There was a sort of trick question in this exercise, and that would be on the one citing Mayor Datolli.
In
journalism, we fully identify people in first referring to them in a
story. So in a first reference, it's Omar Sofradzija, with both the
first and last name.
In subsequent references, however, you just use the last name: just Sofradzija said, for example.
In this case, though, you weren't given a first name for Datolli. What to do?
As
journalists, our job isn't to simply write what is put before us. It's
also to seek answers to holes in the information we have.
The
correct response would have been to ask me for the mayor's first name.
In a real world setting, it would be to find out what the mayor's first
name was by making phone calls or checking records or just asking the
mayor what the hell her first name was.
Be curious. Don't settle for what you have if what you have leaves unanswered questions.
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