Unless the story is a feature, the lead must include an element of news. It must begin to address the traditional journalistic concept of discovering information. To guarantee that all of the important news elements are reported in a story, journalists have devised a rule that requires news writers to answer six basic questions: who, what, where, when, why and how. This rule is referred to as the “five W’s and H rule.” At one time, most newspaper editors expected every lead to answer all of these questions. But few newspaper editors still require this, and broadcasters never follow the rule. However, at least one or more of the questions must be answered in the lead of the story for it to be news. By the end of the story, most-if not all- of the questions should be answered. An opening sentence that contains no news is referred to as a non-news lead, and such leads are unacceptable in a news story. Here’s an example:
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has met with reporters. This lead could become news by answering some of the journalistic questions. Why did the chairman meet with reporters? What did he tell them? For example: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, told reporters this morning that the United States would probably continue to keep troops in Iraq for a number of months.
This revised lead does not deal with all five W’s and the H, but it is a start. The who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. What is the issue of maintaining troops in Iraq? where is Iraq. The when is for a number of months? Still unanswered are the why and the how. These questions would be answered in the balance of the story-if the answers are available. This revised lead is an example of a hard lead. Such leads address the most important aspect of a story immediately. There are a variety of ways to lead your story, and all of them will be examined in the following sections. The decision about which kind of lead to use depends on a number of factors; the most important is the nature of the story is it a feature or breaking news? Is the story sad or upbeat? Is it about people or an event? Is the story about politics, a war, a medical development, or the kidnapping of a child? Is the story brand new or a continuing one? The lead is like the foundation of a house. How the foundation is built determines how the rest of the house will look. The lead sentence determines how the rest of the story should be constructed.
Hard and Soft Leads
In choosing a lead, decide first whether it will be hard or soft. As you saw in the previous example, a hard lead tells the audience the vital details of the story immediately. Hard leads are usually used for breaking news:
At least 30 people were injured in the collapse of the building. More than a dozen people were arrested in the drug bust. The government announced today that 150 thousand more American was employed in November. A soft lead takes a more subtle approach; it alerts the audience to the news that is to follow. This approach is sometimes called “warming up” the audience. The following soft leads could be used for the above stories:
A building collapses in Center City. At least 30 people have been injured. A major drug bust in New York City More than a dozen people are under arrest.
Improvement in the unemployment figures the government announced that 150 thousand more Americans were employed in November.
The soft leads may not sound as exciting or dramatic as the hard leads, but they do invite the audience to keep listening. Notice that two of the example soft leads are not full sentences but phrases that serve the same purpose as headlines in a print story. Soft leads can be helpful to listeners carrying out other tasks or fighting traffic on the way to the office, by giving them time to shift their attention to the news.
Many editors discourage soft leads because they tend to slow down a newscast, particularly if used too often. But used in moderation, soft leads add variety to broadcast copy. Experienced editors tend to be flexible in dealing with a writer’s style, including the kinds of leads writers choose. Good editors recognize that there is not just one way to write a story. They might say, “Well, it’s not the way I would have written it, but it’s not bad.”
The “Right” Emotion
One challenge in writing a lead is deciding on the appropriate emotion, or tone, to express in the story. The tone depends mainly on the kind of story you are going to tell. For example, if the story is about something amusing, you would establish a lighthearted tone in the lead. Let’s look at an example:
A Center City schoolteacher got enough kisses today to last- well, maybe not a lifetime, but a few weeks, anyway. Patricia Roberson kissed 110 men at the annual fund-raiser for the local zoo. At ten bucks a kiss, Roberson raised eleven hundred dollars for the zoo, and when she turned the money over to zoo officials she joked that all the animals were not behind bars.
Even stories about accidents can sometimes be treated lightly: “I’ll never drink hot coffee in the car again.” That’s what John Semien said when he left the Center City hospital. This morning, Semien’s car struck a fire hydrant, bounced off a tree and smashed into the window of a flower shop. Semien said he had bought a container of coffee at a McDonald’s drive-through and as he tried to add sugar and cream he lost control of the car when the hot coffee fell between his legs. Stories about tragedies, as you would expect, require a more serious, straightforward approach:
It’s now believed that the death toll in the earthquake in Mexico has reached more than 50. Or at least three people are reported dead in the collision this morning of a half-dozen cars on the freeway.
For these leads, the writers chose to give just the facts; a decision that creates a quiet tone that underscores the loss of life described in the stories.
While every story requires the editor to choose a certain tone, features and no breaking news stories allow more flexibility than does breaking news. Some writers are very effective at evoking joy, pathos, and other emotions from an audience through the tone they create. Look, for example, at these leads written by CNN anchor Reid Collins. His story about the invasion, of Kuwait began: “A rich little country died at dawn today.” On the rioting at these Viennese Opera Ball, Collins wrote: “A night at the opera in Vienna was a Marxist nightmare- part Karl, part Groucho.” And his lead on a story about Mikhail Gorbachev’s busy day was: “Like a juggler with too many plates ill the air, Mikhail Gorbachev was stage right, stage left, and stage center today). So far, no breakage”
Notice that Collins creates an air of sadness in his Kuwait lead, whereas hi suggests the chaos and confusion of the riot in his lead about the Vienna Opera. Similarly, his image of Gorbachev as a juggler effectively elicits a picture of Gorbachev frantically rushing around trying to hold his country together. These leads tell the audience not only what the stories are about, but how the editor wants the audience to feel about them.
The Quote Lead
Sometimes a quote, like the “hot coffee” example used earlier, can provide an excellent hook for a story:
“Life is short and life is sweet. So take time to enjoy what you have.” Marine Captain Russell Sanborn says that’s one of the lessons he learned as a prisoner of war in Iraq. He and some other former P-O-W’s told their stories today at news conferences in the Washington area. (AP Broadcast Wire) Here is another example:
“The first thing I’m going to do is quit my job and take a trip around the world.” That’s what lottery winner Bill Turpin said when he redeemed his ten million dollar winning lottery ticket.
Quote leads should be used sparingly, however unless the quote is comparatively short, the listener may miss its connection with the rest of the story.
The Shotgun Lead
The shotgun, or umbrella, lead can be effective for combining two or more related stories:
Forest fires continue to roar out of control in California, Oregon and Washington State. The drought that has plagued the three states is now in its second month. Fires have scorched more than a million acres of timberland in California and another half million acres in Oregon and Washington.
The advantage of the shotgun lead is that it allows the editor to eliminate the boring alternative of reporting the fires in three separate, back-to-back stories. Here is another example:
Congress today is looking at administration proposals that would increase the number of crimes punishable by the death penalty and make it easier for police to collect evidence. The editor would then devote a few sentences to each of the White House recommendations.
The Suspense Lead
The object of the suspense lead is to delay telling the key information until the end of the story.
National Public Radio’s Susan Stamberg used an effective suspense lead in her excellently written story about a famous photographer:
Stamberg does not tell her audience until the final paragraph that Eisenstadt has just celebrated his 92nd birthday and that this is why she is talking about him and his work on this particular day. She decides to grab her audience with a story about a sailor and a nurse. The listeners have no idea why she is telling them the story, but it is bound to get the audience’s attention. And the picture Stamberg paints is a colorful one: . . . the sailor grabbed the nurse in glee just as he had grabbed all those other women, but this was different. The nurse is caught gracefully in the sailor’s arms. Her body twists a bit in his embrace.
They look as if they could be dancing. It’s the Eisenstadt moment.
The last sentence of Stamberg’s opening introduces Eisenstadt for the first time, but listeners still do not know who Eisenstadt is unless they guess he is the famous photographer. Then, Stamberg intrigues listeners some more by letting Eisenstadt speak for himself. At that point, the audience realizes that the story is about Eisenstadt the photographer and about a famous picture he took more than 45 years earlier.
Stamberg doesn’t fill up her script with a lot of details about the career of the famous photographer. She decides to remind listeners of the man by telling about his most famous picture- one that captured a moment in history at the end of World War II.
The Delayed Lead
Instead of saving the most important information until the end of the story, as in the case of the suspense lead, the delayed lead just withholds the most important details for a few sentences.
The scene in the locker room of the Center City Rockets was quieter than usual last night although the team won by three goals. There also was a lot less swearing than usual and no nudity. Also new in the locker room last night was Heather Tierney.
The sports reporter for the Center City Times is the first woman to be allowed in the team’s locker room. Club officials broke the female ban after Tierney threatened to go to court to win the right to enter the locker room after games. If the delayed lead had not been used, the story probably would have started out this way:
For the first time, last night a woman reporter was allowed in the locker room of the Center City Rockets.
The delayed lead gives writers another option for adding variety to a script, but, like some other leads mentioned earlier, it should not be overused.
Negative Leads
Negative leads, which include the word, not, should be avoided. A positive lead can easily achieve the same result. There is always the chance someone in the audience might miss the word not and reach the wrong conclusion about what is happening. Here are some examples:
Avoid: Striking newspaper workers say they will not return to work. Use: Striking newspaper workers say they will continue their walkout. Avoid: The mayor says he will not raise the city sales tax.
Use: The mayor says he will keep the city sales tax at its present rate.
Updating and Reworking the Lead
One of the most effective ways to attract and hold listeners is to convince them that the news is fresh. There will be days when news is plentiful, but on slow days news writers need certain skills to make the news sound exciting and timely. One skill is the ability to update leads, which means finding something new to say in stories used in an earlier newscast. Another is the ability to rework the original lead to include new developments. For example, take a story about the arrest of a dozen men on narcotics charges. Police say the men were found in a cocaine “factory” where they were “cutting” more than one hundred million dollars’ worth of cocaine.
Here’s the first version of the lead: Police have arrested a dozen men during a raid on a cocaine factory in Center City. They say the men were cutting more than 100 million dollars’ worth of cocaine. An hour later, the lead might say:
A dozen men are under arrest after police raided a building in Center City. Police say the men were cutting more than 100 million dollars in cocaine. Still later, the lead might read:
Police are guarding an estimated 100 million dollars in cocaine that they scooped up in a raid on a Center City building. A dozen men are behind bars in connection with the raid. Police say the men were cutting the cocaine when the raid took place. Another possible updated lead might say:
A dozen men are being held for arraignment on narcotics charges following a raid on a Center City building. Police say they found about 100 million dollars’ worth of cocaine in the building. Police say the men were in the process of cutting the cocaine when the officers broke into the building.
As new developments occur in the story, there will be added opportunities to rework the lead. Within a few hours, detectives may reveal details about how they found out about the cocaine factory. They also may give more details about the raid. For example:
Center City police now say that their raid on a cocaine factory that resulted in the arrest of a dozen men came after two months of surveillance by detectives.
A skilled editor will be able to tell the story many times without making it sound stale.
Constructing the Rest of the Story
Once you have the lead of a story, its foundation, you are ready to construct the rest of the story by building on the lead. The audience has been prepared for what is to come. Now you must provide the details in a clear and logical manner.
In broadcast news, you can use more than just words to accomplish your goal. You can employ sound on radio and use both sound and pictures to help tell the story on television. Those techniques will be examined later. For now, let’s just deal with words, returning to the story on General Colin Powell mentioned earlier in the chapter. We’ll start with a hard lead:
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell, says U.S. troops will stay in Iraq for a number of months.
The listeners now know part of the story. It’s not much, but it is sufficient to grab interest. A general whom they have come to know over the months is telling them something important: that their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and other relatives and friends-at least some of them-are not coming home right away. The audience will want to hear the general’s explanation:
General Powell says American forces will stay in Iraq to enforce provisions of a pending U.N. cease-fire agreement. He says the troops would also prevent Iraq from using chemicals and air strikes to defeat rebels trying to overthrow President Saddam Hussein.
Now the audience knows why troops will remain in Iraq. What it does not know yet is how the troops are going to prevent Iraq from using chemical weapons and air attacks against the rebels. The next sentence addresses the question:
General Powell did not explain how U.S. forces would prevent Iraq from using chemicals and air attacks against the rebels.
Once the general made reference to the chemicals and air attacks, the statement had to be explained to the audience even if the general did not elaborate. Otherwise, the audience might have been asking the question and accusing the newscaster of withholding the information. What next? Because the third sentence mentions the rebels, that aspect of the story could be expanded:
General Powell also said he was surprised by the strength of the revolt against the Saddam regime. He also denied that the U.S. forces are trying to play a role in influencing the outcome of the rebellion.
The general had much more to say to reporters, and newspapers carried the story in greater detail. But the broadcast news writer, who had eight other stories to cover in a three-minute newscast, told the Powell story in just 20seconds. The essential details were given; nothing vital was left out. This is key to broadcast news writing: condense the important material and eliminate the unimportant without distorting the story or the facts.
Radio and Television Writing
Writing news for the radio broadcast is an art in itself. It is not and cannot be-like writing for the daily newspaper. Writing for the daily newspaper permits recourse to style, to lengthy sentences and change of pace for paragraph construction. Writing for a paper is meant to be read. Writing for a radio broadcast is intended to be heard. Though lengthy sentences are frowned upon in any event, in the case of a newspaper, the reader’s attention can still be held, since the visual attention span is longer.
In the case of a radio broadcast, the listener can easily be put off if the broadcaster rambles on and on. Inevitably, his sentences will have to be short and terse. He will have to come to the point and waste no word for embellishment.
A radio newscast starts with giving the headlines. The broad- caster will then read out the more important news. The technique applies to TV broadcasting as well, except that in the latter case, an occasional film clip will also be shown.
TV News Broadcasting
Given below are some examples of TV news broadcasting as heard and seen over Bombay TV on three successive days, June 22, 23 and 24. Headlines June 22, 1980 1 India today welcomed the Soviet decision to withdraw some of its armed units from Afghanistan. 2. Abbasaheb Parvekar, a former Maharashtra Minister died in Bombay today. 3. The Chief Minister Mr. A.R. Antulay will call a meeting of historians to decide how best to observe the tercentenary of Chatrapati Shivaji’s death. 4. The National Police Commission has recommended extensive modernization of police.
Soviet troops The Soviet Union today announced the withdrawal of some army units from Afghanistan whose stay was no more considered necessary.
According to the TASS Agency, the withdrawal was being done after consultations with the Afghan Government.
The US State Department reacted to the announcement by reiterating its demand that all Soviet troops should be pulled out of that country.
India has welcomed the Soviet announcement as a good development.
It was officially stated in New Delhi today that this partial withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan was in line with the suggestion India has been making for some months.
Parvekar
The former Maharashtra Minister Abbasaheb Parvekar died of jaundice in Bombay this evening. He was 52. Mr. Parvekar, who was elected from the Yeotmal constituency, was also the General Secretary of the Party in the State. The body of Mr. Parvekar will be taken to his native place in Parve, where the last rites will be performed.
Antulay
The Chief Minister, Mr. A.R. Antulay has said that he was calling a meeting of historians to decide how best to observe the tricentenary of Chatrapati Shivaji’s death.
Talking to newsmen in New Delhi today, Mr. Antulay high- lighted the secular character of Shivaji even at a time when secularism was not known in the country.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister said that during his visit he met a number of Union Ministers and discussed with them the State’s development work.
Trees (film)
A tree planting drive was inaugurated by the Maharashtra Minister for Finance and Urban Development Mr. Ramrao Adik at Breach Candy today as part of the Green Bombay Clean Bombay Campaign.
The MLA from the area, Mr. B.A. Desai was also present.
Konkan
The Maharashtra Government wi11 try to secure special financial concessions from the centre to develop industries in the backward Konkan region.
This was announced by the Minister of State for Industries, ‘Publicity and Cooperation, Mr. S.N. Desai, in Ratnagiri today.
He said financial assistance would also be provided for resuming construction work of the Bhagavati, Port.
Chaturvedi
The Maharashtra Minister of State for Public Health and Forests has said a provision for the Panch Water Supply project near Nagpur is likely to be made in the State Department. Speaking to newsmen in Nagpur today Mr. Satish Chaturvedi said some ministers from the Vidharbha region had asked the Chief Minister to allot four and a half crore rupees for the project.
He said that the statutory boards and corporations in the State will be re-constituted.
Police
The National Police Commission has recommended extensive modernization of police. In its report published today, the Commission has recommended a direct assistance of Rs. 550 crores to the states in the next ten years.
The Commission said that there was an immediate need to harness scientists, engineers and modern technology to combat “crime”.
The report suggested that Police must have computers to store data and its own telecommunication, network.
The Commission recommended residential telephone connections for all police officers from the rank of Inspector onwards. It also suggested that the Police transport fleet should be suitably expanded.
Died
The former hockey star Mr. Kishen Lal died in Madras today after a brief illness. He was 64.
Mr. Kishen Lal who led India in the 1948 London Olympics had been working as the Western Railway Hockey coach.
The second leg final of the Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, scheduled for today was cancelled as a mark of respect to Mr. Kishen Lal.
In all there were twenty-seven news items recorded that day, with a sports item held out till the last.
On the morning of June 23, Mr. Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash and most of the news concerned Mr. Gandhi as a major figure. This is how Bombay TV gave the news:
Headlines
- Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash this morning. The funeral will take place tomorrow evening.
- A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident. ‘
- Leaders of all political parties and groups have expressed deep shock at the sudden death of Mr. Gandhi.
- The Maharashtra Government has announced the closure of all offices and institutions tomorrow barring the essential services.
Sanjay: Accident Mr. Sanjay Gandhi, MP, died in New Delhi this morning in a plane crash. The two-seater single-engine aircraft carrying Mr. Gandhi and Captain Subhash Saxena, Chief Instructor of the Safdarjang Flying Club crashed behind 12, Willingdon Crescent, the residence of Mr. Sanjay Gandhi.
The Prime Minister was informed at ‘8.20 A.M. and she rushed to the site within minutes.
She accompanied her son in the ambulance to the Dr. Ram Manohar Lobia Hospital.
All efforts by the doctors to revive them failed and they were declared dead. The doctors said that Mr. Gandhi died between 8 and 8.15 A.M.
Mr. Gandhi and Captain Saxena had taken off from Safdarjang Airport.
The plane was to be in flight for about an hour. The aircraft was certified for air-worthiness last Sunday.
The Air Chief Marshal .Mr. Arjan Singh told newsmen that Mr. Sanjay Gandhi’s aircraft had bit the ground at a steep angle and the front cockpit was badly telescoped.
A member of Mrs. Gandhi’s household said the ill-fated craft flew past 1 Safdarj1\ng Road, the Prime Minister’s residence, minutes before it crashed.
According to an eye-witness account, the aircraft was attempting loops. While it made three loops, the aircraft failed in the fourth and dashed against a tree.
A keen flyer, Mr. Sanjay Gandhi used to go flying almost every morning before beginning his usual routine. He had started flying in 1976 and a year later obtained the Commercial Pilot’s license.
Recently Mr. Gandhi had been awarded the Instructor’s Rating which meant that he was competent to teach flying to new comers.
Scene-: The news of Mr. Sanjay Gandhi’s death spread like wildfirc: in the capital. Thousands of grief-stricken people thronged the Ram Manohar Lohia Nursing Home where he was taken after the accident.
Ministers, leaders of various political parties, senior civil and defence officials rushed to the nursing home.
Rajiv Sanjay Gandhi’s elder brother, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, who is away in Italy, will reach New Delhi tonight or tomorrow morning.
Profile Mr. Sanjay Gandhi, the second son of Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, was born on December 14, 1946.
After his early schooling in Dehradun and in Delhi, he went to England as an apprentice in auto-engineering to the famous Rolls Royce Car Factory.
Mr. Gandhi was elected member of the National Council of the Youth Congress at the 1975 Chandigarh session of the Congress. . . .
Condolence
In a message to Mrs. Gandhi from Tirupathi, the President, Mr. Sanjiva Reddy has said that he was shocked to learn of the sudden and sad demise of Mr. Sanjay Gandhi.
Both the Houses of Parliament which met this morning adjourned in memory of Mr. Gandhi. A benumbed Lok Sabha heard the Speaker, Mr. Balram, formally announce the death of one of its youngest and most promising members. Reactions
The Maharashtra Governor, Mr. Sadiq Ali has expressed deep distress and shock at the tragic death of Mr. Sanjay Gandhi from whom the people had high expectations.
The Chief Minister Mr. A.R. Antulay said that Mr. Gandhi, a 1eader with passion for progress and betterment died leaving the destined tasks unfinished.
Mr. Antulay rushed to Delhi. The Governor, Mr. Sadiq Ali will be leaving tomorrow morning to attend the funeral.
The broadcast gave coverage later on to four news items of importance, Assam, elections in Japan, a summit meeting of seven indu5trialised countries and Afghanistan.
The next day, a former President of India, Mr. V.V. Giri died. This is how Bombay TV began its broadcast.
Headlines
- The former President, Mr. V.V. Giri, died this morning following a severe heart attack. The funeral will take place tomorrow.
- The Centre has announced a 7-day national mourning.
- The body of Mr. San jay Gandhi was cremated at the Shanti Vana this evening.
- All Central Government offices as well as offices of the Maharashtra Government will remain closed tomorrow.
Funeral
Mr. V.V.’ Giri will be given a state funeral tomorrow evening with full military honours. Giri: Obit Born on the 10th of August 1894, at Behrampur in Kanjan district of Orissa, Varahagiri Venkatagiri had his early education in his home town. Later he joined the Dublin University for higher education where he came under the influence of De Valera and was associated with Ireland’s freedom struggle. . . .
In protocol-conscious India, the head of state gets pride of place in the casting of a news report. The headlines for June 22 .1980, start with political news emanating from New Delhi The second item concerns a former minister who died. The third item reverts to the pecking order and deals with a statement made by Mabarashtra’s chief minister. The fourth item is about an official commission and its report.
The reader will notice the terseness of the news reports. Sentences are remarkably short and shorn of adjectives and literary superfluities. No item has more than thirty words. It is dear that in the framing of news bulletins, the simple rule of brevity is adhered to with remarkable deftness. Additionally, the need for brevity makes a more than usually keen sense of news values imperative.
Broadcast News Writing Mechanics
Before you can get a driver’s license, you have to learn how to drive a car. Before you write broadcast news, you must learn good grammar and know how to use a typewriter or computer. You also must understand what news is and how writing broadcast news copy differs from other types of writing. As noted in the Introduction, you must quickly learn about accuracy and responsibility. You also need to learn the vocabulary of broadcast journalism, terms such as wrap, voice-over, standup, and cutaway.
Before you have finished working with this book, you will have learned about all these things and many more. This chapter starts with the mechanics of broadcast news writing, the small but essential details of preparing a script correctly. Learning these mechanics is like learning how to use the controls on a dashboard.
Some Basics
Computers are rapidly replacing typewriters in news rooms and classrooms, but there are still plenty of typewriters in use. Regardless of which machine you use, the following instructions for typing broadcast copy on 81/2 by 11inch paper are standard for radio news. (Television news writers work with what is called the split page, which will be discussed later.)
Set the margins for 65 spaces, leaving approximately 10 spaces, or one inch, on each side of the page. Depending on the make of typewriter, type the copy double- or triple-spaced to allow enough room between the lines to make corrections. If your typewriter has large, bulletin-sized type fonts, or if you use a computer, double-space.
On a computer, you set these margins and spaces electronically, but the basic format remains the same. The major difference is that corrections will not be made between the lines on a computer screen. Corrections and changes in copy will be made electronically to the lines of copy themselves. The result is a much neater, easier-to-read script.
Correcting Copy
Corrections on a typewritten script must be made with great care. The words being changed must be completely crossed out, and the words being substituted must be written clearly just above the crossed-out words. If the required corrections are too elaborate and the script becomes difficult to read, retype it.
Standard newspaper copyediting symbols are not permissible in broadcast copy. Here are two examples of corrected copy. The copy is edited for broadcast:
The mayor says he’s binging (bringing) the two sides in the newspaper stike (strike) to the bargaining talbe (table) and is hopeful (hopeful) that an agreement can be reachd (reached) before the end of the week. The strike is now in its 3rd week (third week). The major issiue (issues) are job security and the newspaper’s demnand (demand) that the union accept a 2% reduction in wages.
Poorly corrected copy increases the possibility that an anchor will make a mistake. As might be expected, anchors are particularly sensitive about stumbling over a word or sentence, and, if the mishap is the writer’s fault, you can be certain that the news- caster will let someone know about it as soon as the newscast is over or, more likely, during a commercial break.
Slugs
Every page of the news script must be identified. These identifications are called slugs, and they are placed in the upper left-hand corner of the page. The slug includes a one- or two- word description of the story, such as Fire,
Newspaper Strike, or Missing Boy The slug also includes the date, the time of the newscast, and the writer’s initials. Here’s an example: Fire 2/10/93 9 a.m. TW
Slugs are important because they allow the writer, producers, anchors, director, and a variety of other people involved in putting a newscast together to locate quickly a particular story in the script. This can be vital when, for example, the position of the story in the script must be changed or the story must be dropped just as the newscast begins or when it is already on the air.
The Split Page
Preparing a TV script is somewhat more complicated than preparing a radio script. A TV script is divided into two vertical sections and is known as the split page. All technical instructions and identification of video and graphics appear in the left portion of the split page, and the script to be read by the anchor or reporter appears in the right column along with sound bite outcues and times. There will be a number of examples of split pages, and how they are used, throughout this book.
As you examine those scripts, you will notice that each station has its own way of using the split page. Experienced broadcast journalists adjust easily to the slight variations as they move from station to station.
Avoiding Abbreviations
All words in broadcast news copy, with a few exceptions, must be spelled out. Abbreviations are not permitted because they would force anchors to interpret their meaning, thus inviting confusion, and mistakes.
Wrong Right
Lt. General Lieutenant General
Ass’t. Sec. of State Assistant Secretary of State
Union Pres. Felix Jones Union President Felix Jones
John St. and Norfolk Ave. John Street and Norfolk Avenue
Abbreviations are used if the names of organizations are better known by their initials than by their full names-for example, FBI, NBC, and CIA. However, to make it easier for anchors to read, place hyphens between the letters. F-B-I N-B-C C-I-A Avoiding Split Words and Sentences If there is not enough room on a line of copy to complete a word, the entire word must be carried over to the next line. Words should not be hyphenated because splitting words at the end of a line could confuse the anchor.
The same is true with sentences that cannot fit on one page. Part of a sentence should not be carried over from one page to another. Forcing anchors to jump from the bottom of one page to the top of the next when they are in the middle of a sentence invites trouble It cannot be stressed too often that writers must avoid anything that increases the chance that anchors will stumble over copy.
If a sentence cannot be completed on a page, it should begin on the top of the next page. 1)rpe the word MORE at the bottom of the page so the anchors know that there is more to the story on the next page. Otherwise, they may pause unnecessarily, believing a new story starts on the following page. Some newsrooms prefer to use an arrow at the end of the page to indicate more copy is coming.
Punctuation
While the opening of this chapter stressed the importance of using correct grammar in broadcast copy, be aware that there are certain exceptions to standard grammatical rules. For example, use commas to indicate a pause, not simply for grammatical reasons. Some writers use a dash instead of a comma to indicate a pause, but dashes should be used sparingly, usually to indicate longer pauses. Unless you are writing for yourself (when you ‘can do whatever is comfortable for you), you should not use an ellipsis (three dots) to indicate a pause or as a signal that you have eliminated part of a quotation because those dots could confuse anchors. Never use a semicolon.
Capitalize certain words, like Not and other words you think the anchors should emphasize. This is especially helpful when the anchors might not have an opportunity to go over the copy before they read it on the air. Keep such emphasis to a mini- mum, however, for the anchor is usually the best judge of which words to stress.
Names and Titles
Titles are always used before a person’s name in broadcast copy; never after it. For example, Secretary of Defense John Smith should be used rather than, as newspapers write, John Smith, Secretary of Defense. Using the title first alerts the listener to the name that will follow, and it also reflects conversational style.
It is acceptable to break up the name and the title. For example: The secretary of the Navy said today that joint maneuvers would begin in the Atlantic next week. John Smith told reporters that Canadian and British vessels would join part of the Atlantic fleet in the maneuvers.
If you use names in your copy, make sure you double-check their spelling and pronunciation. If you are reporting an accident or a fire in which there are injuries or deaths, ask the police officer or fire chief to confirm any names you’re unsure about. Wire services are a good source for checking names and pronunciations.
Names are not always essential to a story. Scripts written at a small-town radio or TV station should certainly include the names of those who were killed or injured in a fire at the local paper plant. However, the names of three people from another state who were injured on the freeway would be of little interest to the local audience. It would be sufficient to say:
Three Florida residents suffered minor injuries after their car spun out of control on the freeway and hit a guardrail. If those three people live in a small town in the station’s listening area, however, then the names and addresses should be mentioned. The story might read:
Three Centerville people are recovering from minor injuries suffered this afternoon when their car went out of control on the freeway and hit the guardrail. Police identified the injured as Pam and John Rose of the 300 block of Blackwell Avenue and Peter Noyes, who lives at 177 Sunshine Road.
Some news directors prefer to omit the house numbers, limiting the address to the street. In many cases, the determining factor is the size of the community. A radio station in a community of 5,000 will give more details about the injured than a station in a city of 100,000. A newscast in a larger city might merely identify the neighborhoods in which the injured people lived.
But in that community of 5,000, the second paragraph of the story might give more details:
The injured were on their way home from a P-T-A meeting. The Roses both teach at Johnson High School. They were giving Noyes a ride home when the accident took place.
The added details are of interest because in a small community the chances are that many of those listening to the newscast know the three people. If they do not, they may still be interested for other reasons: most of the audience will be familiar with Johnson High School, they may be members of the PTA, and some may have attended the PTA meeting.
Middle Initials
Does not use middle initials unless they are part of the name a person is known by or they are needed in a story to identify people with similar names. For example, some politicians and celebrities, like the following, always use their middle initials, so you would be correct to use them in the story:
The late Edward R. Murrow George C. Scott The late President John F. Kennedy The same goes for middle names. They should never be used unless the individual uses it. It would sound strange to hear the name of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mentioned without the Luther.
Foreign Names
It was sometimes amusing, but more often embarrassing, to hear radio and TV anchors trying to pronounce all the foreign names during the Gulf War.
Everyone quickly learned the name and pronunciation of the president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. The king of Jordan was easy: King Hussein. But anchors used a variety of pronunciations for the president of Syria, Hafeez Assad, and the emir of Kuwait, whose full name is Sheik Jabiral-Ahmadal- Sabah. Most of the time the emir was referred to simply as Sheik al- Sabah, and the Saudi Arabian monarch was usually called just King Fahd. PLO leader Yasir Arafat was almost always initially referred to by both names.
There will be more discussion on pronunciation, but for now remember that foreign names are used in broadcast copy only if they are essential. The names of foreign heads of state, ambassadors, and foreign ministers who are frequently in the news must be mentioned, but secondary foreign officials can usually be identified by title alone.
When a foreign name is used, it must be used according to custom. In some foreign countries, such as China, the first name is the surname and important one, not the last. For example, the late Chinese leader Mao The tung is referred to as Chairman Mao.
Ages
A person’s age should be used in a news story only if it is significant for some reason. Most of the time it is irrelevant There certainly would be no need to give the ages of Pam and John Rose or Peter Noyes, who were involved in the earlier accident example. However, if the Roses’ 5-year-old daughter had been involved in the accident, her age would be worth mentioning because she is so young; likewise, if Noyes’ 87-year- old mother was in the back seat, her age should also be given.
Sometimes it is also acceptable to give ages in crime stories. If two teenage boys were involved in a hit-and-run accident, their ages should be reported. If an 80-year-old man tried to hold up a bank, his age is the most interesting part of the story because it’s unusual to hear of a senior citizen committing a violent crime.
If a 75-year-old woman’s vehicle crossed a divider and collided head-on with another car, give her age. It could have been a factor in the accident. Perhaps not, but until police determine the cause of the accident, the woman’s age should be included. It also should be noted if, for example, police said one of the tires on the woman’s car had blown out and possibly caused the accident.
Other reasons for giving ages include exceptional accomplishments or unlikely occurrences. For example: A 16-year-old graduates at the top of her law school class. A 60-year-old Hollywood actor marries a 22-year-old woman. A 44-year-old woman gives birth to quadruplets.
Marital Status
It is not necessary to specify whether someone is married, divorced, or single unless the information directly relates to the story in some way. There would be no reason to say whether someone who was arrested for driving while intoxicated is single or married. However, when a candidate is running for mayor most people want to know whether he or she is single or married.
During the Gulf War, many servicewomen were on duty in the desert. A soldier usually was identified as a married woman when the reporter discovered that her husband was also in the service, or, perhaps, was home looking after the children. For the most part, however, reporters were more concerned with servicewomen’s role in the Gulf War, not their marital status, and that was appropriate.
Race
As with marital status, race should be noted only if it is relevant to the story. For example, you would mention race or ethnicity if a city elected its first Hispanic member of the city councilor if an African-American graduated at the top of the class in a predominantly white college. But a person’s race should be mentioned in a crime story only if it is necessary for identification purposes while police are still looking for a suspect. If a person has already been arrested for a crime, there is no reason to indicate the person’s racial or ethnic background.
An anchor reviews copy. Numbers The fundamental rule regarding the use of numbers in broadcast copy is that they should be rounded off and spelled out when there is any chance for confusion. For example, a budget figure of $60,342,960,000 should be rounded off to “more than 60 billion dollars.” Such a figure is spelled out because it would be virtually impossible for a newscaster to deal with all those numbers in the middle of the copy.
The convention is to spell out single-digit numbers, and eleven, and to use figures for 10 and for 12 through 999. For larger figures, use words or word figure combinations. Here are some examples: There are only eleven days left until Christmas. There were 45 students in the class. There were three people at the table. There were 600 prisoners of war.
There were 75-thousand people in the stadium and another 15- thousand were turned away. Single-digit numbers with million, billion, and so on are expressed in words, such as:
It will take another three million dollars to complete work on the project. Some figures reaching the news desk are expressed in decimals:
The stock market was up 6.88 points. Unemployment was down .01 percent for the month.
The Navy asked for an additional 5.5 billion dollars.
Some newscasters will say the stock market was up “six point 88,” but most prefer to eliminate the decimal and round off the figure to “almost seven points.” As for the other examples: recast them for broadcast copy to read, “Unemployment was down one tenth of one percent for the month,” and “The Navy asked for an additional five and one-half billion dollars.” Timing Stories
It is essential to know how to time copy. If you are writing for yourself, use a stopwatch as you read each page of copy aloud, and then write the time on the page. Be sure to read the copy aloud because the timing would be different if you read it silently. If you are writing the copy for someone else, it is more difficult to estimate time because everyone reads copy at a different pace. On average, newscasters read at a speed of about 15 or 16 standard lines of copy per minute.
For television, because of the split page and the use of bold type for the teleprompter, most newscasters take about one second to read each line of copy. When computers are used to write TV scripts, the timing may be different. (Some computers will time each story.) As you become familiar with the equipment you use to write scripts, you’ll learn how best to time the material. You must know this information so that you will be able to estimate how many lines of copy you need to write for a given story. You may often be told by a producer, “Give me about 20 seconds.”
