Election kerfuffle

While Virginia swung blue for the second time in a row in the presidential election of 2012, the small town of Hillsville planted itself stubbornly in the red zone. Hillsville is part of Carroll County, which cast 67.63 percent of its vote (8,736 votes) to Republican candidate Mitt Romney, and only 28.53 percent (3,685 votes) to Democratic incumbent Barack Obama. By contrast, the city of Radford threw itself into the blue wave that overwhelmed the state, voting 50.60 percent (2,732 votes) for Obama and 46.68 percent (2,520 votes) for Romney.

Details on this assignment are presented by the illustrious and inimitable Professor Stepno here.

Of specific interest is the similarity of Radford city’s election results to the state as a whole. While Montgomery county defied predictions and went counter to the statewide results, Radford closely parallels those results. Whether this is a sign that our beloved college town should be heralded nationally as Virginia’s bellwether or is just a one-election phenomon requires further research to determine.

Beyond summations

Today in Basic News Writing, we’re studying lede styles other than the basic summary lede. Our textbook by Harrower defines seven such categories:

1. Anedcotal/narrative
2. Scene-setter
3. Blind ledes
4. Roundup ledes
5. Direct address
6. Startling statement
7. Wordplay ledes

Below is an example from a story by NPR.

Headline: Forest People Return To Their Land… As Tour Guides

Link: http://www.npr.org/2012/10/12/161885322/forest-people-return-to-their-land-as-tour-guides

First Paragraph: “Like other hunter-gatherers of Central Africa who’ve been cast out of their jungle homes, when the Batwa forest people of southwest Uganda lost their forest, they lost their identity.”

Second Paragraph: “The Batwa were evicted from their rain forest kingdom in 1991, when two neighboring national parks, Mgahinga and Bwindi, were created to protect shrinking habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla.”

Third Paragraph: “Mgahinga National Park’s 13 square miles are dense with towering bamboo, braided vines, wild fruit, forest elephants and cape buffalo. The place is also filled with poignant memories for the Batwa because they can no longer live here — they can only visit.”

Lede Type: This is an example of a narrative lede. As demonstrated by the second and third paragraphs, this article tells its story in narrative format. Even by the third paragraph, we’re still on scene and background information, and have not yet gotten to the “news” being reported.

Whimming!

Who needs sleep? In addition to classes, I’ve been Whimming (writing for RU’s student-run online magazine) with vigor and joy! Here are my clips so far:

• No more test tube babies: http://www.ruwhim.com/?p=29514
• Cyber-Spies and Cyber-Wars: http://www.ruwhim.com/?p=29489
• Stricter Fuel-Efficiency Standards: http://www.ruwhim.com/?p=29507
• New tick-borne virus threatens Missouri farmers: http://www.ruwhim.com/?p=29477
• Apple censors Drones+ app: http://www.ruwhim.com/?p=29470

That’s all I’ve got so far, but we’re cranking out new content steadily, and I’ll post more as the inspiration (and my editor) prods me to.

Ledes that lead the pack

For the third week of Basic News Writing class we’re looking at leads. I’ve found some catchy starters for stories ranging from politics to thespians to things that go boom. The first two stories are examples of basic summary leads, and the last is an example of a blind lead.

1.

Headline: Obama Erases Romney’s Edge on Economy, Poll Finds

Published: September 14, 2012 in The New York Times

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/us/politics/obama-erases-romneys-edge-on-economy-poll-finds.html?_r=1&hp

Lead: “President Obama has taken away Mitt Romney’s longstanding advantage as the candidate voters say is most likely to restore the economy and create jobs, according to the latest poll by The New York Times and CBS News, which found a modest sense of optimism among Americans that the White House policies are working.” (53 words)

5W+H: This is a basic summary lead. It answers the “who” (President Obama), the “what” (has taken away Romney’s advantage), and the “why” (voters are gaining confidence in White House policies).

2.

Headline: Put to the Test: Colleges Grapple With Bomb Threats

Published: September 15, 2012 in Time.

Link: http://nation.time.com/2012/09/15/put-to-the-test-colleges-grapple-with-bomb-threats/

Lead: “The bomb threats at the Unversity of Texas at Austin and North Dakota State Unversity in Fargo, N.D. on Friday that canceled classes and forced campus evacuations turned out to be nothing more than hoaxes. As of early afternoon, no explosive devices were found and both schools had reopened their campuses. But whether the bomb threats were legitimate – the UT caller claimed to be linked to al-Qaeda – didn’t matter. In a post-Virginia Tech world, colleges have learned the hard way that safe is always better than sorry.”  (89 words)

5W+H: This is a basic summary lead. It answers “what” (bomb threats), “where” (University of Texas and North Dakota State Unversity), and “why” (precautions after the VA Tech tragedy).

3.

Headline: Amy Adams: A Steely Wife Stands Behind ‘The Master’

Published: September 15, 2012 by NPR.

Link: http://www.npr.org/2012/09/15/161014718/amy-adams-a-steely-wife-stands-behind-the-master

Lead: “Amy Adams has played a Disney princess, a puckish Amelia Earhart, an innocent young nun and a blogging Brooklynite who wants to follow the recipe for being Julia Child.” (29 words)

5W+H: This is NOT a basic summary lead, and only answers the “who” question (Amy Adams).

Type of lead: This is a blind lead. It teases by letting readers know the story is about a movie character portrayed by Amy Adams, but only gives examples of her previous roles. The subject of the article (her latest role in The Master) is not revealed until the second paragraph.

Second Reading Assignment

1.

Question of the Week:  This story contains the values of oddity, human interest/emotion, and necessity.

Headline: Ten Days in a Mad-House

Published: The New York World — October 1887 (page 210 in Harrower’s Inside Reporting 3rd ed.)

Paragraph: “On the 22d of September I was asked by the World if I could have myself committed to one of the asylums for the insane in New York, with a view to writing a plain and unvarnished narrative of the treatment of the patients therein and the methods of management, etc.  Did I think I had the courage to go through such an ordeal as the mission would demand?  Could I assume the characteristics of insanity to such a degree that I could pass the doctors, live for a week among the insane without the authorities there finding out that I was only a ‘chiel amang ’em takin’ notes?’  I said I believed I could.  I had some faith in my own ability as an actress and thought I could assume insanity long enough to accomplish any mission intrusted to me.  Could I pass a week in the insane ward at Blackwell’s Island?  I said I could and I would.  And I did. …”

Summary: Reporter Nellie Bly recounts her experiences in the insane ward at Blackwell Island, exposing medical malpractice and staff cruelty to the patients.

2.

Question of the Week: This story demonstrates the values of impact, prominence, conflict/controversy, and currency.

Headline: Readings: On “Deep Throat,” whistleblowers and anonymous sources

Published: Various papers (page 252 in Harrower’s Inside Reporting 3rd ed.)

Paragraph: “Deep Throat represents the kind of source that a lot of reporters would like to have.  He served as someone that Woodward could go to on a regular basis and say, ‘Are we on the right track?’ …  That is a huge fear of every good reporter: ‘Do we have this right?'”

Summary: Various journalists and Nixon-era government officials react to Mark Felt’s 2005 revelation that he was Woodward and Bernstein’s anonymous source “Deep Throat.”

3.

Question of the Week: This story contains the values of helpfulness/how-to, entertainment, and timeliness.

Headline: The perfect kiss

Published: The Plain Dealer (page 269 in Harrower’s Inside Reporting 3rd ed.)

Paragraph: “Consider three smoochable truths.  Nothing beats a first kiss.  Practicing on a pillow does nothing to prepare a novice for reality.  And, according to kissing expert Michael Christian, 96 percent of women ‘rave’ about neck kisses.”

Summary: This article provides advice on how to get the most out of kissing, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

First Reading Assignment

1.

Question of the Week: I read this story because I disagree with circumcision on scientific and moral grounds.

Headline: Pediatricians Decide Boys Are Better Off Circumcised Than Not

Link: : http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/27/159955340/pediatricians-decide-boys-are-better-off-circumcised-than-not

Paragraph: “The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday announced its first major shift on circumcision in more than a decade, concluding that the health benefits of the procedure clearly outweigh any risks.”

Summary: The American Academy of Pediatrics has announced that circumcision is medically beneficial, contrasting its previous position, which stated that circumcision is neither conclusively beneficial nor conclusively harmful.

2.

Question of the Week: I read this story because I’m interested in advances in green power.

Headline: Renewable firms compete for the ₤10 million Saltire Prize

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19393023

Paragraph: “Four renewable energy companies have been named which will compete for the ₤10 million Saltire Prize have been named by the Scottish ministers.”

Summary: Four firms will compete for ₤10 million by attempting to develop efficient, renewable, ocean-based sources of electric power.

3.

Question of the Week: I read this while searching for material to write about for Whim.

Headline: Mysterious New ‘Heartland Virus’ Discovered in Missouri

Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/29/160272241/mysterious-new-heartland-virus-discovered-in-missouri

Paragraph: “Two Missouri farmers have been infected with a brand-new tick-borne virus that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling the Heartland Virus.”

Summary: Two men were infected with a previously unknown strain of virus, and the CDC expects to find more cases of infection.