IMMJ T2

Text in Multi-media Stories

How to use this guide

• Pre reading 2 Example of a non-narrative story which fluidly integrates text & visuals via text over-lays Supertrees: https://www.vox.com/a/supertrees | Vox

• Pre reading 3 Example of chunking text to allow a reader to absorb various parts of the story in a good flow and pace. Kidnapped as Schoolgirls by Boko Haram https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/11/world/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-girl-s.html | NYT

If you more time, you can read the designated chapters / sections of this guide and three pre-readings. Plus you can also view some of the examples.

I do not suggest you do the further readings prior to the seminar - you won’t have time for that! It’s better to dig into the ones that are relevant and of interest after the seminar.

Finally, there is a Padlet to view post-seminar - I will fill it with some more useful inspirations on the topics deliv-ered in the seminar: https://immj.padlet.org/immjbei-jing1/TextMM

This guide is a pre-reading and post reading guide to ac-company a seminar on WRITING THE TEXT ELEMENT OF YOUR MULTIMEDIA STORY

There are so many approaches to writing the text ele-ment of your story and I hope that this guide and semi-nar can give you some direction and inspiration in case you are felling a little lost.

The full seminar won’t have any value if you don’t have a decent draft of your text in place. You’ll just waste your own and your peers time. So if you really don’t care about your text, it’s better you don’t join and view the recorded seminar. I strongly advise against this however because even as highly visual journalists text is pretty essential in relaying journalistic stories. It’s also tends to be the main medium where we really assess the underly-ing reporting of your work.

In addition the seminar will be much enhanced if you complete the pre-readings, which I estimate at around 2 to 2.5 hours.

If you are short on time you only need to read two desig-nated chapters of this guide and three pre-readings. Read the two chapters first and then the 3 Pre-readings.

• Chapter 1: Text Feature Structures• Chapter 2: Various Text Structures Used in MM• Pre reading 1 Example of classic narrative diamond

Greenland Is Melting Away | NYT

How to use this guide

How to use this guide

Chapter 1:

Common Text Feature Structures

Do bear in mind, these structures are general ideas rather than strict formulas. Plus we only highlight a few of many many options out there.

In this guide we mostly discuss written elements - but you can in fact also consider some of these text-based story structures in terms of other single mediums such as video, audio, graphics. You can even apply some of them to the overriding structure of entire multimedia stories.

You don’t always need to know the exact structure you will use before you report but you should at least con-sider your options during planning stage and consider which might be a good fit for your story. Once your work develops and starts to take shape, you can decide on a structure and use it to develop the narrative.

Written news stories and features can be broadly cate-gorised in the ways in which the articles are organised and structured. Structure defines the order in which in-formation is assembled in the story.

Without structure, news stories would be a jumble of facts with nothing to hold them together. Structure is es-sential for stories to present information in a coherent and organised manner.

Back in the days of print, organisational structures and even word counts for stories were typically quite limited - as articles had to fit into a certain space and section of the paper or magazine. That’s not the case in todays era of digital storytelling. Word counts are no longer so fixed and new writing structures have emerged. However, con-ventional organisational structures from print can still be found everywhere and its worth getting to know a few.

So far on the programme we have learned two distinct writing structures. The inverted pyramid for news writ-ing and the diamond for feature writing. If you aren’t clear on those structures, refer back to previous T1 class notes before proceeding here.

This guide will recap and introduce other structures, so that you have more options for the future. It will also fea-ture examples of how others have included and structure text elements in existing multimedia stories.

Text Feature Structures

Text Feature Structures

Text Feature Structures

Inverted Pyra-mid

Still according to some, the inverted pyramid has been with us since 1865 (Abraham Lincoln’s death) and it’s still a mainstay for online daily news today. Daily news articles are often structured using a method

called the inverted pyramid, which places the most im-portant information first at the top of the story and then trickles down to the least important information.

The pyramid is a useful structure because it allows for readers to leave the story at any point and still grasp the most important, newsworthy information. Following the pyramid also allows for easier and faster editing, because if an article is too long it can be cut from the bottom. The inverted pyramid works as well online as it does in print as it supports users who skim and allows users with deeper interest to to scroll for more.

The web however offers many more writing options, even for daily news. Firstly hyperlinks transform online text as they allow rich layers of information to be interlinked. Meanwhile, stories can be amended and added to, and indeed ‘live blogs’ are frequently used for big events and breaking stories today, revealing information through timely updates as more information becomes available and verified. Finally, with no word limits, it’s also com-mon to see more narrative approaches to daily news to-day.

Text Feature Structures

Inverted Pyra-mid

Examples

If you have time, scan and read one or two examples in depth. If time is too short, skip these examples and con-tinue with the main parts of the chapter.

• China Seeks to Apply Same Rules to Cigarettes and Vapes | Sixth Tone: http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1007046

• In Beijing, COVID-19 Shots Come With Free Grocery Vouchers | Sixth Tone: http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1007048/in-beijing%2C-covid-19-shots-come-with-free-grocery-vouchers

• China Bans Micro Lenders From Targeting College Stu-dents | Caixin: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2021-03-18/china-bans-micro-lenders-from-targeting-college-stu-dents-101676766.html

• New Zealand Approves Paid Leave After A Miscarriage | NPR: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/25/981309826/new-zealand-approves-paid-leave-after-a-miscarriage

• Refer back to seminars for more information about how to write in the inverted pyramid style

Text Feature Structures

Further Readings

Optional further readings (post seminar)

• Birth of the Inverted Pyramid: A Child of Technology, Commerce and History | Poynter https://www.poyn-ter.org/reporting-editing/2003/birth-of-the-inverted-pyramid-a-child-of-technology-commerce-and-history/

Text Feature Structures

Text Feature Structures

Diamond

tures, and many other news organisations often use it too.

The structure typically begins with a micro story narra-tive/anecdotal lead to hook the audience. Often but not always a group or person - who is directly affected by the news issue - is introduced in the lead and their experi-ence will illustrate the news bigger story in some way.

The lead is followed by a ‘nut graph’ (a paragraph that connects the lead to the overall story and conveys the story’s broader significance.) After this comes the body, which is the longest part of the story and provides back-ground and context, facts, quotes, and so on

The structure should finally deliver a satisfying conclu-sion. Bear in mind, conclusions are tough! They will take a significant portion of your time to report and to write. Many times the conclusion asks and tries to answer the question: ‘What if anything is being done?’ - and de-scribes how those solutions are working out. Other times it looks to the future in some way. Finally for the bottom tip of the diamond, the story circles back and returns to the central person or group using another descriptive passage or anecdote, also known as the “circle kicker”.

Here on the IMMJMA, we call this structure the ‘narrative diamond' but there are other names used to describe this approach. These include, the nut graph story (because a nut graph is a central feature of this structure). Others call it the Kebab or the Wall Street Journal   (WSJ) formula - as the WSJ is renowned for mastering feature news sto-ries.

This structure works great for longer in-depth articles which involve human interest. We could also describe this structure as “telling a macro story through a micro story” because the structure includes and connects the audience to real people who are impacted by the news matter at hand, using their stories and experiences to il-lustrate and highlight a bigger trend or issue. The story format weaves macro story fact based reporting and in-formation with narrative writing about a micro story to capture attention and keep readers engaged as well as informed. It creates scenes and develops characters that readers can relate to. 

You should all know this structure, as we teach it during T1. It’s a popular style for a news, trend or issue feature. Sixth Tone uses this style heavily for its Deep Tone fea-

Text Feature Structures

Diamond

lems, the opportunities, the policies that are under con-sideration. You weave Shao Xings story and experience with the news issue-based facts and discourses / per-spectives surrounding the story.

Finally, at the end, you narrow down to your main human interest subject again, “Shao Xing” and tell us what the story means to her life.

A good diamond feature will explore and key 5W1H ques-tions relevant to the story focus. In addition it will deliver other chunks of information including:

• History - whats’ the background of the news issue?• Scope - what’s the extent of the issue?• Cause(s) - why is it happening?• Impact - who is most affected by the issue?• Action - what if anything is being done about this is-

sue?• The future - which direction is the issue heading in the

coming, weeks, months, years?

For example, let's imagine you're writing about a new policy in disability education. You might start with the story of a teenager (“Shao Xing”) who is going to take the braille Gaokao.

You might lead in by painting a portrait of the teenager preparing hard for the exam and outline the personal sit-uation she's in or the opportunity / dilemma she's facing.

Next move to your "nut graph" - the paragraph that tran-sitions you into the broader story and sums everything up. For example: “Shao Xing” isn't alone. Each year an estimated 5,000 visually impaired students in China will take the braille Gaokao, which was introduced in 2013. For those visually impaired students, it’s often the only option that will offer them a career outside the massage industry" (Statistic and facts made up for illustrative pur-poses). Bear in mind, you’ll almost always want to deliver some fact based and attributed evidence in your nut graph.

From there you move into your body and discussion of the new policy and the education situation for China's visually impaired. The situation, the policies, the prob-

Text Feature Structures

Diamond

Examples

If you have time, scan and read one or two examples in depth. If time is too short, skip these examples and con-tinue with the main parts of the chapter.

• A Solitary Jailhouse Lawyer Argues His Way Out of Prison | WSJ - https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304023804575566201554448476

• Covid-19 Clobbered Manhattan. Lower Rents Could Seed Recovery | WSJ - https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-clobbered-manhattan-lower-rents-could-seed-recovery-11616778760?mod=searchresults_pos1&page=1

• China’s Left-Behind Kids Repeat Their Parents’ Tragic Choices | Sixth Tone: http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006704/chinas-left-behind-kids-repeat-their-parents-tragic-choices

• For China’s Middle-Aged Women, Depression Is an ‘In-visible Killer’ | Sixth Tone: http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006992/for-chinas-middle-aged-women%2C-depression-is-an-invisible-killer

Text Feature Structures

Further Reading

Optional further readings (post seminar)

• The nut graf tells the reader what the writer is up to - https://www.poynter.org/archive/2003/the-nut-graf-part-i/

• Using the feature-style structure - https://apps.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/10180/1077/3_easy_pieces_Using_the_feature_style_structure

• Structure of a Feature Story - https://www.s-lideshare.net/PiritaJuppi/structure-of-a-feature-story

• Journalism 2: Feature Writing – Story Structure - https://www.slideshare.net/EstherLeong5/journalism-2-feature-writing-story-structure

• Feature Story, How to Write One. Wall Street Journal - https://slideplayer.com/slide/5852948/

• The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on the Wall Street Journal Guide (Book) - https://www.goodreads.-com/book/show/533513.The_Art_and_Craft_of_Feature_Writing

• Refer back to seminars for more information about how to write in the narrative diamond style

Text Feature Structures

Note

• Not all long form text features need to include narrative writing, many reported pieces are much more informa-tional and/or analytical. On the IMMJMA programme, in most cases, student long form stories tend to contain a significant amount of human interest and a narrative ap-proach works well. However that’s not always the best or right approach. If you want to choose another ap-proach, go ahead. In this case, do find and study inspira-tions - and share your ideas with your tutor so they can support your process.

Text Feature Structures

HourglassText Feature Structures

THE TOP. Here you deliver the news in a summary lead, followed by three or four paragraphs that answer the reader’s most pressing questions. In the top you give the basic news, enough to satisfy a time-pressed reader and try to draw them into the longer, deeper story. You re-port the story in its most concise form. If all that is read is the top, the reader is still informed. Because it’s lim-ited to four to six paragraphs, the top of the story should contain only the most significant information.

THE TURN. Here you signal the reader that a narrative, (often chronological), is beginning. Usually, the turn is a transitional phrase that contains attribution for the narra-tive that follows: “according to police, eyewitnesses de-scribed the event this way”

THE NARRATIVE. The story has three elements: a be-ginning, middle and end. We don’t need a nut graph as the story and it’s importance should have been outlined in the lead. The bottom allows the writer to tell a com-prehensive complete with detail, quotes, narrative and background / contextual information.

The structure begins with an introduction which outlines key facts (who, what, when, where, and why), and then adds details of relevance but less importance just like in-verted pyramid structure. The story then takes a turn, (with a transition) to focus on narrative writing, this is usually the story of a specific subject who is impacted by or involved in the issue in someway. Finally there is a conclusion.

Like the inverted pyramid, this structure satisfies readers who don't complete the whole article, while continuing to engage readers with greater interest.

You also find the hourglass in broadcast TV and Radio news reporting, the narrative portion may be provided by a reporter on the scene, while the beginning and end are told by an anchor in the studio.

It can also work well for long form multimedia stories, when an audience might want to know what they are getting themselves into prior to scrolling and scanning.

Text Feature Structures

Hourglass

Examples

If you have time, scan and read one or two examples in depth. If time is too short, skip these examples and con-tinue with the main parts of the chapter.

• The Miami Herald Aug. 9,1998 https://drakej70.files.-wordpress.com/2009/09/hourglass.doc - This starts with 150 words that summarise the news event an-swering the basic what, when, where and who ques-tions. This is followed by a transition “Police and neighbours gave this account of the latest domestic violence:” After this we the longer final portion of the story details the how and why information.

• This video has a clear hourglass structure - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t487ILVf87k

• The Next Wave of ‘Unicorn’ Start-Ups - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/technology/new-wave-unicorn-start-ups.html - A longer introduction followed by a transition sentence: "Here’s a look at some of the up-and-comers”. Followed by three distinct ‘sections’ outlining three kinds of start ups, the three sections could be given in any order. (This story also fit’s into a structure that I will discuss next the Chaptered Seg-

Text Feature Structures

Further Reading

Optional further readings (post seminar). Though could be useful pre seminar if you don’t grasp this structure

• The hourglass: serving the news, serving the reader | https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2003/the-hourglass-serving-the-news-serving-the-reader/ | www.poynter.org

• How to Organise a Paper: The Hourglass Format - https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/writing/how-to-organize-a-paper/how-to-organize-a-paper-the-hour-glass-format/

Text Feature Structures

Text Feature Structures

Chaptered Seg-ments

lieve it will be useful for most students. I also invite you to add your own thoughts and ideas - and I would love you to make recommendations for further examples or even structures that I can research more in the future.

Now onto ‘chaptered segments’… The structure starts with an introductory text, which outlines some kind of broad news issue and tells the reader what they will get if they read on.

This is followed by chaptered sections of text. The seg-ments might be based on different people, different loca-tions, different times, different parts of a process, differ-ent key issues within a story, or some other kind of differ-entiating factor. Together the segments give a full pic-ture of a story and often allow for multiple perspectives.

This structure could also, sometimes, be defined as a subtype of the hourglass. Just like the example in the Hourglass section: (The Next Wave of ‘Unicorn’ Start-Ups - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/technology/new-wave-unicorn-start-ups.html).

There is sometimes a clear conclusion and other times not.

I’ll be very upfront before I go into this section.

Number one, my specialism is absolutely NOT journalistic writing. My writing skills are quite basic, and I typically stick to the diamond when I personally write a feature for journalism or communications stories. Still I love to read features especially, and in recent years I have been try-ing to analyse the shapes that writing takes in visual / digital / multimedia stories to better understand how to teach.

Number two, this 'chaptered segments’ section is my own definition - unlike the other structures found in this guide, which are well established and often written about. I did try to search for information about other kinds of text structures and specifically how text is struc-tured in various digital and multimedia journalism ap-proaches, but frankly there isn’t much out there.

Therefore, much of the rest of this guide is based on my own observations - which naturally are quite limited - and not always right! So, I invite you to view the following sections in the light that they are my personal notes and analysis, and are still in quite an early stage. Still, I be-

Text Feature Structures

Chaptered Segments

Examples

If you have time, scan and read one or two examples in depth. If time is too short, skip these examples and con-tinue with the main parts of the chapter.

• The secret language of lesbian love https://www.bbc.-co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/secret_lesbian_language - OK so this is not exactly stand alone text, but that’s not easy to find with this structure. I wouldn’t exactly call this multimedia either as the text is the driving force and the illustrations are more to accompany the story - they could even be taken out without disrupt-ing the story too much. The story starts with a very short introduction and then has 5 segments. 3 seg-ments are personal stories of three different women, they are rich with quotes and narrative. The final two

• Invisible city - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/mar/15/china.china

Text Feature Structures

Further Reading

Optional

• None so far

Text Feature Structures

This section is a work in progress. I will aim to keep analysing structures and log them here.

Text Feature Structures

Other

Examples

If you have time, scan and read one or two examples in depth. If time is too short, skip these examples and con-tinue with the main parts of the chapter.

• Made-up to look beautiful. Sent out to die - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/made_up_to_look_beautiful_sent_out_to_die - This story has 5 ‘segments’. Still, i’d say it’s closer to the diamond than the chaptered segments. The first two and final two segments profile the story of a young fe-males experience of being kidnapped by Boko Haram and being forced on a mission as a suicide bomber. The middle and longer segment delivers historical context, the scale of the issue, the current situation and the broader impacts.

Text Feature Structures

Chapter 2:

Examples of Common Text Structures Used in MM Sto-

rytelling

There is no need to read these in full prior to the seminar but do open the links and scan. Try to identify some of the classic diamond structure elements.

• Greenland Is Melting Away - A very classic diamond feature text

• China ’ s Rural Influencers - An IMMJ student project• China ’ s Ageing Migrants - An IMMJ student project

MM stories / projects which include the Dia-

mond

Common Text Structures Used in MM

There is no need to read these in full prior to the seminar but do open the links and scan. Try to identify some of the classic hourglass structure elements.

MM stories / projects which

include the Hourglass

Common Text Structures Used in MM

call it a text or a multimedia story it’s clear that its segmented into chapters.

There is no need to read these in full prior to the seminar but do open the links and scan. Try to identify some of the classic chaptered segment structure elements.

• RED ALERT: A portrait of a country and its people fighting air pollution - https://social.shorthand.com/andriuvi/jy08BFdZqP/ This IMMJ student story uses the chaptered segment approach to text, and really to the entire story as the visual elements are also placed into the segments.

• Heroin Addiction Explained: How Opioids Hijack the Brain https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/us/addiction-heroin-opioids.html - Like some others this is primarily a text story, the visuals are illustrative and evocative but are not really central to and cer-tainly do not drive the story. In any case whether we

MM stories / projects which include Chap-

tered Segments

Common Text Structures Used in MM

Chapter 3:

Text Structures Used in MM

actually be viewed independently of each other. Viewing both together makes a richer and deeper ex-perience.

2. Stories which have various media elements which are integrated and run along a single fluid narrative line. For example (Heln’s First Year https://time.com/finding-home/). In this story we can not view any single media element alone - they are integrated into a single narrative.

3. Stories which are primarily driven by a long-form feature text and have various media ele-ments interspersed to accompany and illus-trate the text at timely moments. For example (Caleb Cain was a college dropout looking for direc-tion. He turned to YouTube - https://www.nytimes.-com/interactive/2019/06/08/technology/youtube-rad-ical.html OR How Tough Is It to Change a Culture of Harassment? Ask Women at Ford - https://www.ny-times.com/interactive/2017/12/19/us/ford-chicago-sexual-harassment.html OR Why your smartphone is causing you ‘text neck’ syndrome - https://multime-dia.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2183329/text-neck/in-dex.html.

For Story type 1. You’d simply consider your text and think about which structure might work well for your

This section is not yet written and won’t be a big part of the seminar. This section will outline how certain text structures can also be applied to the overriding structure of entire digital visual / multi-media stories.

It’s not just structuring your text and other individual ele-ments that you need to consider of course. Your entire digital visual multimedia story needs some kind of overall structure.

Sometimes it’s possible to utilise a common text struc-ture to organise your entire MM story or project.

There are a few main approaches to digital multimedia stories which include a significant text element

1. Stories which have various media elements, where each media element contains a con-tained narrative. For example (Ready, Aim, Click: The Artist Reframing China’s Modern History - http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006170/ready%2C-aim%2C-click-the-artist-reframing-chinas-modern-history). In this story the text & photo or video could

Text Structures Used in MM

Text Structures Used in MM

Examples:

• This student story: RED ALERT: A portrait of a country and its people fighting air pollution - https://so-cial.shorthand.com/andriuvi/jy08BFdZqP/ Uses the chaptered segment approach to text, and really to the entire story as the visual elements are also placed into segments.

• This story also uses chaptered segments: The new coal frontier - https://www.theguardian.com/environ-ment/ng-interactive/2015/may/15/carbon-bomb-aus-tralia-the-new-coal-frontier

• Also Mekong: a river rising - https://www.the-guardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2015/nov/26/the-mekong-river-stories-from-the-heart-of-the-cli-mate-crisis-interactive

Text Structures Used in MM

Text Structures Used in MM - The Diamond

ment/ng-interactive/2015/may/15/carbon-bomb-aus-tralia-the-new-coal-frontier

• Also Mekong: a river rising - https://www.the-guardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2015/nov/26/the-mekong-river-stories-from-the-heart-of-the-cli-mate-crisis-interactive

The hourglass article begins with a factual summary of key details (5W&1H), just like the inverted pyramid structure. Then the story takes a "turn", with a clear transition, to focus on a more narrative text, which takes us through the finer de-tails and implications of a story weaving both real peoples ex-periences (human interest) as well as the facts and context, before making a final conclusion - This can be an especially useful approach in MM storytelling as it satisfies readers who don't complete the article, but might for example view the in-troduction and a primary video - but may not view further. At the same time you can continuing to engage readers with greater interest.

Examples:

• This student story: RED ALERT: A portrait of a country and its people fighting air pollution - https://so-cial.shorthand.com/andriuvi/jy08BFdZqP/ Uses the chaptered segment approach to text, and really to the entire story as the visual elements are also placed into segments.

• This story also uses chaptered segments: The new coal frontier - https://www.theguardian.com/environ-

Text Structures Used in MM

Text Structures Used in MM - The Hourglass

Please note, by segments, I do not mean simple sub-headings used to chunk longer stories. I’m referring to stories / projects which have more distinct sections.

Examples:

• The secret language of lesbian love - Here we have a very brief summary introduction, followed by a descrip-tive lead which takes us into three chapters which are sectioned by three different subjects. We also have two short chapters at the end which tie the personal stories up and deliver more general issue based info plus a conclusion.

• NPR Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt

Sometimes it can really work to structure a project into mini chapters or segments - relaying different parts of a larger story.

These kinds of stories can be quite focused linear stories or more comprehensive linear or non linear topic-based projects.

Often times the segments will centre around different people, different locations, different parts in a process or possibly different parts of a chronology. The segments can be ‘chapters’ or ‘sections’ in a scrolling story, or more distinct segments split over different pages.

In some stories /projects, the segments are really quite distinct and could be relayed in any order (non linear). A viewer might read some segments and not others. In other stories even though segments revolve around dif-ferent and distinct parts of a story, there is still some level of narrative flow and the segments really need a linear flow to make sense.

Text Structures Used in MM

Text Structures used in MM - Chaptered Segments

Text Structures Used in MM

Text Structures Used in MM - Text Chunks Over Image

Chapter 4:

Other ways of including Text

Text over image

• MM stories / projects which don't include a substan-tial text article: The Last Generation Here, there is no 'article' to speak of. Text is used to give instruc-tions and guide the reader through the story. It also add story background and issue based context.

Other ways of including Text

Further Reading

Optional, though the first read is strongly recommended.

• News-writing basics - https://www.mayfieldschools.org/Downloads/Chapter%203%20Newswriting%20basic-s.pdf. (This is quite old, but it’s great and packed full of essential tips). If you only read one further reading, it should probably be this.

• 15 News Writing Rules for Beginning Journalism Stu-dents - https://www.thoughtco.com/here-are-helpful-newswriting-rules-2074290

• Story structure and styles for investigative stories - https://www.thoughtco.com/here-are-helpful-newswrit-ing-rules-2074290. Useful for anyone doing an investi-gation.

• The Black Box system for organizing a story - https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/organize-story/black-box-system-organizing-story/ - The Black Box helps reporters sort through and prioritize the information they have

Further Reading

be pointing students to an evangelical site - but this is actually a good round up of some styles.

Further Reading

Optional

• Journalism Essentials | API - https://www.american-pressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-jour-nalism | Strongly recommend you scan through the sections on the lefthand side bar. They are short but really useful writing tips.

• Naming the Dog: The Art of Narrative Structure | The Open Notebook - https://www.theopennotebook.com/2011/09/14/art-of-narra-tive-structure/

• Narrative X-Rays: Looking at Stories ’ Structural Skeletons | The Open Notebook - https://www.theopennotebook.com/2015/10/20/narrative-x-rays-stories-structural-skeletons/

• This Wikipedia entry has a useful list and descriptions of different structures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arti-cle_structure

• A Dozen Ways to Structure your Story - https://www.e-vangelicalpress.com/structure/ - I didn’t think i’d ever

Further Reading

Glossary of Terms

Jargon: Language spoken by bureaucrats or language that is recognisable to a certain profession but not the general public. Jargon excludes people from understand-ing. Avoid it.

Journalese: The type of jargon used by journalists. Omit it.

Diamond: A story structure that begins with an anec-dote about a specific person, continues with a nut graf and general discussion, and ends with another anecdote – much like vegetables and meat on a skewer. Also called the Wall Street Journal formula because reporters from that newspaper use the structure often.

Kicker: The end of a story.

Lead (or lede): The beginning of a news story.

Hourglass (or Martini glass): A story structure that begins as an inverted pyramid but shifts into a (chrono-logical) narrative about halfway into the story. Also called the hourglass. It’s best used for stories in which chronol-ogy is important, such as crime and disaster stories.

Narrative lead: A beginning that drops the reader into the action immediately. The action often continues throughout the story.

Nut graf: Paragraph thatcontains the reason for writing the story, the reason why readers should care about the story.

Anecdotal lead: A mini story, with a beginning, middle and ending, used to ease into a topic.

AP style: The style used by the Associated Press; the in-dustry standard.

Attribution: Citing the source of information.

Bury the lead: To put the most important facts in a news story deep into the body of the story rather than at the beginning.

Circle kicker: A story ending that refers to a person or anecdote in the lead.

Clichés: Trite, worn-out phrases. Omit them.

Direct address lead: Uses the second-person voice to speak directly to the reader in feature stories.

Editors: People who read news stories and make changes in them to make them more readable.

Fair: Getting all sides of a story.

Five W’s: Who, what, when, where, why – the building blocks of every news story.

Inverted pyramid: The most basic story structure. The most important facts are placed at the top with less im-portant details following in descending order. Story struc-ture looks like an upside-down pyramid.

Glossary

Objective: Communicating by using facts, not opinions.

Question lead: A beginning that asks a question; usu-ally fails to get to the point of the story quick enough.

Quote lead: A beginning that is a direct quotation; Re-ally a good choice as it fails to summarise what hap-pened. The quote states an opinion, not a fact, and read-ers don’t know who is speaking.

Scene-setter lead: A beginning that describes sights, sounds and smells to transport the reader to another place; usually reserved for long feature stories as it lacks the urgency of the hard-news lead.

Sidebar: A short story written to accompany a longer story.

Startling statement (or zinger): A sentence that grabs readers’ attention with an astonishing fact or piece of information, daring them to continue reading.

Style: (1) The way a person writes. (2) The rules that govern punctuation, capitalization and word usage.

Summary lead: A beginning that combines the most significant of the five W’s into one sentence; used in the majority of news stories.

Glossary