A Tattler Reporters Companion How to Write an Article

A newspaper article gives an objective account of an event or situation. It is not a review and should never contain your own opinion. If you feel you have a conflict of interest, i.e. your opinion will influence the article, you should not write it. Examples of a conflict of interest are writing about a club or team of which you are a member, or writing about a situation that involves a family member. A good article begins with a lead that introduces the topic and captures the readers attention. Good examples of leads include: For an article on banking in Ithaca: Whether you're looking for a place to deposit that first paycheck or thinking about saving for a new car, the prospect of entering the banking world can be a daunting one For an article on data basing: Unlike Big Brother, it may not be constantly watching you, but it does know your name, where you live, and who your parents are. A good article then answers the five Ws who, what, where, when and why - and how. Information can be obtained from a number of sources: press releases, personal interviews, the internet. Be aware that sources, especially the internet, can provide false information. Information should never be made up or assumed; if you receive conflicting information check with a third source or comment on the discrepancy in the article.

Interviewing
The best way to obtain information is through personal interviews with people directly involved with an event. A good rule of thumb is to interview at least three separate individuals, if possible with different involvements or opposing viewpoints so the article can be as fair and balanced and possible. While interviewing, a handheld recorder is helpful to have so that you can concentrate fully on the interviewee, though by no means necessary. Even if you have a recorder it is imperative you take notes because even your recorder will fail sometime! When quoting sources directly, use quotation marks. If you paraphrase, do not use quotes but account the information to the source. Like information, quotes should never be made up. Interviews in person or by phone are always better than e-mail correspondence, but email is better than nothing, although it is important to let your reader know. For example, In an e-mail, Ms. X wrote, Always note the official title of your interviewee and gather any background information that could be relevant to a story. Review your notes and tape after the sitting and arrange an additional meeting if any follow-up questions arise.

Sending In Articles
Articles are to be sent as individual files to the section editor BY DEADLINE. Unless prior arrangements are made with editors, all late articles will be saved until the next issue. A list of important e-mail addresses is included below.

The files should be Microsoft word files (.doc). Please send these as attachments, and check that they really do end in .doc. Simply copying them into an e-mail makes doing the layout very difficult. Please just use very simple formatting (normal style) exactly like the example below. Notice that the indentation in front of paragraphs consists of a tab, not a Microsoft Word false indentation gap that does not REALLY exist. The first paragraph is not indented. IHS Still Prepping for SAT Class By KRISTEN T. (use full name) As the release of the new SAT draws near, students have begun memorizing vocabulary words and completing practice problems in order to prepare for the test. While there are multiple organizations in the community that are dedicated to prepping students for the SAT, students often find themselves too caught up in schoolwork to devote a substantial amount of time to preparing. Ithaca High Schools new SAT Prep Class now offers a solution to this problem by preparing students for the SAT in addition to giving them credit towards graduation. The class, which was originally scheduled to be offered in the fall of 2004, was moved to the spring semester of 2005 so that the course could go through a formal review. Not meeting the needed minimum enrollment of fifteen students for the upcoming spring semester, the SAT Prep Class has been further postponed until next fall. Eileen Bach, who had spent time preparing to teach the course, expressed her confusion at why the course, which she had approved to be her sabbatical project, was unable to pilot in the fall.

Important Contact Information

Editor-in-Chief Eva G. editor@ihstattler.com News Editor Maddie H. news@ihstattler.com Features Editor Jacob E. features@ihstattler.com Spread Editor Phil D. spread@ihstattler.com A&E Editor Divya S. arts@ihstattler.com Sports Editor Michael M. sports@ihstattler.com Back Page Editor Matt S. backpage@ihstattler.com Photo Editors Lydia B. and Justin W. photo@ihstattler.com Layout Editor Salmaan R. layout@ihstattler.com Copy Editor Rafael L. copy@ihstattler.com Advertising Managers Rayleigh L. and Sarah A. ads@ihstattler.com Faculty Advisor Deborah Lynn advisor@ihstattler.com E25 (full editorial staff list available on second page of paper) The Tattler office is off of H courtyard in H134. Stop by with questions or article ideas.