Aim for the Heart Chapters 4,5,7, and 18 (Important Takeaways)

In chapter four of Aim for the Heart by Al Tompkins, he focuses on discussing his opinions on what makes a lead appealing to readers. The lead tends to be rather important because it is what introduces the topic you will discuss further in your story. Tompkins compared the lead to the first impression you get when meeting someone; the first impression sets one up for success like the lead would for a story. Also, he says that the main conflict should be introduced in the lead to hook in your readers, instead of starting with something cliché and predictable. The lead should also not overwhelm, yet not underwhelm your reader. As a journalist, you have to find that happy middle. It makes for an even better lead if you are mindful and relate what you are saying to things that would matter to someone like money, family, safety, health community. Especially if the lead appeals to the curiosity and moral outrage of the audience.

In chapter five of Aim for the Heart by Al Tompkins, he discusses the use of adjectives and verbs in news articles. He starts off by reminding the readers that it is always important to never leave out verbs, especially in the article's title. This could make what you are trying to communicate unclear and missing the point you are trying to explain. Tompkins reminds readers that one should always be mindful that news reporting is discussing what has already happened. Therefore, writers should maintain the correct tense in which they write in. It is not professional and correct to just mash different tenses together in one sentence. Lastly, writers should tend to leave out subjective objectives. Instead of describing a story as “tragic”, explain why it is without putting in your opinion.

In chapter seven of Aim for the Heart by Al Tompkins, he explains why pictures are so important to a journalist. Pictures are for aiding the readers or viewers to understand and make a human connection to what they are reading/listening to. An audience who can see how an event visually impacts a situation is much more likely to understand the situation better. Tompkins said, “Sometimes a single still photographic image holds the most power over human emotion,” which I found incredibly truthful. When I personally see photos of something serious going on in the news, it is more likely to affect me emotionally to see rather than just read it. Pictures are very powerful. Images also tend to capture people’s attention. One tends to tune out to someone talking and focus more on a picture if presented with both. If a picture is getting most attention then it is super important. Finally, journalists should be mindful of what they caption pictures. Instead of restating what is clearly happening in the photo, they should explain something someone couldn/t know just by looking at the picture.

In chapter eighteen of Aim for the Heart by Al Tompkins, “enterprise reporting” is discussed as an effort to effectively manage everyone in a news organization's time while utilizing all of the resources available to them. There are specific ways to utilize their resources, for example, by interviewing anyone who might have something insightful to share about the topic reported on. Also, everyone in the newsroom should come together so there are a variety of voices to contribute on the matter. Yet, the meetings should be focused, they should never be rushed or lag on. Make the newsgroup meetings meaningful. Tompkins also reminds journalists to look at a story from all sides and perspectives of the argument.