Quiz #1

Journalism 300 QUIZ / Sept. 29, 2010

Provide short definitions and purposes of the following:

– The lead.

The lead is the introduction to a news story that summarizes the event in a way that allows for more in-depth coverage and conversation further on in the article.  It provides the reader with the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the event.

– Nut graph or billboard graph.

A nut graph or billboard graph is used to write about a story in a manner that finds the humanizing elements of the story, but one that also doesn’t have to answer all the questions that a lead does (if the conditions allow for that to happen).   A nut graph is also written about news that is not immediate (it can be two days old or older) and is used to tell an interesting story that otherwise would only receive minimal coverage.

– Delayed lead.

A delayed lead is when the writer of a story (most commonly a feature story) begins his article not with straight forward information, but an introduction that begins as if he or she was narrating a story to the reader.  It is often used to bring the reader in further and to peak their interests, so that they’ll keep reading on and take something out of the story.  A delayed lead may begin describing a person’s specific conditions in a hospital room, or how a baseball game means much more to one of the players than a state championship title.

– Subject-verb-object sentence construction.

The sentence opens up with the subject, shows what the subject does (i.e. the verb) and what receives the action (the object).  This format is used in news writing because it easily points out to the reader who did what to what/whom, and can then be used to explain why the news itself is important.  The fact that it’s simple and to the point excellently gets the news across to the reader in the shortest amount of time possible for them to be able to process the information easily.

– Multiple element lead.

A multiple element lead is a lead that brings two or more different facets of a story to light in the story’s introduction.  It can, for example, discuss how two politicians (like, say, a Republican and a Democrat) approach the same issue differently at the same time.  Different points of the same story are raised and open for the reader’s enjoyment.

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Choose a recent news event and discuss how coverage of it would have been guided by underlying principles of news value (timeliness, impact, prominence, proximity, conflict, the unusual, currency, necessity).

The recent primaries occurring across the country have proved very important to national politics, especially considering the rise of the Tea Party to the national spotlight.  The coverage that would result from the primaries is around the clock, because every candidate that wins the primary is a potential pendulum from which the parties may swing from.  The impact is considerable, for with each primary candidate that emerges victorious there exist several chain reactions that can change the face of the areas’ political games (will voters choose differently because they don’t like the candidate?, will  that party’s views on an issue change with the candidate? etc.).  Every political story that comes out these days always has a strong sense of prominence amongst the public, especially when it’s as proximal and as conflicting as the primaries are.  The fact that so many primaries are happening at once in several different states makes it a national story as well as local, and with each candidate that rises and falls amongst the ballot spears of his or her voters, its sure to make an enticing conflict story.  The unusual aspect of the story would be the rise of the Tea Party to national prominence in an electoral arena.  Just think; a relatively young political movement has already gained enough momentum on the tracks to see candidates of it’s beliefs win primaries and be in the running for important seats of power and influence.  Currency is an obvious factor in the primaries considering so many issues are in the air at the moment.  Immigration and economic issues are running strong with the American public, not to mention issues concerning the war in the Middle East.  Finally, necessity is big on this story.  People need to know who is running for and against their political views and ideologies, their beliefs and their approaches to how their district and state and government should be run and managed.  Elections are always necessary, for their current values on issues to their collective callback to the need to establish and maintain a democracy of, by, and for the people.  This is a collection of news stories that cannot be overlooked.

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Write a short, energetic lead for a story you know well (i.e. 9/11, historic moment, sports event).

In a moment worthy of Olympic gold, Sydney Crosby scored the overtime game-winning goal in Team Canada’s 3-2 win over Team USA in the Vancouver Winter Olympics Sunday night.

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Critique the story lead below. Explain what reporter may have been seeking to achieve in each of the numbered segments.

LEAD:

By ANDREW MARTIN
The New York Times
Is a football mainly for children? What about a Halloween costume or a model train? (1)

(1)–This is definitely a delayed lead that is looking to draw a reader into a story, particularly a parent or grandparent or someone who works closely with children, because the writer feels that these people most importantly should read the story.

None of the above, manufacturers say, as a new federal crackdown on dangerous toys has left some in the industry crying foul and not wanting to play. (2)

(2)–This really shifts the attention of the reader into a serious mode, while still retaining the original subject of the story (the kids).  The point of the story is now being brought to light (with a slight element of fear to really grab the reader’s attention).

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been swamped with requests to exempt playthings from the new regulations, put in place after extensive toy recalls several years ago. (3)

(3)–This shows how hard hit the industry is after such regulations and how much people want things fixed for their businesses.  Children’s toys are such a big market that people feel that, to put regulations on them, is to put unfair restrictions on their enterprises as opposed to other businesses that are more diverse.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 gave the commission the job of defining a “children’s product” — which includes such things as toys, clothing and household goods — and eventually enforcing the act. But coming up with that definition has become so difficult that the commission has postponed votes three times. (4)

(4)–The issue itself is such a hot-button one that, though the intentions are good and meaningful, the path(s) to getting there have been shaky and unclear from the start.  Business is in a large conflict with public safety and both have valid points to their arguments.

Another vote is scheduled for Wednesday, but it is unclear if the five commissioners — three Democrats and two Republicans — can reach an agreement this time. A spokesman for the commission declined to comment. (5)

(5)–This shows the two sides to the conflict in a more human perspective to the story; one can assume the Republicans stand for the businesses and the Democrats stand for the public safety.

Critics of the crackdown argue that it heaps additional costs on small, American-based businesses that were not responsible for the tainted toys, many of which were made in China for large toy companies. So many manufacturers want out — even if their arguments may leave some children scratching their heads. (6)

(6)–This shows how complex the story is, how close to home it hits on so many levels, and how there isn’t a clear opportunity for conflict resolution in sight anytime soon.  The story itself is worth more coverage, more analysis, and more perspectives from more people (leading the reader to buy more copies of the paper to read up on what happens).
END of LEAD

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OPTIONAL QUESTION: You are about to knock on the door of the home of a man killed in an accident at a dangerous intersection. How will you explain why family members should speak with you?

I would explain to the people who I was, that I was covering the story, and that I was writing about the accident in efforts to get the attention of important city officials so that the intersection could be rebuild or redesigned, so that accidents like that wouldn’t happen again.  I would try to tell them (in the most sensitive way possible) that his death could be used to save the lives of other drivers if his story was brought to the public’s light.