Consists of
interviewing a classmate (main interview – Ally) and creating a news story from this interview and the
additional interviews (Interviews 2 & 3, Thomas and Hoon) you will conduct for the story.
I will be uploading the audio of the interviews so you can listen to them. I conduct an interview with students who lives off campus and exploring their experiences related to commuting and academic performance could provide valuable insights for my story. I also based my interview questions from an article that can help writing the news story (An Analysis Of The Relationship
Between Distance From Campus
And GPA Of Commuter Students) which will be attached below.
Also here are the questions that I asked the interviewees so you can follow them in the audios for reference (some of them I skipped because the student automatically answered them without being asked), they are important for quotation which is a big element when writing the news story.
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Can you describe your daily routine as a student living off campus? How do you manage your time between commuting, classes, and other responsibilities?
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How far is your commute to campus, and what mode of transportation do you typically use?
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Have you noticed any challenges or advantages to living off campus in relation to your academic performance?
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How do you stay engaged with campus activities and student life while living off campus?
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Have you experienced any difficulties balancing your academic commitments with other aspects of your life due to living off campus?
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Do you feel that the distance from campus has had any impact on your overall college experience and success?
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What support or resources do you think would be helpful for off-campus students to enhance their academic performance and engagement with the university?
***VERY IMPORTANT*** Going on that there is a structure that you MUST follow when writing the article:
Basic Structure of a News Story
Every news story is based on one main idea
— the focus. A quality story has a clear
focus.
The basic news story structure includes a
headline and three general parts: a
beginning, called the “lead”; a middle, called
the “body” and an ending.
The “body” includes the nut graph, lead
quote, and facts/quotes.
This structure is called the “inverted
pyramid.”
Lead: Should be one sentence
Nut Graph: Each nut graph should be between 2-3 sentences
Lead Quote: Consist of a quote from an important source that summarizes the
main point of the story
Facts/quotes: This will be the majority of your story
Ending/Kicker: Ideally should be only one sentence, but can be the size of a
graph.
**A graph is a small paragraph (2-3 sentences). News stories use graphs and not
paragraphs.**
Writing a Summary Lead – The Basics
Who, What, When, Where, Why, plus How and So What
A summary lead should answer several, but not all, of the basic questions: who,
what, when, where and why, plus how and so what. If you cram all of them into the
lead, it could be cumbersome. Choose the most important factors for the lead.
Save the others for the second or third paragraph.
The Five W’s = Who, What, When, Where, and Why
The summary lead is the most common type of lead for writing news.
Writing a Summary Lead – Subject-Verb-Object
Subject-Verb-Object Order
Summary leads are most effective when they follow subject–verb–object
order. SVO says “Who did what” or “What happened.”
“A 20-year-old Anchorage woman was charged today with offering an undercover police
officer $1,000 to kill a woman who appeared on her boyfriend’s Facebook page.”
Subject – “A 20-year-old Anchorage woman”
Verb – “was charged today”
Object – “with offering an undercover police officer…”
Story Organization & Story Forms – Active Voice, Transitions, & Short Sentences
● Use active voice whenever possible.
○ Active voice makes the story more direct and concise
○ It also makes it easier to transition from one graph to the next because you will transition the
reader from one action to another.
● Starting a graph with the person or entity who engages in an action makes it
obvious to the reader that we have transitioned from one topic or person to
another.
● Your sentences should be no longer than 25 words, on average.
Story Organization & Story Forms – Endings (call them “kickers”)
It should give a summary feeling to your story without repeating any information
you have stated previously.
● Quote Kickers
○ End with a quote that sums up the mood or main idea of the story. (Most common kicker)
● Circle Kickers
○ When you return to your lead at the end, and circle back to the top.
● Out-of-Gas Kickers
○ You’ve run out of information and end you story by stating that fact. Good for news stories.