Training Tip of the Day
Each day, Poynter's News University will share a tip, a suggestion or idea to help your reporting, writing, editing, photography, design, and multimedia work better. We'll draw tips from our more than 150 training modules. Follow us on Twitter with our #nutip hashtag. Or subscribe to our RSS feed.
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#607If you write something you haven’t clearly thought through, you will end up with gobbledy gook. When you don’t understand it, neither will your readers.Feb 27, 2013
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#606Begin sentences with subjects and verbs, letting subordinate elements branch to the right. Even a long, long sentence can be clear and powerful when the subject and verb make meaning early.Feb 27, 2013
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#605The biggest problem with revising is not the words, it's the attitude. So adjust the attitude, make the changes in your writing and learn from the experience.Feb 27, 2013
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#604Put your leads on a diet. Replace verbs in the present continuous tense – “is planning,” “are hoping” – with shorter simple present verbs – “plan,” “hope.”Feb 27, 2013
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#603Multimedia must be multidimensional. Be sure it includes strong video as well as graphics, audio and text. The best multimedia uses the strengths of each medium to tell the story in a way that draws in readers.Feb 27, 2013
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#602With a multi-part question, the source will probably answer only the last part ... so, ask one simple, direct question at a time. – Bob SchiefferFeb 27, 2013
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#601Budgets are the DNA of government, showing where the money is flowing, from whom and to whom. Go back two or three years and see where the money has come from and gone.Feb 27, 2013
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#600If on a new beat, turn to your predecessor for help with sources (and their contact information), issues, people to watch, helpful public records and unused story ideas.Feb 27, 2013
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#599Open-ended questions are especially important when producing audio narratives because they encourage subjects to answer in complete and descriptive sentences.Feb 27, 2013
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#598Often overlooked, post-mortems are extremely helpful in letting team members know what they could have done better in executing a plan.Feb 27, 2013
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