Writing_for_today_s_readers.pdf

Transcript

1. Readability
   Writing for
   today’s
   readers
   Tommy Thomason
   

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2. Readability
   is really…
   

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3. Reading ease:
   

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4. Reading ease:
   How easy-to-read is this story?
   

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5. ЗАПУГАТЬ ВСЮ СТРАНУ? У ВАС УЖЕ ПОЛУЧИЛОСЬ!»
   Обсуждая последние показательные убийства в Киеве экс-депутата Верховной
   РадыОлега Калашникова и писателя-публициста Олеся Бузины, блогеры
   обратили внимание на странное «совпадение». За пару дней до расстрелов
   персональная информация погибших (с указанием домашних адресов) была
   размещена на сайте, цинично названным «Миротворец» - своеобразном
   расстрельном списке неугодных киевским властям. Есть в нем и пятеро
   сотрудников «Комсомольской правды». Любопытно, что писать доносы на
   «террористов-сепаратистов» на этот сайт открыто призывали украинские
   силовики.
   - Слов нет... Все на поверхности: построено тоталитарное государство лжи, в
   котором уже не садят, а просто убивают людей за их мнение, -
   прокомментировал в своем видеоблоге громкие убийства известный
   украинский журналист Анатолий Шарий, вынужденный жить за границами
   своей страны. - При этом представители силовых ведомств сразу же
   рассказывают про «руку Москвы». И это, понятно, будет единственной линией
   следствия, а в лучшем случае найдут каких-то алкоголиков, надают им по
   печени, и они расскажут, что их наняла ФСБ, чтобы убить Олеся. А теперь
   смотрите: вот этот сайт пиарили представители МВД, СБУ, поддержку ему
   оказывают, сайт был распиарен в украинских СМИ. Вчера на нем появилась
   анкета Олеся... А вот официальный Twitter сайта, который поддерживается
   спецслужбами Украины...
   

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6. An element of a shared symbolic system which serves as
   a criterion or standard for selection among the
   alternatives of orientation which are intrinsically open in
   a situation may be called a value. But from this
   motivational orientation aspect of the totality of action it
   is, in view of the role of symbolic systems, necessary to
   distinguish a “value orientation” aspect. This aspect
   concerns, not the meaning of the expected state of affairs
   to the actor in terms of his gratification-deprivation
   balance but the content of the selective standards
   themselves. The concept of value-orientations in this
   sense is thus the logical device for formulating one
   central aspect of the articulation of cultural traditions in
   the action system.
   

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7. The
   history
   of
   readability
   

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9. The 1830s
   

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10. What changed?
    

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11. What
    changed?
     Vocabulary
    

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12. What
    changed?
     Vocabulary
     Writing style
    

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13. What
    changed?
     Vocabulary
     Writing style
     News topics
    

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14. And that is still the
    basis of readability
    

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15. And now?
    

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16. Readability
    has never
    been more
    important
    Readers’
    expectations
    Attention span
    Media
    competition
    

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17. How do you
    improve your
    readability?
    

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18. The good news:
    The key is technique,
    not talent
    Your newspaper
    can become
    more readable
    

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19. So let’s get
    started
    

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20. First, two foundational principles
    Principle No. 1: There is an implied contract with newspaper readers, one
    that does not exist with other types of writing.
    

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21. The issue may not be writing
    Principle No. 2: Sometimes, ineffective writing can’t be “fixed” because it is
    based on incomplete reporting.
    

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22. Write short.
    

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23. 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.
    

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24. One way you
    can make a
    sentence
    longer is to
    include an
    effective
    bulleted list.
    

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25. And what
    about
    paragraphs?
    

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26. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed semper, nibh ut
    dignissim placerat, risus odio volutpat nisi, laoreet sodales sapien dolor sit
    amet sem. Sed nunc libero, malesuada et sem eget, molestie tempor lacus.
    Maecenas eget dui mauris. Nulla aliquet leo ac ligula sagittis dapibus. Nam
    tincidunt, dui at elementum luctus, enim erat consectetur turpis, et dignissim
    tortor lorem in magna. Aliquam odio libero, porta ac augue ut, tristique
    fermentum odio. Aliquam et ligula nisi. Vestibulum consequat quis nunc vitae
    ornare. Vivamus urna felis, varius et ultricies et, laoreet sit amet mi. Donec
    molestie massa velit, non ornare velit eleifend ut. Aliquam erat volutpat.
    Proin sollicitudin lorem ac purus mattis mollis. Aliquam egestas elit dictum
    magna volutpat aliquam. Curabitur sit amet metus gravida, gravida dui quis,
    venenatis nibh. Pellentesque gravida enim eget lacus bibendum fermentum.
    Mauris convallis molestie augue sed porta. Aliquam vel orci gravida, blandit
    dui eget, rutrum mauris. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per
    conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Sed id urna vel nisl euismod tempor
    non ut nisi. Donec ac lobortis neque, id convallis enim. Sed arcu neque,
    convallis maximus neque non, suscipit auctor purus. Nunc sed lacus ut arcu
    blandit tincidunt in vitae dui. Etiam tellus nisi, vulputate pharetra nisl quis,
    semper porttitor ante. Fusce molestie tincidunt vestibulum. Nulla facilisi.
    Donec at mauris sagittis, mollis purus nec, consectetur tortor. Morbi eu
    dignissim turpis. Praesent sed commodo risus, ut molestie tortor.
    

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27. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
    Sed semper, nibh ut dignissim placerat, risus odio volutpat nisi,
    laoreet sodales sapien dolor sit amet sem.
    Sed nunc libero, malesuada et sem eget, molestie tempor lacus.
    Maecenas eget dui mauris. Nulla aliquet leo ac ligula sagittis dapibus. Nam
    tincidunt, dui at elementum luctus, enim erat consectetur turpis, et dignissim
    tortor lorem in magna.
    Aliquam odio libero, porta ac augue ut, tristique fermentum odio.
    Aliquam et ligula nisi. Vestibulum consequat quis nunc vitae ornare.
    Vivamus urna felis, varius et ultricies et, laoreet sit amet mi. Donec
    molestie massa velit, non ornare velit eleifend ut. Aliquam erat volutpat.
    Proin sollicitudin lorem ac purus mattis mollis.
    Aliquam egestas elit dictum magna volutpat aliquam.
    Curabitur sit amet metus gravida, gravida dui quis, venenatis nibh.
    Pellentesque gravida enim eget lacus bibendum fermentum. Mauris convallis
    molestie augue sed porta.
    Aliquam vel orci gravida, blandit dui eget, rutrum mauris. Class
    aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos
    himenaeos. Sed id urna vel nisl euismod tempor non ut nisi.
    Donec ac lobortis neque, id convallis enim. Sed arcu neque,
    convallis maximus neque non, suscipit auctor purus. Nunc sed lacus ut arcu
    blandit tincidunt in vitae dui.
    

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28. Don’t put too
    much info in any
    one sentence.
    

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29. Forget what your
    high school
    Engish teacher
    told you about
    sentence
    construction
    

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30. The keyword:
    Propositions
    

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31. Having appealed to Fort Worth Mayor Betsy
    Price and the City Council with a letter aimed at
    ending carriage rides in the historic district,
    Minnie Cosby, president of PETA and the
    originator of the letter-writing campaign, told
    members of her organization that she would
    “work tirelessly” to end the use of horses on
    cobblestone streets.
    

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32. Having appealed to Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and
    the City Council with a letter aimed at ending carriage
    rides in the historic district, Minnie Cosby, president of
    PETA and the originator of the letter-writing campaign,
    told members of her organization that she would “work
    tirelessly” to end the use of horses on cobblestone
    streets.
    

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33. Having appealed to Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and
    the City Council with a letter aimed at ending carriage
    rides in the historic district, Minnie Cosby, president of
    PETA and the originator of the letter-writing campaign,
    told members of her organization that she would “work
    tirelessly” to end the use of horses on cobblestone
    streets.
    PETA president Minnie Cosby wrote a letter to the City
    Council asking for an end to downtown carriage rides.
    Cosby later told PETA members that she would “work
    tirelessly” to end the use of horses on the cobblestone
    streets of the historic district.
    

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34. Others said they absolutely would not
    volunteer at a library operated by a
    for-profit company, and, believing
    much of the community would
    respond the same way, pointed out
    how this would compound the issue
    with lack of service if the library’s
    operations were outsourced.
    

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35. Pay attention
    to sentence
    structure.
    

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36. Backing in
    Begin sentences – especially
    leads – with nouns, not
    dependent clauses or strings of
    prepositional phrases
    

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37. 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.
    

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38. 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.
    

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39. 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.
    

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40. 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
    

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41. 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
    

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42. 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
    

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43. Local leaders want to make
    it easier for county residents
    to get around without their
    cars.
    

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44. Keep subjects and
    verbs together
    Don’t separate subjects and verbs
    with long phrases or clauses.
    

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45. 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.
    

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46. 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.
    

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47. Eighteen Prairie Creek residents
    might cut a deal on the charge that
    they lied to get federally backed
    home loans.
    

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48. Don’t do sex
    changes on
    perfectly
    good verbs
    

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49. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    

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50. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    

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51. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    He said students are benefitted by the policy
    change.
    

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52. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    He said students are benefitted by the policy
    change.
    The professor is influential on many chemistry
    majors.
    

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53. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    He said students are benefitted by the policy
    change.
    The professor is influential on many chemistry
    majors.
    

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54. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    He said students are benefitted by the policy
    change.
    The professor is influential on many chemistry
    majors.
    The rule is applicable to working reporters.
    

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55. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    He said students are benefitted by the policy
    change.
    The professor is influential on many chemistry
    majors.
    The rule is applicable to working reporters.
    The committee conducted an interview of the
    top candidate.
    

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56. The EPA said the company is in violation of
    clean air standards.
    The chairman was supportive of the
    committee report.
    He said students are benefitted by the policy
    change.
    The professor is influential on many chemistry
    majors.
    The rule is applicable to working reporters.
    The committee conducted an interview of the
    top candidate.
    The committee conducted an investigation of
    the senator.
    

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57. Caesar’s dead.
    Avoid Latinized
    constructions.
    Anglo-Saxon Latin
    Rise Ascend
    Ask Interrogate
    Fire Conflagration
    Fear Trepidation
    Near Adjacent
    Fair Equitable
    Thrifty Parsimonious
    Find out ascertain
    Dead deceased
    

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58. Avoid jargon
    and
    gobbledygook.
    

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59. Watch out for...
    

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60. 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.
    

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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
    

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62. Flee on foot or run
    away?
    Apprehended or
    caught?
    Physical altercation or
    fight?
    High rate of speed or
    speeding?
    

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63. Make stories
    reader-
    friendly.
    Before you start to write…
    

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64. Reader-friendliness
    is a function of…
    

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65. Reader-friendliness
    is a function of…
    Good reporting that avoids abstractions
    

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66. Reader-friendliness
    is a function of…
    Good reporting that avoids abstractions
    Focus on what matters to readers
    

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67. Reader-friendliness
    is a function of…
    Good reporting that avoids abstractions
    Focus on what matters to readers
    Writing for readers, not news sources
    

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68. 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!
    

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69. 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.
    

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70. 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?”
    

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71. Pay attention
    to
    conventions.
    

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72. The value of conventions:
    Consistency
    

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73. How can you improve
    your paper’s use of style
    and correct grammar?
    

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74. So what’s the
    bottom line for
    newspapers?
    

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75. Easy reading is
    damn hard writing.
    --Nathaniel Hawthorne
    

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