4. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What makes a good story
“Great stories happen to
those who can tell them.”
Ira Glass
This American Life
5. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What makes a good story
Almost anything can be made interesting
– Identifying a good subject
– Asking enough questions
– Drilling down on the right questions
– Getting enough detail
– Focusing the single topic
– Writing crisply and without affectation
6. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What makes a good story
News
– Important issues
– Changing status quo
– Interesting events
• Marty Mace announces plans to run for mayor of Bay
Village
• Diamond Services survives by cleanup after the movies
Personality profile/Feature
– Interesting people doing interesting things
7. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What makes a good story
News stories just happen
Feature stories must be created
Process same for both
– Evaluate everything you hear as a potential story
– Keep a notebook with ideas
8. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What makes a good story
Look for:
– People who tell good stories themselves
• Interesting people make interesting stories
• Boring people will make you work much harder
– People with hobbies
• Kids building battling robots in school
• Mom training for her first marathon
• Guy restoring old car in his garage
– Idea nuggets
• People who work from home
9. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What makes a good story
It’s all in the telling; i.e. YOU make it good
11. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
News story
– Job: Inform/explain
– 5 W’s & H
• Who, what, when, where, why, how
– Find multiple sources
– Look for the honest/reasonable disagreements
– Most useful ( and underused) question: Why?
• If you don’t understand it, you can’t report it
12. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
Personality/feature story
– Job: Enlighten/entertain
– Focus on what’s interesting
• But listen for important digressions
– Spend less time with the subject / more time with
3rd
parties
– Most useful question: Can you give me a real-life
example?
13. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
“Joe didn’t seem to care about
being a leader, but he was one.
He led quietly by example and by
caring about others,” said Faith
Gill, the mother of one of
Quandt’s closest childhood
friends.
14. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
“Joe didn’t seem to care about
being a leader, but he was one.
He led quietly by example and by
caring about others,” said Faith
Gill, the mother of one of
Quandt’s closest childhood
friends.
“When there was a new kid in
school or class, it was always Joe
who would make that person feel
welcome and at home. If you’re
the new person, that’s something
you just don’t forget. He made
that kind of lasting impression on
everybody he met.
15. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
Personality/feature story
– Don’t overreach – set a tight focus
– Stay in control and be proactive
• Let sources guide you, not direct you
– Expand on the minutia
– Try to define angles early
– Battling robots – 1 kid, 1 technical problem
– Mom training for marathon – 1 rainy, busy day
– Guy restoring old car in his garage – Wife’s reaction
– Corporate refugees – Just a couple, or focus on 1 aspect: money,
fulfillment, kids, wife
16. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
Ask questions
– A discipline that improves with practice
– Few stories are fully reported in 1 sitting
– Be prepared to go back with more questions
Seek multiple sources
– Few people know everything about a story
Don’t assume your sources know best
– Most people don’t think in terms of storytelling
Identify multiple points of view
– Few stories are one-dimensional
17. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
Fairness
– Give ample time to valid perspectives
– Does not require “equal time” to every perspective
– You are not required to honor “crazy”
18. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
Seek the right mix
Citizen complaints that potholes aren’t being fixed quickly enough
– Mayor: We’re working as quickly as we can
– Streets Commissioner: We need more people - tell the mayor to
stop cutting shifts and laying off employees
– City Engineer: Data shows we’re repairing at a faster rate than
surrounding communities
– Council candidate: There is gross incompetence and new
energy is needed to fix this mess
– Vocal activist I: We’re using the wrong materials
– Vocal activist II: We need to ban commercial truck traffic from
our streets
19. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
What do you cover?
Report all of it
Report what makes sense
Report what’s going to become
the focus of discussion
But how do you decide?
What’s interesting
What’s important
Context
– Length restriction
– Lead time
– Competition
20. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Reporting the story
When are you done reporting?
When you feel you have a grasp
When you know how the story will begin
When you run out of time
After you’ve turned in the story
(and the editor clears it)
– There will always be holes as you write
– Lazy reporters write around them
– You will fill them
22. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Writing the story
Newswriting is a formula
It’s supposed to be fast and repeatable
80% reporting/20% writing
23. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Story format
Inverted pyramid
– Lead with most important facts
– Filter down to least important
– No conclusion: just end it Lead
Exposition/
Other facts
24. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
What goes in the pyramid
1.Who
2.What
3.Why
4.Where
5.When
6.How
25. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Inverted pyramid in action
FBI agents at headquarters of Brown’s owner Jimmy Haslam’s family
business in Tennessee
26. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Inverted pyramid in action
FBI agents at headquarters of Brown’s owner Jimmy Haslam’s family
business in Tennessee
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
WHY
WHO
HOW
27. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Inverted pyramid in action
FBI agents at headquarters of Brown’s owner Jimmy Haslam’s family
business in Tennessee
28. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Organizing to write
Review and organize notes
– For short news stories re-read/review
– Longer, complex stories require a process
• Print out notes
• Color code or number “sections” based on topics
covered
• Move topics around into a logical order of most
important to least important
29. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Making it look easy
The Lead:
If you can figure out
how to start,
the rest of the story
often takes care of itself
30. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Writing the Lead
First paragraph of the story
Summarizes most important point(s)/event(s)
Lead should rise to the top from your
organization process
A Digression about paragraphs
•1 paragraph = 1 or 2 sentences; 4-10 lines
•Paragraphs are non-structural to story
31. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Types of leads
News lead
The facts and just the facts
Jimmy Haslam suddenly has bigger issues than the
Cleveland Browns.
On Monday, federal agents descended on the Haslam
family business in Knoxville in a raid the FBI
described as part of an “ongoing investigation.”
32. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Types of leads
Second-day lead
Catches up with a story/writes next chapter of
an ongoing story
– When other media have already covered the news
– Requires a different level of reporting
• Consciously looking for something new to say
• Explore unreported facts
• Find a new angle
• Uncover deeper meaning/fuller context
33. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Types of leads
Second-day lead
Catches up with a story/writes next chapter of an
ongoing story
The rebates that Jimmy Haslam says are at the heart of a
federal criminal investigation into his company have made it
impossible for smaller, independent truck stops to compete
against Haslam's massive Pilot Flying J, a trucking industry
official says.
John Caniglia, Plain Dealer, April 17, 2013
34. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Now that you have your lead…
Consider whether your story needs a “nut
graf”
35. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Writing the ‘nut graf’
A perspective paragraph
Provides clarity for reader
2nd paragraph of story
Answers the question: “So what?”
– Think, or actually write, “It’s important because...”
36. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Writing the ‘nut graf’
Not every story needs a nut graf
Needed for:
– Anecdotal leads
– Features
– Complex stories
– Second-day leads/ongoing stories
Acts like a drawstring to pull the story together
– If your story just isn’t working – fix the nut graf
37. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Writing the ‘nut graf’
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is calling trucking companies,
offering to pay back owners of firms who say they lost money in the
fuel rebate program of Haslam's company Pilot Flying J.
But legal experts say Haslam's calls present a legal dilemma in his
quest to clear his company's name as a federal investigation is under
way. Haslam's calls can be seen as his attempt to correct a wrong
committed by his company. Or, prosecutors might view it interfering
with witnesses, according to interviews with several attorneys and
law professors.
38. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Writing the ‘nut graf’
BAY VILLAGE - A fourth person has announced plans to run for
mayor this year.
Recently retired Bay Village firefighter Marty Mace announced
plans Friday afternoon to seek election. His announcement came
hours after his retirement took effect. He joins incumbent Mayor
Deborah Sutherland and fellow challengers Claire Banasiak and
David Volle.
Providing three or more candidates file petitions with the required
number of valid signatures, it would force a September primary prior
to the November general election. Only two names would appear on
the November ballot.
Bruce Geiselman, Cleveland.com, 5/3/2012
39. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
The rest of the story
After the nut graf:
The rest of the
facts, in
descending order
of importance,
combined with a
logical flow
Nut graf
Exposition
Lead
40. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Feature story
Scale story appropriately
– How much time do you have
– How much space do you have
– How committed are you
Choose 1 major theme
– Eliminate everything else
Lead: Use your most telling, interesting,
compelling anecdote
Don’t tell me; show me
41. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Feature lead
By Gene Weingarten
Sunday, January 22, 2006
The Washington Post
The Great Zucchini arrived early, as he is apt to do, and began to
make demands, as is his custom. He was too warm, so he wanted the
thermostat adjusted. It was. He declared the basement family room
adequate for his needs, but there was a problem with the room next
door. Something had to be done about it.
The room next door was emblematic of the extraordinary life and
times of the Great Zucchini, Washington's No. 1 preschool
entertainer. The homeowners, Allison and Donald Cox Jr., are in their
late thirties, with two young children – Lauren, who is 5, and Donald
III, who goes by Trey, and whose third birthday was being celebrated
that day.
42. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Other important stuff
Tighten tighten tighten
– Your first draft will be 50% too long
• Tangents
• Stuff you’ve fallen in love with
– Your next draft will be 20% too long
• Still more stuff you love even though it doesn’t belong
– Your next draft will be 10% too long
• Wordiness, imprecise phrasing
43. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Other important stuff
Attribution: Hang it on someone else
– Objectives: Honesty, limiting liability
What to attribute
– Direct quotes
– Paraphrased quotes
– Statements of opinion
– Others’ observations
– Facts that you haven’t otherwise confirmed
– Anything about an individual
How to attribute
– It’s as simple as adding a comma and writing, “he/she said.”
– One attribution per paragraph
44. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Other important stuff
Quotes: Only use good ones
– “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” said Yankee’s
Manager Yogi Berra.
– “The city needs a new ladder truck for $900,000. We only have
one building tall enough to require a ladder truck. Isn’t there a
smarter way to solve this problem?” asked Councilman Kevin
Patrick Murphy.
Not:
– “He came to play, and he left it all out there on the field.”
– “No I didn’t.”
– “If this prevents one other person from going through what I
went through, then it will be worth everything.”
45. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Other important stuff
Write for the reader and to tell the story
– Not for yourself or your source(s)
Use active voice
– Not: He had gone
– But: He went
No exclamation points!!!
No cliches
46. All photos by Bob Rosenbaum except where noted
Other important stuff
Sweat the details: check your facts
– Never assume the editor will catch it
Package your story
– Take photos
– Write a good headline
– Collect relevant links for work appearing online
Hunt down and delete every extra word
– Whether or not = whether
