This document provides information about an upcoming media writing class. It summarizes that there is a quiz today on punctuating sentences correctly that students should email their answers for. It also announces an academic workshop tomorrow evening on study skills. It briefly discusses the appropriate uses of exclamation points and partial quotes in media writing. Finally, it outlines the key characteristics of an inverted pyramid news story structure and why that structure remains important for press releases and digital/mobile content.

1. Media Writing
MC2010
Steve Buttry
Sept. 6, 2016

2. Today’s quiz
In which of these sentences is punctuated incorrectly?
A. “Do we have a quiz today?” Steve Buttry asked.
B. “We have a quiz today”, Steve Buttry said.
C. “No quiz today!” Steve Buttry shouted.
D. “We have a quiz today,” Steve Buttry said.
Email your answer to brouzan94@gmail.com. with
“MC2010 quiz” as the subject line.

3. Geaux Academic Workshop
• Wednesday (tomorrow), 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Holliday Forum
• Pizza
• Help with study habits, time management
• Extra credit: bump one writing exercise up a + or -

4. Exclamation points
Exclamation points are valid pieces of punctuation. Use
them when you exclaim. Exclamations in media writing are
rare.

5. Partial quotes
• Partial quotes are better than long, meandering
quotes.
• Quote a single word only if the word itself is
important to attribute to the speaker

7. Characteristics of a news story
• It tell you something that has happened recently
• What has happened is interesting or important
• Neutral voice
• Informative, not argumentative or persuasive
• Filled with facts

8. Who? What? When? Where?
Why? How?
Interesting quotes, facts
More info, background
Details
Etc.

9. Inverted pyramid
• Most important, interesting news goes at top of story,
followed by other facts of diminishing importance
• Developed in Civil War; if telegraph lines went down,
most important information had been transmitted
• In linotype and cold type age, last paragraphs of
stories could be cut easily if story didn’t fit hole
• Gives scanning reader news quickly

10. Problems with inverted pyramid?
• Inhibits storytelling
• Invites reader to stop reading at any time

11. Why pyramid style is important
• Important for press releases (editor/news director
doesn’t give you very long to capture attention)
• Helpful in digital age (reader scans quickly, moves on)
• Helpful in mobile (have to get to the point on small
screen)
• Helpful in email newsletter (reader judges in first few
seconds)

12. Thursday’s guest, Mandy Jenkins