Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Newscasting "For the Ear"
We're going to spend one class period doing the thing that radio hosts and reporters have spent years learning - turning newswire copy into newscasts. To get a sense of what we're talking about, let's first listen to the most recent NPR hourly newscast.
In this case, it's a five-minute newscast, that includes several "readers" (copy written for the host to read), along with "scripters" (host copy with sound bites) and "wraps" (packaged reporter stories, introduced by the host). We're focusing today on the newscasters' main roles:
1. Re-writing news copy for broadcast...or "for the ear."
2. Deciding which stories to include, and in what order.
The structure of these stories is usually pretty simple and straightforward, and we've talked about it before...
1. News first (what's the reason we're telling this story)
2. Background information (context)
3. Balance of information (getting all sides)
4. Conclusion (move it forward)
So, we took this print story from the New York Times, and turned it into a :30 "reader" for a newscast.
All of the "basic rules of broadcast writing" apply when taking lots and lots of print-style copy, and turning it into a quick broadcast news item. But there's a longer list of hang-ups that will get you in trouble...
1. Punctuation: Sure, it's for broadcast, not print. But that doesn't mean punctuation isn't important. In fact, it might be more important. Emphasis and pacing matter when reading...so, "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks memorials were held..." is read differently than "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks, memorials were held..."
2. Spell it out: Here's one thing that is different than the AP print stylebook. You've got to write out words "September" not "Sept." Or, in a story about gas prices, "Two-seventy-seven" not "$2.77." "Triple-A" not "AAA." Imagine getting to that part of a script, and having to figure out how to say something...
3. Conversational writing can't be confusing. Some case studies:"The names of victims could be heard from speakers that piped in the sound from the stone plaza where they were being read."
"The weather mixed in with the emotions of the memorial with tears streaming down many faces in remembrance."
"Bush does seem intent on placing conditions on reductions, insisting that conditions on the ground must warrant cuts and that now-unforseen events could change the plan."
In cases like these the writer has violated multiple rules of broadcast writing. Sentences are too long, and they're using unnecessary words. Read these out loud to yourself or someone else...and you'll realize quickly what's wrong. Write the way you speak.
4. Tenses need to agree. "...attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and impacting American's and the world forever." Well, there's a few problems there...the number should be spelled out...and "American's" doesn't have an apostrophe...but the tense is the real problem. Pick one for the story, and stick with it.
5. Attribution issues. We need to always be sure we're attributing statements to the right people...and that our opinion as newscasters doesn't come through. You might not mean to give your opinion...but some writing makes it sound that way: "His address to the nation is coming on the heels of Sept. 11th, which caused America to go into Iraq." Really?
After hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the U.S. Military presence but not abandon Iraq to chaos." The key thing missing here is..."he says."
By saying "He says that he has decided..." it puts the statement in his mouth...not yours.
Here's another: "The setting of a park across the way failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving mourners dissatisfied." Turn it around, and it's "Mourners said the ceremony in the park failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving them dissatisfied."
One more: "State and government heads promised to confront the problem for future generations. But experts were disappointed they made no new bold proposals." The experts were disappointed in themselves?
6. Cut, trim, do away with words you don't need. "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing over bin Laden's...." becomes "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing bin Laden's...."
7. Paraphrase the quotes (or soundbites) into your own words. When we're writing for our own voice, we can't really read quotes. When we start using soundbites in our newscasts, direct quotes will become very important. But when we're writing for ourselves to read, they just sound wrong. Paraphrase quotes within "readers" in a newscast...and only very sparingly use quotes. For instance: "President Bush called it 'a day to mourn.'"
8. The active/passive thing. "Osama bin Laden's voice was heard..." or "Questions have been raised about..." Look, you can't always avoid the passive voice, but in cases like this it really matters. Find the person who's doing the acting (like Osama releasing a tape) and credit him with doing something. In the Cheshire story, lawmakers are raising questions. Not only does it make for more active writing...it helps you write shorter, and attribute news correctly.
9. Shorter sentences. Always. They're easier to read. They're easier to move within your copy. They're better. See?
Now, onto this question of deciding which stories to cover...and in what order. First, I'll draw your attention to a handout on the "Four Tiers of News Coverage" by Jay Kernis. It gives us a blueprint for which stories are the ones we should focus on most.
Our other resource for this is the Kern book, Chapter 10...looking at what factors newscasters take into consideration when choosing stories:
We'll discuss these in class...as you can see, it's a VERY subjective list of criteria.
We're going to find the top five stories in the news for our sample newscast, with a balance of international, national and state/local news.
In this case, it's a five-minute newscast, that includes several "readers" (copy written for the host to read), along with "scripters" (host copy with sound bites) and "wraps" (packaged reporter stories, introduced by the host). We're focusing today on the newscasters' main roles:
1. Re-writing news copy for broadcast...or "for the ear."
2. Deciding which stories to include, and in what order.
The structure of these stories is usually pretty simple and straightforward, and we've talked about it before...
1. News first (what's the reason we're telling this story)
2. Background information (context)
3. Balance of information (getting all sides)
4. Conclusion (move it forward)
So, we took this print story from the New York Times, and turned it into a :30 "reader" for a newscast.
All of the "basic rules of broadcast writing" apply when taking lots and lots of print-style copy, and turning it into a quick broadcast news item. But there's a longer list of hang-ups that will get you in trouble...
1. Punctuation: Sure, it's for broadcast, not print. But that doesn't mean punctuation isn't important. In fact, it might be more important. Emphasis and pacing matter when reading...so, "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks memorials were held..." is read differently than "On the anniversary of the September eleventh attacks, memorials were held..."
2. Spell it out: Here's one thing that is different than the AP print stylebook. You've got to write out words "September" not "Sept." Or, in a story about gas prices, "Two-seventy-seven" not "$2.77." "Triple-A" not "AAA." Imagine getting to that part of a script, and having to figure out how to say something...
3. Conversational writing can't be confusing. Some case studies:"The names of victims could be heard from speakers that piped in the sound from the stone plaza where they were being read."
"The weather mixed in with the emotions of the memorial with tears streaming down many faces in remembrance."
"Bush does seem intent on placing conditions on reductions, insisting that conditions on the ground must warrant cuts and that now-unforseen events could change the plan."
In cases like these the writer has violated multiple rules of broadcast writing. Sentences are too long, and they're using unnecessary words. Read these out loud to yourself or someone else...and you'll realize quickly what's wrong. Write the way you speak.
4. Tenses need to agree. "...attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and impacting American's and the world forever." Well, there's a few problems there...the number should be spelled out...and "American's" doesn't have an apostrophe...but the tense is the real problem. Pick one for the story, and stick with it.
5. Attribution issues. We need to always be sure we're attributing statements to the right people...and that our opinion as newscasters doesn't come through. You might not mean to give your opinion...but some writing makes it sound that way: "His address to the nation is coming on the heels of Sept. 11th, which caused America to go into Iraq." Really?
After hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the U.S. Military presence but not abandon Iraq to chaos." The key thing missing here is..."he says."
By saying "He says that he has decided..." it puts the statement in his mouth...not yours.
Here's another: "The setting of a park across the way failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving mourners dissatisfied." Turn it around, and it's "Mourners said the ceremony in the park failed to evoke the same emotions as years passed, leaving them dissatisfied."
One more: "State and government heads promised to confront the problem for future generations. But experts were disappointed they made no new bold proposals." The experts were disappointed in themselves?
6. Cut, trim, do away with words you don't need. "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing over bin Laden's...." becomes "U.S. intelligence agencies are probing bin Laden's...."
7. Paraphrase the quotes (or soundbites) into your own words. When we're writing for our own voice, we can't really read quotes. When we start using soundbites in our newscasts, direct quotes will become very important. But when we're writing for ourselves to read, they just sound wrong. Paraphrase quotes within "readers" in a newscast...and only very sparingly use quotes. For instance: "President Bush called it 'a day to mourn.'"
8. The active/passive thing. "Osama bin Laden's voice was heard..." or "Questions have been raised about..." Look, you can't always avoid the passive voice, but in cases like this it really matters. Find the person who's doing the acting (like Osama releasing a tape) and credit him with doing something. In the Cheshire story, lawmakers are raising questions. Not only does it make for more active writing...it helps you write shorter, and attribute news correctly.
9. Shorter sentences. Always. They're easier to read. They're easier to move within your copy. They're better. See?
Now, onto this question of deciding which stories to cover...and in what order. First, I'll draw your attention to a handout on the "Four Tiers of News Coverage" by Jay Kernis. It gives us a blueprint for which stories are the ones we should focus on most.
Our other resource for this is the Kern book, Chapter 10...looking at what factors newscasters take into consideration when choosing stories:
- Stories that have an impact on people
- Unusual or unexpected stories
- The "first of it's kind"
- Timely
- Controversial
- Involving prominent people
- Death or tragedy
- It involves the U.S.
- It concerns an important issue
- It is of "human interest"
- It's useful
- It's "out there already"
We'll discuss these in class...as you can see, it's a VERY subjective list of criteria.
We're going to find the top five stories in the news for our sample newscast, with a balance of international, national and state/local news.
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