and of the extent of the damage are frequently too large. The young reporter must not let himself be carried away by wild reports, and should discount liberally these estimates. By keeping calm no matter how great the catastrophe and attendant excitement, he not only can judge the more accurately of the character of the information that he gets from others, but he inspires a certain amount of calmness in those from whom he is getting his information and thus secures the facts more accurately. He should not accept reports of a disaster without question and investigation, or if it is impossible to investigate them, he should give them as rumors and not as facts. To magnify a catastrophe often means to cause needless anxiety to many whose relatives or friends may be involved in it. As in all reporting, a simple narrative, picturing clearly, accurately, and interestingly the unexpected occurrence, is the best news story.
The Lead of the Fire Story. Because accounts of fires involve all the points to be considered in the average news story, they are taken as typical of the whole group of accidental occurrences. In fire stories the feature to be "played up" may be, (1) the cause, (2) the extent of the damage, (3) the danger to surrounding property, (4) the number of lives endangered or lost, (5) prominent persons or places involved, or (6) any unusual incident or phase. The following examples illustrate methods of giving prominence to each of the significant details at the beginning of the lead.
Cause
(1)
Spontaneous combustion of turpentine and paints caused a fire that completely destroyed the one-story frame paint shop of John Nelson, 213 Higginson Street, shortly before midnight, causing a loss of $5,000.
