Monday, June 22, 2015

Maven News Writing - Sourcing

Kids, when you compile a news story, you know to follow the who, what, why, where and how format. But don't forget the "other who". That "who" is "who said so". To keep your listener's interested and give your story credibility, "sourcing" is highly important. 

See the example of a poorly-sourced story below. Aside from the badly-crafted headline, notice all of the "facts" that are stated are not attributed to anyone. Did someone or agency state these "facts" or did the writer just "make them up"?
The Maven has inserted some appropriate comments in the story. 



While the Maven isn't necessarily picking on the kids in the WOWO news room, WOWO news writing tends to yield the best examples of sub-standard fare. 

Next in the Maven's News Writing Series - How To Avoid "Cop-Talk". 



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