How to Write Broadcast Journalism Copy

Tips on how to write strong, solid Broadcast News Copy.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. ELIMINATE WORD CLUTTER
   
   Don't use too many words when writing broadcast news. Keep in mind that the copy you write will be read aloud by anchors and it needs to be as easy to read as possible. Writing for TV news is considerably different from writing for newspapers and magazines.

2. MAKE IT NEWSWORTHY
   
   Ask yourself, "What makes this copy worthy of being on the news?" Is your copy timely, is it a national or local news story that's important and effects people? Remember the who, what, where, when and why's when creating your copy.

3. USE TEASERS
   
   Preview what is to come in your news program by writing copy teasers about your upcoming news stories. Don't give away the story by stating exact details, but give them enough information to make them want to tune in to hear the report.

4. WRITE TO IMAGES
   
   In TV News, you do not want to write your story and then try to match visuals to fit the words. You want to look at all your footage, B-roll, interviews etc and then craft your words to fit around the images. The images should be able to tell a story all by themselves but your words should fill in the holes for your viewers.

5. AVOID TECHNICAL JARGON
   
   Always use conversational style English when writing your copy. Don't use industry-specific language to tell a broadcast news story. Your job as a journalist requires you to break down the jargon and sift through the language so you can present it to the general public in a way that they clearly understand.

6. 
    

   ELIMINATE REDUNDANCIES
   
   Don't be redundant. Don't be repetitive. Get to the point and get their fast!

[MyJB]

on 8/22/2009 Good information to have on hand. Thanks for sharing.