University of Maryland journalism professor John Franklin said the job of a journalist is to report:
-What happened
-What it means
A good journalist tells the news, but also proves to the reader why its worth reporting.
A good journalist tells the news, but also proves to the reader why its worth reporting.
Also, it’s tough for a writer to admit this, but most readers aren’t going to read everything you write. If they only read one sentence, serve them by making your leads tight and giving them the most important info: 1. What happened and 2. What it means (the significance).
Here is a great example, illustrated in a story from The Washington Times on December 28, 2007:
HEADLINE: Bhutto assassinated
SUBHEAD: Heavy blow to moderate factions
Political icon Benazir Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack, all but ending a bid by moderate civilian politicians to take on militant Muslims who have made Pakistan the hub for global terrorism.
Notice how this pattern appears effectively both in the lead, as well as in the headline/subhead. The headline says what happened and the subhead says what it means. The lead sentence also says both the news and the significance. And notice how that lead sentence does that: It tells what happens, and then a comma appears before the explanation of the significance. A writer shouldn’t do this every time, but it’s done often in many top news organizations.
Here's a lead from the archives of the Southern Judea Union magazine:
A man walked out of his tomb three days after dying by crucifixion, giving strong credence to his claim of being the Messiah.
Here's one we published today: http://news.adventist.org/en/archive/articles/2011/09/06/inter-american-seminary-achieves-full-accreditation-status
A few recent issues of The Wall Street Journal (the U.S.’s top-selling paper) offer several leads that reveal this pattern:
Here's a lead from the archives of the Southern Judea Union magazine:
A man walked out of his tomb three days after dying by crucifixion, giving strong credence to his claim of being the Messiah.
Here's one we published today: http://news.adventist.org/en/archive/articles/2011/09/06/inter-american-seminary-achieves-full-accreditation-status
A few recent issues of The Wall Street Journal (the U.S.’s top-selling paper) offer several leads that reveal this pattern:
What happened [comma] what it means. Here are the phrases that follow that comma:
, a move that…
, the first time a…
, the first time a…
, the latest sign…
, potentially setting the stage for…
, forcing a debate…
in a move that (no comma)...
, reflecting an increase…
, marking the beginning…
, underscoring…
, ending a tumultuous year…
, raising concerns…
, in a high-stakes clash…
, boosting the drug’s prospect of…
, stoking fears that…
, trumping...
, offering evidence...
, as mixed [industry study] data...
, quickening the pace of...
, trumping...
, offering evidence...
, as mixed [industry study] data...
, quickening the pace of...
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