Objective:

to test your step-by-step method for finding the focus of a news story.

Background:

Earlier in this section you observed and wrote down the step-by-step process you go through in finding the focus of a news story. Now you will test your process to see how complete it is. (Later on we will refer to this process of find the focus of a news story as "strategizing a story.)"

Procedure:

1. Assume that Wheeling Jesuit University has just instituted a tough new anti-smoking policy in response to the rising number of smoking-related health problems among students.

2. Using the list of steps for focusing a story you developed earlier, plan out (but do not write) a story on the new smoking policy.

What you will turn in:

One or more sentences describing your answer for each of the steps in your news story focusing process.

For example, let's say that your process has four steps:

1. Identify a story topic

2. Ask yourself what is most interesting about this topic, how it will affect the intended readers of the story..

3. Put this in question form.

4. Identify an insightful answer to this question. (This is the working focus for the story.)

Then you would turn in the following:

1. Identify a story topic.

   the university's new smoking policy

2. Ask yourself what is most interesting about this topic, how it will affect the intended readers of the story.

   The new policy will affect where students can smoke.

3. Put this in question form.

   How will the new policy affect where students can smoke?

4. Identify an insightful answer to this question. (This is the working focus for the story.)

   The new university smoking policy will restrict student smoking to a designated smoking lounge in each lounge and one room in the Ratt.