Writing and Editing Online

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CHAPTER 7
Writing and Editing Online
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Overview

• Introduction to writing for online readers
• Concept of scanning
• Presentation of online journalism stories
• Online story forms
• How to update online stories

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Introduction to Writing for Online Media

• The written word is the heart of online
  journalism
• Old rules of journalism still apply
• Some unique considerations exist

4
Scanning

• Online readers scan rather than read
• Reading material from a computer screen takes
  longer and is more tiring
• People will read online information if it is
  written and presented well

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Writing for the Online Reader

• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Subheads and bolding
• Bullet points and lists
• Voice

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Story Structures

• Inverted pyramid
• Chronological
• Narrative
• Thematic

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Text-Based Online Story Forms

• Print plusa print story with some Web-exclusive
  features added
• Layered stories by detail
• Layered stories by topic

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Layering Stories

• By detail
• Headline
• Summary deck
• Main story
• Advanced elements
• By topic
• Chunking
• Linear or nonlinear story flow

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A Story Layered by Detail
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A Story Layered by Topic
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Updating Online Stories

• Online readers expect updated information,
  especially in breaking stories.
• Inverted pyramid story style can be modified or
  restructured easily.
• Key is to integrate new information smoothly into
  storykeep most important information near the
  beginning.

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Journalism 2.0 - Chpt. 6 How to Report News for
the Web

• Its your job to supply the home page of your Web
  site with that breaking news so be ready to use
  the multimedia tools now available to you to
  report the story immediately.
• Similar to wire service reporting -write stories
  in takes

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• Time and relevance
• Write lively and tight
• Try humor different styles or attitudes
• Use time stamps
• Headlines sell the story
• Good headlines not only ought to tell the news,
  but also ought to make the reader want to read
  the story, said Rick Arthur, The News Tribune in
  Tacoma.

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Good headlines

• Make the reader want to know more.
• Use conversational language.
• Take risks.

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More tips

• Use contextual hyperlinking
• Art, context, interactivity, multimedia
• Is a photo assignment needed?
• How about a locator map?
• Are there past stories to link to?
• What about audio and/or video?
• A message board?
• A live discussion?
• A narrated photo gallery?
• An interactive primer?