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Our Philosophy: How to Use This Book | |
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Think Like an Editor | |
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An Editor's Credo | |
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Design a mission statement that defines you | |
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Managing the Story | |
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10 Steps to a Better Story: How to Work with Reporters on a Focused Plan before They Report | |
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Plot an effective and reasonable approach to stories of all kinds | |
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Manage the Editor: Coach Reporters to Coach You for Better Story Results | |
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Build your reputation as a "willing partner" | |
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Social Media: It's Integral for Your Audience to Be Interactive and Involved | |
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Keep track of these three I's at the start of story planning | |
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News Judgment: How to Decide What's Important | |
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Assess things, and make wise choices | |
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Curiosity: How to Nurture This Trait and be the "Idea Person" | |
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Ask yourself: What am I curious about? | |
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Analyzing the Story | |
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See the Big Picture: How to Answer, "What's the Story?" | |
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Grasp the essence of the story through conversation | |
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10 Questions in 10 Minutes: How to Keep the Story Talk Going | |
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Don't get stuck… get inspired | |
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Structure: How to Ensure an Organized Story | |
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Structure: Opening Paragraphs | |
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Start fast-and start right | |
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Structure: Lead | |
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Be efficient, quick and to the point | |
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Structure: Quotes | |
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Let sources speak for themselves | |
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Structure: Nut Graph | |
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Ask the key questions to unlock story meaning | |
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Structure: Cosmic Graph | |
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Think big, and expand story horizons | |
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Give Credit: How to Ensure Proper Attribution, Sourcing and Substantiation | |
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Acknowledge others' contributions to your own work | |
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Show, Don't Tell: How to Include Anecdotes, Examples and Details | |
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Employ powerful techniques to energize storytelling | |
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Context: How to Provide Background and Relevance | |
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Help readers understand what's important and why | |
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Closer Look: How to Tell Where the Story Works and Where It Needs Work | |
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Get a quick sense of what you have and what you need | |
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Assessing the Story | |
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Skeptical Editing: Ask Key Questions Graph by Graph | |
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Ensure a complete, honest and insightful story | |
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Competing Digital Interests: How to Keep Readers with You | |
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Don't lose your own momentum, and others won't lose theirs | |
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Sensitivity: Sexual Orientation/Gender/Race/Religion/Disabilities/Age | |
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Understand and celebrate differences | |
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Holding a Story: 10 Warning Signs That a Story Should Not Run | |
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Know when to take extra time if the story needs more work | |
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Saving a Story: 10 Things You Can Do to Make a Story Work | |
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Know what to do when you want to-or need to-publish | |
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Work Like an Editor | |
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Editing the Story | |
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Treat Editing Like a Mystery: How to Approach a Story | |
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Follow a logical and step-by-step process | |
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Edit for AP Style: Strive for Consistency | |
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Remember the rules, and edit with discipline | |
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Edit for Grammar: Make Decisions with Confidence | |
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Avoid everyday mistakes that hurt your image | |
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Edit for Spelling: Know Words by Sight | |
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Read every word, and pronounce every syllable | |
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Edit for Punctuation: How to Focus on Every Rule | |
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Understand the functions, and use them correctly | |
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Edit for Accuracy: Visualize as You Read | |
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Check everything, and check again | |
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Edit for Fairness: Rely on Your Conscience | |
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Consider readers' many perspectives | |
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Edit for Balance: Practice 4 Key Ways | |
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Realize what it is and how to assess it | |
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Edit for Libel: How to Avoid Careless Mistakes | |
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Learn the warning signs that could lead to legal trouble | |
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Tight Writing: How to Keep It Simple | |
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Strive to uncomplicate the message | |
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Trim a Story: How to Identify 10 Places to Cut | |
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Work delicately, and leave no trace | |
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Transitions: How to Change Subjects and Speakers | |
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Lead readers through the story | |
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Lively Language: Choose Strong Verbs and Avoid Clich�s | |
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Select words that make the story move | |
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Understanding Special Demands on the Story | |
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Handling Multiple Platforms and Tools: How to Consider Your Options, Smartly | |
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Make the right decision for the right reason | |
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Digital Deadlines: 10 Tips | |
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24-hour news cycle never stops-and neither will you | |
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Web Elements: 5 Cautions | |
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Mine the Web, but proceed with care | |
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Ethics: Consider Stakeholders, Audience, Peers, Yourself | |
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How to work your way to a responsible decision | |
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Taste: 10 Hot Buttons | |
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How to decide what offends | |
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Presenting and Selling the Story | |
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Headlines, Keywords and Metadata: How to Write Them for Multiple Platforms | |
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Grab attention for your content, and help readers find it | |
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Points of Entry and Points of Involvement: Create Them with Purpose | |
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Choose ways to get readers interested and engaged | |
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Data Visualization: Make Key Decisions Early to Show Information Clearly | |
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Tell the who, what, when, where, why and how with strong visuals | |
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Photos: How to Choose and Present Them | |
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Convey visual content and emotion | |
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Promos and Refers: How to Get Attention for Your Content | |
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Write with power and clarity, and be direct | |
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Act Like an Editor | |
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Using Authority Responsibly | |
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Corrections: Own Up to Mistakes | |
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Earn your readers' trust and respect | |
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Credibility: Put Yourself above Reproach | |
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Understand and avoid pitfalls while branding "you" | |
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Plagiarism and Fabrication: What Editors Can Do | |
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Be vigilant, and protect careers and reputations | |
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Deadline Pressure: How to Get Along in the Newsroom | |
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Set an example by acting like a professional | |
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Keep Asking Questions: Release Your Creativity | |
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Stay sharp through self-reflection | |
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References | |
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Index | |