Advanced Newswriting & Reporting
主题目录
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Advanced
English Newswriting & Reporting: Hone your ability to report and write
breaking news and other important stories in clear, concise, compelling English.
Professor Jim Wolf, wolfj@msn.com
Class meets twice a week, October, November, 2016
Mondays: 1 pm - 2:30 pm, Building 4, Room #427
Tuesdays: 8:15 am – 9:45 am, Building 4, Room #340
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Building 1, Room #260
Online classroom: elearning.shisu.edu.cn, “Advanced Newswriting”
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The AP Stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference in English-language newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, the AP Stylebook provides fundamental guidelines for spelling, language, punctuation, usage and journalistic style. It is widely considered a vital resource for journalists working in English. A tip-sheet drawn from the AP Stylebook follows below. -
10 Resources for Writers -- a collection from the Poynter Institute's News University. As the e-learning project of The Poynter Institute, "NewsU" functions as a school for journalists, future journalists, teachers of journalism and anyone interested in the craft and values of journalism.
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Last assignment! Submit another group report, of up to 500 words, for Week 7. The deadline is 12:00 (noon) on Sunday, Nov. 27 . The group's rotating editor alone should file this report, drawing on suggestions from all group members. Pay particular attention to crafting a strong lead and making sure that there are no holes in the story. Write a headline for your piece, which should weave together more than one development in the area that you are monitoring. Make sure to include the necessary background information, such as a nut graph, so that readers have a complete picture of the latest events, in context. The rotating editor should list her name on the report on behalf of her group. Also, list links to your source material. Go back to official sources whenever possible to confirm details in published reports. All group members should review the report before it is formally submitted and make suggestions to the editor for improving it. The editor has the final say. Each member of the group will receive the same grade for the group's finished product. -
Good writing doesn't flow from adjectives and adverbs. It comes from strong verbs. To improve English-language writing, Reuters has encouraged its writers worldwide to familiarize themselves with the attached list of "useful" words -- including both verbs and adjectives. As a general rule for hard news, cut out the adjectives whenever you can. Save the adjectives for feature writing. In all cases, short words are better than long. Careful writers pay great attention to nuance, or shades of meaning. Short words are better than long. -
Here’s what the great American writer Mark Twain wrote about the importance of choosing the correct word: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
The English language includes many words that are easy to confuse or misuse. Take the short quiz below to test your knowledge of which word to use when. Then read the answers and explanations to make sure you don’t use lightning bug when you really mean lightning.