Tips about Story 5 — the brite
JRN 2201, fall 2014
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Your lede
should have a light, humorous tone — maybe ironic. A good lede for this
story would be that a bank tried to give away money, but no one accepted the
offer.
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Once you've
written the lede, explain it. Briefly tell the story that Burmeister told the
Troy Rotary Club, including what he was trying to prove and whether he thought
he proved it. Tell about the money offer being buried in the text of a
9,000-word pamphlet. You might want to quote the offer. Use a direct quotation
from Burmeister.
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Mention that
Burmeister told the story to the Troy Rotary Club today. But that's not your
lede.
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A good way to
end the story is to quote one of the people in the audience. But don't use the
comment about beer from Slim Weaver. It's just silly and ignorant.
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The first time
you mention the speaker, call him Abraham Louis "Louie" Burmeister,
president of Troy Citizens Bank (or, if you've already mentioned the bank by
name, you can just call him bank President Abraham Louis "Louie"
Burmeister). From that point on, call him Burmeister (not Louie).
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As always,
keep your opinions out of the story. And observe the word limits.