LEAD
1. Keep leads short. Those with 35 words or less are preferred.
2. Leads limited to one or two sentences are preferred.
3. Avoid starting leads with “when” or “where” unless the time or place is unusual. Most leads start with “who” or “what.”
4. Avoid beginning leads with “there” or “this.”
5. In leads about future events, the time, day (date) and place usually go at the end of the paragraph.
6. In leads about past events, the day (date) of the event usually appears before or after the verb. Sometimes the day (date) comes at the end of the first sentence or the paragraph if it is a one-sentence lead.
7. Use quote and question leads sparingly.
8. The first five to “what happened” makes a better story than the fact it did.
BODY
9. Keep paragraphs short. Those limited to 60 words or less or no longer than 10 typeset lines are preferred.
10. Paragraphs limited to one to three sentences are preferred.
11. Each paragraph should contain only one idea.
12. Remember short paragraphs encourage readers to continue reading.
EDITING
13. Eliminate the word “that” whenever possible.
14. For past events, report it happened “Friday,” NOT “last Friday.” Eliminate the word “last.” For future events, report it will happen “Monday,” NOT “next Monday.” Eliminate the word “next.”
15. Eliminate the “be” verb. Write “she will resign” instead of “she will be resigning. “Write in future tense (will) instead of future progressive tense (will be “ing”).
16. Eliminate words such as “when asked” and “concluded.” These are weak transitions. Just report what was said.
17. A long title should follow the name. A title that follows the name should be lowercased and set off in commas. Shorter titles that precede names should be capitalized.
18. Avoid the contractions of he’d and they’d. “He’d” can mean both “he had” and “he would,” and “they’d” can mean both “they had” and “they would.”
19. Always double-check the spelling of names.
20. Make sure numbers match the items listed.
21. Make sure “only” is placed properly in a sentence. The location of “only” can change the meaning of a sentence.
22. Write. Rewrite. Revise. Rewrite. Revise. Edit. Revise. Edit. Edit. The first version of a story is NOT good enough to go into print. Someone once said THERE IS NO GREAT WRITING, ONLY GREAT REWRITING.
23. Read the story out loud to catch awkward sentence constructions.
GRAMMAR
24. If “none” means “no one” or “not one,” use a singular verb. Consult the AP Stylebook or Grammar for Journalists for more information. Example: None was found guilty.
25. When you use a pronoun to refer to a team or a group, the proper pronoun to use is “its,” NOT they. Example: The team wants to improve its record.
26. Make sure verbs or other phrases are “parallel” or the same in structure when they appear in stories or list. Examples: He likes gardening, fishing and hunting. The fire killed at least 12 persons, injured 60 more and forced scores of residents to leap from windows.
27. Use THIRD PERSON (she, he, it, its, her, hers, him, his, they, them, their, theirs) in news stories. Only on rare occasions do you use first person (I, mine, we, our, ours) or second person (you, your, yours) in news stories.
28. When “either … or” and “neither … nor” are used, the verb agrees in person with the nearer subject. Examples: Neither the coach nor the players are to blame. Neither the players nor the coach is to blame.
29. Use active voice vs. passive voice. The passive voice is formed by using some form of the verb “be” with the past participle of an action verb: is shot, was shot, has been shot, had been shot, may be shot, will be shot. The word “by” may also signal the sentence is written in passive voice. Rewrite sentences to eliminate the word “by.” Example: Passive voice ; The city was ordered by the judge to make the payment. Active voice ; The judge ordered the city to make the payment.
MISCELLANEOUS
30. When something isn’t clear, make a drawing of it. Putting it on paper can clarify the situation.
31. WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT. This has to do with questionable information that may be libelous, incomplete information and information the writer does not have a clear understanding of.
NONSEXIST, NONAGEIST, NONDISCRIMINATORY COMMUNICATION
32. Avoid words that reinforce ageist, racial and ethnic stereotypes.
33. Avoid racial identification except when it’s essential to communication.
34. Substitute asexual words for “man” words or sexist words.
Multimedia Kitchen 