lede 4/5

4. With identity theft one of the leading criminal actions over the past year, a state representative is sponsoring a bill that will allow credit card holders to see if their numbers have been stolen.

5. The Maryland department of education is awarding millions of dollars to 53 school districts throughout the state to offset recent cutbacks of state funding.

Lede practice

1. Roger Datolli, 67, suffered a broken leg and several broken ribs in a Thursday afternoon crash involving two other vehicles.

2. Two city council members raised an issue at a recent meeting in an effort to form a committee to oversee changes that are potentially being made to the city's historic district.

3. The department of energy announced Monday that a plan is in place to store nuclear waste in Nevada. 

extra credit

1. Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are separated by a conjunction such as and, but, for, nor, or yet.

examples: She managed the restaurant, but he did the cooking.

                   He thought he was on time for the meeting, yet the clock said otherwise.

2. Use commas to separate elements in a series. Such elements are usually adjectives, verbs, or nouns.

examples: The tall, dark man walked down the street.

                   Helen Keller was blind, deaf and mute.

3. Use commas when attributing from quoted materials. Commas set off words of attribution from the words of a one-sentence quotation unless a question mark or exclamation mark is preferred.

examples: "Hello," he said.

                   "We just didn't play well," the coach said.

4. Commas follow introductory mattter.

examples: When the team was forced to kick, the coach sent in his best players.

                   In the spring of 1981, she returned to College Park.

5. Commas follow the salutation of a friendly letter and the complimentary close of any letter.

examples: Dear Reese,

                   Sincerely, Kevin

6. Commas follow all items in a full address or date.

example: July 16, 1962, is his date of birth.

                 She has lived in Manteo, N.C., all her life.

7.Commas surround nonessential words or phrases.

examples: Well, we will just have to walk home.

                   See, the dog did not get the frisbee.

8. Commas surround words of direct address.

examples: Betty, please pass the butter.

                   I can see, Fred, that you are lazy.

9. Commas indicate omitted verbs, usually expressed in another part of the sentence.

examples: Talent often is inherited; genius, never.

10. Semicolons connect two complete sentences if sentences have a related thought.

examples: The mode seemed destined for quick success; it is possible that's why she was a  target.

11. Semicolons are used in a list separating items that require significant internal punctuation.

examples: He visited Richmond, Va.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Birmingham, Alabama.

12. Colons precede formal lists, illustrations, multisentence quotes, and enumerations.

examples: The following students received scholarships: Ben Williams, Mike Stevens and Allie                        Jones.

                   Do not enter under these circumstances: The door is locked or the alarm is set.

                   

Grammar Slammer Problem

According to our readings, the five most common problems are as follows:

1. Punctuation

Many rules exist for this problem, but a common mistake often involves comma usage.

"She managed the restaurant, but he did the cooking." 

2. Subject/verb agreement

The biggest problem many face involves lining up tenses ie past or present etc.

"Each has an excellent option."

3. Correct use of pronouns

They, he, she and it are not used in the most effective manner in many cases.

"Marianne said she would never color her hair."

4. Sentence structure

Fragments and run ons are common mistakes to most.

"On the way to our hotel, we saw a herd of sheep."

5. Word usage

Many words can sound the same, yet have different meanings and spellings. GET IT RIGHT.

Pour has a different meaning/connotation than poor.

Summary ledes

A good summary lead can be accomplished if the writer is able to incoporate the elements of the 5 W's and H, while also being specific, concise and avoid backing in. 

A few examples of these as follows:

Via  BaltimoreSun.com:

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon said yesterday that the city might reject a proposed slots parlor near the Inner Harbor if the bidders' plan wouldn't produce enough revenue to fund "worthwhile" property tax reduction.

Seeking to jump-start the housing market, the Senate added new tax relief for homebuyers to its $900 billion economic stimulus bill yesterday as the legislation moved toward a final vote.

Barack Obama took his place as the 44th president of the United States under a bright January sky yesterday, painting the dark national moment in unsparing terms and exhorting Americans to respond by taking greater responsibility for themselves, the country and the world.

A reason these ledes trip my trigger is for the simple fact that you don't even have to read the rest of these stories to find out what is going on. That is a subtle fact about ledes that not many pick up on. That one paragraph tells you all you need to know, save for quotes and analysis. But you really don't incorporate those factors into a lead anyway (for the most part), and therefore, they would come later in the piece. Also, I'm a big fan of "power" or "buzz" words in ledes. Revenue, legislation, national, are just a few of these words littered throughout these ledes, and they are words that most anyone will take an interest in upon reading them. You want to hook the reader, and using power words is certainly a good start.

Chapter 14

Objectivity--requires that journalists stick to observable facts and avoid injecting their opinions into news reports. Ways you can do this include not taking sides, presenting quotes to support the facts reported, and keeping your emotions out of the writing you present.

Thoroughness--requires time to track down and talk to the best sources and find the best documentary evidence. The goal is to give the audience as much information as possible. You want to be concise, but you also must give the whole story. Therefore, length is variable for individual assignments. 

Accuracy--the level of correctness of an article. Simply put, there is no substitute for getting it right. Fact checking is a must. Proper statistics and attributions are vital. Poor accuracy can lead to loss of readership and/or reliability from others in the industry. You cannot burn your bridges. Get it right.

Fairness--an attempt to make sure all bases are covered. Provide both sides of the story. Find as many reliable sources as you can, and use efficient interviewing techniques to provide more input.

Transparency--to gain and maintain public trust, journalists must be as open as possible about what biases they bring to the job, how they get their information and how they make decisions on choosing and reporting stories. Link to source material. Try and show the reader what your job is really like. And let the audience form their own opinions about what you write.

What I'm all about

Hey everybody. Kevin here. Everybody calls me Kev or Kman, but it really doesn't matter to me. Whatever works. For the most part, I'm pretty laid back. I have a firm set of beliefs and I believe myself to be a morally sound individual. I pride myself on my conduct with others. That's extremely important to me. 

I'm a sophomore in college and I really love Towson. I've been given a ton of opportunities and I consider myself lucky to go to a school that fits my way of life.

I'm an aspiring sports journalist; that's where my true passion lies. I try to network with others in the industry as much as I can, because as you can see...I'm almost famous.