Inquiry

Inquiry:
Review
Chapter 11 of your Media Writing text
(Whitaker, Ramsey & Smith).

Summarise the key points of this chapter, and answer the question

: What are the key differences between writing for broadcast and print or writing - based media?




Broadcast writing must be written conversationally; like you are talking to a friend.  It is written for the ear, not for the eye (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 229).

It must be written to suit the time available. A broadcast writer must tell in 30 seconds what a newspaper writer can relate in ten column inches (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 230).
  
Be careful using words that are hard to pronounce and  avoid words that end in S or TH because they have a hissing sound when on air.  Similarly, words ending in ING can disrupt the rhythm of sentences (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 232).

A broadcast lead differs in that it is not looking for the complete picture like a news story has the who, what, when where why and how; instead it has more of a “grab” to ensure they have the attention of the viewers or listeners (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 229).

• Single Act Lead – Who did something, what happened or when something occurred.
• Umbrella or Comprehensive Lead – These tie together related events or incidents.
• Chronological Narrative Leads – These tell a story either as it unfolded from beginning to end or, from the most recent event going back in time (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 233).

Don’t:
• Crowd a lead with too much information.
• Give long and complex introductions.
• Begin with an “impersonal who” unless the person has prominence.
• Lead with a question (people expect an advertisement).
• Begin with numbers or figures because audiences wont remember them so they will have to be repeated later (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 233,235,240).

Do:
• Use strong active words.
• Use subject-verb-subject sentences.
• Make the newscaste interesting.
• Use active voice (things are happening now) (Whitaker, et al., 2012, p. 235,241,242 ).


An example of a lead that is both written and spoken:

WRITTEN LEAD: Judge finds Pistorius not guilty of murder
Judge Thokozile Masipa has found Oscar Pistorius not guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. But he still faces judgment on a lesser culpable homicide charge.

BROADCAST LEAD:

• News reporter 1: The judge in the trial of Oscar Pistorious has found the Paralympian not guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

• News reporter 2: The athlete wept in court as the verdict was read out with the judge ruling there is insufficient evidence to prove he is guilty of premeditated or intentional murder.

• News reporter 1: A ruling on the charge of manslaughter is expected later today.

This took exactly 20 seconds to speak then the footage switched from the reporters at the desk to a video of outside the courthouse.

References:

Ames, K., 2014. Week 10 - Impact of design, Course notes, COMM 11007 Media Writing: CQUniversity e-courses, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/.

Couriermail, 2014, Judge finds Pistorius not guilty of murder, http://www.couriermail.com.au/video viewed 21 September.

Whitaker, W. R., Ramsey, J. E. & Smith, R. D., 2012. Media Writing, print broadcast and public relations. 4th ed. New York: Routledge.