5 Tips for Writing Better TV News Scripts
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ม.ค. 2025
- Here are five things to keep in mind, when writing scripts for TV news. If you follow these, I guarantee you'll make your TV news coworkers happy, and you'll save time in your newscasts.
1. Concise - remove (that) 2. Don't use the term speaking out 3. No police speak eg fled on foot. If you get a press release from them, change the terms 4. Active voice and mostly present tense 5. Complete sensible ideas in a sentence.
Thanks for explaining the tips. It helps me with my assignment for Multimedia Journalism.
2022 And still absolutely useful and relevant to future journalists like myself. Thanks man.
PS; Everyone is too busy using the skills they forgot to leave comments of thanks,lol
With Love, from Kenya
I can't believe people keep coming back to this video. It feels like I made this, a lifetime ago. But I'm glad it's working for you and everyone else!
Thanks for making this! I'm in my first news job and this video was very helpful :)
I'm happy to hear that! I'm thinking about doing another one of these soon. Are there any topics you're curious about? Is there anything you'd like me to answer?
How’s it going now?
Nick as a sometime writer through my lifetime it is a pleasure to hear someone bring to the forefront some excellent tips for those about to go into the field of TV writing. Enjoy your TV appearances. Keep up with the vlogs, any subject would be welcome. My own special interest in Social Justice.
Thanks for this! I’m a recent video editor-turned-producer still in training who never went to school for any of this (I majored in art lol), so it’s helpful to have this straightforward list of writing tips.
I'm happy to hear that! I'm thinking about doing another one of these soon. Are there any topics you're curious about? Is there anything you'd like me to answer?
This was very helpful! I just recently graduated and I have an upcoming interview for a producer position at one of my local stations. Its good hearing these tips from the anchors view about script writing. Now I’ll know what to avoid. 🤝
I'm glad this helps. Good luck with your interview, Ciara!
Thanks for the tips. I am about to take a writing test for an associate producer position with my local news station! Fingers crossed
For Promo/Tease Producing, writing concisely is a great tip. You've got 15 seconds to try and get people to watch the show. I'm guilty for the "speaking out" part... Sometimes I default to it under a crunch. As far as that goes, what would you suggest to say instead? "A mom is speaking out to defund the program" for example
I would say "A mom wants to defund the program" or "A mom tells us/says she wants to defund the program."
Thanks for the tips. I am about to take a writing test for an associate producer position with my local news station! Fingers crossed 😁🤞
Liked the way you presented it. Looking forward to more such videos.
Thanks! I'm thinking about doing another one of these soon. Are there any topics you're curious about? Is there anything you'd like me to answer?
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Great video! It's always good to get feedback from people in front of the camera! Looking forward to more videos!
Thanks! I'm thinking about doing another one of these soon. Are there any topics you're curious about? Is there anything you'd like me to answer?
You are teaching me so much, I have always wanted to be a journalist
I'm happy to hear that! I'm thinking about doing another one of these soon. Are there any topics you're curious about? Is there anything you'd like me to answer?
Great advice. It drives me nuts when a newscast tells me to "take a look at this video". I am watching the newscast. Obviously I am looking at the video.
Really good info, thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this video.
Please would love to hear more on you tips to write
Tips for cold opens? Also - most creative tips for newscasts? I am new at producing and came from no experience
This is really helpful. Thanks for sharing! And hope you can do more contents like this :) Cheers!
Thanks! I'm thinking about doing another one of these soon. Are there any topics you're curious about? Is there anything you'd like me to answer?
Also, I’ve been struggling how to write a script for a pedestrian vs. car accident? How would you write it to make it not sound like police talk?
In addition to the useful examples Nick gives between 3:53 and 5:37, do not refer to a vehicle as a vehicle. Instead, use "car", "SUV", "pickup truck" or whatever type of vehicle it is. That specificity makes it easier for the viewer to form a picture in her head of what the crash scene looked like. It's difficult to imagine a "vehicle"...b/c it's so vague. If you're only working off the press release, usually the cops will at some point identify the vehicle as "a Nissan Frontier". Look up that vehicle, determine what type of vehicle it is, and then use one of the more specific words I cited above.
Do not use "male" or "female" as nouns to describe people....because you would never do that in conversation. Use "man" or "woman". U *can* use "male" or "female" as an adjective...as in "male driver".
Do not write the driver was "traveling at A HIGH RATE OF SPEED". If that's what the press release says, clarify with a cop: was the driving speeding? If so, just say "the driver WAS SPEEDING".
If someone was arrested, they were not taken to the "Fulton County CORRECTIONAL FACILITY". No one talks like that. They were taken to "Fulton County JAIL". Similarly, if the pedestrian was killed, do not say she "succumbed to her injuries". Instead, write she "DIED from her injuries." "Correctional Facility" and "succumbed" waste your viewers' time with extraneous syllables and require them to translate from police talk to normal English. That translation process dilutes the intensity of the emotional reaction to your story. You want that emotion.
TV14's finest.
Great info!
Make more news writing and producing videos.
Mr. Laidley sent me
its good but cant understand sir
I'm here because of school😔🤚