Wall Street Journal formula

The Wall Street Journal style of writing can be found in the New York Times article "Balancing Act May Help Division II Define Itself" by Katie Thomas.

Thomas begins with an anecdotal lede:

• "University presidents in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association sometimes joke that they experience “ticker envy,” a yearning for the visibility that comes with a spot on the ESPN ticker."

Next, Thomas explains the general purpose of the story in the nut graf appearing in the fourth paragraph:

• "Now, members of Division II say they hope they have found their niche by offering a haven from the kind of big-time college athletics that are increasingly seen as overly commercial and exploitative."

It's at this point that Thomas uses quotes and facts to solidify the story. She first discusses specific actions taken by Division II schools such as these:

• "Under a proposal expected to be approved at the N.C.A.A. convention in January, Division II members plan to shorten the seasons in 10 sports, as well as cut back practice time in football."
• "[...]the proposal would also reduce the seasons in four sports by allowing students to report to school about a week later than they currently do. Football would not lose any games, but players would begin their preseason practice one week later. The proposal would also establish a weeklong “dead period” around Christmas in which athletes could not participate in practices or games."
• "Bob Fortosis, the athletics director at Eckerd College in Florida and a member of the Division II management council, acknowledged that the Division II proposal was rooted in a desire to cut costs, but that the motivation was also to give students more time on campus. Division II’s effort to redefine itself dates to the summer of 2005, when about 150 university presidents and chancellors met in Orlando, Fla., to discuss why several members were leaving for Division I."

From here, Thomas narrows in on how two Division II athletes were affected by the perceived stigma of playing at a Division II school; Ronnye Nelson and Maddie Dickinson:

• "Nelson’s path to Valdosta was not as simple as the division’s slogan implies. A star quarterback from Albany, Ga., Nelson said he spoke to several Division I universities but that interest waned after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his senior year. In the end, Nelson decided to attend Valdosta because it was close to home and 'they win a lot.'"
• "The decision was more straightforward for Maddie Dickinson, a junior goalkeeper at Seattle Pacific University, the 2008 Division II soccer champions. 'D-I has a great reputation and it would be great to play there, but it definitely wasn’t what I was about,' said Dickinson, who is from Vancouver, Wash., a three-hour drive from Seattle. 'It was about where I was comfortable, and where home was.'"

Finally, Thomas concludes with a quote that leaves the story with an open-ended feeling:

• "Norton said she saw Division II’s rebranding efforts as positive. But when asked whether perceptions had shifted, she said, 'Not yet.'"

Summary ledes vs. feature ledes

A summary lede is typically used for news stories with the goal of passing along the who, what, when and where to the reader in 25 words or less. On the other hand, a feature lede sets the scene while deferring the purpose of the story for the nut graph somewhere within the first three paragraphs. A feature lede can, at times, take on a more literary tone which gives the writer additional flexibility and room to be creative. While a good summary lede displays the most important facts first, a good feature lede builds the foundation for which the rest of the story is built upon.

Examples of recent feature ledes:

1. From The Washington Post: "Alzner shows another side for Caps" by Tarik El-Bashir

"Karl Alzner is reminded of the daunting challenge he faces each time he walks into the dressing room at the Washington Capitals' Arlington practice facility. It's right there along the wall to the right -- the locker stalls of the seven defensemen who helped the team advance to within a game of the Eastern Conference finals last season.

Alzner wants to have a fulltime spot along that wall come Oct. 1, when the Capitals open the season in Boston. But, barring a trade, injury or the unlikely decision by management to keep eight defensemen, he knows that will only happen if he outperforms one of the incumbents over the next two weeks."

El-Bashir sets the scene in the first paragraph, taking the reader where they can't go - inside the team's dressing room. It's the second paragraph that El-Bashir uses for his nut graph. In other words, it's the second paragraph that tells the reader El-Bashir's purpose for writing the story.

2. From the Calgary Herald: "Theo's making it difficult for Flames to say no" by George Johnson

"He's becoming a kind of rash, this audacious little beggar. And those inside the Calgary Flames' family who figured the Theo Fleury experiment was nothing more than an annoying lark, a stunt, a PR nuisance destined to quickly run its course, are starting to break out in hives."

My beat blog: Towson Nightlife

I've decided that the beat I'll be covering this semester will be the nightlife in and around Towson. Here, we'll tackle issues such as drink specials, underage drinking, new bars, old bars and who, exactly, is the guy on the corner of York road and Pennsylvania avenue that sells hot dogs to passersby into the wee hours of the morning.

I'm sure this blog will evolve over time with some more varied topics but I think that this is a good place to start. As a veteran of Towson nightlife, I believe my experience, sources and passion for fun will lend for some interesting stories.

Hi, my name is Mike

Hi everybody, my name is Mike Miller and I'm currently a junior majoring in Journalism and New Media at Towson. For the past three summers I've been the Bowie Baysox beat reporter for Orioles Hangout.com. The Baysox are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and the Orioles, well, they're my favorite team in any sport. Having the opportunity for daily interactions with Orioles players and coaches has been something that I will never forget.

When I'm not at the ballpark you can find me either at home in Cockeysville or out and about in Towson with my friends. I enjoyed taking MCOM 257 in the spring with Dr. Spaulding and I'm really excited to learn more about new media again this fall.