Tip Sheets

Writing health stories with impact

"One good word is worth a thousand pictures." --Eric Sevareid, CBS News

Junk jargon
Translate medical terminology. Tell the story to a friend.
Avoid loaded words
Is it really a "breakthrough" or a "cure?"
Don't hype stories by using inaccurate terms.
Bother with basics
Spelling and grammar count. Errors distract and confuse.
Don't be afraid to use the right word more than once or twice.
Stay active
Write simple, declarative sentences in the active voice: subject, verb, object.
End with punch
Listeners and viewers remember what they hear last. Strong words belong at the end
of sentences. Pare scripts from the bottom, line by line.
Edit ruthlessly
Use the delete key! Kill wasted words.
Knock down the dams where the story doesn't flow.

Find stories in new places
Look at what consumers really want to know
Avoid unfounded generalizations
Look beyond one patient's experience.
Do the math.
Peel back the layers
Look behind research results and scientific studies.
Share background on experts so the audience can judge credibility for themselves.
Clarify meaning
Use words to help viewers understand audio, video and graphics.
Be cautious with handout video and sound bites. Disclose the source.

– Deborah Potter, executive director, NewsLab
301-652-4881
potter@newslab.org
www.NewsLab.org