Online journalism

Qualities of online news:

Immediacy – As soon as news breaks, it should be posted on the Web

Interactivity – Journalists aren't the only ones who provide news anymore. Websites feature blogs and messages posted

by subscribers. Interactive graphics, databases, etc.

Online journalism

Qualities of online news:

Multimedia – Standard on many print and broadcast websites.

Innovation – Inverted pyramid, but also other forms. Think long and short or mini-profiles; question/answer instead of

texts; lists, blogs, quizzes and games.

Linear vs. nonlinear

The interactive nature of the Web makes it nonlinear, meaning users may access information in any order they choose.

Conversely, print and broadcast stories are written from beginning to end, as in a straight line, offering readers no choice

expect to stop reading.

Web readers have nonlinear choices by accessing related elements linked to the story or site.

Story planning

Time lines – does the story lends itself to background created as a timeline?

FAQ – Would a question/answer format be a good way to present the story?

Interactivity – Will the story feature a discussion, question, poll, quiz, or searchable database?

Lists of data for full coverage – Will the story be accompanied by a complete list of winners or school test

scores?

Story planning

Mini profiles – Does a story about a candidate or long feature series need short biographies of the sources?

Multimedia – Will the story include any video? Do you need to tape an interview for sound bites?

Related links – Add related links to a story. It shows you've written (or at least a colleague) has written about the subject

before.

Story planningEmail addresses of reporters – It's a good idea to add to your

byline.

Anatomy of a news story

• Announce the news as soon as possible.

• Update in increments. Update readers/viewers that more information is coming shortly.

Writing techniques

• Write short

• Write for readers who scan websites instead of reading thoroughly.

• Write to the point. Avoid fluff.

• Use common language, not made-up terms.

• State the most important information in the first two paragraphs.

Writing techniques

• Write a clear headline and subhead summarizing the main idea of the story. This is especially critical for stories distributed to mobile media. Twitter is a good way to practice writing good headlines because it forces you to be brief.

• Write a clear focus statement or nut graph high in the story, especially if you use an anecdotal lead.

Writing techniques

• Write short, simple sentences.

• Use bulleted lists to help readers scan text when the story lends itself to itemized information.

• Limit each paragraph to one idea.

• Write in active voice. Who did what rather than what was done to whom.

Writing techniques

• Avoid the last name only on second reference in subsequent screens or Web pages unless the source is well-known. Apply blocking technique of restricting each source's quotes to one block in the story.

• Keep paragraphs short.

• Use conversational writing style.

HEADLINES

Write brief headlines – Fewer than six to 10 words creates better links than headlines that span two or three lines.

Study: Kids are solicited online

Or

Kids are solicited online, study says

HEADLINES

Use strong verbs – Some headlines may be written without verbs.

Lose 10 pounds in five weeks

Or

(No verb) Top 10 diet tips

HEADLINESPut the most important words first

Cookie Monster assaulted, police say

Avoid articles – Don't use A or AN at the start of a headline

Web makes cheating easy NOT The Web makes cheating easy

Use question headlines if the subject is interesting enough to entice readers

BLURBS

The majority of news sites just repeat the story lead for the blurb under the headline. That's fine if it's a summary lead. But

if the lead doesn't give the main point of the story, write a clear summary or use the nut graph as the blurb.

CHECKING IT OUT FOR THEMSELVES

LAKELAND – With a customer and brand base on its side, Publix is going after and online home-delivery market in a venture where other who tried it have seen their businesses marked down or shelved.

BLURBS

The next headline is somewhat catchy, but it too depends on the summary blurb for clarification.

WOMAN SEEKS DIVORCE OVER MYNAH INDISCRETIONS

A Chinese woman launches divorce proceedings after the family's pet mynah bird blabs about the husband's affair. The bird began repeating the words, “I love you” and “divorce” from the husband's phone calls to his lover.

BLURBS

Blurb Tips:

Write a clear summary – If the lead is creative, choose the nut graph as the summary blurb.

(headline) COOKIE MONSTER ASSAULTED

(blurb) Maryland dad charged with attacking Sesame Place. Police say the father was upset that the giant Cookie Monster would not pose for a picture with his 3-year-old daughter.

BLURBS

Avoid writing summaries that repeat the headline

(headline) IS WORK A PAIN IN THE NECK...OR HANDS?

(blurb) Has work become a real pain? If so, the problem might not be your job but your workstation. Judy Gibson, manager of the Physical Therapy department at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, says proper ergonomics is essential to preventing problems.

BLURBS

Address the reader when appropriate – Use the “you” voice

(headline) GET FREE CASH FOR COLLEGE

(blurb) You can collect thousands of dollars in scholarship money just by filling out a form.

Briefs

Blurbs are usually a few sentences. A brief can be a few paragraphs. A brief can stand alone in place of a story, while a blurb is meant to entice readers to read more. Sometimes,

there is not much difference between a brief and a blurb.

Briefs (headline) MISSING PET PIG TURNS UP AS MEAL

(blurb) A woman who went looking for her family's missing pet pig says she found it – as the main course at a neighborhood barbecue.

(brief) A woman who went looking for her family's missing pet pig says she found it – as the main course at a neighborhood barbecue.

Sadie Emerson said she and her 3-year-old son drove up and down their neighborhood streets, looking for the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, Tiny Boo.

Briefs

Summary highlights – Another tool that serves as a quick summary for Web readers who are scanners is the highlight

box on top of the stories.

Story structure

Inverted pyramid – Favored form on the Web because the main idea is in the lead or the first few paragraphs. The

inverted pyramid form places the main point at the top of the story with the rest of the information in descending order of

importance.

Inverted pyramid with summary lead(Headline) SCHOOL OFFICIAL CUFFED, LED AWAY BY

COUPLE

(Blurb) Deputies arrest pair, who were unhappy with materials given students

(Lead) LUCERNE VALLEY, Calif. – Two parents barged into a school superintendent's office, handcuffed him, announced he was under citizen's arrest and drove him away in their

vehicle, authorities said.

Sheriff's deputies pulled them over 10 miles away, freed the school's official and arrested the couple, who said they were taking the superintendent to the district attorney's

office.

List format(Headline) SOMETHING UNSPOKEN

(Blurb) What not to say in an interview

If you're a smart job candidate, you've thought about the points you want to make to sell yourself in an interview. Maybe you've even practiced you're spiel. That's good, but know too that career experts caution that saying too much in an interview can hurt your prospects.

You already know to avoid mentioning the office-supplies pilfering complaint filed against you at your last job – and that reprimand for arriving late on 18 days in one month. But here are some less obvious things you should avoid saying at a job interview.

• Don't address your interviewer by his or her first name, unless and until it's clearly established that the session is on a first-name basis. Here, the rule is to let the interviewer speak first.

• Don't use the wrong name. First or last.

• Don't say anything that conveys you're desperate for the job. Even if you are.

Storytelling Narrative writing can also be compelling on the Web, especially if

it is split into several pages with cliffhanger endings that entice readers to continue.

Take risks.

• Be flexible – Different stories call for different approaches.

• Be smart – For some stories, you may have the luxury of time and creative people to do something innovative. For other stories,

you have to shovel text online to get the story out quickly.

• Be daring – Enjoy the creative freedom the Web offers to do great journalism. Remember the thrill of telling a great story an

telling it well.

Tips from a Pulitzer Prize Winner

• Focus hard on the point of the story.

• Resist the temptation to tell everything you've learned; much of it doesn't matter.

• Pounce on every sentence and get rid of every word that doesn't clearly and simply say what needs to be said.

• Avoid the jargon sources use; translating it adds clarity and keeps you from getting woozy.

• Remember that you're writing for actual people.