MC 210 midterm exam: review points
Yopp 1-7 and AP style sheets
Review the chapters in Yopp, especially the summaries and
the main topics.
Also, review the AP style handouts and info in
Yopp. There will be some questions related in general to AP style, and
you cannot use your manual for this portion of the test.
Define: Mass medium
A communication channel that brings a mix of material to a large
audience
Trends in media consumption
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Need for info/entertainment has remained constant |
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Variety of choices has increased dramatically |
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Mass audience is splintering; trend toward
specialized, highly focused media |
Changes in audience
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Growing diversity in media audiences |
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Women a slight majority |
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Less homogenous audience — in race and ethnicity, religion, social experiences,
education |
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General shift away from mass media to niche media
(narrowcasting) |
Mass media
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Concept of mass media evolved as vehicle for large-scale advertising |
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Demands that the medium respect all members of its audience and avoid offense |
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Remember: "Media" is the plural of "medium"! Combining
"media" with a singular verb (As in: "The media is out to get me!") should be
a felony. |
Trends
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Newspaper readership shrinking |
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Community-based weekly newspapers increasing circulation |
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Network TV viewership decreasing |
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Growth of "narrowcasting" and specialty publications |
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Radio competing with iPods, CDs and satellite radio |
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"Time shifting" affecting television -- local
plus network and cable/satellite channels |
Newspaper terms
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Hard news (or breaking news) |
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Feature and news feature (What's the difference
between these?) |
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Banner headline |
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Dateline |
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Masthead |
News elements
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5 W's and H |
Leads
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Contain the KERNEL, or heart of story |
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Major facts summarized in "nut graf" |
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Summarize essential information for "scanners" |
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Flag down reader/viewer and capture attention |
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Headline serves same function in even more abbreviated form.
Newspaper headlines usually include subject + verb |
Lead Formula
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WHO & WHAT go in first sentence |
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WHO is usually a label identified in first graf; full
identification follows in second graf (or beyond) |
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WHERE & WHEN are also included in most cases. They're short ... take little space.
Sometimes they're merely implied. |
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HOW & WHY appear in lead only when more colorful or compelling. |
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Standard format for first paragraph: WHO does WHAT WHERE WHEN |
Inverted pyramids
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What are they? Why does this form of story
organization serve the needs of both editors and audiences? |
4-paragraph formula:
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Tell the essential message in four paragraphs of reasonable length.
A. Lead summarizes information
Next few paragraphs back up lead (total: 2-4
grafs)
B. Next graf: background & additional important info |
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Develop news value(s) introduced in lead.
C. Next graf: info of less importance about topic in lead
D. Final graf: least important info (could be cut) |
News peg: reason for writing the story
NOW
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Why write and read this story? Why write and read it now? |
Nut graf: Key paragraph (or two) that spells out the news peg
as well as kernel of story
Direct lead
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News peg is in first one or two paragraphs |
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Summarize essential info in first 1-2 grafs |
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Pattern: Subject - verb - object - where - when |
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Delayed identification: Introduce "who" as label spell out in 2nd graf |
Familiar rhythm for short hard-news stories:
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Para #1 Label lead (who1) + action + where + when |
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Para #2 Formal identification (who2) + more details |
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Para #3 Quote about main point in lead (reaction?) |
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Para #4 More details. |
Delayed lead (news feature)
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News peg still must be made clear in top 4 to 6 graphs
(When it's deeper in the story, the reader may get lost.) |
Types of Delayed Leads (all features)
Delayed leads
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Bait the hook ... then set it.
Use 1-4 grafs setting the scene
.... then nut graf contains standard W's |
Anecdotal leads
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Human interest |
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Set up with brief story ... actually have a plot. |
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May return to the story at midpoint of article |
Descriptive leads
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Set the scene ... what it looks/sounds/feels/smells like |
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Adds human element to story |
Question leads
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The lazy writer's way out ... try to avoid them |
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... especially those that can be answered, "and who cares?" |
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Straw man lead ... never!
"You'd think that the average college student spends hours every
night completing assignments. If you're talking about Kevin, you'd be wrong!" |
Quotation leads
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"Arty" use only if one statement seems to sum up the whole interview |
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Avoid quoting well-known people ... few are as well-known as you think. |
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Exception: Sometimes you get a "nugget" |
Affective leads
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Make readers "feel" the impact of abstract subject through one individual. |
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Don't make up phony people & incidents |
Direct address leads
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Talks directly to reader. |
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Common in "service copy" (news you can use) |
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Shows up in features; rare in news |
News Values
Qualities that are of interest to people or that are satisfying in some way. Used by
editors in "grading" stories in order of importance to their own audiences.
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1. Prominence |
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2. Timeliness |
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3. Proximity (very important to local & regional media) |
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4. Impact |
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5. Magnitude |
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6. Conflict |
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7. Oddity |
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8. Human interest |
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Currency — topics that have captured public's
interest at the moment |
Sources
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1. Primary or first-degree sources (participants) |
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2. Secondary or second-degree sources (witnesses
and others with knowledge of the event) |
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3. Experts |
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4. The public (reaction from uninvolved
individuals) |
AP Stylebook
Pay special attention to these issues, as covered on
worksheets:
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Numbers — Rule of Nine and exceptions |
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Days and dates |
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Street addresses and city/state combos |
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Titles and capitalization |
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Media names |
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Abbreviations
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10/05/2009
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