Editorial Requirements for TEXT: Tips and Trics
Written by Peter Vlam, www.africanews.com
A good news article needs to meet these requirements:
- Simple and direct writing is key. Use short sentences and simple structures.
- Use an active voice. A good news story is not too long. In max. 600 words you should be able to do the trick. 400 words is good too.
- Do not start by explaining the background. Start with the news.
- Regarding a news article: Start by asking yourself: what has happened? Then continue: When, Who, Where, How and Why. To make your article bright, you add context, history and a future perspective if possible.
- Do not start with names and full credits of that person. Start with the news.
- Don't plagiarise other people’s work.
- Use the enter button, please no blocks of text more than five lines. Keep your text readable.
- Use quotes. Quotation brings your article to life. When you do so, make sure you do so accurately. Quote people exactly. Do not rephrase too enthusiastically. Write quotes down immediately or tape the conversation.
- Share your sources. How do you know all this, your readers want to know.
- Write your news in an objective, neutral tone of voice. Be original and distinctive. Try to write in ‘helicopter view’ style (looking at things from a distance, with detachment). Keep distance. Do not be arrogant or biased.
- Sensitive subjects need special approach and handling. Get experts involved in your work when you think you do not have full control of the subject.
- An anonymous source is not a source at all. Three anonymous sources, might be trustworthy. Contact the editorial team.
- News is True. A reporter has great responsibility. When you are not sure of a fact, do not write it down as a fact. When in doubt, leave it out. Check your facts! Double check names. Try to be as informed as you can be. Be aware of the internet as a valuable –though also dangerous - source of information. Do no believe everything you read on the net!
- Be very careful with internet sources. Authoritativeness is key.
- Use a spelling check when ever possible.
Editorial Requirements for PHOTO’s: Tips and Trics
A photos often meet these requirements:
- Take sharp pictures, hold the camera steady
- Be original
- For portraits, come close to the portrayed person. Ask for permission
- Put The Sun Behind You. A photograph is all about light so always think of how the light is striking your subject. The best bet is to move around so that the sun is behind you and to one side.
- Get Closer, the best shots are simple so move closer and remove any clutter from the picture. If you look at most 'people shots’ they don't show the whole body so you don't need to either.
- Use the beauty of morning and evening light.
- Be reluctant with flash
- Include People
- Add Depth
- Search For Details
- Position The Horizon. Where you place the horizon in your shot affects what is emphasized. To show the land, use a high hhorizon. To show the sky, use a low horizon. Be creative.
Three websites full of ‘tips and trics’ about digital photography.
- http://www.1milliondollarphoto.com/
- http://www.popphoto.com/howto/
- Ten tips by Kodak: www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=317&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=5926
Purie 4 Kenya A tale of love between a lioness and a lamb. This tale is recounted over and over again in the evenings around fires in the manyattas of the Samburu people. Kenya post office produced a stamp in memory of this event. January 7, 2002 Samburu National Reserve, a lioness adopted a young oryx baby, lay next to it and licked it. People who heard this found it impossible to believe. Stories were published; tourists and game rangers photographed the strange phenomenon.
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