This helpful guide was written by LRE Committee Member, Barbara M. Seymour.
May 2022
7. Cite to sources. If you are reporting a fact that is not confirmed or might be
disputed, indicate where your information came from. For example: “According to
the lawsuit, Hite was ridiculed by her co-workers after Porter mocked her repeatedly
on his morning talk show. Hite claims she was forced to take early retirement as a
result of mental stress at work attributed to Porter’s alleged campaign of
harassment.” If you leave off the citations to the sources, your reporting will not be
unbiased and balanced.
8. Approach the topic seriously. While court cases might be filled with
dramatic moments, you should maintain a serious tone. Let the facts and quotes relay
the drama of the events, rather than your writing style. Avoid injecting superfluous and
sensational adjectives and adverbs. For example: “At one point, the judge threatened
Hite’s attorney with contempt of court after she pointed at Porter during her cross-
examination and shouted, “You, sir, are a liar!”” Instead of: “The jury watched in great
surprise as Hite’s attorney aggressively approached a startled Porter and called him
a liar right in the middle of his testimony! The judge got so mad, his face turned purple,
and he angrily told the attorney that if she pulled a stunt like that again, he would throw
her in jail!” A news article is not a novel.
9. Use quotes. Including quotes from people involved in the story provides different
perspectives and helps you keep the story balanced. Using quotes also helps you
stay in the role of an outside observer. In courtroom reporting, the best quotes come
from the testimony of witnesses. Sometimes, an attorney’s “gotcha” question or the
judge’s statement in ruling on a legal issue can bring the article to life. In a real
courtroom and in Mock Trial, journalists are not allowed to record the trial without
the permission of the judge. Good notetaking is essential because you do not want
to misquote anyone. If you don’t catch the exact words, you can rephrase or
paraphrase, just make sure it is an accurate representation of what the person said.
10. Edit and proofread your work. All writers must double-check spelling and
edit their work for clarity and content. Read and re-read your article before turning
it in. Try reading it out loud to yourself to make sure it makes sense. Correct spelling,
grammar, and punctuation are essential for relaying a news story accurately,
keeping the reader’s attention, and ensuring your credibility as a journalist.
Proofread carefully to ensure you write in complete sentences; have subject-verb
agreement; avoid run-on sentences; use apostrophes, commas, and capitalization
appropriately; etc. Keep an eye out for homophones – words that sound alike but
are spelled differently. An attorney is ‘counsel’ not ‘council’, for example. If you are
not sure about a grammar rule, look it up in a style manual, such as Elements of
Style, Associated Press Stylebook, or Chicago Manual of Style.