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Feature and Novelty Leads
The Body - 14130_33

Journalist 3 & 2 - Introduction to Journalism and other reporting practices
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the  name  of  a  ship  or  an  airplane,  give  its  type  or classification. Impersonal  identification  maybe  used  in  the  lead when  the  news  subject  consists  of  several  persons unfimiliar to the reader, such as groups or organizations. Nonspecific whats, wheres and whens may also be used depending on the news circumstances. Authority   is  the  source  from  which  quotes  and information originate in a story. Like identity, it should be  used  in  the  lead  only  when  necessary.  Never  use authority in a story when the source of information is clearly  implied. The  following  is  an  example  of  a  lead  in  which authority is necessary: Longer  tours,  fewer,  shorter  and less   expensive   moves   can   all   be expected  by  Navy  people  for  the  rest of  this  fiscal  year,  according  to  Vice Adm.  David  Bagley,  Chief  of  Naval Personnel. Attributing  this  statement  to  the  Chief  of  Naval Personnel gives it authority, because the admiral is in a position to know and speak about such matters. Contrary  to  popular  belief,  people  do  not  believe “everything” they read in newspapers. Many of them, as a matter of fact, challenge any statement that conflicts with their preconceived opinions. Using authority in a story   helps   you   overcome   this   natural   skepticism. Sometimes   people   will   believe   certain   facts   more readily if they know or respect the person to whom they are  attributed. What follows are two simple rules governing the use of authority in a news story:      Use it when it appears that the reader may chal- lenge a statement. support or emphasis to the facts. In the Navy, the authority for many statements is frequently implied. If a story obviously deals with Navy ships,  Navy  personnel  or  Navy  equipment,  it  is  often unnecessary  to  use  “The  Navy  announced  today”  or similar   expressions.   If   a   newspaper   editor   feels   a statement must be attributed to the Navy, the editor will insert the authoritative source. It is a bad practice for this phrase to be inserted in every story merely for the sake of using it or just to get the word “Navy” into the story. It is also particularly bad for every news release to be attributed to the captain or admiral by name, especially when   the   subject   of   the   story   is   remote   from   his immediate interest. transition from the lead to the body of the story is a bit Use  it  when  the  name  of  the  authority  lends 2-16 For  a  wrap-up  on  preparing  the  lead,  you  should keep the following four objectives in mind:   Present a summary of the story   Identify persons and places involved   Stress the news peg    Stimulate the reader to continue reading the story THE BRIDGE Assuming you have written the lead for a story, what do  you  do  next?  In  some  stories,  you  will  find  the awkward. To smooth this transition, you use a writing device known as a bridge. A  bridge  is  a  connecting  sentence  or  paragraph between the lead and the body of the story. Although it is  not  always  required,  it  can  serve  several  useful purposes. For instance, in the bridge, you can place facts that are too detailed for the lead and too important to be placed lower in the story. Note the following example: Novelty   Lead:   For   sale:   One guided  missile  destroyer. Bridge: The Navy is thinking about inserting  this  advertisement  in  the nation’s   newspapers.   The   guided missile  destroyer  USS  Benjamin Stoddert,  which  is  no  longer  fit  for active  service,  will  be  scrapped  next month. Note that the writer used a freak lead to introduce his story. The entire lead consists of only six words, and the effect is good. The lead obviously would not be as effective  if  all  the  facts  were  presented  in  the  first paragraph. Abridge also can bring the reader up to date on past and  present  events  related  to  the  story  by  the  use  of tie-backs and tie-ins. Tie-Back A tie-back is a newswriting device that allows you to refresh the reader’s memory about past events related to  the  story  being  written.  It  frequently  is  used  in follow-up  stories  (see  Chapter  5).  Consider  the  example that  follows: Lead:  The   U.S.   Coast   Guard icebreaker Northwind, with the help of U.S.  icebreakers  Glacier,  Staten  Island and the Canadian icebreaker







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