Basic news writing

Basic of News WritingCHELDY S. ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

What is News Writing?News writing gives the reader information that will have an impact on them in some way. It usually flows from most important to least important.“What is news? It is information only.” –WalterCronkite, former CBS News anchor

CHELDY S. ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

HEADLINE EXAMPLEHeadline


HOW TO WRITE HEADLINE A headline is an abstract sentenceA headline will determine the angle of the storyUsually it is only five to ten words It is a complete thought It has a subject and a verb, and often an objectBe specific, direct and to the point.Write headlines, not titles. A headline must state

a benefit to the target audience.


FUNCTIONS OF HEADLINE:

To attract readersTo tell the story (in summary)


Limit your headline to maximum of 10 wordsUse “,” instead of the word “and”Use the present tense of the verbUse the shortest words possible:

cop-policeman vs-againstnab-arrest stude-studentup-increase join-participatedown-decrease prexy-president


Use historical present tense if the verb is in the active verb

Wrong: Reyes topped editorial tiltCorrect: Reyes tops editorial tiltAvoid helping verb if the verb is in

the passive verbWrong: Drug pushers are nabbedCorrect: Drug pushers nabbed


Use infinitive verb for future event:Wrong: NORSU will enjoy WiFi connectivityCorrect: NORSU to enjoy WiFi connectivityDo not use a period at the end of the headlineOmit the articles ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’Use single quotes (‘’) instead of double quotes

(“”)Provide the source of the quote at the end of

the headlineEx: Crackdown on errant bus firms–Enrile


Do not use a person’s surname unless he/she is prominent, use common noun instead

Wrong: Recosana wins nat’l painting tiltCorrect: NORSU stude wins nat’l painting tiltUse specific verb instead of generalitiesWrong: Trader killedBetter: Trader stabbed to deathJust report facts; do not editorializeWrong: Pnoy gives inspiring talk(The word “inspiring’ is an opinion)


Structures of News StoryByline


Structures of News StoryLead


Structures of News Story

Body (Details)


COMMONLY USED STYLE

Inverted PyramidThe Inverted

Pyramid of news suggests that news be told in order of most interesting or important to least interesting or important

Most interesting or most important

Least interesting

or least important


News Writing

Most Important or Interesting

Least Importantor Interesting


LEADMost journalists

think the news lead is the most important part of the news story. It is an art work of concise information that captures the gist of a news story in one or two sentences.


Purposes of LEADTo summarize the story.To arouse the interest of the readers.


Lead Writing

1. Keep leads short. Those with 35 words or less are preferred.

2. Leads limited to one or two sentences are preferred.

3. Avoid starting leads with "when" or "where" unless the time or place is unusual. Most leads start with "who" or "what."


4. Avoid beginning leads with "there" or "this."

5. In leads about future events, the time, day (date) and place usually go at the end of the paragraph.

6. Use quote and question leads sparingly.7. Avoid the trite lead, such as " caught

like rats in a trap " and " never in the history of.”

lead writing


7. In leads about past events, the day (date) of the event usually appears before or after the verb. Sometimes the day (date) comes at the end of the first sentence or the paragraph if it is a one-sentence lead.

8. The first five to "what happened" makes a better story than the fact it did.


TYPES OF LEADWho? — Senator Teofisto ‘TG’ Guingona III

on Wednesday called on fellow legislators to ensure that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) ‘must be able to withstand any and all challenge as to its implementations.

What? — Wearing morally offensive attire is prohibited inside the church not just during Sundays but every time a mass is held so that other people praying won’t be disturbed.


Where? — In Andres Bonifacio College last night, the board of trustees passed a resolution to ban the wearing of seductive dresses in school campus.

When? — Last night, the Andres Bonifacio College Board of Trustees passed a resolution bans the wearing of seductive dresses in school campus.


How? — By a 6-1 margin last night, the Andres Bonifacio College Board of Trustees passed a resolution banning the wearing of seductive dresses in school.

Why? — To provide ABCnians easier access to web, the Andres Bonifacio College- Information Technology (IT) Office will implement its Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) Connectivity Project in all the campus buildings in the second semester of SY 2013-2014.


Body Construction and OrganizationThe body of the story explains or clarifies features

found in the lead or add features not found in the lead.The body of the story provides details and backgroundKeep paragraphs short. Those limited to 60 words or

less or no longer than 10 typeset lines are preferred.Paragraphs limited to one to three sentences are

preferred.Each paragraph should contain only one idea.Remember short paragraphs encourage readers to

continue reading.Use simple words. Don’t let readers look for

dictionary.


Body Construction and OrganizationMake sure information introduced or outlined

in the lead is covered in the same order in the body of the story.

Avoid introducing new information at the end of a story. All aspects of a story should usually be introduced or outlined in the first few paragraphs.

Transitions are necessary to show the reader that the writer has a sense of direction. A word, phrase, sentence or paragraph can move the reader from one thought to another.


Body Construction and OrganizationAdd attributions of prominent personsAdd faculty and students’ reactionsArrange your details in logical orderBefore using the acronym of the word or phrase,

elaborate it first on the previous sentencesIn attribution, use the position of the person (other

titles may be omitted)Note:

When you want to incorporate information which is not directly connected to the main story, but is related, use conjunctive words or conjunctive phrase such as meanwhile, in a related development, in this light, etc.


TRANSITION/QUOTE FORMULA

Each paragraph must relate the other succeeding paragraphs. The flow of the subject matter must connect in a descending idea. (From the most to least Important.)


TRANSITIONSVERY, VERY IMPORTANT. Hold the story together.

Link the paragraphs together.Can be fact, indirect quote or a partial quote.For example - FACT TRANSITION: (Lead) President Barack Obama will speak on Friday to

seniors about getting involved in community service work. (Direct Quote)“Seniors will learn a lot about duty and

commitment when they hear President Obama,” Principal Ike Sumter said. “We are so excited that he agreed to come.”

(Fact Transition) Before becoming president, Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago.


TRANSITIONSCan be fact, indirect quote or a partial quote.

For example - INDIRECT QUOTE TRANSITION: (Lead) President Barack Obama will speak on Friday

to seniors about getting involved in community service work.

(Direct Quote)“Seniors will learn a lot about duty and commitment when they hear President Obama,” Principal Ike Sumter said. “We are so excited that he agreed to come.”

(IQ Transition) President Obama said he believes community service is more important than college in building character.


Can be fact, indirect quote or a partial quote.For example - PARTIAL QUOTE TRANSITION: (Lead) President Barack Obama will speak on

Friday to seniors about getting involved in community service work.

(Direct Quote)“Seniors will learn a lot about duty and commitment when they hear President Obama,” Principal Ike Sumter said. “We are so excited that he agreed to come.”

(PQ Transition) President Obama said he believes community service is “extremely valuable lesson” for every teen to have.


Use transitional words to help with the flow (as needed): After all, Also, Finally, In addition, However, Otherwise, Then

For example: In addition to speaking about community service,

Obama plans to talk to students about the importance of voting.

NOTE: BE SURE YOU USE THE APPROPRITE TRANSITIONAL WORD.

• Use parts of the direct quotes to create the transition. And then use the rest of the quote as direct quote.


AVOID

Editorializing - Keep your opinion out of the story.Using first and second person - Keep yourself

out of the story. Common error: “our school”.Messy handwriting, poor grammar and spellingToo long paragraphsMisspelling names in the storyTrying to use all of the information


Eliminate the word "that" whenever possible.

Eliminate the "be" verb. Write "she will resign" instead of "she will be resigning. "Write in future tense (will) instead of future progressive tense (will be "ing").

Avoid the contractions of he'd and they'd. "He'd" can mean both "he had" and "he would," and "they'd" can mean both "they had" and "they would."


Always double-check the spelling of names.Make sure numbers match the items listed.Make sure "only" is placed properly in a

sentence. The location of "only" can change the meaning of a sentence.

Read the story out loud to catch awkward sentence constructions.

Write. Rewrite. Revise. Rewrite. Revise. Edit. Revise. Edit. Edit. The first version of a story is NOT good enough to go into print. Someone once said THERE IS NO GREAT WRITING, ONLY GREAT REWRITING


GRAMMARWhen you use a pronoun to refer to a team

or a group, the proper pronoun to use is "its," NOT they.

Example: The team wants to improve its record.

Make sure verbs or other phrases are "parallel" or the same in structure when they appear in stories or list.

Examples: He likes gardening, fishing and hunting. The fire killed at least 12 persons, injured 60 more and forced scores of residents to leap from windows.


Use THIRD PERSON (she, he, it, its, her, hers, him, his, they, them, their, theirs) in news stories. Only on rare occasions do you use first person (I, mine, we, our, ours) or second person (you, your, yours) in news stories.

Use active voice vs. passive voice. The passive voice is formed by using some form of the verb "be" with the past participle of an action verb: is shot, was shot, has been shot, had been shot, may be shot, will be shot.


OTHER CONSIDERATIONSAvoid using the same word twice in a sentence.Count the words in a story's sentences. Sentence

length should vary. Stories become dull when sentences are all the same length.

Quotation marks go outside commas (,") and periods (."). They go inside semicolons (";) and colons (":).

You can use TRANSITION WORDS to show coherence from one paragraph to another. Examples: meanwhile, on the other hand, moreover


Date post:	11-Aug-2015
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Basic news writing

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