tv news essay

How to write broadcast news stories

Tips for Writing Broadcast News Copy

Keep It Short and Conversational

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• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
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• M.S., Journalism, Columbia University
• B.A., Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The idea behind news writing is pretty simple: keep it short and to the point. Everyone writing for a newspaper or website knows this.

But that idea gets taken to a new level with it comes to writing copy for radio or television broadcasts. There are lots of tips for broadcast news writing that make the job a little easier.

Keep It Simple

Newspaper reporters who want to show off their writing style occasionally insert a fancy word into a story . That just doesn't work in broadcast news writing. Broadcast copy must be as simple as possible. Remember, viewers aren't reading what you're writing, they're hearing it. People watching TV or listening to the radio generally don't have time to check a dictionary.

So keep your sentences simple and use basic, easily understood words. If you find you've put a longer word in a sentence, replace it with a shorter one.

• Print: The physician conducted an extensive autopsy on the decedent.
• Broadcast: The doctor did an autopsy on the body.

Keep It Short

Generally, sentences in broadcast copy should be even shorter than those found in print articles. Why? Shorter sentences are more easily understood than long ones.

Also, remember that broadcast copy must be read out loud. If you write a sentence that's too long, the news anchor will be gasping for breath just to finish it. Individual sentences in broadcast copy should be short enough to be easily read in one breath.

• Print: President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats sought to ease Republican complaints about a massive economic stimulus plan Friday, meeting with GOP leaders in the White House and promising to consider some of their recommendations.
• Broadcast: President Barack Obama met with Republican leaders in Congress today. The Republicans aren't happy with Obama's big economic stimulus plan. Obama says he'll consider their ideas.

Keep It Conversational

Many sentences found in newspaper stories simply sound stilted and unwieldy when they're read out loud. Use a conversational style in your broadcast writing . Doing so will make it sound more like real speech, as opposed to a script someone is reading.

• Print: Pope Benedict XVI joined U.S. President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II on Friday by launching his own YouTube channel, the latest Vatican effort to reach out to the digital generation.
• Broadcast: President Obama has a Youtube channel. So does Queen Elizabeth. Now Pope Benedict has one, too. The pope wants to use the new channel to reach out to young people.

Use One Main Idea per Sentence

Sentences in newspaper stories sometimes contain several ideas, usually in clauses that are broken up by commas.

But in broadcast writing, you really shouldn't put more than one main idea in each sentence. Why not? You guessed it — put more than one main idea per sentence and that sentence will be too long.

• Print: Gov. David Paterson appointed Democratic U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand on Friday to fill New York's vacant Senate seat, finally settling on a woman from a largely rural, eastern district of the state to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton .
• Broadcast: Gov. David Paterson has appointed Democratic Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill New York's vacant Senate seat. Gillibrand is from a rural part of the state. She will replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Use the Active Voice

Sentences written in the active voice just naturally tend to be shorter and more to-the-point than those written in the passive voice .

• Passive: The robbers were arrested by police.
• Active: Police arrested the robbers.

Use a Lead-In Sentence

Most broadcast news stories start with a lead-in sentence that is fairly general. Broadcast news writers do this to alert viewers that a new story is being presented, and to prepare them for the information that is to follow.

"There's more bad news today from Iraq."

Note that this sentence doesn't say very much. But again, it lets the viewer know that the next story is going to be about Iraq. The lead-in sentence almost serves as a kind of headline for the story.

Here's an example of a broadcast news item. Note the use of a lead-in line, short, simple sentences , and a conversational style.

There's more bad news from Iraq. Four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush outside Baghdad today. The Pentagon says the soldiers were hunting insurgents when their Humvee came under sniper fire. The Pentagon hasn't yet released the soldiers' names.

Put Attribution at the Start of the Sentence

Print news stories usually put the attribution, the source of the information, at the end of the sentence. In broadcast news writing, we put them at the beginning.

• Print: Two men were arrested, police said.
• Broadcast: Police say two men were arrested.

Leave out Unnecessary Details

Print stories tend to include a lot of details that we just don't have time for in the broadcast.

• Print: After robbing the bank, the man drove approximately 9.7 miles before being apprehended, police said.
• Broadcast: Police say the man robbed the bank, then drove nearly 10 miles before he was caught.

Associated Press, The. "Rep. Gillibrand gets Clinton's Senate seat." NBC News, January 23, 2009.

Associated Press, The. "Vatican launches Pope YouTube channel." CTV News, January 23, 2009.

jengibson. "Simplifying Print Writing." Course Hero, 2019.

"What makes good broadcast writing?" StudyLib, 2019.

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Watching TV News, Essay Example

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In the field of journalism, it could not be denied that the information usually presented to the public gets chosen and filtered first by the head editors and the directors of the program. In undergoing such condition of assessing the importance or the value of the news to be used in each news presentation, editors and directors follow one specific element, network rating. What is different in news presentation in television and in the broadsheet is the level of business competition that these forms of media actually need to face. For instance, in broadsheet distribution, the editors of the papers need to make sure that their chosen headlines raise the attention of the readers more directly than that of the other papers’ headlines. While there is an assumptive way of perceiving how the other papers would present their headlines, there is no sure way on how they would attack the news. In this case, the editors ought to go with instinct, specifically utilizing what they know would immediately catch the thinking pattern of their target market.

In news television, it could be considered that there are other elements given attention to when deciding on how to present a particular news piece to the public. In this new-age technology driven society, it could be understood that the news itself is the product that news television networks sell; how they package the news and present it to the public is what makes the difference. One specific factor given attention to is the worth of the content of the news. Usually, all news networks would present the same news piece within the same hour especially when the event just occurred and when it does affect the society in general. Breaking news pieces are information that usually come in abruptly; news television networks often make sure that they get access to the hottest news as much as possible. However, what defines these breaking news pieces is the makeup of the content that they are presented with, which the public would likely appreciate.

Another element considered are the value provided upon the images to be used along with the airing of the news. The more concrete the images are in sending a solid message to the public, the more effective they are in sending out a meaningful presentation for the listeners of the news. The crisp quality that the images or videos used for the news presentation highly affects the overall worth of the news. Among the elements considered are the news reporters chosen to present the news itself. The personality and the reputation of the news reporter handling the news affects the perceptive understanding of the viewers and the listeners as they identify with the real worth of the news piece being presented to them.

In this particular discussion, a focus on CNN’s worldwide news television program shall be given attention to. The way they filter their news, the way they handle the need to present a defying pattern of news casting and news reporting shall be given focus herein. To create a sense of comparison and observation on the process of reporting that CNN follows, a pattern of news feeds seen through their website [and cross referenced with the videos they presented on television] shall be given attention to in this discussion. The days that were targeted for observation includes the days from September 23 to September 30.

The first aspect to be examined is the genre of news feeds that CNN took into account during the span of time considered. The network made sure that they include the most compelling and most affective news that the world would likely want to know about. For instance, the situation in Israel has long been given attention to by the world; especially that it has the possibility of becoming a global concern as ISIS members are reported to have been recruited from different parts of the world. Making sure that their headlines give attention to this specific issue puts CNN’s news pieces to be among the most trending information presented both on television and on the internet. To make the news piece quite different from the others, CNN highlights more on the human factor that appeals to the concern of the viewers towards human rights and respect of human elements. Hoping to appeal to the concern of the viewers with regards the safety of the people living in Israel and their own safety as well, CNN hopes to kindle the desire of the viewers to know more about the situation and embrace the possibility of determining how they themselves could prepare for the situation in case the condition of war in Israel does affect their own areas of residence. Raising awareness through warning-signs in their news presentation specifically make their news reporting rather compelling, interesting and attention grabbing.

Another aspect of focus that the network gives attention to is the reaction of the public on the most current news that is trending in the social networking connections that most internet users engage it at present. Understandably, every individual listener has something to say. Like other television networks, CNN places great value on determining what is meant by viewer-reaction. In this case, the network’s director placed such condition of viewer-thinking in the front row, thus showing the public how much they value the reactions and the opinions of the public. This appeals to the desire of the public to be a part of the news. The idea of contributing their opinions to the worldwide trending news pieces, gives the viewers a sense of satisfaction especially as they intend to become more involved in the society and how to shape it. The launching of the concept of citizen-journalism has been fully embraced by CNN and is now being used by the network as a course of redefining its name in the news casting industry.

The third aspect considered by CNN is the crispness of their images especially when presenting the news. Compared to other networks, CNN invests more on how their images and videos supporting the news they present would actually give a more meaningful value to the news they are presenting to the public. While other networks would be at least a few minutes ahead of what CNN hopes to report to the public, it is most often than not that viewers transfer to their station after viewing the headline or the breaking news on other networks because viewers know about their reputation of providing a more in-depth presentation of the news that would send out clear message to the public with regards what really is happening to the society.

CNN does provide a more distinct source of accurate information that the public intend to fully trust. Although other networks might present the same news pieces, CNN usually gets the full attention of the public especially that they are noted to present the wholeness of the news through gathering immediate information that would make the pieces of data they offer the public with to have more value and more depth especially in presenting the human element in each news piece.

Appealing to the concerns of the public especially dedicated to taking care of the human elements for justice and safety, CNN never fails to catch the attention of its audience, both in the internet and in television. The network’s successful management of information does affect the overall consideration the public places upon the decision of choosing the network apart from others when it comes to listening and gaining information from the new they have to offer. Through the years, CNN has established a name that is trusted by the public worldwide. At present the network continues to establish its name and reputation in connection to how it advances further especially in making sure that it presents the public with the most compelling and most interesting pieces of news reports that would provide the people with a good idea on what is happening around them based on real-time reporting.

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Advantages of TV News

TV news has a number of advantages and disadvantages over other outlets. 

• TV makes you a witness to important events in real time
• It can be a powerful tool for verification
• It gives you personal storytelling: a strong connection to people in the news
• It can create a shared national experience (Think Man on the Moon, Newtown shooting, Marathon bombing)

TV Verifies Powerfully, Seeing is believing

Here’s a painful example of how devastatingly vivid TV can be in documenting/verifying the truth. During the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary campaign, Candidate Hillary Clinton said she had superior foreign policy wisdom because, for instance, she risked being shot during a visit to Bosnia as First Lady.

CBS rewound old tape to check it out. Here’s the reality check.

That’s evidence that is hard to argue with.

TV can connect us

We started the lessons by talking about the primal human need for information that alerts, diverts and connects us. 

If a newsrooms set out to educate the public about autism, one facet of that may be to forge a powerful audience connection to an individual with autism.

Here’s CBS News’ Steve Hartman demonstrating how powerfully TV can connect us to someone we’ve never met.

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TV News Role in Citizens Life Essay

The media have a vital role in promoting the awareness of citizens by relaying valuable information regarding various events at multiple levels including the community, country, and world at large. The television is a vital means of passing this information through TV news. This paper attempts to address the concern of the quality of news due to the recent increase in sensationalism of news content in news programs.

TV news provides citizens with unbiased information that helps to shape their thinking, as well as, their comprehension of various events. The two primary classes of TV news are those that focus on issues, and those that prioritize sensationalism and gossip. News items that focus on issues relay information that is relevant to both home and international audiences.

The issues that make up TV content are dependent on the strategies used by the media channel to enhance their commercialization and popularization. Such trends have resulted in the relay of mild forms of issues pertaining to education, environment, trade, crime, calamities and accidents, which are thought to be relevant to a large audience.

The tendency of news items to focus on sensationalism has been changing since the 1990s. Initially, sensationalism and human interest news content involved the coverage of information involving crime, violence, natural disasters, accidents and other issues pertaining to politics. The concept of sensationalism TV news was started with the view to spreading amusing, shocking, and heartwarming content to viewers.

However, the elements of sensationalism began to be employed in hard news. This was further enhanced by the development of new technologies and consumer-driven journalism that permitted the development of flashy and lavish formal production features. These elements were aimed at enhancing the participation of audiences during the viewing process of a variety of content including sex, scandal and celebrity news.

While various sensationalism elements such as flashy subtitles, decorative effects and video maneuvers enhance the entertainment aspect of news and increase the interest of viewers, it may, on the other hand, compromise the objectivity of the reporting. It is necessary for TV news to retain its credibility as a source of information, public debate and scrutiny of various concerns. Media stations should take a take a pragmatic approach in formulating the news agenda so that it takes into consideration multiple content including political events, sports events, crime reports, and accidents among others.

The primary coverage for TV news involves violent events such as riots, civil unrest, accidents, disasters and terrorism. This category is followed by a need for information pertaining to constitutional politics, which involves state visits and political meetings. Other categories of interest to the public include crime and corruption, health and environment, culture, entertainment and sports, and economics and trade.

People expose themselves to various kinds of media content in order to satisfy multiple social and psychological needs. The primary need for news content is surveillance. This implies that a majority of people are motivated to tune into TV news in order to acquire information regarding various events in the world.

As such, TV news should prioritize the delivery of such information in order to meet the primary market requirement. Other motivations include emotional release from certain events, and social function through interpersonal chat of occurrences. This implies that issue based standard news are more gratifying to viewers compared to sensationalism of gossip or entertainment news since the former is more believable than tabloid news, which focuses on viewer enjoyment.

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IvyPanda. (2018, December 11). TV News Role in Citizens Life. https://ivypanda.com/essays/news/

"TV News Role in Citizens Life." IvyPanda , 11 Dec. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/news/.

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IvyPanda . 2018. "TV News Role in Citizens Life." December 11, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/news/.

1. IvyPanda . "TV News Role in Citizens Life." December 11, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/news/.

Bibliography

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Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

2-Types of Sources

8. News as a Source

News sources can provide insights that scholarly sources may not or that will take a long time to get into scholarly sources. For instance, news sources are excellent for finding out people’s actions, reactions, opinions, and prevailing attitudes around the time of an event—as well as to find reports of what happened at the event itself.

Whether news sources are good for your assignment depends on what your research question is. (You’ll find other relevant information in Chapter 3, What Sources to Use When .)

News is a strange term, because even when the information is old, it’s still news. Some sources are great for breaking news, some are great for aggregated (or compiled) news, and others are great for historical news.

While news was transmitted for centuries only in newspapers, news is now transmitted in all formats: via radio, television, and the Internet, in addition to print. Even most newspapers have Internet sites today. At the time of this writing, the Student Government Association at Ohio State University provides an online subscription to The New Yok Times for all students, faculty, and staff at the university.

News must be brief because much of it gets reported only moments after an event happens. News reports occur early in the Information Lifecycle. See the Information Lifecycle video earlier in this chapter for more information.

When Are News Sources Helpful?

• You want to keep up with what is going on in the world today.
• You need breaking news or historical perspectives on a topic (what people were saying at the time).
• You need to learn more about a culture, place, or time period from its own sources.

When Are News Sources of Limited Use?

• You need very detailed analysis by experts.
• You need sources that must be scholarly or modern views on a historical topic.

Activity: Using News Effectively

Mainline and non-mainline news sources.

Mainline American news outlets stick with the tradition of trying to report the news as objectively as possibly. That doesn’t mean their reports are perfectly objective, but they are more objective than non-mainline news sources. As a result, mainline news sources are more credible than non-mainline sources. Some examples of mainline American news outlets: The New York Times , The Washington Post , The Boston Globe , The Chicago Tribune , The Los Angeles Times ; ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, PBS News, NPR News.

News from non-mainline American news outlets is often mixed with opinions. One way they frequently exhibit bias is that they leave out pertinent facts. Some examples of non-mainline American news outlets: MSNBC, Fox News, and reddit.

Types of News Sources

Press Services— News outlets (print, broadcast, and online) get a lot of their news from these services, such as Reuters, Bloomberg, or the Associated Press (AP), which make it unnecessary for individual outlets to send their own reporters everywhere. These services are so broadly used that you may have to look at several news outlets to get a different take on an event or situation.

News aggregators— Aggregators don’t have reporters of their own but simply collect and transmit the news reported by others. Some sources pull news from a variety of places and provide a single place to search for and view multiple stories. You can browse stories or search for a topic. Aggregators tend to have current, but not archival news. Google news and Yahoo News are examples.

Newspaper sites – Many print newspapers also have their own websites. They vary as to how much news they provide for free. Take a look at these examples.

• The Lantern , Ohio State University’s student newspaper
• The Columbus Dispatch
• The Boston Globe
• The Times of London
• China Daily , USA edition
• The New York Times

News Databases – Search current, recent, and historical newspaper content in databases provided free by libraries. OSU Libraries offers 69 news databases to students, staff, and faculty. They include:

• LexisNexis Academic – contains news back to 1980 from newspapers, broadcast transcripts, wire services, blogs, and more.
• Proquest Historical Newspapers – contains older content from several major U.S. newspapers.
• allAfrica – contains more than a million articles from 100 African news sources, 1996-present.
• Lantern Online – contains the archive of all of OSU’s student newspaper issues, 1881-1997.

See the complete list of OSU Libraries’ newspaper databases .

Activity: Choosing a Newspaper Database

Look at the list of OSU Libraries’ newspaper databases available to OSU users. Which one would be a good place to find an article with an international left perspective on a topic? Our answer is at the end of this section.

Broadcast News Sites – Although broadcast news (from radio and television) is generally consumed in real time, such organizations also offer archives of news stories on their websites. However, not all of their articles are provided by their own reporters: some originate from the press services, Reuters and the Associated Press (AP). Here are some examples of broadcast new sites:

Activity: Quick World News Scan

Visit the BBC’s News page and scan the headlines for a quick update on the world’s major news stories.

Social Media – Most of the news outlets listed above contribute to Twitter and Facebook . It’s customary for highly condensed announcements in this venue to lead you back to the news outlet’s website for more information. However, how credible tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google are with news is in serious doubt now that their lawyers have testified to the U.S. Congress that more than 100 million users may have seen content actually created by Russian operatives on the tech companies’ platforms leading up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  Read more about their testimony at  NPR  and  The New York Times. 

Blogs – Sometimes these are good sources for breaking news, as well as commentary on current events and scholarship. Authors who write more objectively elsewhere can share more insights and opinions, more initial questions and findings about a study before they are ready to release definitive data and conclusions about their research.

Citizen Journalism – A growing number of sites cater to those members of the general public who want to report breaking news and submit their own photos and videos on a wide range of topics. The people who do this are often referred to as citizen journalists.

Examples of such sources include CNN iReport , and  reddit . For more details on the history and development of citizen journalism, including addressing some of the pros and cons, read Your Guide to Citizen Journalism .

News Feeds – You can get updates on specific topics or a list of major headlines, regularly sent to you so you don’t have to visit sites or hunt for new content on a topic. Look for links that contain headings such as these to sign up for news feeds:

• News Alerts
• Table of Contents Alerts

What’s an RSS feed? How can it help you stay informed about what you are interested in?

Answer to Activity: Choosing a Newspaper Database

If you look at the database descriptions, you will notice that the one for Alternative Press Index matches the need expressed in the question.

Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research Copyright © 2015 by Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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IELTS essay, topic: Reading newspapers and watching TV news is a waste of time (agree/disagree)

• IELTS Essays - Band 8

This essay topic was seen in recent IELTS test in UK .

Some say that reading newspapers and watching TV news is a waste of time, because it has no direct connection with people’s lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In the digital era, there is a growing belief that newspapers and TV news are outdated since these traditional news sources have no direct relevance to people’s personal lives. I, however, disagree with this perspective as it overlooks the broader role of news in shaping an informed society.

It is crucial to understand that all forms of news offer useful insights into events that add to our overall understanding of the world. This awareness helps people to develop a more profound insight into the world beyond their own country. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, individuals need to be aware of global newsworthy situations as actions in one part of the globe can quickly cause ripple effects elsewhere. For example, during the Brexit negotiations, comprehensive news reports helped people worldwide understand the economic and political ramifications, not just for the UK and Europe, but for global trade and travel.

Another important point to consider is that news media act as watchdogs that hold those in power accountable. By reporting on government policies, societal issues, and public opinions, newspapers and TV news ensure that citizens are well-informed, which is essential for making responsible voting decisions. While it is true that the immediacy of social media and the internet might provide more direct engagement with our immediate interests, it would be a mistake to dismiss traditional news sources as outdated and irrelevant. Newspapers and TV news offer a broader, more in-depth perspective on the world, which is invaluable for developing a well-rounded worldview.

In conclusion, while newspapers and TV news might not always have a direct influence our personal daily experiences, their contribution to our understanding of the broader world, democracy, and social issues is significant. Dismissing them as a waste of time, in my view, overlooks the essential role they play in creating and shaping an informed society.

Teacher’s feedback:

Overall, the essay is a great example of Band 8 writing.

Task Response: Band 8 The essay fully addresses the task, presenting a clear opinion and discussing both the general view and the writer’s own perspective. The argument is well-developed with relevant examples, such as the reference to Brexit negotiations, which effectively illustrate the importance of traditional news sources in providing a global perspective.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8 The essay is well-organised and logically sequenced. Ideas are clearly laid out and easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as “Another important point to consider” and “In conclusion.” are used effectively. The summary provided in the conclusion reinforces the coherence in this essay.

Lexical Resource: Band 8 The essay uses a wide range of vocabulary appropriately and accurately. Terms like “interconnected,” “ripple effects,” and “watchdogs” demonstrate a strong command of language. The vocabulary is used precisely, enhancing the clarity of the argument.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8 The essay demonstrates a wide range of complex structures with high accuracy. Examples include: “By reporting on government policies, societal issues, and public opinions, newspapers and TV news ensure that citizens are well-informed.” The grammatical accuracy is consistently high, contributing to the clarity and sophistication of the essay.

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Essay on Television for Students and Children

500+ words essay on television.

Television is one of the most popular devices that are used for entertainment all over the world. It has become quite common nowadays and almost every household has one television set at their place. In the beginning, we see how it was referred to as the ‘idiot box.’ This was mostly so because back in those days, it was all about entertainment. It did not have that many informative channels as it does now.

Moreover, with this invention, the craze attracted many people to spend all their time watching TV. People started considering it harmful as it attracted the kids the most. In other words, kids spent most of their time watching television and not studying. However, as times passed, the channels of television changed. More and more channels were broadcasted with different specialties. Thus, it gave us knowledge too along with entertainment.

Benefits of Watching Television

The invention of television gave us various benefits. It was helpful in providing the common man with a cheap mode of entertainment. As they are very affordable, everyone can now own television and get access to entertainment.

In addition, it keeps us updated on the latest happenings of the world. It is now possible to get news from the other corner of the world. Similarly, television also offers educational programs that enhance our knowledge about science and wildlife and more.

Moreover, television also motivates individuals to develop skills. They also have various programs showing speeches of motivational speakers. This pushes people to do better. You can also say that television widens the exposure we get. It increases our knowledge about several sports, national events and more.

While television comes with a lot of benefits, it also has a negative side. Television is corrupting the mind of the youth and we will further discuss how.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How Television is    Harming the Youth

Additionally, it also makes people addict. People get addicted to their TV’s and avoid social interaction. This impacts their social life as they spend their time in their rooms all alone. This addiction also makes them vulnerable and they take their programs too seriously.

The most dangerous of all is the fake information that circulates on news channels and more. Many media channels are now only promoting the propaganda of the governments and misinforming citizens. This makes causes a lot of division within the otherwise peaceful community of our country.

Thus, it is extremely important to keep the TV watching in check. Parents must limit the time of their children watching TV and encouraging them to indulge in outdoor games. As for the parents, we should not believe everything on the TV to be true. We must be the better judge of the situation and act wisely without any influence.

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Ielts essay # 1260 - news stories on tv and in newspapers are very often accompanied by pictures, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, news stories on tv and in newspapers are very often accompanied by pictures. some people say that these pictures are more effective than words., what is your opinion about this.

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'The Office' gets new life. Instead of selling paper — the characters sell papers

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The hit show "The Office" is getting new life in a new setting. Creators of the project say in this version, instead of selling paper, the characters in this mockumentary sitcom will sell papers. The show starts production this summer. The setting is, according to the producers, a dying historic Midwestern newsroom. I mean, ouch. So we called up a few small town newspapers for their thoughts on what the show should include. Art Cullen is editor and publisher of the Storm Lake Times Pilot in Iowa.

ART CULLEN: We're a locally owned hometown newspaper owned by two brothers. So we're just a rural community county seat newspaper.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This twice-weekly paper serves a small city of about 12,000 with an equally small newsroom. Cullen says about a dozen people work there.

CULLEN: Including me, my son, my brother, my wife, my sister-in-law (laughter), our dog, Peach. So it's pretty down-home. It's a busy little place. We're in a metal shed. We call it Storm Lake's nicest machine shed.

MARTIN: Cullen sees the comic potential outside the shed.

CULLEN: If they'd like to get some - what I think are funny storylines (laughter) that actually are ripped from real headlines, they should give me a call. You know, a guy getting picked up for drunk driving on a lawnmower - that's funny. That has all sorts of possibilities.

INSKEEP: (Laughter) I'm still thinking about the dog, Peach - a newshound, I assume. Papers like the Times Pilot survive with reader donations or even volunteers, like in the new sitcom. These are real-life struggles that Jessie Opoien would like to see given a new spin.

JESSIE OPOIEN: I guess my immediate reaction to the premise was cautious optimism.

MARTIN: Opoien covers state politics for a bigger newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

OPOIEN: If this case of this publisher looking for volunteer reporters gives people outside of the industry some insight into that and reminds them of the importance of local journalism, maybe that will be a helpful plot device.

INSKEEP: You know, Michel, I wonder if you've had the same experience. When you go to a town, if there's a good paper, the place just feels more accessible. It feels more alive. You feel the difference in a community.

MARTIN: You absolutely do. And, I mean, this - look. This is a real - it's supposed to be a sitcom, but it's not funny. Losing small newspapers, losing local journalism is a really serious crisis in this country. If this little show can make that better, I'm for it.

INSKEEP: All right. All right.

(SOUNDBITE OF JAY FERGUSON'S "THE OFFICE THEME") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

'The View': Whoopi Fake Sobs for Rudy Giuliani After He Was Served Indictment Papers at His Birthday | Video

R udy Giuliani was officially served indictment papers over the weekend — while at his own birthday party. So, on Monday morning's episode of "The View," moderator Whoopi Goldberg was simply inconsolable. She even wept real fake tears for the man.

In setting up the discussion, Whoopi first explained what happened in a very amused tone, before acting extremely choked up while detailing the reactions of Giuliani's party guests.

"Some were crying because they were like, so upset about this!" she mocked. "They were not so upset that he partook in lies about what was happening in the country, but they were upset that he was served. My question is this — let me get my stuff together."

At that, Whoopi buried her face in her hands, palming at her cheeks to wipe away the fake tears and thanking the audience for understanding and appreciating her "distress."

"Did he really think he could outrun the law?!" she then asked in a much more serious, but equally deriding, tone.

For host Ana Navarro, the answer was yes, as she explained that Giuliani had quite literally been avoiding and running away from law enforcement for weeks, even taunting them on social media .

"If Arizona authorities can't find me by tomorrow morning: 1. They must dismiss the indictment; 2. They must concede they can't count votes," Giuliani wrote in a now-deleted social media post. He was served with the papers two hours later.

"Rudy!" Whoopi wailed as Navarro poked fun at the people who actually were upset. "Rudyyyy! Don't take my Rudy!"

As the hosts continued to mock Giuliani, Navarro eventually offered a tissue to Whoopi, praising her for being able to pull herself together and soldier on.

"Well, I haven't stopped crying inside," Whoopi joked.

You can watch the whole segment from "The View" in the video above.

The post 'The View': Whoopi Fake Sobs for Rudy Giuliani After He Was Served Indictment Papers at His Birthday | Video appeared first on TheWrap .

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Angered Desis Mock Indian Justice System After Pune Porsche Accident Accused Asked to Write Essay for Bail

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‘Film Geek’ Review: A Cinephile’s Guide to New York

The director Richard Shepard details his lifelong obsession with movies in this enthusiastic video essay.

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By Calum Marsh

Richard Shepard, the director of the black comedies “Dom Hemingway” and “The Matador,” is a lifelong cinephile with a voracious appetite for movies.

“Film Geek,” a feature-length video essay composed primarily of footage of films that Shepard saw growing up in the 1970s in New York City, delves deep into his obsession. In a voice-over, he recounts his childhood, when he was “addicted to movies, to watching them, to making them.” He is enthusiastic, and the movie aspires to make that enthusiasm infectious.

I appreciate Shepard’s affection: I also grew up loving movies, and I found his wistful reminiscences of being awed by “Jaws” and “Star Wars” relatable. But Shepard’s level of self-regard can be stultifying. For minutes at a time, he simply rattles off the titles of various movies that he saw as a child. I appreciate that seeing “Rocky” made a strong impression on him. I did not need to know that he lost his virginity in the apartment building where John G. Avildsen, the director of “Rocky,” once lived.

“Film Geek” has been compared to Thom Andersen’s great documentary from 2003, “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” and on the level of montage, they share a superficial resemblance: “Film Geek,” like Andersen’s essay film, is brisk and well edited.

But “Los Angeles Plays Itself” is also a thoughtful and incisive work of film criticism, whereas Shepard describes movies in clichés, when he describes movies at all. More often he is talking about himself, a subject of interest to far fewer viewers.

Film Geek Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes. In theaters.

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There’s nothing normal about making a “Mad Max” movie, and Anya Taylor-Joy knew that  when she signed on to star in “Furiosa,” the newest film in George Miller’s action series.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

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Knicks vs. Pacers schedule: Where to watch Game 7, TV channel, predictions, odds for NBA playoff series

A spot in the eastern conference finals is up for grabs sunday.

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers have renewed their playoff rivalry in the 2024 NBA postseason, as their latest clash has met all the expectations. The Pacers protected their home court  on Friday to force a do-or-die Game 7, slated for Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are trying to get to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000. The Pacers have not had an ECF appearance since 2014.

Pascal Siakam finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Game 6, Myles Turner added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Indiana turned the tables on New York with a 116-103 victory. Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each scored 15 points, with Nembhard pulling down six rebounds and dishing out six assists.

For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson finished with 31 points and five assists but he missed his final 11 shots in the first half. Deuce McBride added 20 points and Donte DiVincenzo had 17. But the short-handed Knicks may have suffered yet another blow when Josh Hart left in the fourth quarter with what the Knicks called abdominal soreness.

The good news for the Knicks is they don't have to return to Indiana, where they've lost nine straight playoff games. New York is one win away from reaching its first conference final since 2000. Indiana hasn't played in the conference finals since 2014.

Here's everything you need to know as the Knicks and Pacers continue their renewed rivalry in Game 7.

Knicks vs. Pacers schedule, scores

All times Eastern | * If necessary

• Game 1: Knicks 121, Pacers 117 -- New York leads 1-0
• Game 2: Knicks 130, Pacers 121 -- New York leads 2-0
• Game 3:  Pacers 111, Knicks 106 -- New York leads 2-1
• Game 4:  Pacers 121, Knicks 89 -- Series tied 2-2
• Game 5: Knicks 121, Pacers 91 -- New York leads 3-2
• Game 6: Pacers 116, Knicks 103 -- Series tied 3-3
• Game 7: Sunday, May 19 -- Pacers at Knicks, 3:30 p.m., ABC/ fubo

Knicks vs. Pacers, Game 7

Where to watch.

Time : 3:30 p.m ET |  Date : Sunday, May 19 Location : Madison Square Garden -- New York TV channel : ABC |  Streaming:   fubo  (try for free)

Knicks: The Knicks are expected to have both Josh Hart (abdomen) and OG Anunoby (hamstring) on Sunday. Hart took a hit to the midsection in the first quarter of Game 6, and while he still managed 31 minutes of action, it wasn't without some laboring. He also didn't return to the game after checking out at the 9:53 mark of the fourth quarter and shortly after, was ruled out for the remainder of the game with abdominal soreness. Hart is New York's Iron Man, and up to Friday night was averaging nearly 43 minutes a game in the postseason. Anunoby, meanwhile, has not played since hurting his hamstring in Game 2. The Knicks are 26-5 with Anunoby in the lineup since acquiring him in a midseason trade.

Pacers:  Indiana quite literally out-bullied the Knicks on Friday. Who knew that was possible? They out-rebounded New York and didn't turn the ball over nearly as much as they did in Game 5, two key difference makers in their win to force a Game 7. If they can carry that over to Sunday afternoon, especially as the Knicks continue to deal with a litany of injuries, the Pacers will have a fair shot of shocking the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2014.

I think the Pacers found a formula in Game 6. In addition to shooting nearly 54% from the field, they were the more aggressive team, which is a difficult thing to do against a Tom Thibodeau-coached team. Combine that with Josh Hart's status up in the air -- even if he does play he may not be 100% -- and I think the Pacers walk out of Madison Square Garden with a win.  The pick: Pacers +2.5

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Rudy Giuliani is served indictment papers at his own birthday party after mocking Arizona attorney general

PHOENIX — Arizona’s Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes on Friday announced that Rudy Giuliani had been served with the notice of his indictment in connection with an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona.

The announcement came less than two hours after a social media post from Giuliani taunted Mayes for failing to deliver his indictment. The notice was served to Giuliani during a celebration in Palm Beach, Florida, for his 80th birthday.

In a now-deleted post on X, Giuliani taunted Arizona authorities. “If Arizona authorities can’t find me by tomorrow morning; 1. They must dismiss the indictment; 2. They must concede they can’t count votes,” Giuliani posted Friday night. Accompanying the message was a photo of Giuliani smiling with six others and balloons arranged behind them.

An hour and 14 minutes later, Mayes responded to Giuliani ’s post , writing, “The final defendant was served moments ago. @RudyGiuliani, nobody is above the law.”

Giuliani, 79, turns 80 on May 28 and was enjoying an early birthday celebration in Palm Beach on the night he was served, according to social media activity . By the end of the night, “Happy Birthday to You” wasn’t the only music the former New York City mayor had to face.

The party was hosted by Caroline Wren, an adviser to Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake.

Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, said Wren was unperturbed by the birthday bash bust-up. “The mayor was unfazed by the decision to try and embarrass him during his 80th birthday party. He enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people who love him — from all walks of life — and we look forward to full vindication soon,” Goodman said in a statement to NBC News.

Others indicted in the “fake electors” case are further along in their legal proceedings. On Friday morning, former Trump attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty to charges related to an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. Eleven other defendants are slated to be arraigned on Tuesday.

The Arizona “fake electors” scheme isn’t the only controversy Giuliani has faced in the wake of efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In December 2023, Giuliani was hit with a $148 million verdict for defaming two Georgia election workers.

Alex Tabet is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.

Vaughn Hillyard is a correspondent for NBC News. 

What is a budget surplus? What time does the federal budget speech start? Where can I watch it?

The federal government is releasing its budget tonight. 

And while this will inevitably involve a lot of political talk, it will also either directly or indirectly affect your finances. 

Here's what to expect and what it could mean for you. 

Not sure what the budget is all about? Tap the link below for a quick rundown, otherwise, just scroll past the link.

What is the federal budget?

What time is the federal budget speech.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers's speech is broadcast live from Parliament House in Canberra at:

• 7:30pm AEST: ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria 
• 7pm ACST : Northern Territory and South Australia
• 5:30pm AWST: Western Australia 

Where can I watch the federal budget speech?

It'll be broadcast on free-to-air television on ABC TV  as well as on the  ABC News Channel . 

You can also stream it on ABC iview .

And you can watch the ABC News live stream via the ABC News website by clicking "watch live" at the top of the page. 

We'll also be blogging the whole thing live on the ABC News website , which will have a live stream of the speech at the top of the article.  

Where can I read the budget papers?

On the federal government's 2024-25 budget website . 

There's only a countdown clock on there at the moment, but we're expecting it to be updated this evening.  

What's in this year's budget?

Mr Chalmers has used words such as "sensible" and "responsible" to describe the new budget , saying there are no "slash and burn" cuts but there is also no spending "free-for-all".

Here are a few things we know about the budget already:

• Student debt changes: The federal government wants to change how tertiary education loans are indexed , proposing a backdated scheme that would reduce the amount debts increased by and see some students get refunds from what they paid last year
• Short-term cost-of-living relief: Mr Chalmers says some cost-of-living relief is coming but he hasn't gone into detail about it yet. He says it "won't be identical to what we've seen in the past but it will be substantial"
• Changes to the tax brackets:  Dubbed the stage three tax cuts, they are something we've known about for months but  won't come into effect until July . Basically, Australia's tax brackets will change slightly, as will tax rates , benefiting both lower and higher-income earners

And expect to hear a lot about a budget surplus — something any government likes to make a big song and dance about. 

What is a budget surplus?

A budget surplus means  the government makes more money than it has spent . 

Specifically, we're going to be hearing about the government delivering a $9.3 billion surplus for the current financial year.  

In very simple terms, it's the federal government's plan for how it'll collect and spend money in the coming financial year.

And this plan will impact your financial situation in one way or another, so it's quite important. 

The government details this plan in a set of documents called the budget papers, which are hundreds of pages long and will be up for public viewing tonight. 

Before the papers are officially published, the treasurer – a position currently held by Jim Chalmers – makes a speech in parliament summarising the plan. 

It's a long speech, typically taking about half an hour. 

And, generally speaking, these speeches talk up the positive points the government of the day wants to promote and gloss over the negatives. 

That's why we have a team of journalists who will be combing through the nitty-gritty details of the budget papers to suss out the real-world impacts of these plans. 

How does the federal budget impact me?

The budget shapes how our economy functions so its ripple effects have an impact on all of us whether you're a taxpayer or not. 

But specific measures will impact certain groups of people more than others.

A good way to get a quick glimpse of these impacts is by reading what we call our winners and losers list, which sums up which groups will benefit the most from the new plan. We'll publish this later this evening. 

When is the new financial year?

That's about seven weeks away. 

When is tax time?

Not for another seven weeks. 

Technically, you can submit your tax return on July 1 , but you have more than 17 weeks to do it. 

When are tax returns due?

October 31 . 

But that's only if you're doing it yourself. 

If you're going through a tax agent, you have to book you appointment before October 31 — but that doesn't mean your appointment has to be before October 31. 

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