Vonnegut's 8 rules for writing fiction; Edwards' bad news: News sites break it first but wrong; Gisele denies pregnancy
11:11 PM Thu, Mar 22, 2007 | Permalink
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Projo Subterranean Homepage NewsBottom-up journalism from the pros: News, tech and culture by Sheila Lennon |
Not bad at writing rules, either: Kurt Vonnegut, Eight rules for writing fiction. Readers will especially appreciate the first: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. This one's fresh: 3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. Worth the click. The Internet made me do it: Some are blaming the Internet for Politico.com's rushing out with a one-source wrong story that John Edwards would suspend his presidential campaign because his wife Elizabeth would again be treated for cancer. This is like blaming the telephone. How Politico Got It Wrong by Ben Smith of Politico.com. When I first landed in this newsroom, way before we'd heard of the Internet, the old timers told me about an old slogan, "UPI gets it first, AP gets it right." This may still be true. Google News shows this: Report: Edwards suspending campaign AP didn't run with it. Many Get Edwards 'Scoop' Wrong -- Based on Single Source at Editor & Publisher. Reuters ran with a single source, too. p.s.: Boston Globe: Bundchen bumps Brady baby rumors 
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