Question 1 and 2
Using the following fact sheet, write a straight
news article and a broadcast article:
--House valued at $150,783, according to the
Rutherford County property assessor’s office, burned completely this morning
--Address: 716 Ruppert
Street, in Woodland Lake subdivision
--Owner: George Mason, vice president of the First
Trust Bank. Wife Janice Mason is a Realtor at Cornerstone Realty.
--No one at home at the time of the fire
--Family members include George Mason: his wife,
Janice Mason; and two children, 12-year-old Amy and ten-year-old Jonathan.
--The Masons temporarily are staying with family
members as they consider their options. Source: Janice Mason
--Three engines fought the fire for more than an
hour
--Don Kerlinger,
photographer for Daily News Journal hurt by falling timbers as he tried to take
pictures of the blaze; in satisfactory condition at Middle Tennessee Medical
Center with minor burns and bruises. Source: Gus Riley, executive editor, Daily
News Journal.
--Allison Johnson, fire inspector, Murfreesboro
Fire Department: “We have not yet located the cause of the fire. Early
indications are that it was something electrical, but it will take a thorough
investigation to confirm that.”
--Janice Mason, wife of George Mason: “I am just glad
the children were in school. George and I both were at work. I really
appreciate that one of our neighbors called the fire department when she first
saw the smoke. Unfortunately, she didn’t see it until the fire was pretty far
along. I am grateful we have full insurance coverage.”
--Gus Riley, executive editor, Daily News Journal:
“Don’s going to be fine. I just returned from the hospital, and Don just wanted
to be sure we had some photos of the fire. He’s going to be out of the office
for a few days, but he’s planning to write a first-person account as soon as
the doctors let him use his laptop.”
Question 3
Use the following
fact sheet to write a feature lead:
--Letter signed by
Gen. Robert E. Lee found by local woman this morning
--Mattie
Harrington, 718 Donald Avenue
--She was going
through some papers in a trunk in her attic
--Says letter was
written to her great-grandfather after the battle of Gettysburg
--Says Lee talked
about the battle, saying he had made some mistakes during the battle but still
expressed optimism about the outcome of the war
--Letter dated
August 17, 1863
--Letter now in the
custody of the MTSU History Department
--Dr. Robert Weir,
a professor in the History Department, is checking its authenticity
--Mattie
Harrington: “I’ve looked through that trunk a hundred times, and this is the
first time I’ve taken the time to read through the letters."
--Robert Weir:
“This letter will have value for researchers, if it is authentic. It’s monetary value probably will be limited, but that is never
quite certain when avid collectors are involved.”