news writing

NEWS WRITINGPREPARED BY:

Miss Gracey

Campus Journalism Workshop | February 7, 2014

Lyceum of the Philippines University-Cavite

COVERAGE

• What is News?

• The News Writing

• Elements of News

• Sources of News

• Kinds of News

• Structure of News

• Tips for Writing News

ICEBREAKER

• GROUP ACTIVITY

What is NEWS?

• Information about current events printed in newspapers or broadcast by

media (Microsoft Encarta, 2009)

• gives the reader information that will have an impact on them in some way

• usually flows from most important to least important.

What is NEWS?

• Recent information

• Current events

• Somebody or something interesting

• Something previously unknown

The Elements of News

• Timeliness

• Proximity

• Impact

• Prominence

• Oddity

• Conflict

• Human Interest


• Timeliness


• Proximity


• Impact


• Prominence


• Oddity


• Conflict


• Human Interest

Essential Qualities of News

• Accuracy

• Brevity

• Clarity

• Objectivity

• Factual

Where to find News?

• Daily newspapers

• News magazines

• Teen magazines

• Education journals

• Television

• Internet

• Open your eyes and ears

Qualities of a News Writer

• Aware

• Alert

• Can do multitasking

• Must have a nose for news

• Must not be afraid of people

• Must be able to finish the article on time

Kinds of News

• Straight News

• News Feature

Kinds of News

• Straight News

- consists of facts reported without elaboration

Kinds of News

• News Feature

- based on facts

- writer may give his impressions, may describe and narrate without

resorting to biased opinion

Structure of News

• Inverted Pyramid

- suggests that news be told in order of most

interesting or important to least interesting or

important

Structure of News

Structure of News: The LEAD

• The first paragraph

• Most important part of the article, summarizes

the story

• Arouses the interest of the reader

• Answers 5 W’s and 1 H

The LEAD: Types

• Straight Lead

• Novelty Lead

• Blind Lead

The LEAD: Types

• Straight Lead

- most traditional lead

- uses the 5W’s and 1H Formula

- Straight to the point

The LEAD: Types

Let’s see these:

• Many students in LPU-C are getting bald early.

• The LPU-C Board had a meeting.

• The meeting was held last night.

• They ate chicharon during the meeting.

• One of the causes of baldness might be the wearing of caps.

• The board passed a resolution banning the wearing of hats in school

• The board voted 9-1 in favor of the resolution.

The LEAD: Types

There is one story but can have 6 POSSIBLE LEADS!

• Who? – The LPU-C school board passed a resolution last night banning the

wearing of caps in all school buildings.

• What? – Cap wearing was banned in all school buildings last night after the

school board passed a new resolution.

• Where? – In LPU-Cavite last night, the school board passed a resolution to

ban the wearing of cap in all school buildings.

The LEAD: Types

There is one story but can have 6 POSSIBLE LEADS!

• When? – Last night, the school board passed a resolution banning cap wearing in all school buildings.

• How? – By a 9-1 margin last night, the school board passed a resolution banning cap wearing inside the school premises.

• Why? – Citing a pattern of early-onset baldness in LPU-C students, the school board last night passed a resolution that restricts cap wearing in all school buildings.

The LEAD: Types

Types of Novelty Lead:

• Astonisher Lead – Better attend your classes on November 5.

• Contrast Lead – “Twenty years ago, he was the school’s janitor. Now he came back to become the college dean.

• Epigram Lead – verse, quotation eg. “Like father, like son.”

• Picture Lead – describe a mental picture of a subject eg. “The new dean, although only his 30s, is already haired.

• Background Lead – describes the setting eg. Decorated by colored lights, the quadrangle became a grand setting for a barrio fiesta as LPU-C celebrates…

The LEAD: Types

Types of Novelty Lead:

• Parody Lead - a parody of a well-known song or poem etc. eg. Never say never… This must be far away from the mind of a 45-year old man who killed himself...

• Quotation Lead – eg. “Ignorance, not poverty, causes malnutrition.” Thus revealed former Cavite Governor Vic Nakamura to…

• Punch Lead – short, forceful, explosive eg. God is dead!

• Question Lead – eg. Who will be the next Cavite governor. The answer will be known on…

The LEAD: Types

• Blind Lead

- if the person concerned is not well known in the community, his/her

name is less important than other salient facts that identify the person

The BRIDGE

• The transition from the lead to the story, explains the blind lead, uses key

words to provide transition from the lead to the chronological details of the

body

The LEAD and BRIDGE

The LEAD: Guidelines in Writing

• Rarely use: Who, When and Where leads

• Use often: How, Why, What leads

• Use less than 30 words

• Avoid using articles such as a, an, the

• Don’t put unfamiliar names in the lead unless of well-known.

• Be accurate.

The LEAD: Guidelines in Writing

• Use active voice.

• Ask, “Why should I care?”; “What do my readers need to know most?”

• Sell the story.

• Put attributions first.

Structure of News: The BODY

• Contains the details of the lead

• Arranged from the most important to the least important

• One sentence, one paragraph

• Sentences are generally less than 25 words

• Include quotations whenever possible (direct and indirect)

Structure of News: DIRECT QUOTES

• Should be linked to the paragraph before them. The quote should elaborate

on the previous paragraph.


For example:

Because of an anonymous $25,000 donation, students who ride a school

bus to and from school will have access to the Internet during their commute

starting March 1.

“Giving free Wi-Fi to our students will enable them to do research, read the

news or even watch educational videos each day,” Superintendent Kelli Putman

said. “This change will have a positive impact on academic productivity.”


• Next Transition, Direct Quote

Superintendent Putman first proposed this plan in November, but the district did not have the funding to go forward. The city newspaper published an article about the proposal, and the anonymous donation followed.

“With the tight budget and tough economic times, I thought my Wi-Fi proposal was a pipe dream,” she said. “I want to thank the donor for being so generous.”

and so on…


• Should not repeat the transition/lead before them.

For example:

Principal Jeanette Rother said that several teachers have been reluctant to

give assignments that require Internet access.

“Several of our teachers have been hesitant about giving homework

assignments that would require the Internet,” Rother said..


• Can be longer than one sentence.

• Should have attribution after the first sentence of the quote.

• Attribution should be: Noun then verb.

For example:

Correct - senior Bob Rodriguez said.

Incorrect - said senior Bob Rodriguez. (unless you have an unusually long title)


• Do not place two people’s direct quotes next to each other without a

transition.

Structure of News: TRANSITION

• Very, very important

• Holds the story together


• Can be fact, indirect quote or a partial quote.


• 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.


• INDIRECT QUOTE TRANSITION:



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


• PARTIAL QUOTE TRANSITION:



(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.


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

of the quote as direct quote.

The BODY: Tips in Writing

• List down facts according to descending importance.

• Highlight the most important data as the lead.

• Names should be given in full when first mentioned. Thereafter, use Mr., Ms., or Mrs. Or appropriate title

• Attribute authority or source of news.

• Don’t start news with numerals, there is…, there are…, and avoid…; when possible, use articles (a, an, the) as beginning word.


• Make sure your facts are accurate.

• Keep your sentences short.

• Be specific.

• Avoid long and complex words.

• Avoid passive verbs, jargons and clichés.


• Use transitions.

• Avoid redundancy and repetition.

• Write in the third person.

• Use adjectives sparingly.

• Do not editorialize.

• Numbers 1-9 spelled out, 10 and above figures

FACT vs. OPINION

• FACTS

- verifiable

- attributable

- objective

FACT vs. OPINION

• OPINION

- fleeting

- moldable

- subjective

FACT vs. OPINION

• Why should opinions be left out of news?

FACT vs. OPINION

• How do opinions in news stories impact a reporter’s credibility?

FACT vs. OPINION

• Opinions belong on what page of a newspaper?

FACT vs. OPINION

WRITING SCHOOL NEWS

What are possible topics in the school?

• Classroom story

• Enrollment story

• Meeting story

• Program/ Party Story

• Honor Roll

• Awards story

What are possible topics in the school?

• School Improvement story

• Election Story

• School Organization/ Club story

• Out-of-school activity

Sources of News

• Offices, departments, library

• School calendar

• Invitation and Memos

• Different clubs and organizations

• Sports teams

• Student and teachers

• Community

Checklist for News Stories

• Are the most important and recent facts first?

• Is the story accurate? Are the sources identified fully?

• Are the paragraphs short?

• Is the sentence structure varied in the story?

• Is the story neat and double-spaced so that it is easy to read?

• Does your story flow? Did you use the transition/quote formula?

• Did you use active voice?

No-Nos for News Stories

• Writing a feature lead

• Adding facts

• Putting attribution before the quote

• Missing the news peg

• Missing important information and people

• Stacking quotes

• Forgetting to use student quotes

What will Make a Difference?

• Getting the news peg in the lead.

• Using the T/Q formula.

• Using the “correct” sources and quotes.

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Editorializing

• Using first and second person - Keep yourself out of the story. Common error: “our school”

• Messy handwriting, poor grammar and spelling

• Paragraphs too long

• Misspelling names in the story

• Trying to use all of the information

THE GOOD NEWS…

• Lecture ends here…

THE BAD NEWS…

• Workshop starts now!

References:

• Delgado, A. (2013). News Writing Handout. SJN Parish Formation Complex

• Delgado, A. (2012). Campus Journalism Workshop Training Handout.

General De Jesus College, Nueva Ecija

• Harrower, T. (2011). Introduction to Journalism. Lindenwood University,

USA

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