What do do if your writing is a "fixer-upper"

Concrete steps on how to improve the writing in your newspaper.

Transcript

1. If Chip and Joanna can do it, you can too! What to do if your paper’s writing is a fixer-upper
2. Note: This is a pdf of a PowerPoint presentation. If you saw this presentation live, note the animations won’t work on this version. But you’ll still get pretty much all the content.
4. Their secret to success…
5. And what’s the secret to our success? What are people looking for in a newspaper?
6. Information Why is Facebook so popular?
7. But this is community journalism
8. Four ways to improve the writing in your newspaper* *at no cost, other than time and effort
9. Realize that today’s readers are different No. 1
10. ______________________ The bottom line…
11. Writing matters because today’s readers are harder to reach.
17. The issue is not literary quality…
18. …it’s the bottom line.
19. How do we write the kinds of stories today’s readers want to read?
20. I’ll show you. Give me a half-hour.
21. Realize that our writing problems may not be writing problems No. 2
22. Often, what we think are writing problems are really reporting problems. You can’t write your way around bad reporting.
23. The iceberg dilemma…
27. Good reporting is reader-centric and answers questions the reader might have
28. Why should readers care about this? The Center City Health Foundation announced more than $150,000 in grants to Smith County nonprofits this past week. Six organizations specializing in health, education and children's services were awarded individual grants between $20,000 and $25,000 as part of CCHF's community grant making program, now in its second year. Last year CCHF distributed $115,000 to area nonprofits. "I think we're blessed to live in a community with so many outstanding agencies," said Scott Foster, CEO of the Center City Health Foundation. "As we move forward we hope to expand the program." The purpose of the grants, he said, is to allow their community partners to expand already existing services in the community. All grants are unrestricted. Recipients of 2014 grants include The Caring Place, The Boys & Girls Club, Ride on Center for Kids, the Smith County Children's Advocacy Center, Center City Partners in Education and The Center City Project. The Boys & Girls Club was awarded two grants, one in the amount of $20,000 for programming and a second totaling $25,000 for expansion and refurbishment of its facility. Foster said CCHF was moved by the club's incredible need as they moved into a new facility.
29. How can newspapers improve reporting? Look for interesting ways to cover DBIs – mostly by figuring out why they are important. Especially on meeting stories, the meeting is not news – what has happened or will happen is the news.
30. Revisiting the Health Foundation story… The Center City Health Foundation announced more than $150,000 in grants to Smith County nonprofits this past week. Six organizations specializing in health, education and children's services were awarded individual grants between $20,000 and $25,000 as part of CCHF's community grant making program, now in its second year. Last year CCHF distributed $115,000 to area nonprofits. "I think we're blessed to live in a community with so many outstanding agencies," said Scott Foster, CEO of the Center City Health Foundation. "As we move forward we hope to expand the program." The purpose of the grants, he said, is to allow their community partners to expand already existing services in the community. All grants are unrestricted. Recipients of 2014 grants include The Caring Place, The Boys & Girls Club, Ride on Center for Kids, the Smith County Children's Advocacy Center, Center City Partners in Education and The Center City Project. The Boys & Girls Club was awarded two grants, one in the amount of $20,000 for programming and a second totaling $25,000 for expansion and refurbishment of its facility. Foster said CCHF was moved by the club's incredible need as they moved into a new facility.
31. Boys & Girls Club director Sarah Smith is willing to share an office, but she wishes she didn’t have to share it with mops and brooms and shelves of cleaning supplies. The club’s current space crunch means Smith’s office has to double as a janitor’s closet. But Smith will soon have an office she doesn’t have to share with the custodial staff, thanks to one of the grants awarded Tuesday night by the Center City Health Foundation. The foundation announced more than $150,000 in grants to Smith County nonprofits this past week, and the Boy & Girls Club will get $25,000 to go toward renovation of its offices. Six organizations specializing in health, education and children's services were awarded individual grants between $20,000 and $25,000 as part of CCHF's community grant making program, now in its second year. Last year CCHF distributed $115,000 to area nonprofits. …
32. The Smith County commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday to hear proposals on potential ways the county airport can be improved and modernized. Expensive parking. Long lines at the ticket counter. Frustrating delays at security checkpoints. Lost luggage. Travelers agree that the Smith County Airport is too small and old-fashioned for today’s travelers. On Tuesday, the county commission will debate what to do about it.
33. How can you make your routine coverage more reader- friendly?
34.  Write for your readers, not your sources You’re not covering a meeting, you are covering the issues addressed by the meeting
35.  Write for your readers, not your sources  GOYAKOD
36. What we have looked at so far involves…
37. How can newspapers improve reporting? Help your reporters grow professionally
38. How can newspapers improve reporting? Help your reporters grow professionally Some resources: Obviously, TCCJ. Online courses. NewsU has some great ones. Workshops you do in-house. Guest critiques, by email or in person. But mostly…
40. Realize that we must adapt to reality: People get most of their news from social media No. 3
42. What does this mean for writing?
45. Take steps to make your writing more readable No. 4
46. Readability Making your writing easy to read
47. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
48. Although he opened the meeting with a statement that the purpose of the meeting was not to convince the public that this measure was the best option, some of the speakers questioned the proposal in the strongest of terms, attacking other county programs and expenditures they felt should be sacrificed, instead. This can’t be fixed!
49. Although he opened the meeting with a statement that the purpose of the meeting was not to convince the public that this measure was the best option, some of the speakers questioned the proposal in the strongest of terms, attacking other county programs and expenditures they felt should be sacrificed, instead.
50. Jones said the goal of the meeting was to examine all options for library funding. Several speakers said the current level of library funding should be maintained, even if it meant sacrificing other items on the county budget. “This is our kids and our future we’re talking about,” said Sam Smith, who described himself as a regular user of library services. “Why can’t we cut the budget for travel instead, or even close the county greenhouse? Are new tulips on the courthouse lawn really more important than our children?”
51. Sentence length average is more important than the length of any one sentence. Vary sentence lengths to avoid tedium, but a safe average is 20 to 25 words.
52. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
53. Watch out for...
54. Jones, CEO of Acme Widgets, said financial exigencies made it necessary for the company to implement budgetary measures to minimize expenditures. Jones said the company had to cut costs.
55. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese.
56. Eighteen Prairie Creek residents accused in a civil suit of an alleged loan fraud against the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development might settle the case before it goes to trial, according to federal court documents.
57. Eighteen Prairie Creek residents accused in a civil suit of an alleged loan fraud against the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development might settle the case before it goes to trial, according to federal court documents.
58. Eighteen Prairie Creek residents might cut a deal on the charge that they lied to get federally backed home loans.
59. As they did in the summer of 2006, proponents of a Community Block Development Grant to improve Highway 93 in front of the TransAmerica truck stop near Interstate 20 ran into a hornets’ nest of opposition at a public hearing Wednesday night.
60. Those who want a state grant to fix the road in front of a truck stop on Highway 93 found few who liked the plan Wednesday night.
61. And avoid coptalk… Cops don’t get out of a car – they exit the vehicle Cops don’t go places – they proceed there Criminals don’t carry guns – they display weapons
62. Flee on foot or run away? Apprehended or caught Physical altercation or fight? High rate of speed or speeding?
63. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese. Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.
64. Backing in Police Chief Joe Smith said Tuesday that a door left unlocked at the city's jail on Main Street allowed three prisoners to escape. Three prisoners escaped from the city's jail Tuesday after someone left a door unlocked, according to Police Chief Joe Smith.
65. Hoping to reduce a flood of over-budget spending that has plagued the city government for the first six months of this fiscal year, all five city council members voted Monday night to add the positions of purchasing agent and a data processing manager to the city payroll. City council members agreed Monday night that the city could save money with more professional purchasing practices and more effective use of computers. Council members voted to hire a purchasing agent and a data processing manager as part of an effort to combat six months of over-budget spending.
66. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese. Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases. Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns.
67. He made a substitution… She had the intention… They gave an exhibit… Jones gave a report on the results of the study… We created a summary of the proposal… She conducted a survey of the residents…
68. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese. Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases. Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns. Cut wordiness.
69.  at this point in time  conducted an investigation into  made the statement that  at a later date  were found to be in agreement  succeed in making  make use of, utilize  give consideration to  past experience  consensus of opinion
70. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese. Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases. Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns. Cut wordiness. Avoid vague qualifiers.
71. • very • extremely • totally • completely • wholly • entirely • utterly • really • quite • rather • somewhat • slightly • fairly • Etc.
72. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese. Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases. Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns. Cut wordiness. Avoid vague qualifiers. Limit number and symbol.
73. The 9th grade students did well on most of the 3-part test with at least 85 percent of the students at more than two-thirds of the schools passing seven of the 28 test objectives.
74. Student financial aid climbed 7.9 percent last year to a record $30.8 billion, with students receiving $15.1 billion in grants, $14.9 billion in loans, and $791 million in work-study earnings.
75. Student aid climbed 7.9 percent last year to a record $30.8 billion. Students received: • $15.1 billion in grants • $14.9 billion in loans • $ 791 million in work-study earnings
76. Keep sentences short and to one main idea. Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms. Change long and difficult words to short and simple words, and be wary of jargon and journalese. Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases. Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns. Cut wordiness. Avoid vague qualifiers. Limit number and symbol. Figure out what your high school English teacher would have liked, and cut it out.
77. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog law that is boosting business’ demand for better service, a major reassessment that could lead to big changes in the county’s public transportation system is beginning.
78. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog law that is boosting business’ demand for better service, a major reassessment that could lead to big changes in the county’s public transportation system is beginning. Backing in
79. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog law that is boosting business’ demand for better service, a major reassessment that could lead to big changes in the county’s public transportation system is beginning. Backing in
80. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog law that is boosting business’ demand for better service, a major reassessment that could lead to big changes in the county’s public transportation system is beginning. Backing in
81. Local leaders want to make it easier for county residents to get around without their cars.
82. So what’s the bottom line?
83. Good writing is no accident.
84. It’s what happens when we pay attention.