How to Contribute Your Story to Intersections: the South Los Angeles Report:
Please read the Contribution Guidelines before submitting a story or story element to Intersections: the South Los Angeles Report.
Pitch a story or email a submission by contacting us at [email protected].
To join our reporter list, email us at [email protected] and request to be added to the LEADS EMAIL. You will receive regular emails including story ideas and events that you can request to cover as a community reporter.
What kind of stories can I submit?
How long should the submissions be?
How do I submit an article, video, photograph or piece of audio?
What is AP Style?
Is AP style required?
How will my story be edited?
How do I submit an event for the community calendar?
Do I need to include a photo with my story?
What kind of stories can I submit?
Intersections: the South Los Angeles Report accepts news stories on the following topics: Education, Community, Arts, Business and Politics. You may also choose to write an opinion piece, which discusses an issue close to your heart or a personal experience that highlights a larger cultural trend or problem. The stories we are most interested in are those that are important to the communities and cities of South Los Angeles.
How long should the submissions be
Story Lengths for Written Stories:
– 1200 to 1500 words for a Feature
– 800 words for a News story
– 600 to 800 words for an Opinion Editorial
Story Lengths for Audio Stories:
– Most audio news stories are 2 to 3 minutes long.
– Audio feature stories vary in length depending on the subject matter. If you are unsure how long your feature story should be, please email us.
Story Lengths for Video Stories:
– Most video news stories are 2 to 3 minutes long.
– Video feature stories vary in length depending on subject matter. If you are unsure how long your feature story should be, please email us.
How do I submit an article, video, photograph or piece of audio?
All articles and multimedia packages should be submitted by email to [email protected]. If you would like to contribute photographs, video or audio, please attach them in an email and send them to [email protected]. If your video is already on YouTube, simply send us the link.
What is AP Style?
AP Style is a set of formal writing guidelines used by the media industry. It helps to maintain consistency and avoid confusion. Here are the Top Ten Tips for AP Style usage.
Is AP Style required?
Intersections: the South Los Angeles Report uses AP Style, and therefore your story will need to be submitted or edited so that it conforms with the rules of AP Style. If, however, you are not comfortable using AP Style, an editor will work with you to ensure that your finished piece is consistent with the guidelines.
How will my story be edited?
You will be assigned an editor from our team who will edit your story for style, spelling, punctuation and grammar, as well as content. Our editors can also help you shape ideas into complete stories, and suggest the elements you need to research and report in order to produce a great story.
How do I submit an event for the community calendar?
Email the information about your event to [email protected]. Please include information about what the event is, as well as time, date, location, and contact information.
Do I need to include a photo with my story?
Yes. Please include a photograph, slide show, audio clip, or video with every story. If you are writing an opinion piece, please include a head shot of yourself (a photograph of you face from the shoulders upwards) and always include your full name.
Top 10 Tips for AP Style Usage
Here are some tips on AP style from Cub Reporters.org
1. Use a person’s full name and title the first time you mention him or her in an article. For example, write Don Swanson, professor of communication, not Prof. Swanson. Once people have been fully identified, refer to them by last name only. There are exceptions, so always check the AP stylebook.
2. Spell out abbreviations or acronyms on first reference. For example, use Passaic County Community College the first time you refer to the college in a story. You may usePCCC on any references made after that. Another example would be to use DAR only after you have spelled out Daughters of the American Revolution on first reference.
3. Abbreviate months when used with days, and use numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) not ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc.). Exceptions are March, April, May, June and July — write them out, don’t abbreviate. For example, write Sept. 2, 2008, not September 2nd, 2008. But, when using only the month and year, spell out the month.
4. Generally, spell out the numbers zero through nine and use numerals for 10 and higher. Note, however, that numbers used at the beginning of a sentence are spelled out. Example: Five hundred twenty-four students attended. It is better, however, to rewrite the sentence so that it doesn’t begin with a number. Example: Attending the event were 524 students from local colleges. Years are one of the exceptions. For example: 2008 was a bad year for investors.
5. But use numerals even for ages younger than 10. This is another exception to the aforementioned number rule. When used like an adjective, say X-year-old, including the hyphens. Otherwise, don’t use the hyphens. For example: the 5-year-old girl kicked her brother, who is 8 years old.
6. Spell out the word “percent” but use numerals for the actual number.Examples: Participation increased 5 percent. Nearly 28 percent of all students don’t like algebra. Exception: use may use the % sign in headlines.
7. To indicate time, use figures and lowercase letters (9 a.m., 6 p.m.). Put a space between the figure and the letters. Exceptions are noon and midnight. Do not say 12 noon or 12 midnight — it’s redundant.
8. Capitalize formal titles used before a name. For example, write Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Very long titles may be shortened or summarized unless they are essential to the story, but the shortened form should not be capitalized (for example, you may use spokesperson instead of Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications). Use lowercase when formal titles follow a name (e.g., Hillary Clinton, secretary of state). General titles, such as astronaut Neil Armstrong and actor Matt Damon, are lowercase.
9. Capitalize names of people, places or things to set them apart from a general group. These include proper nouns such as Mike, Canada, Hudson River, and St. John’s Church. But use lowercase for common nouns (i.e. nouns not coupled with a proper name), such as the river or the church. Also, put a word in lowercase when you have more than one proper noun sharing the word. Example: Ocean and Monmouth counties. Capitalize the first word in a sentence. Refer to the dictionary or AP Stylebook, if needed. When in doubt, use lowercase.
10. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Miss, Mrs., or Ms., except in direct quotes or where needed to distinguish between people of the same name. Using courtesy titles may be polite, but it is not AP style.
