6 Tips for Writing About Live Events

6 Tips for Writing About Live Events Writing about live events like meetings, forums and speeches can be tricky for newbie reporters. Such events are often unstructured and even a bit chaotic, so its up to the reporter to give the story structure and order. Here are tips for doing just that. 1. Find Your Lede The lede of a live event story should focus on the most newsworthy and/or interesting thing that occurs at that event. Sometimes thats obvious: If Congress votes to raise income taxes, chances are thats your lede. But if its not clear to you whats most important, interview knowledgeable people after the event to see what they think is most important. 2. Avoid Ledes That Say Nothing Ledes that say nothing go look like this: A) The Centerville city council met last night to discuss the budget. Or B) A visiting expert on dinosaurs gave a talk last night at Centerville College. Neither of these ledes tells us much beyond the fact that the town council and the dinosaur expert talked about something. This leads to my next tip. 3. Make Your Lede Specific and Informative Your lede should give readers specific information about what happened or was said at the event. So instead of the say-nothing ledes, we wrote above, get specific: A) Members of the Centerville town council argued last night over whether to slash the budget or raise taxes for the coming year. B) A giant meteorite was probably responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, an expert said last night. See the difference? 4. Don't Write About Events Chronologically This is the classic mistake made by newbie reporters. They cover an event, say a school board meeting, and write about it in chronological order. So you end up with stories that read something like this: The Centerville School Board held a meeting last night. First, board members said the pledge of allegiance. Then they took attendance. Board member Janice Hanson was absent. Then they discussed how cold the weather has been lately, and.... See the problem? No one cares about all that stuff, and if you write the story that way youll bury your lede in the 14 paragraph. Instead, put the most interesting and newsworthy stuff at the top of your story, and the less interesting stuff lower down- no matter what order it occurs in. 5. Leave Out the Really Boring Stuff Remember, youre a reporter, not a stenographer. Youre under no obligation to include in your story absolutely everything that happens at the event youre covering. So if theres something boring that youre pretty sure your readers wont care about- like the school board members discussing the weather- leave it out. 6. Include Plenty of Direct Quotes​ This is the other mistake made by new reporters. They cover meetings or speecheswhich are basically about people talkingbut then turn in stories with few if any direct quotes in them. This makes for stories that are just plain boring. Always liven up event stories with plenty of solid, direct quotes from the people who are speaking.

Marc Antonys Speech In Caesar Essays - Julius Caesar, Free Essays

Marc Antony's Speech In Caesar Essays - Julius Caesar, Free Essays Marc Antony's Speech In Caesar In just a few words, a complete portrait of a character can be formed. As in all Shakespearean drama, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is masterful in its technique of characterization and eloquence. In Marc Antonys famous speech to the plebeians after Caesars death, he repeatedly states that Brutus is an honorable man (3.2.89). The quote, which can be taken both on a literal and nonliteral level, reveals much about the character of Brutus. Not only does Antonys quote point, obviously, to the fact that Brutus is seen as an honorable man, but in its tone and application, it also raises questions as to whether this honor is duly placed. Marcus Brutus is seen by all of Rome, including himself, as an upstanding man of the state. He has learned to take pride in his reputation and is eager to use his distinguished status to every possible advantage. After Caesars assasination, Brutus gains the attention of the people by asking them to Believe [him] for [his] honor and have respect to [his] honor that [they] may believe (3.2.14-16). He knows that he is seen as possessing nobility and uses this image to sway the minds of the commoners. Since he is honorable, after all, then all of his decisions must also be both honorable and true. Antony, however, sees the self-important side of Brutus that has developed. He notices Brutus unassuming hubris and uses it against him. Through repeatedly stating the idea that Brutus is an honorable man in his speech, and then pointing out the fact that Brutus is claiming to be so honorable because he murdered Caesar, Antony quickly dissuades the people from Brutus line of thought to his own. Although it is apparent that Brutus is perceived as a respectable member of the Roman community, this respect by the people is not strong enough to hold when Brutus takes his supposed moral obligations too far and murders his friend. Brutus reputation, although sound, is not sound enough to cover such blatantly faulty motives: motives that serve his own conceited conscience rather than serving the concerns and fears of the citizens of Rome. Antony may have also noticed (and be using the knowledge in his speech) that Cassius flattery, as well as the flattery of the other conspirators, has finally made its mark on Brutus. From the beginning of act one, Cassius attempts to lure Brutus into the Caesar assassination plot through flattery. Why should [Caesars] name be sounded more than yours? Cassius asks Brutus (1.2.143). Weigh them, Cassius says, Brutus, is as heavy; conjure with em, Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar (1.2.146-147). For a man of such nobility, it is strange that Brutus reacts so considerably to the praise that Cassius so easily offers. Brutus never questions Cassius reasons for the murder conspiracy. He sees them as true. The only predicament he has in killing Caesar lies solely in the idea that Caesar is his friendnot that Caesar does not possess the characteristics of ambition that Cassius convinces Brutus are viable reasons for conspiracy. Since Brutus image of himself has gained in intensity t hrough the flattery of others, he comes to the point that he sees no wrong in his actions because they do come from such an upstanding member of Romehimself. Brutus allows his self-assuredness to balloon into conceit, and, no doubt, sets himself to be trapped by Antonys speech to the plebeians. Brutus believes that all men who respect his dignity must share the same values as himself. He loves Caesar, but since Caesar does not share the same ideals for Rome that Brutus does, Brutus finds sufficient reason to slay him. Antony states that all the conspirators save only [Brutus] did what they did in envy of great Caesar (5.5.69-70). Brutus in no way envies Caesar. He is merely afraid of Caesars growing power and how Caesar may attempt a dictatorship in Brutus beloved Rome. However, since Cassius appears to uphold the same standards as himself, Brutus states that [Cassius] does love [him], [he] is nothing jealous (1.2.163). Since he is allegedly so honorable, Brutus believes that only those with values in line with his are worth his complete

Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Germany - Essay Example As per Benjamin Freedman, the Zionists which consisted of the Jews from Germany were the main people, who wanted America to enter the Second World War, to fight against Germany and help Britain. Hence the Zimmermann telegram could have been just a pretext. Till then America had been very much neutral in the war and was having trading ties with Great Britain. 2. Woodrow Wilson pointed out that, the entry of US in its war against Germany would automatically pull them into the Second World War, which would mark the beginning of a new era of bloodshed and arrogance on the part of the US. Thus if the US had remained out of the war, it would have made Germany become a superpower and dominate the world affairs. ( www.eyewitnesstohistory.com ) Thus history had changed its course due to the US participation in the war, which made it much powerful due its military might and a superpower of the world. Thus US would have been a much peaceful nation and would not have made many countries its enemy, if it had kept out of the Second World