Communications

Part 1

(20 points)

1. Take the bold-faced two-sentence quotation below attributed to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and write a two-sentence complete direct quotation with first reference attribution following the quotation style taught in this class.

“Bill Clinton says he does not inhale marijuana. Sure, like I chew on LSD but I don’t swallow it.”  (Hunter Thompson quote)

2. Take the direct quotation below and attribute it to Hunter Thompson. Turn the complete direct quotation into a paraphrased quotation with a partial quotation using second reference attribution.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity.” (Thompson)

Part 2. (20 points) Writing summary leads.

3. Write a one-sentence delayed identification summary lead using these reporter’s notes and provide All information is in correct AP Style. Include the time element or lose points.

Reporter’s notes:

Shooting tonight on the Pensacola Beach boardwalk near the Bamboo Willy Bar. Peter Griffin, 35, from Milton was shot and killed. Escambia County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Les Hangem said Shelley Grimditch, 65, is the sole suspect. She was arrested and charged with homicide.

2. Write a one-sentence summary lead with all key details required from the following information from these reporter’s notes. All information is in correct AP Style.

The fire occurred at 3 a.m. this morning. Three unidentified people living in the house were burned. The medical condition of the three victims being treated at a local hospital is listed as critical. A dog and a cat were rescued from the blaze. The fire destroyed the home on Liplock Avenue in Denton.

Part 3 (30 points)

4. Write a feature lead block using these reporter’s notes. Follow the style required to write a feature lead discussed in this course. All information provided in these notes is correct AP Style so don’t make unnecessary errors!

Reporter’s Notes:

It is a sunny day at a beach on the Gulf at Fort Pickens National Seashore. Today an estimated 125 beach lovers are in for a special treat. Precisely at noon, four staff members of the Gulfarium of Destin arrive in a van.

The four young women unload two large, orange plastic boxes with no lids. The boxes are filled with sea water and something special. One box contains Wendy, a Kemp’s Ridley turtle. The other box contains Tinkerbell, a Green turtle.

Samantha Shea, a Gulfarium biologist, explains that both turtles were found last summer nearly lifeless. They nearly died due to exposure to red tide organisms.

Direct quotation from Shea:

“Last summer, countless number of turtles, manatees, dolphins and other sea creatures died after red tide, enhanced by agricultural and residential fertilizer runoff, ravaged Gulf waters from Destin to Naples. These little ladies are the lucky ones.”

They were named Wendy and Tinkerbell because the director of the Gulfarium loves Peter Pan, Shea said.

A crowd gathered on both sides of the Gulfarium crew carrying the boxes to the Gulf. The women put the boxes down. Then each turtle was lifted out of the box by a staff member. The turtles begin flapping their flippers excitedly. People in the crowd start cheering. Little kids squeal with delight.

Then each turtle is gently placed into the waves. The turtles don’t miss a beat. They speed out to the first sand bar. Overhead sea gulls cry. One of the Gulfarium staff members bursts into tears of joy.

It’s a fairy tell beginning of Wendy and Tinkerbell’s new life.

Part 4. Writing hard news stories using notes

(30 points) Using the reporter’s notes, 6-paragraph hard news story including a summary lead with a time element answering key questions.

Include a two-sentence complete direct quotation from Underwood and Griffin.

There are no AP Style errors in the info.

 Reporter’s notes

Pensacola City Council met tonight. There was debate about a proposed ordinance to ban homeless people from sleeping outside on public property and using municipal restrooms at a park near the bay.

A crowd of 200 people showed up for the meeting. Outside, protesters held signs and chanted slogans condemning the ordinance. Three protesters were arrested after confronting City Councilor Peter Griffin, the ordinance’s sponsor, as he tried to enter City Hall.

Some protesters sat down and blocked the doors to the council meeting room and were carried out by police and arrested for disorderly conduct. More than two dozen Pensacola police officers were stationed on City Hall grounds.

The council debated the ordinance for two hours.

Claire Underwood, an East Hill resident, spoke in opposition.

Quote from Underwood that is not in correct style: “Instead of arresting these people, we need to be helping. This is inhumane and Pensacola can do better.”

Quote from Griffin, the ordinance’s sponsor that is not in correct style: “Do you like to walk downtown and have to step over homeless people in the sidewalk? These poor wretches need to be taken to shelters across town.”

In a vote of 7-2, the ordinance passed to a mixture of applause and boos.