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Discussion QuestionsExercises and AssignmentsOnline Media Writing ExamplesInstructor ResourcesWriting The Opening
 Writing Across the MediaCh1. Writing with Clarity and CoherenceCh2. Writing with ResponsibilityCh3. Writing for AudiencesCh4. Writing and Gathering InformationCh5. Writing the OpeningCh6. Writing Basic StoriesCh7. Writing with Visual and Audio ImagesCh8. Writing Complex Stories

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Exercises and Assignments

ASSIGNMENT 1

From each set of facts provided below, write openings for print and broadcast stories:

  1. a delayed identification summary lead or an immediate identification summary lead for a newspaper (discussed in the "Writing Across the Media" text on pages 103-109).

  2. an Associated Press "newsminute," which is a one- or two-sentence summary of a story to be read by radio station announcers (refer to page 159's "Writing Tips" box for a discussion of differences in print and broadcast media writing styles).
Fact Set 1: Ralph Lincoln, 45, of Mason City, Iowa, a pipe fitter employed by Acme Engineers, a company headquartered in Marshalltown, Iowa; Harry Rosen, project manager for Acme Engineers, said Lincoln suffered third-degree burns at 3 p.m. today and was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Des Moines Regents Hospital; Lincoln was installing new pipes on the roof of the Des Moines Municipal Power Plant, 223 Power Drive, when he touched a power line carrying 15,000 volts with a piece of angle iron.

Fact Set 2: Myrna Jones, 27, of 402 N.W. 50th Lane, Lamar, Mo., and Ronald Stevenson, 19, Rural Route 2, Liberal, Mo.; Jones was driving a 1990 blue Dodge car west on County Road C in Barton County, near the town of Irwin, Mo., while Stevenson was driving east in a 1982 Chevy pickup; Barton County Sheriff Bill Griffith said Stevenson apparently crossed the center line and struck the Jones vehicle; Jones is in serious condition at Barton County Memorial Hospital; Stevenson was treated and released; no charges were filed.

Fact Set 3: A 45-year-old Denver, Colo. woman, Sheila Richards, was found dead in her apartment. Richards suffered a gunshot wound and police say they suspect foul play; Richards was found late this afternoon by a neighbor; coroners and police have not yet released the official cause of death, but police note Richards is the third woman to be found dead in her apartment building in the last three days.

Fact Set 4: NASA spokesman Joel Wells says Kennedy Space Center officials have been inundated with more than 4,000 requests for press credentials to cover the launch of the shuttle Discovery when it carries space legend 77-year-old former U.S. Sen. John Glenn into orbit 36 years after his last space flight; Glenn will be the first senior citizen in space; a record-breaking 3,000 journalists have been granted credentials for the historic launch; "Today" show host Matt Lauer secured press credentials for his wife, Annette Roque, a model who is listed on the NBC roster as a makeup artist; an NBC network spokesperson says Roque was on the roster so she could watch the launch; she did not work for the network and was not paid by NBC; the NBC network spokesperson acknowledged that some NBC journalists are complaining that Roque's inclusion on the roster meant the network sent one less legitimate journalist to cover the launch.


ASSIGNMENT 2

From the facts provided below, write four types of openings:

  1. an anchor lead-in to a reporter's videotaped package (discussed in "Writing Across the Media" pages 102-103 and 111)
  2. a summary lead (discussed in the text on pages 103-111)
  3. a suspense lead (discussed in the text on pages 113-115)
  4. a scene-setting lead (discussed in the text on pages 117-118)
The Facts:
A jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, rendered a verdict this morning in a civil lawsuit. The jury of seven women and three men rendered its verdict after deliberating for three hours.

The plaintiff is 40-year-old Susie Jones who sued for alienation of affection. The defendant is 42-year-old Mary Smith. The plaintiff has three children and was married for 19 years to Joseph Jones, 43. He is president of a small insurance company. The defendant was the former secretary to Joe Jones and is now married to him and has been for the past eight months. Witnesses in the trial, which lasted seven days, said Smith and Joe Jones began going on business trips together while he was still married to Susie Jones.

The jurors decided in favor of the plaintiff. They said the woman who stole her man must pay. They gave her $1 million, which is one of the biggest cash awards in the history of alienation lawsuits.

Officials say about 200 such suits are filed yearly in North Carolina by both men and women. North Carolina is one of a dozen states that still accepts them.

"I'm not looking at this as getting back at anyone," said Susie Jones. "I'm just standing up for my family. The only way I could do that was file a suit against her."

The plaintiff had been divorced from her husband for 14 months. Divorce proceedings were initiated after Joe Jones came home from work one day and walked into the kitchen. His wife was at the stove cooking supper. She testified that he told her, "I don't want to live here anymore."

The defendant, whom he married, had changed her appearance while she worked for him. Witnesses said she replaced her matronly look with fashionable clothes, new makeup and contact lenses.

The defendant's lawyer called the jury's award "excessive" and said she will appeal the verdict. No date for the appeal has been set.
  
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