how to generate stories

7/28/2019 How to Generate Stories

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HOW TO GENERATESTORIES


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1. REACTION STORY

Usually based on an interview with a

news source.

The interviewee may or may not be

directly involved in the previous newsstory, his views are perceived to have

news value


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3 KINDS OF RECTION

STORY

REACTION TO A MEDIA REPORT

REACTION TO A PROPOSAL

REACTION TO AN EVENT


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2. FOLLOW- UP STORY

A story which continues tobe published by the papers

due to sustained public

interest.


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3. CALENDAR STORY

A story of predictableevent or occurrence


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4. JAZZED- UP STORY

In local journalism lingo, this is

called as salsal or just plain ss

This is writing about an old topic

which is given a new slant or angleto make it look fresh.


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5. AN ADVANCER

A story written in advance by an enterprising

journalist or someone who has access to sources.

But the reporter must always watch out for

unexpected developments.

He should not assume that all things will turn out

the way he wants them.


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A report of an expected eventIt aims to arouse in an event

Apublicity series is made up of

advance stories on the same event

published in successive issues.

Reporter uses both the straight newsand feature style.


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MUST OBSERVE THE

FOLLOWING:

Maintain a complete and up-to-date futurebook.

At the earliest possible moment, plan aseries of advance stories to cover from allpossible angles any important comingactivity.

Begin the series early but in small items- asthe activity nears, stories should grow insize and importance


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Each story should present a fresh

approach.

Reserve enough material or a new

angle fro the climax of the series. The

publicity series is better adapted to the

weekly or fortnightly paper, than to the

monthly or quarterly


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COVERAGE STORY

It is an article reporting an event

which is taking place or has

already taken place

A series of coverage stories makeup a running story.


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ROUTINE STORY

- a story that is anticipated , such as regular

meetings, etc..

SPOT STORY

- a story that breaks out unexpectedly.

FOLLOW-UP STORY

- a report of more decent developments of a storyalready published.


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SPECIAL TYPES OF NEWS

STORIES


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NEWS BRIEF

- it is a news item, usually no more than 2paragraphs. It may be grouped into a news round-up.

BULLETIN

- It is an important but last- minute news in arunning story. It is printed on the first page in

boldface type and may be boxed.

FLASH- It presents the basic facts of a fresh story that

comes in too late to be run as a full blown news

item.


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THE MEETING STORY

- includes purpose, time and place, name of

organization, participants, background,information about speakers, kind ofmeeting, feature angle, what happened (forthe coverage story)

SPEECH STORY

- It includes the speaker and hisbackground, theme of the speech, occasion,

time and place, quotations, description ofaudience, including unusual reaction.


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BOX STORY

It is a news enclosed in a box (printed in blacklies usually rectangular)

Common types of copy:

1. Short, important news item2. Summaries of large news items

3. Lists of related or similar events in connection

with news story

4. Short feature stories, often connected with a news

article

5. Special announcements


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6. Game schedules or records of previouscontests

7. Reports on fund- raising

- Box story is used for emphasis as well as

variety and attractiveness in make-up.- It must present a strong, single idea in clear,

simple language.


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6. CANNED STORY

A press release or a handout, usually self

serving given by an agency.

A journalist worth his salt is not supposed

to reproduce the press release and present it

as his own story.


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THE NEWS STRUCTURE


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HARD NEWS

Also called as straight news is the standard

fare of most newspapers all over the world.

It is objective, direct and factual

Deals with concrete and fast breaking

events


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HARD NEWS

LEAD PARAGRAPH

- primary or more important facts

SUCCEEDING PARAGRAPH

- facts become less important

ENDING PARAGRAPH

- least important facts that can be stricken out


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SOFT NEWS

Featurized and subjective

Abstract developments usually associated with

human interest.LEAD PARAGRAPH

- lest important facts

SUCCEEDING PARAGRAPH- facts become more interesting

ENDING PARAGRAPH

- Primary or most interesting facts

F k L h M (Th i A i 1592)


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Frank Luther Mott (The news in America, 1592)

hard news is interesting to human beings whereassoft news is interesting because it deals with the life

of human beings.

Gay Tuchman (Making News: A Study in

Construction and Reality, 1978)

hard news concerns important matters and soft

news, interesting matters.


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THE INVERTED PYRAMID


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All straight news are written in the invertedpyramid form

The traditional form of news writingThe important facts are placed at the

beginning.

The details and the back ground are woveninto the succeeding paragraphs, indescending importance.


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COMPONENTS:


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A. PRIMARY OR MAIN LEAD

- Usually a single paragraph

- It contains the four Ws (what,who, where, and when)

- This may take from three to fivelines


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B. SECONDARY OR SUPPORT

LEAD

Explains or complements the

main lead

Its length is twice the main lead


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C. DETAILS OR PARTICULARS

To give flesh to the story, all

available facts are included herespecially those that would

answer the other W (why) and

one H (how).


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E. BACKGROUND

Relevant past events are recounted

and incorporated in this portion of

the story

This portion may be deleted ifspace in the newspaper will not

allow, but still the story can stand.


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F. ILLUSTRATION

The incorporation of all thedetails in the story


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Advantages of the Inverted Pyramid

1. It facilitates readingreaders wants to know the

facts or news at once.

2. It facilitates makeup- editors may shorten the story

for lack of space

3. It facilitates headline writing- by just reading the

lead paragraphs, a busy editor can prepare the

headline of a story.


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OTHER TYPES OF NEWS

STORIES


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HUMAN INTEREST STORY

News that appeals to the

emotion ad attempts togain a response from the

reader.


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Interpretive/ Interpretative News

News that helps the reader understand the

significance of the facts of the story.

It includes:A. Why the incident occurred

B. Background

C. Personalities of principal persons involved

D. Significance


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NEWS FEATURE

Called as news articleAn informative discussion of news events or

technical subjects in expository form

Like the news story, it I based entirely on facts. Unlike the news story which is based on current

events obtained mostly from personal sources, thenews feature is based on facts of general interest

obtained partly from printed sources.

Like the editorial, the news article is expository inform.


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SIDE- BAR STORY

A brief news item on some

lighter aspects of an eventrun side by side a significant

news item.


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THE LEAD


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The lead or firs paragraph tells the most

important facts of the news story.

Sometimes called asslantorangle.

It should attract the readers attention and

sustain his interest to read on.

It is like a miniskirt : it must be short

enough to be interesting and long enough to

cover the essentials


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TIPS IN WRITING A GOOD

LEAD

Use short, simple declarative sentencesinstead of complex and compound- complexones.

Dont try to say everything in one sentence.Break up long sentences

Never use twice or unusual word twice in

the same sentence

Avoid repetition of phrases, clause andsimilar grammatical constructions


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TYPES OF LEADS


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CARTRIDGE LEAD

Short, abrupt, and definite.

It tells the gist of news with the use of the

fewest words possible

President Marcos, who ruled the country

for two decades, is dead.


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PUNCH LEAD

Somewhat similar to cartridge lead but it

surprises and intrigues the reader.

All private cars will now have to be

grounded on Sundays.


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PICTURE LEAD

This device attempts a pictorial account ofthe event.

Clutching her baby girl, Mrs. LourdesArquiza could not control her tears whenshe heard that her husband, Capt. Oscar

Arquiza, was sentenced yesterday to die bylethal injection.


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Contrast Lead

This emphasizes the contrast.

Four years ago, she was just a plain

housewife. Today, Corazon Cojuangco

Aquino is the President of the Republic, themost powerful woman in the land.


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Question Lead

This raise the query in the hope of inducing

the reader to read on.

Will former President Estrada be acquitted

of plunder?


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FREAK LEAD

This lead throws caution to the air by tryingto be different.

For sale: a baby

Mrs. Carol Conag, a Tondo resident, saidyesterday that since she could no longerfeed her baby, she might as well sell it.There were no immediate takers.


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SEQUENCE LEAD

A series of paragraphs, usually arrangedchronologically but with a single effect.

By five in the morning, she had already dressed hertwo daughters, Cynthia 4, Miriam 2, for a Sundaymass. At seven, the three of them were seenattending the mass in the chapel. At nine,when they

returned to their shanty at Dagat- Dagatan, MariaDorado, 46, despondent after having beenabandoned by her husband, strangled her twodaughters. She herself committed suicide.


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SUSPENDED INTEREST LEAD

With this lead, the writer strings along

the reader to the very end before giving him

the news peg on which the story is based.

Jaime Cardinal Sin refused to be

interviewed yesterday, but I still got thestory.


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STACCATO LEAD

This emphasizes the time element , and usuallyconsists of a series of phrases, punctuated by

commas or dashes.

Twenty years ago- back in the seventies- he wasmarching in the streets shouting anti- American

slogans. After seven years of incarceration and four

years in the hills fighting for his cause. JuliusNeptuna is now a changed man; today he is a

staunch defender of democracy and a strong

opponent of communism.


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FIGURATIVE LEAD

Triteness is the main danger of this kind of

lead. Common sense should dictate when to

use it.

The fox is finally at home at 66.

(This was about the death of the basketballstar Lauro Mumar)


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EPIGRAM LEAD

The tone of the moral of the story is

stressed.

Crime does not pay. But Romy Corrales

learned this only after he had been collared

by the police for being a fake immigrationagent.


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QUOTATION LEAD

When a popular quotation is used to

emphasize the gist of the story.

What are we in power for? This question

must be on the minds of some officials of the

Ramos government when they tried tocorner big government contracts.


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SUMMARY LEAD

It gives a summary of the whole story.

The Manila Accord, that embodies the newtrade relations among members of the Asia-

Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),

was signed yesterday by the heads of thestate of the 18 APEC members.


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WHO- WHAT- WHEN- WHERE-

WHY- HOW LEADS


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This classification of leads is the oldest known to

journalists, and has come to be known as the 5 Ws

and an H.Emphasizing their importance, Kipling once wrote:

I have six honest serving men

They thought me all I knowTheir names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who

WHO LEAD ( NAME


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WHO LEAD (NAME

FEATURE)

Names make news, especially prominent ones. A

person may be featured because he is famous or

because the facts of the story distinguish him.

The who may be one person, several persons, or

an organization.

The lead should avoid featuring more than three

personal names.


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President Benigno Aquino III signed on

Wednesday a sweeping and controversialland reform program aimed at

redistributing large tracts of farm acreage

to millions of landless peasants.

WHAT LEAD (EVENT


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WHAT LEAD (EVENT

FEATURE)

Most straight- news leads play up what thestory is about.

A naval convoy of three U.S. warships andtwo reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankerssteamed through the Strait of Hormuz on

Wednesday and entered the war- plaguedPersian Gulf without interference fromIran.


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WHY LEAD

To provide land to millions of landless

peasants, President Benigno Aquino IIIsigned sweeping and controversial land

reform program.


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HOW LEAD

Often used for unusual happenings andaction stories.

Staging at 48- hour walkout beginningtoday, nearly 1000 South Koreanjournalists at a government- controlled

television station demanded thatgovernment stop dictating how they coverthe news.


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WHEN LEAD

Used if an event takes place at an

unconventional hour, or in making an

announcement where the time is importantto the reader.

Tomorrow, March 15, is the last day offiling individual tax returns.


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WHERE LEAD

Used if an event takes place at an unusuallocation

Convalescent homes in Solano have beenthe sites for beauty contests to chooserepresentatives to the fifth annual My Fair

Lady Pageant. Contestants are mostly intheir 70s, 80s and 90s.

RULES ON PARAGRAPH


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RULES ON PARAGRAPH

CONSTRUCTION

A paragraph should not exceed 75 words.

Put important ideas at the beginning of the

paragraphAvoid using similar words or phrases at the

beginning of successive paragraphs.

Do not use direct quotations and summaryin the same paragraph


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The one- paragraph sentence is preferred bymany editors but if it is expanded, dont gobeyond three sentences in a paragraph.

Arrange paragraphs in the order ofdescending importance so that the makeup

editor can strike out the last ones withoutimpairing the substance of the story.

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