Friday, May 6, 2011

The Art

I once had a high school teacher who said that I had the rare gift of being able to express two thoughts with one sentence, so it seems like I was destined for a career as a news writer.

As I've said before, I don't think it's hard.   News writing is just a series of simple sentences.  Make it clear.  Make it simple.  Make sure your story has a beginning, middle, and end.  Watch the facts.  Boom!  Done.

I've seen a lot of people struggle with "the art" over the years, and I fail to understand it.  I do realize there are times when it's tougher to write short than to write long.  I thank heaven I came up through radio, where there is a premium on economy of words.

Tom Snyder is best known for his NBC and CBS interview shows.  A lot of people don't know he was a really, really good news anchor.  Snyder anchored at local stations in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York.  He did the weekend editions of NBC Nightly News and the prime time updates.  Great voice.  Great delivery.  Magnetic personality

Below is some of Snyder's best work.  It's less than a minute long.  It's tight writing at its finest.  Tom Snyder, you are missed.