10 steps to writing a story

10 Steps to Writing a Story – Broadcast Journalism

1. Find a Topic
-What is your story about?
-Who is your audience?
-Why is this story important to your audience?
2. Find an Angle
-What about your topic?
-More specifically, what is important about your topic
3. Collect information-
- who are the experts for this story?
-do you need opposing views?
-what interview questions should you ask?
-what other research must be done to complete the story?

4. Conduct the Interview-
-ask open ended questions
-rule of 3: filling the scilence, the non-question question, get good sound bites
-get good sound bytes, A PEICE OF AUDIO THAT CAN STAND ALONE.
5. Shoot your reporter stand up-
- should have a good idea what story is about
- no first person: i want
-stand up should provide information that audience doesnt know.
6. Organize your sound bytes-
- what quotes should i use?
- how can i orginaze the quotes to tell a story.
7. Write segues in your story.
- use words that tie the interviews together
-what other information can i add to the story?
-can the story stand on its own?
8. Write the beginning and end of your story.
- write body first
- best sound bytes for beginning and end
- paraphrase a sound byte at the begining
-leave them with strongest sound byte at end.
9. Write the anchor ______________ and ________________ (if necessary).
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10. Collect ___________ to add to your story (throughout steps 4-9)
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*Steps 4-8 in your story are called the ____________________.