Student Edition | Instructor Edition | Information Center | Home
News Writing and Reporting for Today's Media, 7/e
Student Edition
Sources and Credits

Review Questions
Exercise 6.1
Exercise 6.2
Exercise 6.3

Feedback
Help Center



Developing a News Story

Exercise 6.1

Download this exercise below and use your text-editing software to complete it. When you are finished, either e-mail or hand-in the exercise to your instructor.
Exercise 6.1 (20.0K)

Use the following information to write a breaking news story. Use your town as the where of the story. The time element is Tuesday night.
     Police are reporting that a 4-year-old child is missing. Her name is Angela Melissa Norton and she lives with her parents at 2346 N. 17th Ave.
     Her parents are Samuel R. and Maria L. Norton, who also live at the 17th Avenue address.
     The Nortons had gone to dinner and a movie Tuesday evening and had left the child in the care of a 16-year-old baby sitter by the name of Nancy Bonner. Nancy is a high school sophomore. She lives with her parents at 2439 N. 17th Ave.
     When the Nortons got home from the show, Nancy was asleep on the living room couch instead of being awake and watching the child. The Nortons went into the child's bedroom and she was not in her crib.
     They called police, who have
begun searching for the child.
     Here is a quote from local police Sgt. Timothy McClung, who is a public information officer. "All we know right now is that the baby sitter says she put the child to sleep at 9 p.m. When the parents got home at 10:30 p.m. the child was not in the house and the baby sitter was asleep on the couch. We are asking anyone who might have some information on the child to please call the police department. We don't need your name, but we sure need your help."
     Police said that when she was last seen, Angela was wearing pajamas with Mickey Mouse images printed on them. She has light brown curly hair.
     Samuel R. Norton is a senior partner in the local law firm of Norton, Smith and Taylor.