Hunting One Language, Stumbling Upon the Another

Writing Effective News Leads

The style of writing found in newspapers makes it easy for the viewer to read and understand leads but difficult for reporters to write them. Good leads contain interesting details and are so specific that readers can visualize the events they describe. A single word, a descriptive verb, can transform a routine lead into a dramatic one. Strong verbs capture the drama and emotion of a news event and help the reader understand the impact of the story.

If a story is important, reporters emphasize its magnitude in the lead. Leads that are considered exceptional emphasize the impact stories have on people. Leads also emphasize the unusual. News pertains to deviations from the social norm.

Reporters localize and update their leads whenever possible by emphasizing their communities' involvement in stories. Readers are most interested in stories affecting their own lives and the lives of people they are most familiar with. Reporters also try to localize stories from other parts of the world. However, in doing this, reporters are expected to be objective; while gathering and conveying information to their readers when they insert their opinions in stories.

Assignment #1 (Identifying a Feature Article)

The audio that I have attached within this post is an interview that I have conducted with the Eastern Michigan's Men and Women's Basketball sports announcer, Brian Nemerovski. This audio can be recognized as an explainatory feature story; because it touches on how a sports-broadcaster such as himself can stay enthusiastic for a collegiate team with a history of losing seasons.