Blog Post 3: Beat Development & Story Outline

As you review “Preparing Your First Stories” in the Poynter course, do a little detective work to gather additional research on your beat or organize that research.

Then, begin to analyze the elements of your first story. The News Manual will help you outline your key story points. I have noticed it avoids some typical newspaper vocabulary of the lede and nut graph. Kevin Devine does a good job of explaining those two concepts and how they work.

Assignment Instructions:

  1. [Blog Post] Share your work from Preparing Your First Stories. This should be:
    • Notes from any journalists you can turn to for advice.
    • A list of locations that could be useful to visit regularly to stay informed on your beat.
    • A document with links to online resources.
    • A reference list for offline material &/or a folder with electronic documents.
    • A list of important dates.
    • Notes from previous articles on your topic.
  2. Using the information from The News Manual and Kevin Devine, dissect your first story.
    • List the 5W’s & the H (one word each),
    • Write your lede (one sentence),
    • Write your nut graph (one or two sentences),
    • Transcribe at least three quotes from people you interviewed for the story.
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