I almost didn't notice this assignment...

But I did!

Our book and classroom discussions tell us that the best way to write a lead or short report is to follow these four points:

* Be Specific
* Be Concise
* Avoid Backing In
*Use Active Voice

It is also important to note that the short report should elaborate on the lead without repeating any information. That's the tricky part.

Of course, you also have to be accurate, but I suppose that goes without saying.

Having looked over our classroom Twitter-stash, I've selected three notable Tweets that follow these four points well.

Matt Lund
-System haults hiring as budget cuts draw near
-USM's freeze on hiring could have an impact on Towson's growth as early as 2010 if budget problems persist.

This lead/short report pair was beautifully done, fitting a tremendous amount of specific information into a mere 163 characters. The lead says it well in SVO format, and the short report manages to tell much more than I would have thought possible. Concise and specific. My only real concern is that the lead doesn't specify which system is being discussed, but depending on the context of the headline, it might not need to.

Ed D'Adamo
-TU and the Green campaign makes it easy to recycle.
-The RecycAll program is placing 2,800 single-stream containers around campus. This means less confusion and more convenience for students.

This pair not only uses the active voice to its full potential, but does so while noting the three major names in the game (TU, Go Green, and RecycAll). It also has the specific detail of "2,800 single-stream containers," which is extremely relevant. That Ed discusses the ease of convenience is particularly worthwhile because that is what the article places much of its focus on.

Cara Flynn
-Towson football loses to Richmond.
-The Tiger's 45-14 defeat, in Richmond Saturday afternoon, was due in part to four interceptions thrown by quarterback Sean Schaefer.

The lead says Who and What simply and in active voice. The short report gives the Where, When, How (45-14), and Why (Sean Schaefer sucks) in rapid succession. Of all the Tweets about this article, I think Cara's was the best. It gave all the information possible, and in a manner that makes it look like the 150-character limit was incidental, like hers just happened to be within the limit. I think it's important to mention that it was football; many Tweets assumed you knew, but it could just as easily be a high-scoring baseball game, or a low-scoring basketball game. A reader who isn't particularly familiar with sports schedules or scoring wouldn't know. Also, I found a surprising number of people didn't even give us the score, which is the third most important part of the story, falling only behind Who Played and Who Won!