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39 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Media Writers...
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-inform (news, corporate, product details)
-entertain (comics, columns) -persuade (editorials, opinion, ads) |
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Where media writers work
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-legacy media
-pr agencies -gov. offices -radio/TV |
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Jobs require skills such as
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understanding audience, discerning message from noise, translate complex to simple, clarity
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ABC's of media writing
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Audience (readers, publics, consumers)
Brevity (space, time, money) Clarity (clear, precise, convey meaning) |
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Hayakawa's Abstraction ladder
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Jed & Tom's fight ---> Battles&Campaigns---> War
- concrete to abstract |
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Print audience characteristics
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- better educated
- expect greater detail - are niche audiences (veterans, mothers, labor unions) |
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Broadcast audiences characteristics
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- more passive
- less focused - less involved in current events Broadcasters use attention-grabbers and incorporate human interest angles |
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Online audience characteristics
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- immediacy
- highly motivated - depth & detail - follow the info --> not the provider |
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Advertising audience characteristics
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-depends on thorough knowledge of target audience
- audience research - demographics; physiographics |
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PR audience characteristics
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- "publics" internal & external
external goal - establish or maintain relationship |
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Lecture 3 extras:
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- Only select messages will reach an audience
- Ask: Who cares? How may I serve you? - Mass audiences are made up of small audiences - Audience determines tastes: slang, profanity, vocab |
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Today's audiences
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- blogs
- podcasts - distribute video |
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First Impressions of an article
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- Headlines & cutlines
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What is the headline formula
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1. number of columns
2. point size 3. number of lines |
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Cutline rules
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- study cropped photo
- present-tense - do not omit articles - provide additional info |
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Headline rules
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- summarize in one sentence
- eliminate articles and end punctuation - present-tense verbs - knock out most words |
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Two things about journalism
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- facts tell the story
- readers draw their own conclusions |
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What is a fact?
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- a report describing something seen, heard, or felt
- verifiable - omits interference and judgments |
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Objective words
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- neutral tone
- don't inspire pos. or neg. feelings People are NOT objective |
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Subjective words
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- positively or negatively charged
- emotionally charged |
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Principles of Reporting
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- never add anything
- never deceive - exercise humility - be transparent - rely on original reporting |
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3 ways media writers get information
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- observation
- research - interviews descriptions should be simple, clear, & back up claims |
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Accuracy
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- paramount quality of all media writing
- "Era of errors" - 61% of errors reported - speed kills |
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How errors occur:
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- assumptions
- sloppy note taking - ill-informed sources - poor comprehension - repeating previous errors - failing to do the math |
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NY Times v. Sullivan
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established "actual malice" standard
-only convicted if there was knowledge of info being false, or reckless disregard for the truth |
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What makes formal fact-checking impossible?
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time constraints
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Which was the first magazine to have a fact-checking desk
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Time (1923)
motivation - avoid lawsuits, keep publics faith |
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Fact-checking process
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- understanding fact challenges
- underline facts to be checked - always check pronouns - call author and ask for sources, notes, tapes, etc. - review source material - discuss changes and then give to editor |
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Primary sources
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subject of the story and original documents
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Secondary sources
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reference books, magazines, and news
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Lexis-Nexis
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search publications all at once
-finder files, company files, fed. gov. info sources for double-checking |
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Kerner Commission
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1965 - blamed media for moving to two societies
not fairly representing power shifts |
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Immersion
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ending stereotypes, suspend judgment, respect, ask questions
9/11- language for terrorists, muslims, and Middle-easterners |
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Rules of quoting
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1. Accuracy
2. verify all claims 3. never fabricate quotes within quotes take a single quotation mark |
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Cleaning up quotes
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- AP: if not verbatim, paraphrase
- Many newspapers allow minor corrections in grammar |
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Recycling quotes
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-attribute to whoever reported it
-punctuate quotes - never use "other media outlets" |
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When first referencing...
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-use full name
- include relationships to a story |
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Second referencing
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- use last name only (AP style)
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Writing Process
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1. Write first- edit second
2. Put it aside 3. Print it 4. Read it aloud 5. Macro-edit 6. cut 10% off 7. fact-check 8. Micro-edit 9. reread (slowly) |
