From Prof. Ksiazek‘s visit on W 09/21/11 (and the annotated pdf of his example from yahoo news.):

Audience analysis

• Who is your audience?
• What sources of information can I use to better understand my audience?
• What is their prior knowledge of my topic?
• How can I make the story accessible to a wide audience?

Story structure: The “Inverted Pyramid”

Getting started: Writing the “lead” and “nut graph”

• 5 W’s and H – Who, What, Where, When, Why and How
• So What? (The “hook”)
• Tips for writing leads:
  1. Be brief
  2. Don’t bury the lead
  3. Use active voice
     • “Researchers conducted experiments…” (Active)
     • “Experiments were conducted by researchers…” (Passive)
  4. Use subject-verb-object format
  5. Balance breadth and specificity
  6. Avoid jargon, unnecessary words, and “it”

Resources:

• Arnold, C. & Cook, T. (2010). “How to Write a Lead.” OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab.
• Blake, K. “Six Rules for Writing Straight News Leads.”

And his annotated pdf of his example from yahoo news.

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