EDITORIAL

WRITING
(a walk-through)

EDITORIAL
the soul of the newspaper
(Ideally) discusses an opinion that
advances the interests of its
stakeholders: the readers

STANDPOINT
vs.

VIEWPOINT

RAISE HELL
It is no longer enough to report the fact
truthfully. It is now necessary to report
the truth about the fact.
~ Hutchins Commission (1947)

RAISE HELL
A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a
ubiquitous press must be suffered by those
in authority in order to preserve the even
greater values of freedom of expression and
the right of the people to know.
~ Judge Murray Gurfein (1947)

SNIFF PROCESS
begin where the newspaper leaves
off.
~ Vermont C. Royster

document state of mind

COLOR, LOGIC, IMAGINATION, COHERENCE
(with rhythm, tone and texture thrown in)

STUMBLING
BLOCKS
single sourcing or no source at all (I
know), missing context, missing
background, artificial dichotomy between
politics and economics, censorship and
conservatism, short attention span,
disconnect between national, regional
and local stories, ivory tower journalism

WRITING
PROCESS
IDEA.
FOCUS.
REPORT.
ORGANIZE.
DRAFT.
REWRITE.

IDEA
Brainstorm the readers questions (or, preempt
bitch-slaps)
Decide on a focus early but be flexible.
Dont reinvent the wheel. Avoid duplication.
Have a clear understanding of concepts and
technical terms.
Definitely no single-sourcing

FOCUS
Be ruthless about finding the heart of the story.
Whats your point, really?

REPORT
Remember: Iceberg effect.
Mine for gold.
Scout for whats revealing.
Statistics that illuminate, not confuse.

ORGANIZE
Think short (selection vs. compression)
Perhaps you might want to end it first for time
management and psychological reasons.
Rick Braggs Five Boxes Approach: [lead] [nut
graph] [new image] [material] [kicker].
Prepare a thesis statement.
Be a sucker for good transitions.

DRAFT
Find a narrative line.
Provide succinct background for events or
incidents.
Let the facts and clear analyses speak for
themselves instead of using pulpit bluster.
Sweat it out: write a powerful, catchy lead.
Try your hands at literary journalism.

REWRITE
Raise the bar and murder your children.
Cut like a surgeon.
Select, dont compress: Wholes, not parts.
Role play the reader.
3-30-3.
Fact-check at the end of writing, otherwise known
as covering your ass.