Reporting and Writing Basics
Accuracy must never be sacrificed for speed. If we lose our reputation for accuracy we lose everything. We reinforce to readers our commitment to accuracy by being totally honest about rectifying errors – promptly and openly. Double-check facts, figures, names, dates and spellings. Watch for typographical errors. Make sure the story is fair and balanced, and presented in such a way that it will be seen to be fair and balanced.
Accuracy in Reuters includes accurate "coding" the proper use of "slugs and slugging", using the most appropriate "headline tags" and consistency of style (see the Reuters Style Guide). Accuracy is also more than just getting the facts right – it is getting the right facts, and backing up our interpretation of the facts with authoritative and unimpeachable sourcing.
Who do we write for?
Think about your audience when you are digging for the news as well as when you begin to write. Know the Reuters client base. We write for financial professionals and for well-educated, world-interested, politically and financially aware general readers who often obtain news from several sources. Recognise that the news may be significant for specialist sectors outside your own.
Write alerts for the expert in the target market. Some other stories are written only for the specialist market. But Reuters stories have to travel beyond your own country or market. You will often need a higher level of context and background.
A Reuters story should be written so that a single version of the story can be sent, if necessary, to all relevant products or wires. This means: don’t dumb the story down. Your readers are politically and financially aware. It also means don’t assume your readers are specialists in the subject you are writing about. Explain technical terms unless your story is uniquely for a specialist audience that understands them and include context to explain the significance of the story.
Basic story structure
A good Reuters story gets straight to the point and has all the main elements – including context, background, human interest, colour and descriptive woven in from the top, not just tagged on as an after-thought.
The tried and tested “inverted pyramid” method – ordering the elements of the story in declining order of importance – is hard to beat. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? So What? Answers to all the basic journalistic questions need to be clear to the reader from the first sentence. The story should be written so it is self-contained, no matter where the reader stops or the sub-editor makes the cut.
The story may benefit from what U.S. journalism schools refer to as a “nut graph” in the second or third paragraph summing up the importance of the story (e.g. where a company fits into its business sector).
Generally, the “inverted pyramid” approach works with leads too, with the most important, newest (and therefore newsiest) elements presented first, followed by the supporting details, such as the source. A simple example: a profit result would be presented as rising “to x from y” not “from y to x” (new information first).
Story essentials
Think about the audience you are writing for. Reuters writes primarily for an audience of financial professional and for well educated, world-interested, politically and financially aware general readers. Readers may not be specialists, so don’t assume too much.
Ask yourself: Does the story say what it’s meant to say? Is it clear and unambiguous?
Make sure the story answers the “so what” question. Does it spell out the risks for those exposed to the new development and does it include the context? If it’s a financial story, does it concentrate on investment value? If a general interest story, is the human element highlighted?
Ensure the story is balanced, fair and neutral; watch for phrases that might suggest we are taking sides (e.g. “fears” or “hopes”). Be careful with words like “claimed” and phrases such as “according to” which suggest we doubt what is being said.
Make sure sourcing is clear and precise (see The essentials of Reuters sourcing)
Keep it simple. Use clear, simple language; verbs in the active voice rather than the passive (the bomb “killed” 10 people rather than “left 10 people dead”). Omit needless words (e.g. “21 ‘different’ countries”); “that” can often be dropped (e.g. “He said ‘that’…”). Use short words instead of long (e.g. “about” instead of “approximately”). Generally, it’s better to add detail, using nouns and verbs, rather than over-do the adjectives.
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STORY LENGTH
Newsbreaks: Newsbreaks should be no more than two paragraphs if the news is unexpected. Write three paragraphs only if the material is so complex that it requires additional background and context or a crucial quote (up to 100 words). Newsbreaks that include pre-written material may run longer, provided this does not compromise snapgaps.
Update 1s to newsbreaks: up to 200 words or about 5 paragraphs. Items longer than 200 words may be cut from the bottom up. Update 1s that include pre-written material may run longer, provided this does not delay the story.
All other stories: The wordage limits below are maximums, not an excuse to write to the limit when a story doesn’t deserve it or needs a swift start but is not a newsbreak. Desks will be tough on overwritten copy, even if the wordage falls within the rules, and cut from the bottom up. If a story cannot be cut from the bottom up because it is poorly structured, it will be sent back for a rewrite. This will delay publication.
- Up to 400 words for secondaries, sidebars, and secondary market reports.
- Up to 600 words for news stories expected to appear on a top news page or a media wire news schedule; that is trunk stories or major updates, or market reports in significant markets.
- Up to 800 words for wrapups, major interviews, analyses and features.
Exceptions: If you believe your story merits longer treatment, or that a longer update is justified, check first with a specialist editor or desk heads.
Note: For convenience, in editing systems that do not have a word count facility, the rule of thumb is that one line of text approximates to 10 words. This however is a guideline - the wordage counts take precedence.
Targeted writing
Good writing must be pitched correctly at its audience. This is at the heart of how we structure a story file, where we put our emphasis, and where we can reduce our effort, while still producing a news file that makes its mark.
This is particularly true for major global stories, where reaction to a news event breaks from multiple datelines. To ensure the leanest, most targeted file, we must focus our efforts in two areas. First, we must provide a well-written, cross-market trunk story. Second, we must provide the quickest, most penetrating market specific reaction in the form of merit alerts and newsbreaks.
We can and should dispense with UPDATES on reaction when it is breaking from multiple points. Instead, we should opt to pull it together in a rolling format, such as an INSTANT VIEW or a FACTBOX and, on merit, a reaction roundup. This will save reporters time, allow the desk to focus on the news rather than the reaction, and help readers navigate through the file. If you think your strand of reaction merits an update, consult with the desk duty editor first.
Tips for good story writing
“Tell me something I don’t already know"
That’s what clients want. Look for a new fact, angle, interpretation, reaction and explain the implications, whether you are covering politics, economics, corporate affairs, financial markets, sport or any other news. News does not happen in a vacuum – often the story is “outcome versus expectations” or “outcome versus comparisons”. In other words, it’s the context that makes the story. For a scheduled news event, make sure you know what’s expected and what the risks and implications might be if expectations fall short, or are exceeded. For a scheduled event preparation should start well before the actual news or announcement. This could involve pre-writing of the context, either as a “curtain-raiser” or of material to slot into the story when the time comes.
Get the first two paragraphs right
The first two paragraphs of a news story are crucial. Tell the reader immediately what has happened and why it’s important. If you haven’t told the story in the first two paragraphs it’s too late. A screen-reader will often read no further than the first paragraph – assuming he or she gets by the headline. A newspaper may well cut the story to a couple of paragraphs to make it fit a news-in-brief column. An online service will put just those first two paragraphs on its main page.
A bored or confused reader is unlikely to read on. If we haven’t told the story, straight away, we may as well have missed it. The lead, or first paragraph, is the key. If you get the lead right, the rest will follow.
Make the headline strong
Financial terminal clients and online readers trade, search and click open on the strength of the headline. If you can write the headline, you can write the lead. If you can write the lead you can write the story. Give headlines the attention they deserve. Too many are dull, and fail to do their job – which is to catch attention and draw the reader into the story. Headlines must be sharp and informative. Use short words and an active verb and avoid unfamiliar abbreviations. Make sure it makes clear where the news is happening e.g. “Central Bank cuts interest rates” – Which central bank? It is better to convey one idea crisply and clearly than to cram in two ideas awkwardly. Stick to the one main point. Don’t try to fit in too much or be clever with words and abbreviations. Headlines have only 50 characters, including spaces but excluding tags like UPDATE 1 or ANALYSIS.
Don’t neglect the slug
Slugs are made up of two parts - a packaging slug that is the same on all the pieces of a story that belong together and a wild (or flying) extension that describes that particular item. Media customers may use slugs to search for items, so the packaging slug should quickly describe the story in one or two words. A good story slug catches the eye, and should provide a strong pointer to what should appear in your headline and in your first paragraph. For example BC-PHILIPPINES-HOSTAGES/ is a very strong pointer that both Philippines and hostages will appear in the headline and the lead. The format indicates that the entire package of news will be about PHILIPPINES-HOSTAGES and that this item is the lead story, or trunk. Other breaking news items carry an extension to distinguish them from the main story, eg. BC-PHILLPPINES-HOSTAGES/SHOTS.
The 10 key words approach
Try making a list of 10 key words without which you simply could not write the story. They don’t have to be the exact words you will use in the story. Think more of the facts or concepts which must be there. So a story about oil prices would definitely have the key words oil and prices, but they might be expressed in the story as crude and dollars per barrel. Once you have that list of keywords you have the essence of the story. Most or all should appear in the first sentence. All should appear by the end of the second paragraph.
How long before you reach a crucial word?
This is a variation of the 10 key words approach. Read your lead and then count the number of words you use before you reach the one that is strong and essential and cannot be the thrown away. This is very often the news point. If you go beyond three or four words before reaching that “must have” word then stop and rewrite. You should be hitting strong, essential words very quickly after you start to read the first sentence.
Try this one:
- “A Baldonian woman who appeared to be in very poor health while held hostage by Philippine rebels for 12 weeks is remarkably well despite reports that she had contemplated suicide, a doctor said on Tuesday after her return home to Baldonia City.”
That’s a 42-word intro, and you have to count 13 words before you reach the first word that grabs you: “hostage”. You get there much sooner this way: “A Baldonian woman held hostage for 12 weeks by Philippine rebels is remarkably well despite reports she was ill and had contemplated suicide, a doctor said after she returned home on Tuesday.” The attention-grabbing word “hostage” is the fifth word and the news point that she is well is reported sooner in the sentence.
Count the words in your first sentence
If there are more than 25, start to get nervous. If there are more than 30 then get very nervous. By the time you reach 40 it’s time to break the sentence in two and reach for a full stop. If you reach 50 you’ve definitely gone too far. Simply breaking the sentence can be a very useful way of shortening your lead. Add a full stop/period half way along and then check that all the most important elements are in the first sentence.
Don’t get weighed down by too many details in the lead
Shorten and summarise titles and positions. You can be more specific further down. Don’t be too specific about geography. Think about whether the reader needs to know this detail this soon. Use only the most telling detail in the lead and give the broad picture. Every story must say when events described occurred. This time element usually, but not always, should be in the first paragraph, but try not to put more than one time element in the lead.
Support your lead with a quote
Direct quotes add colour and strength to your story and they prove you have spoken to someone who knows what happened. Try to support your lead by a direct quote by the third or fourth paragraph, and be precise about who said this and where it was said. Listen for that “golden quote” – the one that will best illustrate the main point of the story.
People rarely speak eloquently or succinctly. They do not order their facts in a way a journalist would. So use one or two short quotes in a story rather than several long ones. Make sure your quote pushes the story forward rather than simply echoes what you’ve just written.
Do not write: The hostage was released on Sunday and was in remarkably good health, the doctor said. "She is in remarkably good condition," Joseph Smith said. That is called a "parrot" quote or "echo" quote and bores the reader. Rather, look for a quote that is different and strengthens the lead while pushing the story forward: The hostage was released on Sunday and was in remarkably good health, the doctor said. "I’m very satisfied with her health, but she’s tired and suffering from the tension of recent weeks.” That reinforces the lead but pushes the story forward.
Avoid “broken” quotes unless the words are unusual, contentious or highly colourful. Bloggs said she was “delighted” to be working with such a “great” boss … does not need the words between quotes. Bloggs said she was "angry enough to kill" because she was working “with a pathetic excuse for a boss” … does need the words between quotes.
Quotes can also be used to:
- Catch distinctions and nuances in important passages of speeches and convey some of the flavour of the speaker’s language.
- Document and support third party statements made in the lead and elsewhere.
- Set off controversial material, where the precise wording can be an issue, as in legal contexts.
When using indirect (or reported) speech, instead of direct quotes, sources either say something or they don’t. Innuendo is rarely acceptable in news reporting. You should never guess at what a source means. To write in a news story that someone hinted, implied, indicated, suggested, or signalled is to interpret someone’s actions, words, or thoughts. This is rarely acceptable.
Tricks of the trade
- Don’t leave holes. Don’t mention an element without explaining it. If you have just said that this merger will create the second-largest widget maker in the region, don’t make the reader wait five paragraphs before revealing who is the largest.
- Build blocks. Try to group all the information relating to one element of your story in one block of paragraphs. Do not touch upon an issue in the third paragraph and then come back to it in the eighth.
- Write sequentially. Each sentence should connect to the next like a link in a chain. You make a statement, expand on it in the next paragraph, illustrate it with a quote in the third paragraph, and give some figures or background in the fourth paragraph. Then you move on to the next “block” by using a signpost sentence.
- Use signposts to let readers know you are moving to the next theme. A signpost or marker can be as simple as a “but” or it can be a short sentence which summarises what follows.
- Use “crossheads” to break up the story. Every 200-250 words is a reasonable pace.
Some checks for error-free copy
Many corrections can be prevented by checking simple things. Here are some tips to keep errors down before you send your story to the desk:
- Confirm the day of the week and the date.
- Check all the numbers – do all the components add up to the total, do individual percentages add up to 100? Double check the period covered, conversions, whether the figure is up or down. Watch for confusion between millions and billions, misplaced decimal points, transposed conversions. Check share prices.
- Watch the spelling of proper names and ensure names are spelled consistently throughout the story.
- Make sure there is a quote to back up a contentious lead.
- Ensure the story gives full company names, full and proper titles, and RICs in both the text and header field. Check that unfamiliar RICs and web site addresses mentioned in the story actually work.
- Does the story make clear how we got the information, e.g. newspaper pickup, interview, news conference?
- Ensure information in the story agrees with the headline, and if appropriate, the Alert (Bulletin). Are the headline tag and slug correct and appropriate?
- Ensure the Unique Story Number (USN) matches that of the Alert (if any).
- Check for legal dangers and balance. Does the story cast a slur on the good name of an individual, company or organisation? Does it expose anyone to ridicule, hatred or contempt? Is the story balanced and fair?
- Ensure tabular material carries tabular formatting in the header field.
- If you file the story to clients, MAKE SURE IT HITS THE SCREEN.
The Attention Editor flag
The warning flag ATTN EDITOR (or ATTN ED) should be included on the comment line of the header field, below the headline, and be added in brackets to the slug of any story that a correspondent thinks may be legally dangerous or may affect the status or reputation of Reuters. (Be aware that when transferring stories from region to region, editing systems may strip off the comment line and headline field). When a story is flagged ATTN EDITOR the reasons should be explained to the editing desk in a separate **service message** to the same codes used to send the story to the desk. The desk receiving such a story should refer it to the editor-in-charge. All reporters must clearly understand when and how to use the ATTN EDITOR flag. See Attention Editor items and Hoaxes for full details.
Category: Guide to Operations