Thursday, December 13 headlines

What's going on with Hawaiian seals? 

Nobody nose

An endangered Hawaiian monk seal was spotted with an eel lodged up its nostril in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Everyone should have posted a news story topic. We'll chat today in class, if there is a question. This went in as  a homework grade.

In class Thursday  through next Monday, we are working on supplementary material to support your news articles. Please don't fall behind on the daily assignments.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday you will have time in class to write your news stories. Make sure you have your notes.

The completed news stories must be posted to the blog by midnight on Wednesday, December 19. 
Dramatic newspaper headlines such as those above symbolize yellow journalism during the Spanish American War. For newspapers like the New York World and New York Journal, the headline was the most important aspect of the story---the bigger and more sensational, the better. Newspaper owner William Randolf Hearst understood the importance of headlines and used large, dramatic, and sometimes misleading phrases to sell millions of newspapers.

Note the difference between sensational and responsible, descriptive headlines.

1.

‘Honorable, gracious and decent’: In death, Bush becomes a yardstick for Trump

2. 

Some people are upset about ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’

The Christmas classic has sparked a discussion about bullying and political correctness.

• By Michael Brice-Saddler

3. Stephen Curry shows signs of rust as Warriors fall to Pistons

4. 

Sober Demi Lovato Put On A Dangerous 50 Lbs.

5. 

Mom Fakes Her Own Daughter's Death and Holds a Funeral Before Her Shocked, Very Much Alive Offspring Finds Out

6. 

France considers state of emergency amid continuing protests

7. 

Presidents And Former Colleagues React To George H.W. Bush's Death

8. 

Cardi B achieves ‘childhood dream’ of buying her mother a house

So your headline matters a lot. A great headline convinces more people to read your copy, while a poor one sends potential customers searching for somewhere else to spend their money. This leads us to another famous Ogilvy quote:

“It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money.

In a world full of noise, how do you get people to actually read what you write? It takes more than good content or great design. The most important part of writing an article is the headline.

The same principle applies to blog posts, book chapters, and so on: The title is where your focus should be. You should begin and end every article with the question: “Would this want me to read on?"

How To Write a Headline The primary tool to grab and hold the reader

Some of the most important words a journalist writes are  

in a headline.

                 1 Headlines contain essential words that convey                the  subject of a story

             2  and what the story is about.  

Please note those are two different

things. The subject is

general and the what's it about is specific. 

What is a headline?

• A headline is an abstract sentence
   
• Usually it is only five to ten words
   
• It is a complete thought
   
• It has a subject and a verb, and often an object

The goal is to grab the reader

• Ask yourself this question as you compose a

                           headline:

• If people see my five to ten words, will they

                              know what the article is about?

• It's not hard to find examples of headlines that answer

 that question in the negative. Sure, they may have a 

couple of words that point to a subject, but they don't 

answer the questions what's it about.

Most important rule

• The words in a headline must represent accurately

                           what is in the story.


 Accuracy counts above all else.

What to do?

• Understand the story completely before writing its

                               headline. 

• Base the headline on the story's main idea, which

                            should be in the lead or introduction   (

• Don't use in the headline facts that are not in

                                the story. 

                                                .. * Don't repeat the exact wording of the 
                    story in the headline.

• Avoid ambiguity, insinuations and double meanings.

  Word choices

• Be specific, accurate, clear and concise.
   
• Don't repeat key words in the same headline.
   
• Avoid unclear or little known names, phrases and abbreviations.
   
• Don't use pronouns alone and unidentified.
   
• Alliteration should be intentional and not change the general tone of the story. (Careful with this; don't be cute!)
   
• Avoid headline speak such as hit, flay, rap, hike, nix, nab, slate. Be more precise.

Verbs

• No headline may start with a verb.
   
• Headlines are complete sentences or imply complete sentences.
   
• A linking verb* can be implied rather than spelled out.
   * not sure what a linking verb is? check out this 3 minute explanation: what is a linking verb
• If a story is about past or present events, write present tense verbs.
   
• If a story is about future events, use the infinitive verb (to leave, to work).
   
• To be verbs, such as is, are, was and were should be omitted.

Punctuation

• Use punctuation sparingly.
   
• Don't eat up space with the conjunction and. Instead, use a comma.

  Principal and parents meet on school rules for next year 

  
  Principal, parents agree on new school rules

Grammar

• Don't use the articles a, an and the. They waste space unnecessarily.

  A new fire engine helps make the houses safer
  New fire engine helps make houses safer

Web headlines

• As with any news story, a strong headline is vital for a web story.
   
• Headlines often are found in lists of links, where they are a reader's first introduction to a story. If they do not sell a reader on the story immediately, the reader is unlikely to click the link to navigate to the story.
   
• SEO is search engine optimization. Search engines favor coherent headlines. Your headlines can be essential to search engine optimization, which draws traffic to your website.

EXAMPLES OF BAD HEADLINES...take a look!

Governor Swears in Legislature

March Planned For Next August

Blind Bishop Appointed To See

Lingerie Shipment Hijacked--Thief Gives Police The Slip

L.A. Voters Approve Urban Renewal By Landslide

Patient At Death's Door--Doctors Pull Him Through

Latin Course To Be Canceled--No Interest Among Students, Et Al.

Diaper Market Bottoms Out

Croupiers On Strike--Management: "No Big Deal"

Stadium Air Conditioning Fails--Fans Protest

Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped

Henshaw Offers Rare Opportunity to Goose Hunters

Women's Movement Called More Broad-Based

Antique Stripper to Display Wares at Store

Prostitutes Appeal to Pope

Never Withhold Herpes Infection From Loved One

Cancer Society Honors Marlboro Man

Nicaragua Sets Goal to Wipe Out Literacy

Autos Killing 110 a Day--Let's Resolve to Do Better

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last A While

ASSIGNMENT:

Your turn:  Write a headline for each of the following four stories. Send along, please.

story 1:

    A 33-year-old Farmington man has been charged with grand larceny and falsifying business records, both felonies.

State Police tell News10NBC James Rickey III fraudulently collected more than $10,000 in unemployment benefits while he was gainfully employed.

Rickey was arraigned and remanded to the Ontario County Jail in lieu of bail. He is due back in court on October 18.

Story 2:

You feel worse by the hour. Your joints ache; your head feels heavy; you can't stop coughing. You're freezing, even as your temperature keeps climbing, and your stomach is upset. Even your eyes hurt.

Face it: You have the flu. Now what do you do?

Most flu patients should not go to an emergency room, said Dr. David Zich, internal medicine and emergency medicine physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. They will likely be sent home, as there is very little that can be done for them. A fever as high as 103 degrees Fahrenheit is common for the flu, he said.

Patients with normal flu symptoms should get a lot of rest and take painkillers to help with muscle aches, Zich said.

And while you might not believe it today (or tomorrow, or the next day), "In five to seven days, you're going to be feeling yourself again," he promised.

Story 3:

                                              Four years ago, Beth Cirami walked into Malissa Booth'stattoo shop, 

                                             mournful and anxious. Her brother had just died of leukemia, and she                                                          wanted something to remember him by.

She'd gone to other tattoo shops in the St. Louis area and when she tried to explain her story -- why she was getting her first tattoo at age 37, what it meant to her -- it felt like no one listened. They told her to flip through a book and pick a drawing she liked; it just didn't feel right.

"This was a very personal piece for me. I needed that work of art," Cirami said.

She had heard about Booth's shop, Madame Voodoo's House of Ink in Warrenton, Missouri, and decided to stop by. She told Booth that her brother died at age 45, and she wanted to honor him in some way.

Cirami left Booth's shop with a pinstripe tattoo adorned with the initials of her children and a picture of a heart glass her brother gave her before he passed away. It was exactly what she wanted.

"She had that sensitivity to that reason why most people get tattoos. It is a very secret and spiritual experience," Cirami said.

It's the kind of experience on which Booth built her business -- a family-friendly tattoo shop she opened five years ago, hoping it would feel welcoming to everybody.

Story 4

British police arrested a man accused of trying to get into London's Buckingham Palace illegally on Monday, authorities said.

The 44-year-old man was stopped at the main gate facing the Victoria Memorial, and a search revealed he was carrying a knife, according to Metropolitan Police.

He did not gain access to the palace grounds, police said.

The man was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon, and remained in custody Monday afternoon, police said. His name was not released; no injuries were reported.

Buckingham Palace, the best known of Queen Elizabeth II's palaces, is the administrative center for the royal household as well as the queen's London residence.

Wednesday, December 12 writing your own news stories

Shaken up A pair of earthquakes shook parts of Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama and South Carolina early this morning.

Learning targets: I can introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

I can develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.

I can conduct short  research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Assignment: Your own news stories. Due by midnight midnight , Wednesday, December 19.  Any not posted by midnight will receive 50 points only.  

In class today: For today, I am asking you to make your selection and post on the blog. This goes in as a class participation grade. Use the format I wrote below.  There may be some overlapping, but let's talk about angles, so no one will have the exact same story.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE ALL YOUR PREP WORK DONE OUTSIDE OF CLASS TO ACTUALLY FINISH WRITING THE STORY ON NEXT TUESDAY  IN CLASS. ON THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND NEXT MONDAY WE  WILL BE LOOKING AT HEADLINES AND PARAPHRASING.

Topic choices below:  If you have 

another idea, post and, if there is a problem, I'll get back to 

you by tomorrow.   Post to the blog with

 your name and respond with the following:

______________ intends to write a news story on

 ___________________________. This topic is newsworthy 

because__________________________. To gather the 

information I will 1)____________________, 2) 

_________________ and 3)______________ (include 

details and specifics as to your planning). I intend to speak 

at least two people, recording specifically what they said, so as to use there words in my

 story.

Please see the list below for suggestions. You, of course, may augment and adjust the topics, and, as well, you may have your own ideas.  Please create a word document before you post, in case you have difficulties.

   After the suggestion list, there is a rubric, a general checklist for you and a couple of effective story examples.            

                See story model samples at the end of the blog.

Suggestions; this is in no way exhaustive.  Be creative.

parking woes

college application pressures

traffic tickets

body art

cliques

sports / teams at SOTA- this can be broken down into subtopics

volunteerism at SOTA- this can be broken down into subtopic

school security: morning scanning / during the day

riding the bus

lunch excursions

bumper stickers

measuring up to an older sibling

passing time in the hall

detention

Lock downs

electronics

personalizing a locker

part time jobs

tardy / absenteeism

hair styles: male / female

behind the scene: theatre / teching, etc

life as a middle schooler

senior economics

vending machines

fashion: male / female---choose an item

the reality of senior year (economic / social / frustrations / fears)

bullying

reading for "real life" 

cultural appropriation

culture and community

diversity

school as a safe environment

pros and cons of having a  middle school

triggers

politics at the dinner table

Check list:

Are the most important and recent facts first? 

Is the story accurate? Are the sources identified fully? 

Are the paragraphs short? 

Is the sentence structure varied in the story?

 Is the story neat and double-spaced so that it is easy to read?

Does your story flow? Did you use the transition/ quote formula?

 Did you use active voice?

Unbiased?  

At least one attributed quote?

headline? (we'll review this on Monday)

by line? (that's your name)

correct punctuation / grammar?

                                          

 Rubric for evaluating inverted pyramid stories

Ace reporter	Good	Fair	Poor
This story — so professional one would think it were cut from a professional news publication — convincingly demonstrates mastery of the inverted pyramid form by doing the following: ❍ with precision, arranges the key facts of the story from most important to least important ❍ relegates background information — information the writer could have known before the event — to a place below all new information ❍ is devoid of unattributed opinion ❍ artfully illustrates points with interesting, well-punctuated and well-attributed quotations; a transition is used to introduce each quotation. ❍ is a model of brevity, using few words to maximum effect. ❍ avoids passive voice except in the rare cases when it is merited ❍  shows few, if any, errors in the conventions of written English	This solid inverted pyramid story, while not as impressive as that written by the Ace Reporter, consistently does most or all of the following: ❍ arranges the key facts of the story from most important to least important ❍ generally relegates background information — information the writer could have known before the event — to a place below all new information ❍ is devoid of unattributed opinion ❍ illustrates points with interesting, well-punctuated and well-attributed quotations; a transition is used to introduce each quotation ❍ is for the most part concise ❍ generally avoids passive voice except in the rare cases when it is merited ❍  shows few, if any, errors in the conventions of written English.	This story suggests general awareness of the requirements for an inverted pyramid story, but does not suggest great prowess in meeting those requirements. This lead does much or all of the following:   ❍ unconvincingly arranges the facts of the story from most important to least important ❍ in some cases, fails to keep background information in its place at the bottom of the story ❍ may include minor unattributed opinion ❍ sometimes illustrates points with quotations but may do so awkwardly and without adequate transitions or ❍ shows too little attention to the need for brevity ❍ may slip into passive voice ❍  shows some errors in the conventions of written English.	These story doesn’t meaningfully address the assignment. This lead does much or all of the following: ❍ either does not have all the basic facts or shows clear errors in organizing them from most to least important ❍ fails to keep background information in its place at the bottom of the story ❍ is bereft of meaningful, supportive quotations; may fail to introduce quotations at all ❍ includes significant unattributed opinion ❍ noticeable over-use of the passive voice ❍ is wordy ❍  shows multiple errors in the conventions of written English. (Note: The fact that a person is speaking to students is not in and of itself newsworthy; stories should focus on what a person says, not the fact that he/she has spoken.)

News story samples:

Birds migrating earlier as temperatures rise

MARKUS VAREAVUO

Birds have reached their summer breeding grounds on average about one day earlier per degree of increasing global temperatures, according to the research by Edinburgh University.

The study looked at hundreds of species across five continents.

It is hoped it will help scientists predict how different species may respond to future environmental change.

Reaching their summer breeding grounds at the wrong time - even by a few days - may cause birds to miss out on maximum availability of vital resources such as food and nesting places.

Late arrival to breeding grounds may, in turn, affect the timing of offspring hatching and their chances of survival.

Long-distance migrants, which are shown to be less responsive to rising temperatures, may suffer most as other birds gain advantage by arriving at breeding grounds ahead of them.

Flowering and breeding

Takuji Usui, of Edinburgh University's school of biological sciences, said: "Many plant and animal species are altering the timing of activities associated with the start of spring, such as flowering and breeding.

"Now we have detailed insights into how the timing of migration is changing and how this change varies across species.

"These insights may help us predict how well migratory birds keep up with changing conditions on their breeding grounds."

The study examined how various species, which take flight in response to cues such as changing seasonal temperatures and food availability, have altered their behaviour over time and with increasing temperatures.

The researchers examined records of migrating bird species dating back almost 300 years.

The study drew upon records from amateur enthusiasts and scientists, including notes from 19th-century American naturalist Henry David Thoreau.

Species that migrate huge distances - such as the swallow and pied flycatcher - and those with shorter migrations - such as the lapwing and pied wagtail - were included in the research.

The study, published in Journal of Animal Ecology, was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council.

First a polar bear petted a dog. Then a polar bear did what polar bears do: Ate a dog.

By Karin Brulliard

A video of an enormous polar bear in Canada gingerly patting a chained sled dog hit the Internet last week and quickly went viral. The Huffington Post lauded its “cuteness factor.” The man who shot the video praised the bear for showing “that kind of heart toward another animal.”

But reality soon intervened. Canada’s CBC News reported that officials had removed three polar bears from the same property in Churchill after one killed and ate another dog. The owner of the site, who raises the sled dogs, told the network that the slaughter had occurred on “the only day we didn’t feed the f—— bears, the only night we didn’t put anything out.”

The irony of the two incidents spawned commentary on the perils of the attributing human emotions to animals and imposing a moral code the creatures can’t possibly be expected to live up to. They also renewed anger at the owner of the site, Brian Ladoon, who has long been a target of animal rights activists and conservationists who decry his chaining of dogs and luring of polar bears for tourist photo-ops.

Tom Smith views it all from somewhere in between. Smith is a wildlife biologist and advisory scientist with Polar Bears International, and he has spent his career studying bears of all sorts — polar, grizzly and black. He chuckled when he viewed the “petting” video this week, which he didn’t exactly see as petting.

Bears have a sky-high “curiosity quotient” and tend to ask questions with their teeth and paws, which is why they sometimes tear up human campsites, he said. But he added that this is also a time of year when polar bears, which depend on sea ice for hunting seals, have essentially been starving for months.

“To me, it’s like it’s trying to see if the food’s ready or not,” Smith said, laughing. “It’s not surprising that it would try to explore this dog . . . but I guarantee if you left that bear there long enough, it would say, ‘I wonder what this dog tastes like?’ I’d be sorely disappointed in a bear that didn’t ultimately eat that dog.”