Lee Hood, University of Colorado
ü Keep your story to a few basic ideas. Remember: What you decide to leave out is almost as important a decision as what you include.
ü Do not include too many facts in the lead. The lead just gets attention for what comes after it.
ü Remember the one-breath rule! Short, simple sentences.
ü Use contractions most of the time. People talk in contractions. Use the longer version only for emphasis. (One that can be a problem -- can vs. can't, especially if a "t" word comes after it. Often, cannot is better.)
ü Be careful about loaded words that color the story unnecessarily. E.g., the troubled Rocky Flats plant; the controversial new highway. Also, be careful of the word only.
ü Use say or says instead of said. If they said it, it's reasonable to think they still believe it. Exception: If it's linked to a specific event (e.g., "The governor said at a news conference…")
ü Try to avoid official and authority. Both make your writing sound institutional and non-conversational. What kind of official? Try to be more specific.
ü Write in active voice as much as possible (good indications of passive voice are the words is/was/were and by).
ü Generally, write in present (is happening), present perfect (has happened), and future tenses -- especially for the lead! (What is the situation now or what is likely to happen next?)
ü Sometimes you can't avoid past tense. Don't write present-tense verb for obviously past tense action. (See Chapter 3 in Tuggle)
ü Avoid interior clauses and phrases. Keep subject/verb together!
ü Avoid long, introductory phrases (don't use more than four words):
E.g., Although the Buffs haven't won on the road in the past three seasons, they almost won Saturday night.
Better: The Buffs haven't won on the road in three years, but they almost won Saturday night.
ü Nouns used as preceding adjectives (such as town names) can sound unnatural or even funny: e.g., the Golden woman, the Last Chance man, the Bountiful child!
ü Don't look too hard for substitutes -- a fire is not a blaze in everyday language
ü Avoid redundancies -- totally destroyed, completely gutted, 9 a.m. this morning.
ü Save words -- not in order to, but to; not at the present time or at this hour but now or right now.
ü But is more conversational, and shorter, than however. Now is more conversational, and shorter, than currently.
ü You can usually live without the word that when it's used as a conjunction.
E.g., It appears that he is in a bad mood. (That is not needed.)
But…It's the thought that counts. (Clearly needed in this case.)
ü Leave out racial references for people already arrested.
ü Fewer means individual items (fewer books); less means bulk or quantity (less sleep)
ü Farther means physical distance (farther down the road); further means time or degree (further from the truth)
ü People are a who, not a that.
ü Here's a picky one…Over and under are spatial designations (over the table, under the table). More than and less than are for numbers (more than 50, less than 10).
ü In broadcast, use news conference instead of press conference .
Scripting and general style questions
ü For NewsTeam, indent almost every sentence, to make the copy easier to read.
ü Remember, when in Rome...
ü For more writing hints, consult Broadcast News Handbook or www.newswriting.com.