READ CAREFULLY, please
- Your story is a topic or issue of your choosing, but can’t be a repeat of Story 1. Most of you will be doing a localization, which we have discussed at length in class.
- Write in a Word doc. Story length should not exceed 650-700 words. You want a beginning, middle and end. SAVE your story as Last Name Story 2.docx. Deadline: 10 a.m. Friday (Stories that miss deadline will get a grade reduction).
- Remember that you are telling a story, so as long as you are sticking with the facts of your reporting, be detailed and even creative in your storytelling.
- Make sure you are clear on what your story is about and stay focused.Opt for depth rather than skimming the surface to cover more ground. Do this with good quotes, vivid observations, summarizing of major points, interesting source reaction.
- Your story must have a nut graf— the So What? graf — that helps put your story in a broader context and explains what’s at stake, why the story is important, why the reader should care. In a localization, the nut graf will focus on the timely issue or event to which you are getting reaction. BE SURE TO PUT YOUR NUT GRAF IN BOLD.
Also, your should should contain elements of OBSERVATION and DESCRIPTION. Put those elements in BOLD, too.
- Your story should contain a minimum of four quotes from at least three difference sources. Be sure to punctuate your quotes correctly. Grade reduction for quotes punctuated incorrectly. Check the textbook if you are uncertain.
- Follow AP Style throughout — titles, numbers, abbreviations, times, etc.
- EVERY story you write this semester MUST have a Reporting Index at the end of the story. We discussed this in class, and there is an example on the blog in the Story 1 sample. You will lose a letter grade if you do not have a Reporting Index.
- PHOTO REQUIRED that is related to your story. I want you to take the photo. Embed in your Word doc at a low resolution, or attached as a jpg. Be sure to include a cutline (caption) that describes the photo.