Strat44

Photo captions

1. Original: UF lecturer Mike Haridopolos sits in UF’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service on February 5, 2008.

Assessment: Writing a good caption for this photo is difficult because The Independent Florida Alligator recycled this photo from 2008. I am not sure if the staff photographers tried to take a new photo of Haridopolos, but they should have. In any case, the writer could have spiced up the caption by adding a significant quote or extra details from the story. This caption is not written with energy, and it does not have too much value. I would not blame it only on the writer though; the photo is pretty uneventful as well.

Rewrite: UF lecturer Mike Haridopolos, who is running for Florida’s U.S. Senate, sits in UF’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service on February 5, 2008. Haridopolos currently monitors UF students who intern with the state government. “This is a real plus for UF because we have had difficulty placing interns there historically,” said Albert Matheny, associate dean of the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

2.Original: RTS Director Jesus Gomez speaks during the joint City Commission/UF Student Government meeting.

Assessment: This caption is missing many details. When and where did this meeting take place? What exactly was he speaking about at that moment? How many people attended? All these extra details would make the caption serve the same purpose a headline serves for a story.

Rewrite: RTS Director Jesus Gomez speaks during the joint City Commission/UF Student Government meeting Tuesday. Overpriced taxi fares were the main subject of discussion at the meeting.

3. Original: Shayna Teijido poses with her boyfriend, Chris Tingley. Teijido, a UF nursing senior, died Monday after complications from blood clots.

Assessment: This caption offers no new information other than what is written in the first sentence of the article. This caption provides an opportunity to include a memory or anecdote about her life. It could also describe how the photo was obtained and when it was taken.

Rewrite: Shayna Teijido poses with her boyfriend, Chris Tingley. Teijido was described as warm, friendly and passionate about helping the community. About 100 people attended the vigil held for her Friday night.