You are writers for an English language newspaper in Brazil, and you will be attending a press conference with Brazil soccer coach Mano Menezes two days after Brazil lost to Mexico in the gold medal match. Based on what’s said at the press conference, choose a topic that you think is most newsworthy and write an article that features quotes from the press conference. This is NOT a game recap.
Think of questions you’d like to ask Menezes that would make for a good article. You will have a chance to ask him (not really, but someone pretending to be him) questions before you write your article. Here are some links that you can use for research:
- Game Highlights
- Goal.com article from when Menezes was hired in 2010
- Two New York Times articles on the game:
- Full replay
There are several good examples of interview/press conference articles on the Readings page on the blog, and you should remember some of the keys we talked about in class.
Focus – What was the most interesting thing said, or what was something that was talked about more than anything else? Basically, what’s the biggest thing that you want your reader to come away with? The fact that the press conference occurred is not newsworthy by itself, so it won’t be good enough just to recap everything that was said.
Transitions – You’ll need to intro each quote with some context so that your article is not just a list of quotes.
Other notes:
- Early in the article, make it clear why the press conference is happening. Who is the subject? Why are we talking to him now?
- Give the reader some info about the subject throughout the article (stats, notes about his career, etc.)
- Sometimes the quotes you want to use will hint at past games, previous seasons or something in the person’s history. It’s your job to find that information and provide it to the reader.
