UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXASDEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM

SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Art of the Interview &Working With Numbers

Today’s class

Story ideas for next weekWorking with NumbersSetting up your blogDebate Watch

Post on your blog …. 300 -500 words …

Creating a ‘Budget Line’

‘Selling your story’Capturing the ‘so what’/’who cares’Very short, clear and accurateHelps editors understand what stories are

available from all reporters

Elements of a Great Story

Action – NewsGreat Interviews Lead to Great Quotes

In person Over the phone Follow them around Be a witness Get actualities

Vivid, description

Tips for Great Interviews

Listen carefullyObserve

Capture details: Gestures, figures of speech, clothing

Write so that you appeal to all five senses: Bring the character to life

Recreate the scene Show people as they are Show how they interact with others

Elements of a Great Feature Story

Stories with a ‘voice’, a ‘tone’, a ‘narrative’Most often written in present tense instead of

pastCreative writing, but factualFeature and delayed leads, but there’s still a

‘so what’

Reader interest: What’s the most interesting thing for your reader?

Memorable item: What’s worth sharing with your reader?

Focus on a person: Is there someone who exemplifies the problem or issue. Will this person tie to your point in the nut graph?

Descriptive approach: will a description of the scene relate to the focus?

Build on a quote: Is there one to back up the leadNarrative storytelling: Can you reconstruct the

events to put the reader on the scene?

Finding Your Lead

F.O.R.K. = Focus

What’s the story? Can you tell a friend? What’s your headline

Order Sift through your notes Identify the 5 Ws Identify the sources most important to the story

How do you know that? Let’s practice:

• Police shooting? House fire? Football team wins? University President resigns? Profile of a professor?

Story Structure

Order: What are most important points/topics Several tips on creating order:

Chronological: sequence of events Topical: Most important to least important

Particularly useful when covering meetings Personality: The best quotes that best tell the story

Ending – the ‘Kicker’: Is there a quote that summarizes the story?

Story structure cont.

Repetition of Keywords As you finish one paragraph, you pick up that word or

phrase as a transition. “He got into a car and they conducted a felony vehicle

traffic stop,” Fonda said. “ They pulled him out of the car and arrested him.”• Reyes did not resist arrest; however, he tried to give

Marshals a false name but was positively identified, Fonda said.”

Keywords help: The reader understand what’s important Help you as the writer to keep focused

Story structure cont.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

Questions to ask yourself: Why am I using this number? What does it tell the reader? What’s significant about it? How does it compare/contrast with past/current

performances? Who is the source of the number? Are they the

best source? Can you get it from the original source?

Keeping It Simple

Too many numbers scare readers awayHumanize numbers:

e.g. The Denton County Commission voted to increase property taxes 2.5%, meaning that the owner of a $75,000 home would pay $25 more a year in taxes.

Wording OK: The crime rate jumped 10% last year, compared

with 15% this year BETTER: The crime rate jumped 15% this year, up

from 10% for the same period.

Calculating Percentages

Percentage Increases E.g. City Budget grew from $40,000 one year to

$50,000 the next? What’s the increase? Find the difference: $50,000 - $40,000 = $10,000 Divide the difference into the original amount:

10,000 divided by 40,000 - .25 Multiply your answer by 100: 100x .25

Your story: “The city budget grew $10,000, a 25 percent increase over last year.

Percentage Decreases

The budget was reduced from $50,000 one year to $40,000 the next. How much was that? Fine the difference: $50,000 - $40,000 = $10,000 Divide the difference into the original amount:

10,000 divided by 50,000 equals .20 Multiply your answer by 100: 100 x .20 = 20

Your story reads: The budget decreased by $10,000, a 20 percent drop from last year.

Polls & Surveys

Clearly identify the sourceCite the sample size

How was it chosen? What’s the original source of your data?

Carefully review the wording and order of the questions

Consider all the variables How was survey conducted? In person? Over the

phone? How long was each interview? Who conducted the interviews?