Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Bicyclists: That's Not News

A few of you biffed on your ledes by not emphasizing what made something newsy, like this lede:

Telling of her bicycling accident that happened four months ago, a Holt residents was interviewed at home this morning, two days after being released from Izzo Memorial Hospital.

The problem here is that saying she spoke of her accident and that she was interviewed doesn't say anything, in the same way reporting that a football game was played says nothing of value.

The news in the latter is what happened at the game; who won, ect. In the former, the news is what she had to say in the interview about the bicycle accident, like here:

Released from Izzo Memorial Hospital two days ago following a severe bicycle incident, Holt resident Marsha Taylor said her doctor thought it was a miracle she was not paralyzed.

In this case, you picked out what was most telling about what she had to say, and you shared it prominently.

And that's journalism. You have to make decisions on what makes a story most interesting, relevant and useful. And then you have to highlight those factors in your telling.

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