Laziness leads to plagiarism!!!

This is an example of why it is so dangerous to read the competition's stories before you do your own!

Cliche ledes....this could be on 421 and 422 midterms!

Definitely a good idea to read through this before the midterm and to avoid them in your stories for the rest of the quarter.

And here is another great site from the NY Times about how writing can be improved through simplification, tightening, etc. Thanks to Kristen for passing it along.

For 422 students, a note on blogs and broadcasts!

If you have not already, please link your blog to this one by becoming a "follower." Many of you have done this already. That way, we all have access to the others' blogs in one central location. Also, you all should have a comment from me on your first blog assignment from class about LiveNation and Danny Caterinicchia. If you do not have a comment from me, send me an e-mail and let me know.

As for the 2-minute broadcasts due Monday and Tuesday: Remember to follow directions on the types of stories you must include, finish with the editorial, attempt to transition between stories, practice reading it aloud as much as you can, and of course.....HAVE FUN and KEEP IT SIMPLE!

See you in class.

For 422 students, notes on profiles and event stories!

On profiles, if your first version did not include a detailed, physical description of the main subject, make sure your re-write does!

On event stories, you will need at least 4 named sources in story that are from in-person interviews. At least 3 must be quoted directly. Try for attendees, organizers...and of course, the main speaker(s).

But you no longer have to ask for everyone's ages. You still must include at least 3 unique identifiers for every person in your stories.

Don't like Blogger? Try Wordpress.

Here is another blog I just created. As it notes, I don't care if you use this site, Wordpress or another one, but it should be free, safe and easy to use.

Links to stories discussed in 422 this week

Here is the one that proves there is almost always a new way to tell a story, even one that has been covered by everyone for weeks. Some new angle or someone else to talk to who everyone else may have missed.

And here is the one by my former colleague. The payoff on "formulas" is there, but I would argue it is too low in story based on the heds. Still, the news judgment is sound and a simple tease at the top would have alleviated the problem...or so I think.

Basic Broadcast Writing Rules

These are very basic rules for broadcast-style writing. As you'll see, many of them have been adopted when different people and groups write for the Web, blog, etc.

1. Use active, strong verbs and the present tense is OK if it flows properly in context.

2. Attribution comes first. Joe Doe says..... In print style, we usually put attribution at the end: Blah, blah, blah, said Joe Doe.

3. Phonetic spellings of complex names/words. My last name might look like this on a broadcast sheet: Kat-er-in-eek-ee-uh

4. Short, simple sentences. Even more important in broadcast because someone is reading these words/sentences aloud on camera, into a mic, etc.

5. Rarely use direct quotes. If you must, keep them short, even 2-3 words instead of a complete sentence.