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1、Writing and Reporting for the Broadcast Media,By Shang Jinghua,Lecture One Newswriting Style,An average English word is four letters and a half long. By hard, honest labor, Ive dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down until the average is three and a half letters. I never writ
2、e “metropolis” for seven cents, because I can get the same price for “city.” I never write “policeman,” because I can get the same money for “cop”. -Mark Twain,Checklist for Newswriting Style,Have I used short, familiar words? Have I used short sentences and short paragraphs? Have I used colorful, d
3、escriptive active verbs? Have I eliminated unnecessary words, especially adverbs and adjectives? Have I been precise? Is every word used correctly? And does every sentence say what I want it to say?,Checklist for Newswriting Style,Have I avoided overloading my sentences? Does each sentence contain o
4、nly a few related ideas? Have I avoided statements of opinion? Finally and perhaps most important have I used relatively simple sentence with the normal word order: subject, verb, and direct objects?,Lecture One Newswriting Style,Simplify Words Sentences and Paragraphs Eliminate Unnecessary Words Be
5、 Precise Remain Objective,Simplify Words Sentences and Paragraphs,Simplify Words Sentences and Paragraphs,Replace your verb phrases containing nouns with direct verbs, such as “held a meeting” “met”. Revise your formal and stilted language to simple one. Let the subject, verb, direct object appear i
6、n that order. Avoid clauses-overload sentences. Use active verbs and strong nouns, avoid the repeated use of the passive verbs “is”, “are”, “was” and “were”. Use short sentences and short paragraphs.,Examples,Can you afford me the opportunity to visit with you? Revised: Can I visit you? He patterned
7、 it after programs successfully implemented in West Germany. Revised: He copied successful West German programs. back,Examples,Phillip was invited into an apartment by a woman. Revised: A woman invited Phillip into the apartment. Another of the terrorists demand is that they be given permission to l
8、eave the country. Revised: The terrorists are demanding permission to leave the country. back,Example,Echoing parental complaints about the danger to children swimming in the pool, Mayor Marsha Palen-Saigol today closed it. Revised: Mayor Marsha Palen-Saigol today closed the pool and explained that
9、she agrees with parents who said it is unsafe. back,Example,The girl was on her way home. (vague and bland) Revised: The girl was walking home. Revised: The girl was jogging home. Revised: The girl was staggering home.,Examples,Police officers were summoned to the scene by a neighbor. Revised: A nei
10、ghbor called the police. back,Example,She was throw on the ground, choked when she began to scream for help and robbed of her small cloth purse containing $7 in coins, a $20 bill, two rings and a gold watch worth $200. Revised: The robber threw her on the ground and chocked her when she screamed for
11、 help. He took a small black purse that contained $27, two rings and a gold watch worth $200. back,Eliminate Unnecessary Words,Do not use two or more words when only one is necessary. Avoid unnecessary words like: that, then, currently, now, presently. Do not use “past history” or “is now”. Avoid un
12、necessary repetition.,Examples,She was able to persuade him to leave. Revised: She persuaded him to leave. At the present time the restaurant opens for business at 6 a.m. every morning of the week. Revised: The restaurant opens at 6 every morning.,Examples,A pilot said he thinks that the airplane is
13、 worth in the neighborhood of between approximately $34,000 and $36,500. Revised: A pilot said the airplane is worth $34,000 to $36,500. Other injuries the man received include a broken arm. Revised: The man also suffered a broken arm.,Examples,A survey Monday concerning the fairness and accuracy of
14、 the news media revealed that four out of ten students believe the media are unfair and inaccurate. Revised: Four out of ten students surveyed Monday said the news media are unfair and inaccurate.,Examples,A burglary occurred Tuesday afternoon at the home of Clarence Dozier, 2347 Bentley Ave. A 38-c
15、aliber revolver and some food were stolen. Revised: Burglars took a 38-caliber revolver and some food from the home of Clarence Dozier, 2347 Bentley Ave. Tuesday afternoon. back,Be Precise,Editors seldom permit: The use of words such as “cop” or “kid” (unless you are referring to a goat); Profanity
16、unless it is essential to a storys meaning and even then, refuse to publish the most offensive terms. Nouns used as verbs, or adverbs used as verbs.,Be Precise,Be careful about the words exact meanings. “a car collide with a tree” “a child was drowned in a lake” Avoid double meaning, especially in h
17、eadlines.,Examples,Death Causes Loneliness, Feeling of Isolation Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim An Ohio man was found guilty of molesting his 9-year-old stepdaughter in Circuit Court today. The State Health Department is surveying hospitals around the state to ascertain whether women patients are being
18、 given pap tests to determine if they have uterine cancer as required by law. back,Remain Objective,Avoid adjectives and labels that reflect your opinions; Avoid loaded words, such as “demagogue”, “extremist”, “radical”, “racist”, “segregationist” and “zealot”;,Remain Objective,Eliminate the opinion
19、 in some sentences by deleting a single word: “alert witness”, “famous author”, “gala reception”, “thoughtful reply”, “tragic accident”, “cost only $14”; - Eg. Most people were apathetic; only 22 percent voted in the election. - Revised: Twenty-two percent of the eligible people voted in the electio
20、n.,Remain Objective,Avoid sentence conveying opinions rather than facts. In most cases, the opinions are expressed as trite generalities, unsupported by facts. - Eg. Most of us are not happy about going back to work on Mondays. But Kris Wilcox was more than happy to return to work today. She just re
21、covered from a kidney transplant. - Revised: Kris Wilcox returned to work today after recovering from a kidney transplant.,Remain Objective,Delete sentences contain no facts, only the opinions of the reporters or of their sources. - Eg. The womans poor judgment caused the $6,000 loss. (It should be
22、deleted completely.),Advice from a Pro,“Always, when time permits, read your story before submitting it. If you cant cut off at least a couple of words, youre not doing a sufficiently critical job of reading. One of the toughest things in the writing trade, and one of the best for a writer, is to cut your own copy.” -“Newspaperman” by Morton Sontheimer,Advice from a Pro,“One well-chose verb packs more power than a string of adjectives and adverbs. -“Newspaperman” by Morton Sontheimer,