Sarah Hutchins | Feb. 1, 2009
 |
| Photo by Sarah Hutchins |
| Memphis WPTY-TV news director Jim Turpin answered questions after his talk Friday. |
Related |
His started his presentation in Ernie Pyle 214 by doling out tips for clear, conversational writing.
“I want you to stop writing like you think a news person should sound,” Turpin said. “It should sound like a conversation….You should write like you speak with a friend.”
Turpin highlighted several common mistakes in broadcast news writing. He encouraged students to weed out jargon, clichés, declarative statements and redundancies (“arson fire,” “past history” and “dead body“ all made it into Turpin’s “Hall of Shame.”)
“To be the best news writer you can be, don’t use these things,” Turpin said.
Reporters should also look at the big picture when reporting and writing, he said. Learning to write to images and using natural sound breaks can help keep the viewer focused and let the story breathe.
Turpin emphasized the importance of leading a story with the most important information. Reporters need to learn to prioritize information. While television news is good at immediacy, emotion and opinion, the medium is not good for in-depth reporting.
Understanding the different writing styles in journalism is becoming increasingly important in a world of new media, Turpin explained. Students should learn the differences between writing for the Web and writing a broadcast script. The more well-rounded and technology-savvy a job applicant is, the better.
“The quality of applicants has really gone down and that worries me,” Turpin said after his lecture. “Where is the new talent coming from?”
Hopefully, they come from Turpin’s alma mater. Turpin he continues to meet with IU students because he wants to work with “the best and the brightest.”
While many students were worried about the potential job market, Turpin said students well-versed in all areas of journalism could soon have an advantage.
“It’s ugly out there right now, but I don’t want to frighten you,” he said. “Short term it’s awful, but long term, it’s rosier.”
After his lecture, Turpin said he remembered the frustrating experience just starting out, of being an intern or, as he called it, “an un-paid gopher.”
“I remember telling myself, if I ever did something with my career, I would try to steer and guide (students),” Turpin said. “I want to give back. I wish I had someone to give me advice when I was starting.”
Assistant professor Mike Conway, who introduced Turpin, said the guest lecture was entirely Turpin’s idea.
“When he comes, I just do anything I can to help,” Conway said after the lecture. “He’s really out there and he’s doing it. We teach the classes and have the student media, but when we bring in real professionals, it’s great.”
Questions? Comments? Email the Web editor.
