Elements of News

Publications 1& 2

Newsworthy Elements

Timeliness: Is the news current or new? Human interest/Emotions: Is it about

other people’s lives and emotions? Proximity: Is it happening nearby? Prominence: Is it well known to your

readers? Consequence: Will it affect your readers

in an important way? Conflict: Does it involve tension,

surprise, or suspense? Unusualness: Is the event uncommon?

What is News? News: Information about events, people,

or issues that the public wants or needs to know– What kind of story do you look for in the

newspaper? Newsworthiness: The criteria used to

determine what will appeal to readers in the news– What elements make a story newsworthy?

A JOURNALIST’SRESPONSIBILITIES

REPORT ACCURATELY!!! Verify facts- check in with sources Double-check spelling of names, grades,

and titles BE OBJECTIVE!!! Observe and take notes, but do not put

yourself in your story BE FAIR AND BALANCED!!! Always present both sides of the story

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assembly, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Who Cares? When in doubt about a newsworthy story,

ask yourself “WHO CARES?” If readers may want or need to know info,

the story is probably newsworthy!!! HINT: Most students will care about a

story if it’s about someone they know, about themselves, or something that affects them personally!

WARNING: Avoid sensationalism- stories in bad taste that cause an intense but brief emotional reaction

News Article Activity Read the article provided List THREE facts found in the article Put a star by the strongest argument/fact Indicate whether or not the author seems

to be objective (unbiased) or opinionated. What audience would be interested in this

article? Label the paragraph number containing a

quote that was memorable. Why was it so memorable/effective?

Where to Find Your Story

School: classroom, hallway, cafeteria, gym, auditorium, library, coaches’ offices, school calendar, administrators, guidance counselors

Local Community: local media, newspapers, magazines, TV, community organizations, businesses, etc.

Global Community: national and international media, the internet, books

Find Your BEAT Academic beat: academic departments,

clubs, and extracurricular activities Sports beat: official school teams,

intramural teams, sports clubs, coaches Club beat: school clubs that are not

academic or sports related Staff beat: guidance counselors,

librarians, teachers Administration beat: principals,

superintendents, deans Community beat: community events

Hard News vs. Soft News Hard News (straight news): Strictly

factual reporting of news that’s current and important– Ex: Story covering the new principal, a

change in school requirements, an athletic championship event

Soft News: Entertains and informs Is less current than hard news and

appeals to the emotions – Ex: A movie review, an interview with a

student musician

Types of Sources Primary Source: Offers the best and

most reliable information on a topic An expert or leading authority on a topic Person with firsthand info on a topic An original document or official report Secondary Source: Offers reliable

second-hand info on a topic Ex: Reference books, internet, person

with informed opinion on topic AVOID ANONYMOUS SOURCES!!!

Objective Reporting Report facts without bias Don’t allow your opinion to slant your

reporting Differentiate between fact and opinion Report what you saw and heard- not

what you think or feel Eliminate the words “I, me, my, mine, we,

us, our, you, your” to avoid editorializing

A Journalist’s list of Don’ts

DO NOT: Print material that is obscene or libelous Publish false material Use a person’s name or picture without

permission Defame a person’s character or harm

one’s reputation

Quoting like a Pro Direct Quote: printed exactly, word for

word with attribution outside them Ex: “Journalism is my favorite class,” said

junior John Smith. Indirect Quote: information from a

source that is not quoted directly. Ex: Freshman Bill Owens said The New

York Times is his favorite newspaper, but he enjoys The Bergen Record too.

…Quoting Partial Quote: uses a phrase or part of a

quote Ex: Ms. Kohmuench said that she is

excited to work with “an intelligent young group of journalists.”

Anonymous Quote: Avoid quotes with sources who wish to remain unknown!

Quoting Tips Try to dig for unusual, meaningful quotes LAME QUOTE: “I think the prom was a

lot of fun,” said Jenny Smith. Avoid quotes with one word answers Refuse “off-the-record” comments Keep attributions in the middle or at the

end of quotes Ex: “Change will not come if we wait for

some other person or some other time,” said President Obama. “We are the ones we've been waiting for.”

Clear, Concise, Colorful Writing Journalistic writing is always clear and

concise Hint: Fast paced readers want fast paced

news!!! Simple writing is key- avoid extraneous

words Be precise in your word choice! Did the

coach scream, or shout? Avoid jargon (technical words or slang) Avoid cliches- “raining cats and dogs”

5W’s & H Leads answer the 5W’s

& H Who, what, when,

where, why, how Hard news stories use

INVERTED PYRAMID Most important info

comes first In each successive

paragraph, info is less important

Inverted Pyramid

Newspaper Activity

Take a copy of a newspaper. With a partner, find a news story in the

front page section. Read the lead and discuss it. Determine what kind of lead it was. If it

was a summary lead, state the 5Ws.

Writing Leads

Lead: beginning of your story (typically one paragraph or several lines)

Your lead is the reader’s first impression! Make your lead introduce your slant Types of leads:

– Summary Lead– Creative Lead– Anecdotal Lead– Personal Level Lead

Summary Lead Gives the reader a quick summary of the

story in as few words as possible Often focus on the who and what of the

story, then examine the when and where To write a good summary lead:

– Use few words – Summarize the most newsworthy fact in the

first 10 words– Identify any key people – Set the appropriate tone- light or serious