That's very interesting, Chris, but I never said anything to denigrate the
arts of news-writing.
But I don't wish to say anymore in case it gets turned into something else.
Best
Dave
David Bircumshaw
Leicester, England
Home Page
A Chide's Alphabet
Painting Without Numbers
www.paintstuff.20m.com/index.htm
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Jones" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2002 2:51 AM
Subject: News writing (was Re: New Year with fire)
> On Saturday 05 January 2002 10:42, Dave wrote:
> > I think, or rather suspect, that one of
> > the pifalls that language-centred persons, as poets tend to be, is that
we
> > instinctively feel that those who use language like a soggy pork pie,
circa
> > British Rail 1946 not sold until 199-something, after travelling the
> > lengths and breadths (notice those clever 's's, to avoid the cliché)
must
> > therefore be our intellectual inferiors.
>
> I think you'd be surprised how technically difficult journalism news
writing
> can be. I have used the short news item (known as the inverted pyramid
form)
> as an exercise when teaching precise and clear writing techniques.
>
> For example, take this jumble of information and turn it into a news
report:
>
> [Eye witness report, name withheld] I just heard the helicopter flying
> overhead. it was a nice sunny afternoon and I was just going for walk to
get
> my mail. Then bang, the helicopter just fell out of the sky onto the car.
I
> heard someone inside screaming then a ball of fire. The helicopter was
> smashed by the car and the car was then burnt up by the helicopter.
[Police
> report] The driver of the car was a male in his early 20s. The helicopter
> pilot was an experienced pilot in his mid 50s with several years flying
> experience. The Bell King helicopter may have suffered apparent engine
> failure and it is also suspected the rear rotor may have failed before the
> engine causing it to lose control and crash into a blue Mercedes,
traveling
> in a westerly direction 23 kilometres from Windy on the Queenly Highway
and 4
> kilometres from Barran. The accident happened unexpectably and only a
> helicopter and car were involved with two fatalities on Wednesday, 22nd
> October, 2003. The names of the victims will be released when next of kin
are
> notified of their deaths.
>
> The inverted pyramid form is (from memory so I could be wrong)
> When (usually date and time)
> Where (location)
> What (what happened)
> How
> Why (optional depending on space)
>
> The news report is for the Barran Daily times, a regional city daily. Now
the
> above information has to be written up into no more then five pars
> (paragraphs) of one sentence per par. Verbs must be active. No passive
verbs,
> adjectives, metaphors or similes allowed. (I usually show examples and
> explain them first but from here I go: you have three minutes, beginning
> now!) You'd be surprised how difficult people find this. (I will give more
> time after the three minutes is up to complete it in a more relaxed
> fashion.)
>
> It would probably be an interesting exercise for poets to try who have
never
> been trained in or had to write the traditional inverted pyramid form.
>
> best
>
> Chris Jones
>
|