NOTES 2/24/11

10 Steps to Writing a Story – Broadcast Journalism

1. Find a TOPIC.
-WHAT IS YOUR STORY ABOUT?
-WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?
-WHY IS THIS STORY IMPORTANT TO YOUR AUDIENCE?
Ex. Eastview Lunch, Driving in the snow, Snow Days, In state colleges
2. Find an  ANGLE
- What about your topic?
- More specifically, what is important about your topic?
SUMMARIZE IN THREE WORDS; SUBJECT, VERB, OBJECT
3. Collect INFORMATION
-Who are the experts for this story?
-Do you need opposing points or view?
What interview questions should I ask?
What other research must be done to complete the story?
4. Conduct the INTERVIEW
- ASK OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS
-RULE OF THREES, FIL IN THE SILENCE, NON QUESTION QUESTION
5.  SHOOT YOUR REPORTER STAND-UP:
 Should have a good idea what story is about
 Stand-Up should provide information that audience doesn't know
 Use Stand-Up for transition from one location to the next
 No first person: I went
 In MIDDLE of story!

6. Organize your sound bites
- What quotes should I use?
How can I organize the quotes to tell a story?
-What are my gold nuggets?

7. Write segues in your story.
-Use words that tie the interviews together.
-What other information can I add to the story?
-Can the story stand on its own?

8. Write the beginning and end of your story.
-write body first
-best sound bytes for beginning and end
-paraphrase a sound byte at the beginning
leave them with strongest sound byte at end
leave them with hope

9. Write the anchor ______________ and ________________ (if necessary).
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10. Collect ___________ to add to your story (throughout steps 4-9)
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*Steps 4-8 in your story are called the ____________________.