Newswriting+for+Broadcast

=__Basic writing tips for Broadcast Journalism.__=

> //Active: The students ate cookies in the cafeteria.// > //Passive: The cookies were eaten by students in the cafeteria.// > > Do not just change verb tense if the event already occurred. Make sure you are using the natural, logical tense for the story. > > Shorter clauses and sentences are generally better than longer ones. Your goal is to inform people, not confuse them. > > Show your audience how the issue or problem affects one person. It is easier to identify with and personalize the story if you see how it affects a real person. > > Attribution helps make your stories more credible and interesting. In addition, it can help the story seem more objective as it associates statements and opinions with the interviewee, not the reporter. > > Some contractions sound like their opposite; it is safer and easier to avoid them. > > (See #3) > > There are times when a number, percentage, or statistic can be compelling information. If you overuse them, it can become confusing, dry, and the numbers can lose their impact.
 * 1) **Write in ACTIVE VOICE (not passive).**
 * 1) **Use PRESENT TENSE whenever possible.**
 * 1) **KEEP IT SIMPLE.**
 * 1) **Put a HUMAN FACE on the story when possible.**
 * 1) **Before you tell it, tell who said it.**
 * 1) **Be careful of contractions.**
 * 1) **Skip unneccessary words.**
 * 1) **Limit the use of numbers.**

Adapted from: Carole, Rich. __Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method__. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997.

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