The news-story as a whole is generally very simply organized. In the
lead, as has been said, are given all the principal facts of the story,
including in the first sentence or the first paragraph at latest the
five essentials. If there are other facts so interesting that they
ought to be brought before the reader in this first account, they may
be added, before the “body” of the story is reached. If the editor has
asked for a longer story than is made by these facts, the reporter
can go back to the beginning of the happening and give an account of
the whole thing, following the time sequence and being careful not to
repeat the material already incorporated in the lead.
In the story of a FIRE, for instance, the lead would include, besides
the most interesting fact in the whole story, the five essentials as
to WHAT burned, WHERE, WHEN, and HOW. If there were other interesting
circumstances, these would now be given, together with the total
damages, insurance, etc. In the body of the story would be given the
origin of the fire, who discovered the fire, who gave the alarm, what
companies responded, narrow escapes, other houses threatened, what was
saved, etc. If there are deaths in the fire, that fact will generally
be made the feature of the story and the same is true of rescues.
In the case of an ACCIDENT, the names of the dead or seriously wounded
will generally be featured, unless there are too many of them, in which
case the number itself would be placed first. In a story like this, the
names of the dead and wounded are often placed in a “box” at the head
of the story, with the addresses, ages, occupations, of the people so
that they can be quickly identified by the reading public. The five
essentials are given, with particular stress laid on the WHO, so that,
as has been pointed out, a full identification can readily be made by
those interested. If more is needed, a detailed account of the accident
can be given, with verbatim account from the people themselves if
possible, or from witnesses. The names of those who rendered assistance
are given, the attending physician, and to what hospital the wounded
were taken. This last is naturally very important, as friends or
relatives who have not previously heard of the accident will wish to
know this fact immediately.
In the account of a MEETING, after the lead, which will tell where
and when the meeting took place and for what purpose, besides bringing
out the most interesting feature of the whole story, will come the
chronological story of the meeting, with at least the main parts of
the various speeches. Direct quotation is generally most desirable
for at least a part of the speech. As was pointed out before, the
specific is what the public wants; and when the reader sees quotation
marks, he feels that he is getting real news from the meeting. For the
same reason, these direct quotations are placed at the beginning of a
paragraph. They tend to liven a story and should be placed where the
reader’s eye will easily light on them. Expressions such as “he said,”
“continued the speaker,” “demanded Mr. Jones,” etc., should be buried
in the body of the paragraph, as being less important.
SPORTS stories always give the results of a game first, with the WHY or
HOW element played up if possible. The five essentials are given, and
in the lead are also given any particularly interesting facts which the
reader would want to know first before going on with the rest of the
story. Then the account is taken up round by round, inning by inning,
quarter by quarter, etc., and a more or less detailed statement of each
play is given. Finally the line-up on each side is given, with names of
officials, etc.
Accounts of TRIALS are generally begun with the final decision, with
the five essentials, as in other stories, and with especial care
manifested once more in the matter of the WHO.
The reporter must be very careful in this matter of identification in
such cases, as in case he says it was Charles D. Mazuma of the X.Y.Z.
railroad office who is on trial, whereas in fact it was a Charles L.
Mazuma of the D.E.F. Interurban lines, he lays his paper open to heavy
damages. Direct or indirect quotation of evidence is frequently given,
in cases which particularly interest the public.
Another type of story in which the reporter must exercise great care
is the CRIME story. The five essentials are all most important here and
the most interesting element will be featured as usual. The HOW and the
WHY are always interesting in cases of this kind, or in case they are
unknown, statements of opinion may be quoted or given as the general
belief. In case of murder, the name of the victim will generally be
featured, although in case the murderer is a prominent figure in the
community, his name would very likely be put first. But the thing that
must be borne in mind all the time while writing a crime news-story
is the fact that the man has not yet been convicted of the crime, and
consequently we must be careful not to try him in the columns of our
newspaper, or convict him in our news-accounts. This means that we
must not say that So-and-So stole a watch, for that fact is not yet
proven before a court of law. If he has confessed to it, all right.
But otherwise all that we know is that he has been CHARGED with that
offense, and we must be careful to go no further. This is the reason
why you will find newspaper stories of crimes so hedged about with such
expressions as “it is alleged” and “is said to have.” Until he has been
tried, a man is an alleged thief only, and the reporter must remember
that fact, else his paper may find itself with a pretty libel suit on
its hands, with damages in the tens of thousands.
If the WHO is not known in a crime story, that very fact is
interesting, and possible clues and suspects may be given in the lead.
In the body of the story, an account may be given of the discovery of
the crime, the calling of the police, their investigations. Quotations
from police or victims may be given, or from people arrested in
connection with the affair. Witnesses of crimes may be quoted verbatim
or indirectly. It is not necessary to make the story more sensational
than it is. Here, as elsewhere, good reporting consists in the clear
statement of facts, set down in terms of specific observations. The
reporter should at all times remain what his name implies, one that
brings reports of things seen and heard. His own opinions should be
kept in the background at all times, and nowhere more so than in this
type of story.
The INTERVIEW, as a form of news writing, follows the same lines
as the other types of stories already considered, and is similarly
organized. The five essentials come in, although be it noticed that
the HOW generally entails a physical description of the man or woman
being interviewed. The feature is very frequently drawn from this
description, or from some noteworthy remark which is quoted directly.
The interviewer’s questions are rarely inserted, or if they are, they
are quoted indirectly. The body of the story consists very largely of
quotation, and the main problem here is generally to gain sufficient
variety to hold the interest. Such slight changes as are necessary to
put important words first in the sentence are allowable. If a prominent
banker says, “I think that labor is being unjustly hindered,” you are
perfectly justified in putting it in the more forceful form, “Labor
is, I think, being unjustly hindered.” So long as the thought of the
speaker is accurately represented, the reporter is within his bounds.
What is commonly called SOCIETY NEWS generally features the names of
the people involved. Guests, decorations, clothing, music, chaperons,
entertainment, speakers, toasts, etc., are given in the body of the
story. Insofar as amateur theatrical performances and local talent
concerts also come under the head of society, they will be treated in
much the same fashion. The most interesting feature will sometimes
lie in the scenery, treatment, subject, etc., which will tend most
effectively to distinguish this particular performance from other
recent entertainments of the same sort. At the end the program is often
simply pasted on the sheet of copy-paper, to be printed entire. In
announcing engagements and marriages the reporter must protect himself
against the quasi-jokers who sometimes send in fake items of this kind
about their acquaintances.
OBITUARIES almost invariably begin with the name of the person who
has died. The time and place of the death, with cause, are given in
the lead. The time and place of interment are given, as are also
the names of the surviving family. Following this commonly comes a
detailed account of the life of the deceased, sometimes set off from
the foregoing by a dash. In all big papers there are well-organized
files of the lives of men and women prominent in the community, state,
nation, or internationally, and on this “morgue” the reporter can draw
when he must write an obituary.