Guy P. Gannett Scholarship Fund - News Story

The committee expects to receive a professional story written in AP Style (www.apstylebook.com). Below is a "Black List" compiled by the committee to assist you. This story is a critical component of your application. Write it thoughtfully.

Write a news story based on the following. Assume these are notes you have taken in person or over the phone.

-Augusta police Sgt Lisa Miller: there was an incident at the GooseCrossing Mall yesterday (Thursday). She said witnesses told police that an elderly woman was knocked down by a young man as he ran out of a store after stealing a chainsaw and a gas tank.

-Miller also said the name of the store was The Home Center. She said the name of the woman who was knocked down was Emily Ciamatiero and she is 76 years old and lives in Farmingdale. She was treated at the scene for scrapes on her face and hands.

-Based on a description given to the officer who responded to the incident, Patrolman J. Alfred Prufrock, police later arrested Cynthia Biddle, 23, of 5 Wentworth St, Augusta.

-Prufrock said two witnesses and Ciamatiero told him the person who ran out of the store was a man, dressed in jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt and running shoes. The assailant had the chainsaw under one arm and carried the empty gas tank in the opposite hand. The said he was about 5-feet-six and overweight. He ran into a small red pick up truck and drove away.

-Prufrock said later in the day the police department received a call from a resident of Wentworth Street complaining that a neighbor was “making a racket” with a chain saw and the noise was so loud she could not hear her TV show. When Patrolman H. Badorties went to the scene, she witnessed an individual in a gray sweatshirt operating a chain saw. The individual appeared to be trying to saw the roof off a red Chevy pickup truck. Patrolman Badorties called in what she saw to the station and the sergeant on duty directed Badorities to arrest the individual on charges of theft and assault and battery.

-The suspect identified herself as Cynthia Biddle and told Badorties that the truck belonged to her boyfriend, who had informed her earlier in the day that he was leaving her and moving in with her best friend. She told the patrolman, He used to love me and his pickup. If he wants to leave me in pieces, then I can do the same thing to his truck.


THE BLACK LIST

Do not use...

A. ...as the main verb in a news lead:
1.met
2.announced
3.spoke
4. held
5.attended
6.led
7.presented
8.considered
9.addressed
10.discussed


B. ...in any context:
1.centered around
2.finalize
3.prioritize
4.impacted (impact as a verb)
5.when asked


C. ...without evidence:
1.thinks
2.believes
3.feels
4.hopes


FATAL ERRORS
1.Fact
2.Name or title
3.Spelling
4.Grammar
5.Style
6.Editorializing
7.Lack of attribution

FOULS
8.Typo
9.Sentence structure
10.Language usage
11.Inappropriate emphasis in the lead
12.Omission of basic information in the lead
13.Incomplete coverage
14.Unbalanced coverage