MEJO 153 STUDY GUIDE UNC WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS

What are the roadblocks to reaching audiences? Explain why is is a hinderance and could prevent us from reaching our audience?'' 1. Media and info glut: infinite competition; users can choose from such an array of material 2. Hectic lifestyles: audiences today are busier than ever with multiple commitments to work, family, and leisure. 3. Diversity of audiences: society increasingly diverse; media writers work to keep up with changes in audience as well as audience needs/interests 4. Unfriendly messages: message that bores an audience or takes too long to understand can be greatest roadbloack; messages must be readable, compelling, clear, simple What are the primary forms of info gathering? What are the downfalls of each? 1. Interviewing: sensitive subjects, tough questions, emotions, unresponsiveness, quoting correct, off the record 2. Library and Online Research: accuracy, authority, currency, audience, agenda 3. Other Sources (observation: nonverbal communication, general observation, participant observation, seeing isn't enough): descriptions can create bias, perspective, feelings could influence writing Assessing the info you have gathered, what is the primary question the writer must ask? Why do they care? Main stages of the writing process: 1. Stage 1: info gathering - variety of sources 2. Stage 2: thinking and planning - determines angle and focus 3. Stage 3: listing - lists facts/ideas; ranks info, guides structure of message, texts began to shape 4. Stage 4: Writing the message as you would tell it - creation of first version of message 5. Stage 5: rewriting - improving message; message streamlined to reach audience 6. Stage 6: sharing - gives better idea of how audience will react 7. Stage 7: polishing - mechanical aspects of writing are accurate and clear News Values 1. Prominence → famous people, well-known 2. Timeliness → recent events 3. Proximity → close to area 4. Impact → how it affects you 5. Magnitude → reach, how many people it reaches 6. Conflict → fighting, disagreeing, differences of opinion 7. Oddity → strange news 8. Emotional Impact → pulls at your heartstrings, identify with someone Types of Leads 1. Summary lead: tells or summarizes the most important info (complete leads, multiple-element leads, delayed-identification leads) 2. anecdotal or affective leads: illustrate how one person has been affected, then abstract becomes real 3. descriptive leads: puts emotion or human element into message, sets scene; Danger: writers lose audience 4. question leads: rarely successful, should be avoided, lazy way out 5. quote leads: use sparingly, rarely does someone sum up an entire speech or decision 6. direct address leads: leads straight to consumer or reader; gives advice story structures inverted pyramid, chronological, numerical, mapped, hourglass inverted pyramid news elements (5 W's, H) Supporting details least important; inverted pyramid retains value today when messages are short and more direct; growth of online news consumption has made inverted pyramid more important than ever; readers want to know quickly the point of the message/its relevance hourglass news elements (5 W's, H); order of descending importance; support; TURN; narrative; chronological order chronological telling events in the same order which they occurred - used for breaking news stories mapped format indicates points of interest within the message, just as a map includes highlights for readers; format aids readers in finding info of interest to them in long stories; organized into sections; first is inverted pyramid lead, then followed by a series of subheads using action verbs that define categories of info numerical format organize a message numerically or by points; ex: writer would list in a multiple-element lead the actions taken and the votes, setting up three points to be expanded on in the same order for story body news peg talked about when developing stories; what the writer hangs the story on; reason for writing the message!! GOES IN NUT GRAPH nut graph the paragraph that defines the point the writer is making; then, the rest of the message expands and clarifies the singular idea in the nut graph; some cases, lead is nut graph (particularly if it is a summary lead) NUT GRAPH needs to be in the 3rd, 4th, 5th paragraph transitions cues for readers; they set up changes in location, time, mood and keep the readers from getting lost or confused When should you reference race or ethnicity in a story? if it's relevant what can be done about bias? 1. describe people as individuals, instead of labeling them within a group 2. educate yourself 3. be aware of your biases warning signs of bias bias attributes certain characteristics to women, men, people with disabilities, children, older people, members of ethnic or racial groups; labels are dangerous; often offensive and usually imply inferiority; can exclude or oppress; adjectives and nouns ascribed to people bc of where they live, political beliefs, sexual orientation, religion how to fix bias disabilities: explain limitations and why someone must overcome then or explain what happened; don't say old/frail (ageism); don't say confined by or trapped Freedom of Information Act Congress passed law in 1967 that states anyone is allowed to make a written request for info from any federal agency, but not all info is available when FOIA won't work.... if public record pertain to... 1. national defense/foreign policy 2. internal personnel rules, practices of agency 3. medical files (privacy) 4. law enforcement purposes (would harm case) 5. geophysical info that could lead to oil wells What is the #1 defense that writers can use to protect themselves against a libel suit the truth What kind of questions should you ask? Open ended, to avoid yes no answers, get better quotes (quality, not quantity) If a source says information that is "off the record," what should be your immediate response? STOP INTERVIEW and ask them what they mean by off the record What does off the record mean? (several things) - I don't want you to use this at all - You can use this, but attribute anonymously - Just use this as background, and I want you to dig around What word describes a writer's re-use of material originally written or discovered by others without proper attribution to that person? plagiarism what is potentially wrong with online research? - Currency (dated/old info) - Audience (too complex for audience?) - Agenda (biased - who is behind it?) - Accuracy (bad data, incorrect) - Authority (credibility, who wrote it?)