Follows:
"Competition is not a thing of the past," Newspapers compete on every level of reporting.
Newspapers compete with TV
Dailies with weeklies
Morning papers with afternoon
Nationals; USA Today and
New York Times
Your newspaper may not break the news but if it is news worthy provide a fresh slant:
>Supply information not available when the first story was written. pg. 274
>Use enterprise to uncover information not contained in original. pg. 275
>Supply fresh details, color and background, even when nothing of substance is new. pg. 275
>Respond to the news of the first story with analysis, possible developments or the reactions of people whom the news would effect. pg. 277
>Gather local reactions to a national or international story. pg. 278
Make your story as dissimilar as possible to the first printing.
Supplying previously unavailable information: Verify all the facts yourself, research the story, try to find information the other news source did not find.
Uncovering new information: dig deeper, ask more questions and find new facts.
Supplying details: if there is no new information find more details to the story to make it more interesting. Let the reader know more about what happened and what the results were.
Responding with analysis: when following a story you can
>Lead with analytical approach
>Lead with possible developments
>Lead with reaction
Local reactions to a non-local story: proximity is important, find out what the readers think of a national story.
2) The Developing Story:
Some stories continue to develop for weeks and even for months.
Lead: the lead of the story has the new information on the story.
Tie-back: two or three paragraphs into the story review the previous story.
Transition: flow back into today’s events
Return to story: the story is on today’s events not what has happened. Remind the reader briefly and get on with the new events.
Three types of developing story:
>Follow the natural course of the events.
>Affect the course of events through enterprising reporting.
>Both follow and affect the course of events.
Following the course: stories that unfold over time will need follows. War, trials, weather disasters and politics.
Using enterprise: stories that would die can be kept alive by reporters. Keep digging for information and asking questions.
Both: many times a story is kept alive by both following the events and making the events happen. (Watergate).
3) The Update:
The update is when a later look at a story that has been published leads to a new story about the previous story.
Newspapers often "hit and run" with news. What happens after is often over looked. The update gives the reader a chance to see the end of a story.