You are to cover the District Council election tomorrow (Nov. 6) IN YOUR OWN DISTRICT. Results will be announced on the following day (Nov. 7). Pretend your story will be published in a local newspaper the day after the results are announced.
For this assignment, you will not only report on who the winners were and by how many votes, but must also explain how and why they won, what they stood for (i.e., their election platforms) and who they represented; also whether they were independent or associated with a political party. Were they dark horses? Were their victories almost certain from the start because of the absence of creditable rivals or because of their popularity?
You need to speak to the election candidates, winner(s) and/or political analysts, and come back with good quotes.
It’s challenging to make district council elections interesting to readers who are not already political junkies, but this one is important because it’s the first held after the government-backed constitutional reform with five new “super lawmaker” seats representing 2.8 million voters, billed as a crucial step towards full democracy.
Besides being factual, your story needs to be interesting as well. You will be judged by what I call the “awake index”, that is whether and for how long that I, the reader, can stay awake while reading your copy. So, find interesting colours, personalities, quirky facts and quotes to keep reader interest alive.
REMEMBER TO WRITE ACCORDING TO THE 4-STEP STRUCTURE:
- Lead
- Expand on the lead (two-to-five paragraphs)
- Background (put the event/topic in context)
- More elaboration and details of the story
Your deadline is our next class (Nov. 12). Keep it under 800 words.