JN 311 1nd Edition Lecture 12 Outline of Last Lecture I Chapter 20 Outline of Current Lecture II Chapter 19 Current Lecture What s government Congress senate State legislatures School boards County commissions City Councils The University of Alabama Why should readers care Government Shapes our day to day lives Garbage pick up recycling Police fire and ambulance Restaurant inspections Education Housing Reporting on Government The Beats City county state national Where do you start Elected hired appointed What does each office board do What is the power structure Who should you interview The Role of the Press Inform the general public Meeting coverage The Advance story Highlight important issues How elected officials vote The Watchdog role These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Tips on Reporting Check public records Memos Plans Audits Job postings Legal notices Stats Stats in the Headlines Numbers are all around us Therefore stories are too Numbers date story Numbers in the News Think about your own lives Where do you eat How much do you spend on coffee How much is your tuition What are those fees How safe are your doctors Approaching budget stories Impact to the taxpayer citizen What s being added what s being cut Increase decrease from previous year Winners losers What are the real numbers Ratios Per person comparison of cost Special points for stats Use analogies and interpret numbers Round off numbers Don t bunch too many numbers in one paragraph or sentence Use anecdotal leads and storytelling techniques Use graphics Writing Tips Interpret information how are readers affected Translate jargon Vary the pace Avoid boring quotes Use conversational style Avoid starting with there There are many items on the council s agenda There are too many examples of a dead sentence structure to mention
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