Week 3: Discussion and Outlook

Scripting the News

Prepare:In Writing for the Mass Media, Stovall (2014) reminds us that, Writing for broadcasting is similar in many ways to writing for the print media, but there are some important differences. Those differences concern the way news is selected for broadcast, the characteristics of writing and story structure, and the style with which the information is presented. The main difference is that broadcast journalists are writing to be heard and seen rather than writing to be read. Sound, then becomes a primary consideration in the writing process.

Read Chapter 8 in Writing for the Mass Media and pay close attention to the elements of writing for broadcast journalism that Stovall (2014) discusses.

Reflect: Think about a topic that has been in the news recently. Did you read about it? Did you hear about it on the radio or television? How different were your experiences as you read it in print and listened to it or watched it in broadcast media? What elements of the broadcast story were lacking in relation to what you learned from the reading? What should writers of broadcast journalism pay close attention to when writing for the type of story that you are considering as your example?

Write: Once you have had time to critically examine the aspects of the story topic you will use as an example for this discussion, write a 250- to 300-word response that addresses the questions. In your initial post, you must include at least one in-text citation from the reading material and an additional in-text citation from a scholarly source that you locate in the Ashford University Library or from another credible source. At the end of your post, include your name and a full reference for all sources cited in the body of your post. All citations and references must adhere to APA style guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. . Check it! Your post must be submitted through Grammarly and Turnitin prior to submission.

Respond to Peers: After you have written your initial post, read the posts of your peers and respond to at least two others about their experiences listening to or watching the coverage on the topic they chose and what they believe was lacking. Your responses should address them by name, be between 100 and 150 words in length, and you must include your name at the end of each response.