Re: Good Journalism...

Anna--I write business-related stories and columns for four suburban Detroit
weekly newspapers.  I can give you an idea of what my editor looks for...

You're right...passive voice is pretty much a no-no.  My grammar check
function in Word 6 is indispensible in helping me elminate passive voice in
my articles.

The other thing my editor really stressed when I first started with him was
writing catchy leads.  What passes for catchy in a weekly might seem schlocky
to you and I...but as long as it encapsulates the story in a relatively cute
or clever way, my editor seems happy.
Some leads set the scene (a recent story I did on a jewelry store's fiftieth
anniversary talked about the store opening when WWII was ending, big band
music was popular and Joan Crawford was accepting an Academy Award for Best
Actress).
Some leads are fairly straight short versions of the rest of the story
(another recent story about a retail store's move out of a downtown area
mentioned the need for parking and an offer to buy the building the store was
in fueled the owner's decision to move).
Sometimes the lead will be a play on words...like a story about a heating and
cooling company which sponsors a yearly clothing drive for needy children
each winter...playing off the warm clothing and the fact it was a heating
company.

Unfortunatly, I keep most of my files at my office (where I work full time),
so I only have a few of my more recent articles here to give you exact
examples...

"Forget those images of heart-horrific fast food, as Little Caesars' new
Italian Kitchen offers plenty of heart-healthy menu selections."
(this from a short item about a Boston Chicken-like outlet opening...the
first of these Little Caesars' Italian Kitchens in Royal Oak)

"Royal Oak residents will soon be able to get a touch of summer sun at
Fantastic Sams" (A hair salon now offers tanning services)

"The desire for ample parking and increased visibilty fueled Gayle Chinn's
decision to move his jewelry store from the heart of downtown Royal Oak to
elegant new quarters at..." (merchants' move to new building)

"Couples who bicycle together on a tandem, stay together." (a short item
about a bicycle store...manager says tandems are hot this year...saying
"tandems bring a lot of couples together, especially those of deparate
athletic abilities...the stronger, more athletic cycling partner can't leave
the other partner behind..."

OK, OK...so it isn't Hemminway...these leads all appeared in a weekly with a
circulation of 30,000...so they were at least marketable <g>

I've also got pretty much a set list of questions I start with...and go from
there.
My editor always likes to see *numbers*...ages of business owners, square
footage of buildings, amount of money spent on a project...so those questions
are always on the list of things to ask.
I also tend to ask about any unusual business names...good stories, or leads,
sometimes come from the names and why they were chosen.

Guess I've rattled on enough...

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