, against, at, between, by, down, during, ji)r, from, in, like, on, over, through, to, toward, under, up, until, upon, with.

II) Remember that short paragraphs encourage readers to continue reading.

12) Try to limit paragraphs to: • 60 words or fewer, or • no more than 10 typeset lines, or • one to three sentences.

13) Paragraphs should generally contain only one idea.

14) Avoid introducing new information at the end of a news story. All aspects of a story should usually be introduced or outlined in the first few paragraphs.

15) Transitions -linking words such as but, and, also, besides, however, meanwhile, subsequently, finally, etc. are necessary to show the reader that the writer has a sense of direction. Carefully placed transitions guide the reader from one thought to another.

EDITING AND STYLE

16) Eliminate words such as when asked and concluded. These are weak transitions. Just report what was said.

17) 'Nhenever possible, omit the word that. Example: The quarterback says he's ready, not the quarterback says thot he's ready

18) The correct order for writing when and where is time, day (date) and place: The concert begins at 8 p. m. Friday in Fox Hall.

19) For a past event, say it happened Tuesday, not last Tuesday For a future event, say it will happen lvlonday, not next Monday Eliminate the words last and next.

20) Use the day of the week for events occurring within six days of a specific day; use the date for events occurring seven or more days before or after a specific day.

21) On first reference, identify a person by his or her first and last names. On second reference, refer to the person by his or her last name only.

22) On second and all other references, don't use Miss, Mrs., Ms., Mr. or Dr. unless it's a style requirement of the news outlet you're writing for.

23) A long title should follow, not precede someone's name. A title that follows the name should be lowercased and set off in commas.

24) Short titles may precede names and usually are capitalized. See titles in the AP Stylebook.

25) Always double-check the spelling of all names.

26) Use the computer's spell-checker. \\'hen in doubt, consult a dictionary. The latest edition of "Webster's New World College Dictionary" is the preferred reference.

27) For style questions, consult the AP style­book. If the answer cannot be found there, consult a dictionary or a grammar guide.

28) Ask for help. Public library information desk personnel can be resourceful and helpful in person or on the phone. (University librarians are usually better at offering advice face to face.)

RULES OF GRAMMAR

2'J) If none means no one or not one, use a singular verb. Example: None was found guilty.

30) \'\Ihen you use a pronoun to refer to a team or a group, the proper pronoun to use is its, not they. Example: The team wants to improve its record.

31) Use parallel construction for verbs in lists or sequences. Example: He likes camping, fishing and hunting. :-JOT: He likes camping, fishing and to hunt. Example: The fire killed six people, injured 60 more and forced hundreds of residents to leave their homes.. ~OT: The fire killed six people, injuring 60 more, and will force hundreds of residents to leave their homes.

32) When using either. .. or and neither .. .nor, the verb agrees in person with the nearer subject. Examples: Either the coach or the players are to blame. Neither the players nor the coach is to blame.

33) Know the difference between its (no apostrophe for possessive pronoun) and it's (the contraction for it is). Examples: The dog has a thorn in its (possessive pronoun) paw, and it's (contraction) time to remove it.

34) Know the difference between whose (possessive pronoun) and who's (the contraction for who is). Examples: Whose (possessive pronoun) coat is this? Who's (contraction) wearing it?

35) Know when to use their (possessive pronoun), there (adverb) and they're (the contraction for they are). Examples: It is their (possessive pronoun) project. The project is over there (adverb). They're (contraction) working on it.

36) When making comparisons, as and such as are generally preferable to like. Use like as a preposition, not to introduce clauses. Examples: It tastes like a peach. The farmer grows peaches, as he did last year.

NEWSWRlTING BASICS 5

WORD CBOICES

37) Eliminate lazy adverbs. Let strong verbs do their jobs. Instead of the radio played

NONSEXIST, NONAGEIST, NONDISCRIMINATORY

'WOO CB01CSS

PUNCTUATION

56) :--Jo comma should appear between time,

do.i.e. ~\\d phce.. loudly, write the radio blared.

38) Eliminate lazy adjectives. Let strong nouns do their jobs. Instead of the gang members created a chaotic scene, write the gangsters created chaos.

39) Choose strong verbs that suggest what they mean. Active verbs add pace, clarity and vigor to writing. Avoid be verbs.

40) Use simple words. Don't send readers to the dictionary. Odds are they won't both­er looking up definitions; worse, they might quit reading.

41) Words such as thing and a lot annoy many readers and editors. Choose better synonyms. (Note correct spelling of a lot.)

42) Be careful using the word held. Make sure the object can be held physically. Weak: The Rotary Club meeting will be held at noon Monday in Room 125. Better: The Rotary Club will meet at noon Monday in Room 125.

43) Avoid using words that qualify how someone feels, thinks or sees. Qualifiers include the following: a bit, a little, sort of, kind of, rather, around, quite, very, pretty, much, in a very real sense, somewhat.

44) If you use jargon that won't be under­stood by a majority of readers, be sure to explain each term used.

45) Writing yesterday or tomorrow may be confusing to readers. lise the day of the week. (Today may be used with care.)

46) Give a person's age if necessary for identi­fication or description; it's preferable to saying teenager or senior citizen. Write Jim Shu, 30, instead of 30-year-old Jim Shu.

47) For suicides, until the coroner completes his or her investigation, it's best to say the person was found dead or fell or plunged to his death. (Some papers avoid using the word suicide; check with your editor.)

48) For arrests, write arrested in connection with, sought in connection with, charged with or arrested on charges of

49) For murders, write that arrests are made in cOllllection with the death of, Do not report that a victim was murdered until someone is convicted of the crime. In obituaries, it may be said the victim was killed or slail1.

SO) For fires, write that a building is destroyed, not completely destroyed. Buildings also are damaged lightly, moderately or heavily. A fire may gut or destroy the interior of a building. To raze a building is to level it to the ground.

51) Avoid words that reinforce ethnic, racial, gender or ageist stereotypes.

52) Avoid referring to someone's ethnici­ty, race, gender or age unless it's essen­tial for the clarity of the story. (Race might be relevant when a criminal is at large; referring to ethnicity, race, gender, age or disability might be appropriate when an achievement or event is a first.) lise the substitution test: If you wouldn't say it about a Caucasian man, then don't say it about a woman, people of other races or people with disabilities.

53) lise he or she instead of he. Women do notice the difference. If using he or she or him or her is awkward, try a plural pronoun: they, them, their or theirs.

54) Substitute asexual words for sexist man words. For example:

QUESTIONABLE BEHER

mankind i people, humanity man-made I synthetic, manufactured manpower workers, work force,

staff, personnel founding fathers pioneers, colonists,

patriots, forebears anchorman anchor

cleaning woman housekeeper, custodian coed student

fireman firefighter foreman supervisor

housewife homemaker postman letter carrier

policeman police officer salesman salesperson

stewardess flight attendant weatherman meteorologist

the girls the women (for women over 18)

55) Respect people with disabilities:

crippled impaired, disabled ­, or be specific: paraplegic

deaf and dumb, hearing- and/or deaf mute speech-impaired

crazy, insane, mentally ill, develop­half-witted, retarded mentally disadvantaged,

disabled or limited or be specific: emotionally disturbed

Separate the person from the disability.

Mary, an epileptic, i Mary, who has epilepsy, had no trouble doing i had no trouble doing

her job. I her job.

Examples adapted from an International Association ofBusiness Communicators' book called "Without Bias."

Example: The fire started at 4:32 a.m. Monday in the kitchen of Bob's Bakery.

57) In a series - red, white and blue - a comma is usually not needed before and unless the series is complex or confusing.

58) Use a comma with according to. Example: Dogs are becoming more intelligent, according to researchers at Penn State University.

59) Avoid comma splices: joining two independent clauses with a comma. Example: Half the company's Ctlstomers lost power after the ice storm, power was restored to most of them quickly. (A period or semicolon should replace the comma.)

60) Another common problem: adding a comma between the subject and the verb. Example: About half of the company's customers, lost power after the ice storm. (The comma is not needed.)

61) When in doubt about using a comma, leave it out.

62) Quotation marks always go outside commas (,") and periods (."). They always go inside semicolons (";) and colons (":). They may go inside or outside of question marks. Check the AP stylebook.

63) The dash is a long mark (-) most often used to separate a list or series in sentences where extra commas might be confusing. Example: All these punctuation marks commas, periods, dashes, hyphens

have their own peCtlliadties. Dashes also provide a way to insert interruptions or dramatic phrases. Example: All these tips dOI1't worry, we're nearly done are impor/am to know.

64) The hyphen is a short mark ( - ) used in hyphenated modifiers (two-week workshop, weI/-read studellf), in words that break at the end of a line of type (like this hyphen­ated word here), in telephone numbers and Social Security numbers. Don't hyphenate adverbs ending in "Iy" paired with adjectives: It's a freshly painted room, not a freshly-painted room.

65) Use an exclamation point only after brief expletives. Examples: Fire! Run! Goal! Exclamation points often demonstrate a lack of control (or excess of emotion) on the writer's part. Use them sparingly.

66) If you ever catch yourself overusing a particular set of punctuation marks dashes, parentheses, semicolons - force yourself to stop. Remember, simple sentence structures are always best.

" I

2

STARTINO TIlE STORY

I) The best place to start is: Knowing what the story is about. Know exactly what's

expected of you and where the story is supposed to go. Get a clear set of objectives from

your editor--know precisely what angles the editor wants, what areas need to be explored.

Then go the editor one better: Anticipate other angles and areas that might crop up. If

you're asked to check out rumors that a movie has gone over budget. try to confirm the

stories, then try to find out why it's gone over budget. Because the director and lead actor

are fighting everyday? Try to find out why they're fighting.

Be prepared to deliver the angles requested, then be prepared to deliver more than

what's requested. Be prepared to give the whole story.

2) Time permitting, learn everything you can about the subject before you start

interviewing. Call the information center for clips and Nexus searches. Talk to staffers at

the magazine who know something about the subject. Use the on-line and Net search

engines. This not only gives you a solid footing for your interviews, it helps you find

secondary sources.

One important thing to remember about clips: If you find information in a clip that

you'd like to use in your story, you must confirm that information with your own

reporting. The data could be outdated, incomplete or simply incorrect. Nothing you find

in a clip--whether it's from the New York Times or Mr. Showbiz--can be taken as gospel

truth.

3) Map out a list of your questions before you start interviewing and get them down

cold. The better grasp you have of the basic questions, the easier it is to pursue a new

direction and chase a new lead while the interview is taking pJace. It's like music--if you

don't know the song, it's tough to improvise.

3

4) Plan to talk to as many people as possible, not only to the main subject of the story

but to secondary sources as well. Sometimes you have to do a lot of reporting to mine a

few gems, but it's the gems that carry a story above and beyond the ordinary. In fact,

secondary sources (also known as tertiaries or triangulation) are the key to effective

reporting. And the key to effective secondary sources is: A void the obvious.

A good secondary source wil.1 give you at least one of three things: (A) information

readers couldn't guess on their own, (B) information the subjects couldn't or wouldn't say

themselves, and (C) information that isn't mere flattery.

Where do you find such sources? The knee-jerk response is to follow official

channels and talk to people who've recently worked with the subject. That's okay for

starters, and occasionally you might disarm someone into saying something that isn't

completely predictable. But don't stop there. Track down the subject's personal friends,

family members, rivals, enemies and people they've worked with in the past. And if you

must talk to people engaged in the subject's current project, don't stop at the director,

producer and costars. Try to get a list of everyone who worked on the project. Nobodies

are often a lot more forthcoming than somebodies.

No matter who you talk to, just remember: A void the obvious. The one thing you

don't want is the "he/she was great and we all loved himlher" quote. What you do want is

infonnation that will expand, deepen and balance the story.

One more note on the all-important topic of secondary sources: With the exception of

major actors and players, an extraordinary number of people are liste9 in the phone book.

And one more note on the topic of sources in general: Cultivate industry sources.

Make it a point of taking a potential source to lunch each week. What you begin to learn

will amaze you. What you eventually learn will amaze your editor.

4

GEmNG THE STORY

1) Let's start with the worst-case scenario: Your subject doesn't want to talk to you.

Don't gi ve up until you've exhausted every method, and that means more than just talking

to a publicist.

• Start talking to as many secondary sources as possible. Word will get back to

the subject.

• If time permits, write a letter asking for an interview. It gives your request a

sense of formality and importance and underscores how serious you are.

• If possible, try contacting subjects when they're on location or on the road.

Political and business reporters sometimes use this technique. The thinking:

You might catch the subject's entourage off guard.

• Play hardball. Tell the publicist the story will run whether the subject cooperates

or not, but that getting the subject's voice into the story will be to everyone's

benefit.

• Be persistent. Act like you're selling ads and go into total, massive denial,

completely ignoring every obstacle and rejection that comes your way. Media­

shy subjects want you to give up and go away. Don't.

2) Okay, so you've broken down the doors and been granted the interview. Here are a

few interviewing tips to follow:

• Use the head fake. Let's say you're trying to confirm that Brad Pitt dies at the

end of his next movie. If you ask the director, "Can you confirm that he dies?",

you'll get nowhere. Instead try, "Was it difficult for Pitt to film the death

5

scene?" Or, "Is the studio worried about audience reaction to Pitt's death

scene?"

• Don't telegraph sensitive questions. Many reporters preface their touchiest

queries with almost apologetic creampuffery. "Sorry, but I've got to ask you

this question ... " Or, "I know you've heard these rumors before, but. .. " Don't

prepare them for the hard questions. That moment of uncertainty on their part

might tell you more than the answer itself.

• The counterpart of the polite telegraph is the blatant warning. "00 you care to

comment?" sounds real dramatic when Redford says it in All the President's

Men. In real life, it's a red flag that screams: "Choose your words very

carefully." Same thing with phrases like, "Do you have a reaction to .. ," Ask

specific questions directly.

• Beware of artful liars. Like politics, showbiz is filled with gifted confabulators

who can deflect a question by answering a question you didn't ask. Q: "Did you

give Tom Cruise a Rolls-Royce after he wrapped your film?" A: "The studio's

policy is not to give gifts." It sounds like a denial, but it really isn't. Ask the

question again.

• Avoid the William Buckley Syndrome. Many reporters ask questions that last

longer than an average infomerical. Err on the side of brevity-be concise. One

thing to be learned from TV journalists.

• Be skeptical. Not to be confused with attitude, healthy skepticism is an effective

way of getting good, sharp quotes out of an interview. Cast a jaundiced ear on

what you're hearing the subjecrsay, especially if what you're hearing sounds

self-serving.

6

• Keep pushing. Always be ready with a follow-up question. You might not

need to ask it, but be ready anyway. Once a subject begins answering a

question, many reporters start thinking ahead to the next topic. You can end up

with a perfunctory, half-as sed answer that way. Don't leave a topic until

you've gotten everything there is to get.

• Beware of the Omniscient Source, the interviewee who never seems to say, "I

don't know." Unless the subject is really in a position to know all, the person

is either guessing or has an agenda.

• Beware of Loose Lips. If someone asks whether you're looking for the real

dirt on Michael Ovitz, resist the urge to scream with delight and calmly reply

that you're looking for any information, pro or con. Related tip: Do not, even

in jest, say things like, "I'd love to nail that SOB." You'll avoid libel suits and

our lawyers will think you're a real class act.

• Network your data. Use the information you get from one source to get more

information from another source. This probably sounds obvious, but a

common mistake in reporting is to ignore what you've reported--ending up with

quotes from different sources that contradict or cancel each other out. Use what

Subject A told you to explore what Subject B is telling you.

• Balance the story. Get information and quotes (even if the quote is "no

comment") from all the opposing sides.

• Courtesy counts. Let your subjects know when the story will run. It's a minor

point, but it sometimes dulls the shock element. Many times, the subjects of

7

negative stories are angrier about getting caught off-guard than about the story's

contents.

• At the end of the interview, always ask your subjects if there are numbers

where they can be reached in the next day or two (or whenever the story is

closing). This has obvious value if you need to clarify a point, or if your editor

asks additional questions (like that ever happens). It also has certain ancillary

values: You'd be surprised how many times a subject will volunteer a home or

office number--and sometimes their whereabouts might add a new angle to your

story.

3) One thing we haven't talked about yet is unattributed quotes. That's because they

deserve a section of their own. We know it's virtually impossible to cover Hollywood-­

where saying anything even mildly controversial seems to equal professional death-­

without using unattributed quotes. Nevertheless, a story full of unnamed sources is simply

a bad story. In addition, Time Inc.'s policy is to minimize unattributed quotes radically.

So please take the following rules and techniques to heart. We'll not only keep the Time

Inc. powers off our backs, we'll be turning out better stories.

• Do whatever you can to get people on the record. Start by refusing anything

else. Then refuse again. Try coaxing, flattering, cajoling--anything short of

lying. If people still don't want to speak on the record, go along with it until

they feel comfortable, then try to ease them back on the record.

• If someone simply won't go on the record, make sure both you and the subject

understand how the conversation will be used. There are two choices: NFA

(Not For Attribution, meaning the quotes can be used, but they can't be

attributed to the subject) or on background (meaning the quotes can't be used at

8

all). A void using terms like "confidential" or "off the record"--they're too

vague and too open to interpretation (or, most likely, misinterpretation). We

recently had problems closing a story because the writer told the subjects the

conversations were confidential. To the writer, that meant NFA. To the

subjects, it meant background only. To the researcher, it meant a frigging

nightmare. In contrast, terms like "NFA" or "background" are relatively

precise.

• When you're writing a story or file and must use an unattributed quote, ask

yourself two things: (A) Is the information contained in the quote accurate?

(B) Is the quote objective? That is, if the quote was printed with its source's

name, would the quote seem biased or implausible? If so, don't use it.

• When you must use an unattributed quote, try to identify the source as precisely

as possible. "A top Warner Bros. executive" is much better than "an industry

insider."

• Information that you've learned on background can't be used until you

corroborate it with other sources. There's only one exception to this rule: The

information (A) is impossible to confirm otherwise, and (B) it comes from a

source who is unquestionably trustworthy and plausible.

• Your editor must know the sources for all NF A quotes and for any background

information. The names will be kept confidential.

• 'Whenever there's a chance to get information or a quote on the record, call the

source back before the story closes. One technique to try: Pull an innocuous

quote out of the interview and ask if you can attribute it. If you start with a

harmless statement, the source might agree. Then pull out another quote, and

9

another quote, and another quote. In the history of journalism. a few reporters

have been able to retrieve entire interviews this way.

4) When you're interviewing for a profile. make sure you collect the kind of descriptive

details that will give your story a strong sense of physical presence-details that let the

reader know you are there. Push hard for access to a subject's home. It's a tough sell, but

it makes for a superior story.

Once inside, think of yourself as an information sponge, soaking up as many details

as you can--how comfortable the furniture is, what's hanging on the walls. everything

down to what the place smells like. You won't use everything, but the right details-­

especially in retrospect--can be enormously telling. Check out our cover story on George

Clooney for a terrific inventory of an actor's house. The psychopathic fan letter--and the

idea that Clooney has seen fit to hang the letter on his wall-says more about the actor than

he ever could.

Obviously, you want to bring the same level of scrutiny to the subject as well.

Keenly observed, judiciously chosen physical details are always effective. What works

even better. however. is a scene sener. a section of the story that lets us see the subject

doing something besides talking to a reporter. The gesture can be big (like driving around

LA with Hugh Grant) or small (like watching Don Simpson choose from a menu)--size, in

this case, doesn't matter. If the scene setter shows us something about the subject. instead

of simply telling us, it's good.

There's one other benefit to getting a vivid image of the subject: If you've been

unable to negotiate an at-home interview (and you should only give in after a fight), then

your conversation will probably take place in some dismal, deracinated setting like a

restaurant or a publicist's office. and you don't want to bore your reader, your editor or

yourself with a description of such locales. If you can create a striking mental picture of

the subject, you can overcome the paucity of the setting.

10

5) All facts are pesky. Some facts--especially those involving a subject's personal and

business Iife--are peskier than others. Nevertheless, you're responsible for all the facts in

your story, no matter where they fall in the pesky spectrum. So the question becomes not

whether you ask the tough questions, but how you ask them and when you ask them.

It's a tricky proposition. Certain questions--like how many siblings did you have and

what were their names and ages?--tend to stop the flow of even the best interviews. And

unless they're the specific focus of your story, certain other questions--like what does your

lover do for a living?, or how much money did your last movie lose?--tend to stop most

interviews dead. But you need answers to the questions.

The traditional EW solution to this problem has been: Let the researcher get them.

Well, said solution is unacceptable and unprofessional, and it wilJ be tolerated with

decreasing frequency at EW. It's not the researcher's job--it's yours. If the researcher can

make an attempt to get the answers, so can you.

There are several ways to get this done.

• Some hard questions can seem less intrusive if they're skillfully, tactfully

woven into the interview. Coming right out and asking. "Why were you fired

from your last project?" is probably the worst possible way to pose the

question. A craftier approach (see Head Fake above) usually yields a better

pay-off.

• You can save the thorny questions until the end of the interview, when you're

sure you already have enough good material on tape. True, you run the risk of

the subject standing up, tossing latte in your face and stalking out. However,

deft, intelligent questioning can often thwart such spectacles.

(

11

• Arrange for a follow-up, mop-up call, where you can fill in the blanks and tie

up loose ends.

• Try to get the information from the publicist and from secondary sources.

No matter which method or combination of methods you use, keep this in mind:

Time permitting, there should be no KOMINGs in any story you hand in; if time doesn't

permit, answering the KOMINGs is still your responsibility.

What kind of tough questions are we talking about? They fall into four categories,

and if you're writing a full-length profile, you'll need ample ammunition in all three areas.

A) Biographical: date of birth (as opposed to just the age), home town, parents'

names and occupations, siblings' names and ages, educational background, spouse or

lover's name, age and profession, children's ages, basic career history.

B) Sexual: No, we're not going to devote grafs and grafs to an exhaustive

deconstruction of a subject's love life. But we've fallen into the habit of treating

relationships as strictly taboo, and the result can be gray, lifeless, one-dimensional profiles.

Broaching some basic questions about relationships--like asking how the subject met a

spouse or lover, or asking the subject to describe how the relationship works--often goes a

long way to revealing the subject's personality. And revealing the subject's personality is

what a profile is all about

C) Financial: Information about salaries and productions--like how much a film

cost, grossed and lost--are vital components of the story. And since they can bolster a

point you're making, or even change the angle of a story, they should never be treated as

last-minute KOMINGs. Again, personally check out any number you find reported in a

clip. You'll be amazed, or dismayed, by how off-base even the New York Times and Wall

Street Journal can be.

12

FINISHING THE STORY

1) When putting your story together, try to give it as dramatic a structure as possible.

Borrow a trick from Aristotle and present your facts as conflicts that were resolved or

problems that have to be overcome. Saying that "Paramount has high hopes for its next

Star Trek movie" is bland. Saying that "Paramount has high hopes for its next Star Trek

movie because its Trek shows are dropping in the ratings and the whole billion-dollar

franchise is in trouble," you're starting to tell a story. We cover an industry rife with big

egos and big money and there's almost always something at stake. Convey the sense of

excitement to the reader.

2) A void all use of the first person and all "how I got the story" details. No one,

frankly, gives a damn. The argument that such devices give a story more of a voice is

specious. You can write a story that's rich in observation and even opinion without

resorting to the likes of "I tell her" or "He touches my arm." These techniques do not draw

the reader closer to the subject. Just the opposite.

Yes, there are times where your presence is integral to explaining what's going on,

but they are rare.

3) Choose your quotes carefully, keeping in mind that there's a big difference between a

transcript and a story. Properly used, a good quote says something about the topic better

than we can say it. Select your quotes based on relevance and accura~y, and include the

idiosyncrasies of someone's speech. We not only want to hear what people say, we want

to hear the unique way they say it.

4) Again, keep the story balanced. If you're dealing with a controversial quote, or with

any material involving legal action, make sure you include responses from the other side.

13

5) Help the researcher. To get specific:

• Give the researcher a list of everyone you've talked to and their phone numbers.

• Give the researcher a copy of all the clips you've used. Relying on your

memory doesn't quite cut it.

• Make sure the researcher knows which material is NFA and which is on

background.

• If you've made a determined effort to verify a fact but still haven't been able to

nail it down, make your uncertainty clear in a side-note for the editor. Do not,

under any circumstances, hazard a guess.

6) And finally, for the sake of the researcher, designer, staff, senior, top, photo,

associate and copy editors, stick around while story is closing.

12 \Vatch Your \Vords PUNCTU ATION

Punctuation self-test

Punctuate the following sentences correctly by inserting or deleting marks as needed. Do not rewrite. Some sentences are correct as is. Key on p. 53.

1. Professor Nelson began the lecture and passed out a quiz.

2. Professor Nelson began the lecture, but did not call on me.

3. Professor Nelson gave a long lecture but he did not use any notes.

4. Professor Nelson began the lecture and he immediately captured our attention.

5. My grandfather was reelected to a fifth term as the mayor of Hometown, Ill. on April 1, 1985 in a landslide victory.

6. They met; they dated; they broke up.

7. Here today, gone tomorrow.

8. She is survived by a sister, Rachel.

9. He is survived by his wife, Rhonda; two sons, Jules and Jim, and a grandchild, George.

10. I love epic films, especially the Oscar-winning best picture, "Titanic".

11. It was unbelievable the VVildcats pulled off another last-minute victory.

12. "When will the new budget be ready"? the alderman asked the mayor.

13. "This budget will never be passed" the alderman said. "Can you revise it?"

14. "Now this," the alderman said, is a much more realistic budget."

15. The mayor called his finance officer "brilliant".

16. The mayor said" Listen colleagues, we've got to work together."

17. This year, the board of education averted a teachers' strike.

18. June chose white, pink, and yellow roses for her bridal bouquet.

PUNCTU ATION Watch Your Words l3

19. Jerry served salad, garlic bread and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.

20. He saw the car, he wanted the car, and he bought the car.

21. I like anchovy pizza, most of my friends cannot stand it.

22. My wood two-story house is expensive to heat.

23. The parka was filled with soft goose down.

24. Observing the passengers on the train, she said gave her an idea for a short story.

25. Because Robert snores his wife can't get any sleep.

26. Because Robert's snoring keeps her awake his wife sleeps in another room.

27. My car, which was well-maintained lasted 10 years.

28. People, who live in glass houses, buy a lot of Windex.

29. The president has a five year plan for health care reform.

30. The 26-year old man was the youngest CEO in the state.

31. When it carne to discipline, the coach treated his first and second string players alike.

32. Modernizing the stadium is a multi-million dollar project.

33. Jamila likes taking long walks. But, she likes them less in cold weather.

34. Bill gave his best friend Al some tips on fund raising.

35. Lucy gave her friend Ethel a headache.

36. The dean said "This is the best freshman class we have had in a long time. They did especially well in editing."

37. The bigamist's wife Jan was upset with her husband's other wife Suzie and Suzie1s only brother Tim.

38. After the lumberjack sawed his last log cabin fever overcame him.

..• APPENDIX \Vatch Your \Vords 53D

•• Punctuation self-testjK E Y

• 1. Professor Nelson began the lecture and passed out a quiz. (OK)• 2. Professor Nelson began the lecture but did not call on me.

3. Professor Nelson gave a long lecture, but he did not use any notes.•• 4. Professor Nelson began the lecture and he immediately captured our attention. (OK)

5. My grandfather was re-elected to a fifth term as the mayor of Hometown, IlL, on

April 1, 1985, in a landslide victory.

6. They met, they dated, they broke up.

7. Here today, gone tomorrow. (OK)

8. She is survived by a sister, Rachel. (OK)

••••• 9. He is survived by his wife, Rhonda; two sons, Jules and Jim; and a grandchild, George.

• 10. I love epic films, especially the Oscar-winning best picture "Titanic."

• 11. It was unbelievable: The Wildcats pulled off another last-minute victory!

or: It was unbelievable - the Wildcats pulled off another last-minute victory!

• It was unbelievable that the Wildcats pulled off another last-minute victory'

• 12. "When will the new budget be ready?" the alderman asked the mayor.

• 13. "This budget will never be passed," the alderman said. "Can you revise it?" 14. "Now this," the alderman said, "is a much more realistic budget." 15. The mayor called his finance officer "brilliant."

It 16. The mayor said, "Listen, colleagues, we've got to work together."

It 17. This year the board of ed~cation avoided a teachers strike. 18. June chose white, pink and yellow roses for her bridal bouquet. 19. Jerry served salad, garlic bread, and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.•t 20. He saw the car, he wanted the car and he bought the car.

• 21. I like anchovy pizza; most of my friends cannot stand it. 22. My wood, two-story house is expensive to heat.•

• 23. The parka was filled with soft down. (OK) 24. Observing the passengers on the train, she said, gave her an idea for a short story. 25. Because Robert snores his wife can't get any sleep. (OK)t 26. Because Robert's snoring keeps her awake, his wife sleeps in another room.

t 27. My car, which was well-maintained, lasted 10 years.

t 28. People who live in glass houses buy a lot of Windex.

29. The president has a five-year plan to reform health care.

30. The 26-year-old man was the youngest CEO in the state.•t t

31. When it carne to discipline, the coach treated his first- and second-string players alike.

32. Modernizing the stadium is a multimillion-dollar project.

t 33. Jamila likes taking long walks. But she likes them less in cold weather. or: Jamila likes taking long walks, but she likes them less in cold weather.

34. Bill gave his best friend, AI, some tips on fund raising.•t 35. Lucy gave her friend Ethel a headache. (OK)

• t 36. The dean said: "This is the best freshman class we have had in a long time. They did especially

well in editing."• 37. The bigamist's wife Jan was upset with her husband's other wife, Suzie, and Suzie's only brother, Tim.•• 38. After the lumbe~ack sawed his last log, cabin fever overcame him.

t

•t

•