BROADCAST NEWS
Up to now we have been writing for the eye.
The reader scans your writing and absorbs the meaning
silently.
Broadcast news is similar to the newspaper version,
but is stripped down for ease of listening.
The listener hears the words only once and they are
gone forever.
The following suggestions will make your reporting
clearer and easier to obsorb by the listener.
Rules to Follow:
-
Sentences should be short and simple
-
Factual details, numbers, statistics, names and titles should
be kept to a minimum
-
Language should be simple, clear, and colloquial. (OK to
use contractions)
-
Round off large or complex numbers when the exact figure
is not vital
-
Avoid hard-to-pronounce words
-
Use upper- and lower-case letters (ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ARE
USUALLY HARDER TO READ)
