The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland

Basic Public Affairs Specialist CourseNewswriting

1

Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

Write an advance news story The military can spend millions on events to help boost morale and involve the community, but it won’t help anything if no one attends. The advance story is critical in notifying the public of the event ahead of time and increasing participation. It has the widest target audience of all the news stories, and you will be the one who most likely writes that story.

Photo courtesy of Defense Imagery

Advance News Story Newswriting

The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs2

Home | Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

Purpose The advance story, whether it’s internal or external, publicizes an upcoming event such as an open house, concert, comedy show, air show, seminar or luncheon. Readers and local media are always interested in major events on your installation. These events are usually open to the public, and media usually are invited to cover them. Small events, such as seminars or luncheons, are generally not large enough to provide more information than what will fit in small three- to four-paragraph news briefs. Large events, such as open houses,

cultural awareness events, community fairs or celebrity performances, will require a full, detailed story.

Ultimately, the writer is responsible for providing clear, accurate information to readers about the event. In these types of stories, some writers may be tempted to “gush” and write with exaggerated enthusiasm, but this should be avoided.

Example of gushing:

“The fair will offer bigger and better attractions than ever before.” Or, “The event will provide fun and surprises for everyone who attends.”

Advance News Story Newswriting

The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 3

Home | Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

Basic Structure When constructing an advance story, you must develop strong local angles, noting events or items that will be of particular interest. The inverted pyramid structure is typically appropriate for the advance story. Consider the elements of mass appeal when you are formulating your lead. Emphasize the magnitude of the story or stress the unusual, depending on the topic. The lead will generate interest by stating the most notable parts of the event first. Avoid a “Come one, come all” approach and don’t use opinionated words like “spectacular” or tremendous” without attribution. Journalists must be accurate and impartial above all else, and such terms are distinctly based on an individual’s point of view.

y The lead should contain the most important W’s -- specifically the who, what, when and where of the news peg.

y If the event is open to the public, that information is typically of great importance to your external audience. If the event is free and open to the public, the lead can begin with

the words, “A free, public _____ is scheduled …” If a celebrity or other well-known person is making an appearance, that may also be considered for the lead emphasis.

y Be specific and concise, especially when describing what is happening, where on post it is taking place, when it will happen and who will participate. Make sure to have the time and the date included in the lead if possible.

y Indicate in the lead the event is “planned” or “scheduled.” Avoid making positive statements in the lead, like “will be,” because the event may be canceled. However, once this is made clear, use the definitive term throughout the rest of the story.

The bridge should conform to the guidelines in WAITS. You may choose to highlight another important W, provide attribution, include identification, tie-back to a previous story or include significant secondary facts. Remember, the bridge

Country music singer Wynonna Judd is scheduled to perform a free, public show at 7 p.m. Friday at the post pavilion. Judd’s performance is part of a national United Service Organizations tour, which began in May.

A free, public open house is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday on the parade field across from the post headquarters building. Country music singer Wynonna Judd is scheduled to perform a free, public show at 7 p.m. Friday at the post pavilion.

Photo

court

esy

of D

efen

se I

mag

ery

Advance News Story Newswriting

The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs4

Home | Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

should be one sentence, 25-30 words. The writer should choose the most important facts or details available, which usually include information about another highlight at the event or an important guest speaker or display.

The body of the story should contain the rest of the information organized in descending order of importance. Include activities and their specific times. If there are special displays that can only be seen

The U.S. Marine Band, also known as “The President’s Own,” will play military and patriotic songs throughout the day, beginning at 10 a.m. Tanks, aircraft and other military equipment will be on display on the parade field. The southern entrance to the post is on Mapes Road and Route 175. Signs will direct visitors to the event and parking areas. Free parking will be available at the commissary parking lot.

at a specific time, include that information as well. Many events include food vendors and merchants – if so, give readers an outline of what they should expect to be available. Also include any pertinent additional facts such as the expected attendance of the event, success of similar events in the past, and any command messages relevant to the event. You may also include directions to the event and any parking information.

Official military illustration

Advance News Story Newswriting

The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 5

Home | Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

You have had a couple of assignments in which you’ve used quotes, but there are some guidelines to follow in order to use quotes correctly and effectively. Each new speaker should be quoted in a separate paragraph. Example:

“Never place quotes from two speakers in the same paragraph,” said Sarah L. Hood, the academic director for the public affairs department at the Defense Information School here.

“Even if it’s short?” asked Pvt. John F. Rojas, a student at the school.

“Yes,” Hood answered.

Place the attribution after the first sentence in a quote.

Example:

“When the quote is two or more sentences in the same paragraph, attribute it after the first sentence,” said Brian M. Hibbard, a journalism instructor at the Defense Information School here. “Don’t make the reader wait until the end of the paragraph to discover who is speaking.”

According to the Associated Press Stylebook, in general, avoid partial quotes. If a speaker’s words are clear and concise, favor the full quote. If cumbersome language can be paraphrased fairly, use and indirect construction, reserving quotation marks for sensitive or controversial passages that must be identified specifically as coming from the speaker.

Avoid quotation marks around words you want to emphasize. Unless someone said it, don’t enclose it in quotes. Example: The school has had a “whopping” increase in attrition.

The mechanics of Quotes and Attribution

The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs

Basic Public Affairs Specialist CourseNewswriting

6

Conclusion

Home | Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

Throughout your career, you will write advance news stories to publicize events on your installation. Through your work as a journalist, you can have an impact on the success of the event. If your story is informative and engaging, more people will be interested in the event.

Advance News Story Newswriting

The Defense Information School, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 7

References

Home | Purpose | Basic Structure | Quotes and Attribution

Goldstein, N. (2007). Associated Press style book and briefing on media law. Associated Press, New York

Harrigan, J. & Dunlap, K. (2003). The editorial eye. Bedford/St. Martins, New York, New York 10010

Baskette, F., Sissors, J. & Brooks, B. (1997). The art of editing (6th ed.)

Hohenberg, J. (1983). The professional journalist. Cengage Learning, Florence, KY.

Mencher, M. (1999). News reporting and writing (8th ed.). The McGraw-Hill Companies,

Seitel, F. (1994). The practice of public relations (6th ed.). Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference.

Lieter, K., Johnson, S., & Harriss, J. (1999). The complete reporter: Fundamentals of new gathering, writing, and editing. Pearson

Itule, B., & Anderson, D. (2002). News writing and reporting for today’s media (6th ed.). The McGraw-Hill Companies Ward, H. (1985). Professional newswriting. Harcourt College Publishers.

Agee, W., Ault, P., & Emery, E. (1983). Reporting & writing the news. Harper & Row, New York.

Fedler, F., Bender, J., & Davenport, L. (2000). Reporting for the media. Oxford University Press, Cary, NC. Rich, C. (1999). Writing and reporting news: A coaching method. Wadsworth Publishing, Florence, KY.