Grab the attention
of the listener/viewers in the opening line. Tell them why they should
care...but don't go into too much detail. Think: if I were to tell a friend,
in a crowded restaurant, why they should care about this story; what would
I say?
Read your copy aloud.
Write in a conversational style. Write the way people talk, but use correct
grammar.
Write simple sentences.
Avoid compound sentences.
Put one important
thought in each sentence.
Use present tense
when possible. Avoid time references unless necessary. Today is assumed.
Keep the time reference close to the verb.
Avoid dependent clauses
at the beginning of sentences.
Put titles in front
of names. NEVER put a title or identification phrase after the name.
Richmond Mayor Ann Durham not Ann Durham, mayor of Richmond.
Do not use quotation
marks for speech.(that's what acutalities are for!) And do not say quote
. . .unquote. Convert quoted speech to indirect quotation.
Put the speaker before
the quote. Attribution before assertion.
NO: The state is in debt the governor said. YES: The governor said the state
is in debt.
Avoid starting the story
with the names of unfamiliar people.
Avoid starting the story
with specific large numbers. Round off numbers. Don't use meaningless
numbers. Make sure important numbers relate to the audience: A five-story
building may be more visual than saying it is 65 feet tall.
Don't abbreviate.
However you can use common acronyns like FBI or CIA. Where initials are to
be used and each letter pronounced, place dashes between the letters. N-C-A-A
I-R-S
Don't use symbols.
Write out percent, dollars, cents...
*with thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Fraas, Eastern Kentucky University. Her list is
here
