How Attribution Is Used (News Analysis Week 4)

BY JOE KELLY

Kare 11 wrote an article about a deadly shooting in Nevis, Minnesota.

In the first paragraph, the reporter summarizes that three people died and a police officer was injured from a gunshot wound. Nothing about what led to the shooting was included in the summary.

The reporter organizes the information by first writing about the summary of the deaths and injuries from the incident. Next, they report the time that police were called to the shooting, and the mention of a police chase.

Then, the reporter mentions claims from an undisclosed family member that say the shooting began with a domestic argument, and that the shooting occurred at a house that also served as a daycare. Lastly, the reporter writes about a partner news outlet, KVLY, is investigating the story in Nevis.

The organization of this article makes sense because the only fact that Hubbard County police can confirm is the death and injuries from the shooting. This information is reported first. The other details are from an undisclosed source, and the county cannot confirm all that information just yet. For this reason, the information is listed after what is already known.

It wouldn't make sense for this article to order the information any differently, because journalists have to take factual priorities into their reporting of any event.