angle or an entirely different approach from the one used in the original spot news story to which it is related. Tie-Back The  tie-back  consists  of  one  or  two  paragraphs located between the lead and the body of the story which contains  a  brief  but  clear  synopsis  of  the  information presented in the original spot news story. The tie-back is used to refresh the memories of those readers who saw the original story and to update those who did not see it. Body The body of the story simply presents details of all new developments in the situation. It is usually written in the inverted pyramid style described in Chapter 2. PRINCIPLES  OF  REWRITING LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the basic principles   of   rewriting   a   story   in   terms   of improving   copy,   updating   the   story, transforming   informal   reports,   localizing, combining stories and shifting emphasis. interview — before a finished product can be turned out. have to convert a feature story — or a poor attempt at a feature — into a news story. Therefore, a reporter should The principles of rewriting are the same as those for good  newswriting.  If  a  story  does  not  conform  to acceptable  newswriting  standards,  it  should  be  rewritten and  made  to  do  so.  In  other  words,  you  take  what someone  else  has  written  poorly  and  convert  it  into usable news copy. When you are assigned to a command publication, such as a ship or station newspaper, you will find that a certain   amount   of   your   material   comes   from contributors who do not write in journalistic style. Other material  comes  to  you  as  handouts  and  from  outside sources, such as clipsheets, naval messages, directives and   official   correspondence.   If   you   want   your publication  to  contain  readable  and  consistently  good material or if you have a local angle and want it to be accepted by commercial news media in your area, it is often necessary to rewrite it. To   transform   informal   reports   into   properly written news stories To  localize  general  information To combine two or more stories To change story emphasis IMPROVING  COPY Often,  a  person’s  first  attempt  at  writing  a  story produces  dismal  results.  Some  members  of  a  public affairs office staff may not be thoroughly skilled in the writing craft. Also, material for intended release is often received from other staff offices or departments. These articles  frequently  need  the  professional  touch  of  a rewrite reporter. A rewrite reporter organizes a poorly written,  improperly  arranged  item  into  a  sequentialy logical  finished  product. A rewrite reporter may have to turn a straight news story into a feature. In this event, the rewriter often needs to  acquire  additional  information  and  can  expect  to spend some time on the telephone — or in a face-to-face There are times, too, when the rewrite reporter may be proficient in both types of writing before assuming a rewrite assignment. One  of  the  most  frequent  faults  of  badly  written copy is the writer’s failure to give ample play in the lead to the dominant news element of the story. The rewriter must dig through the story, find the proper lead, put it at the beginning where it belongs and, finally, organize the remainder of the story in coherent form. UPDATING THE STORY Often,  the  rewriter  must  update  a  story  that  has already been printed. So naturally, this person needs a fresh angle to perform this feat. For example, assume that a military aircraft crashes with three people aboard. Two  crewmen are killed and the third is missing. A story based  on  these  facts  would  be  released  as  soon  as possible. Then suppose the third man is still alive, that he had managed to parachute from the falling airplane, The  following  are  six  basic  reasons  for  rewritting copy: To  improve  poor  copy had  made  his  way  back  to  a  highway,  caught  a  ride, telephoned  the  base  and  reported  his  experience.  The news  of  a  survivor  is  the  fresh  angle  needed  by  the, rewriter to update the story of the crash. To  update  material 5-4