The following seven lessons are courtesy of Adam Schrager, WISC-TV
1) One-to-one Relationship: For example, if your mother, father, or roommate asked you, “What happened in class today?” Chances are you wouldn’t answer, “Well, the guest speaker clearly articulated the proper procedure on how to write for the broadcast audience, underscoring the significant and substantive differences between it and the written world for print journalism.” No, hopefully, you’d say something like, “We had a reporter in to discuss how to write for television news.” Write the way you talk.
2) KISS Principle: Keep it simple, stupid. Mark Twain loved to say if he had more time, his books would have been shorter. Simplicity does NOT mean stupidity. To explain the difficult simply is an art form.
3) Be concise: Preferably, one thought per sentence. That’s how people speak.
“It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.
So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.
That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.” – Dr Seuss
4) Avoid jargon/euphemisms: Why would you say, “Airline officials blamed a lack of visibility for the crash,” when you really mean, “Airline officials blame the crash on thick fog.” Why say, “Ford reports that automotive production declined last month,” when you really mean,” Ford officials say the company made fewer cars last month.”
5) Make a commitment: you should be able to state your story in a single sentence with a subject, ver, and object. Everything else, all the details, should flow from there.
6) Activate your sentences: Write in the active voice; use action verbs. For example, why write “The man was arrested by deputies after smashing pumpkins,” when you could write, “Deputies arrested the man for smashing pumpkins.”
7) Write to enhance, not to describe: In broadcast journalism, we see the pictures. We know what we see. Enhance what I’m seeing with something I can’t see, don’t tell me what I’m seeing.
