With the help of an example, explain the role that secondary senses can play in improving a narrative news story.

What will be an ideal response?

Student examples will vary but should include the following main points: Narrative news writing attempts to capture readers’ attention by immersing them in the middle of a story. This is accomplished by painting vivid word pictures of what is happening, what the scene looks like, and the mood. While traditional news writing relies on primary senses like sight and hearing, secondary senses such as touch and smell are more closely linked to memory and emotion and can thus help paint a more vivid picture for readers in a narrative news story. For example, in a story about a fire, the reporter could describe the acrid smell of smoke and ash in the burned-out building, or the feel of the charred wood softened by water from the emergency sprinklers and firefighters’ hoses. These types of details will be more effective in placing readers in the middle of the scene than description of what the reporter saw and heard from officials on the scene.