EXERCISE W4-1

 

Rewrite each of the leads below to emphasize the who, using the specific name.  Edit so that your leads exhibit the language of news. 

 

a.  On Wednesday, the famous local band and fan favorite called The Blue Sproos will be the featured act at the free concert that opens the annual Town Festival and begins at noon at Community Park.

 

b.  Today, the police chief Adrian Sanders, announced that the city received from the federal government a free, amazingly outfitted, MaxxPro MRAP armored vehicle to use for hazardous situations that its police force may unfortunately encounter, such as armed stand-offs or natural disasters—a move some citizens are complaining is just unnecessary militarization.

 

c.  A speech tomorrow evening by Juana Tucson Gomez, who is the head of the Area Chamber of Commerce, will be at 6 p.m. in the Katz Auditorium and will be about how government sponsorship of solar panels can hopefully benefit the community’s businesses and residents.

 

EXERCISE W4-2

 

Rewrite each of the leads above to emphasize the who, but delay the specific identification—which would then come later in the story.  Edit so that your leads exhibit the language of news.

 

EXERCISE W4-3

 

Rewrite each of the leads above to emphasize the what.  Edit so that your leads exhibit the language of news.

 

EXERCISE W4-4

 

Rewrite each of the leads above for an anchor to read on the air.  Edit so that your leads exhibit the language of news.

 

EXERCISE W4-5

 

The public relations office at your institution sends you a press release that includes the following information:

 

• The dean of business is sponsoring a guest lecturer, who will be talking about the steps a college student can take to increase the odds of landing a job after college.

• The lecturer is a human resources director at a national, well-known company.

• The lecturer has a new book coming out called, How to land a job after college.

• The lecture will take place at 7 p.m., in three days, in the campus auditorium.

• It is free and open to the public.

 

Write a 250- to 400-word discussion that answers the following questions:  Is this press release newsworthy?  Can you identify any ethical issues, such as freedom and autonomy?  Can you solve ethical problems by the way you frame this story? How would you proceed to follow up on this press release? 

 

EXERCISE W4-5

 

Use the information in the following paragraph to apply the lesson about the inverted pyramid structure.  You may omit information.  Edit so that your story exhibits the language of news.

 

People want to start growing their food locally, and lot of people want to raise their own chickens in their backyards.  This way they could have fresh eggs.  Some other people are against this because it will attract predators like racoons, bears, coyotes and mountain lions into neighborhoods, and predators are already a problem in town.  Also, they argue that chickens are noisy and smelly. Next Wednesday, the city council will hold a hearing about whether city residents should be allowed to keep chickens in their yard.  Some items to be discussed include noise, smell, increased predators and what regulations would be put in place, according to the agenda posted on the city’s website.  The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.  It will be held at City Hall, 1101 E. Second Ave.  It is a public meeting, and the public is invited to attend.