NEWSWRITING

WHAT IS NEWS?“News is an event, idea, or opinion that is timely, that interests or affects large number of persons in a community, and that is capable of being understood by them.”

-M. Lyle SpencerSchool of JournalismSyracuse University

THE REPORTERS’ NOTEBOOK

News writers must be skilled at:1. Seeing and hearing2. Taking notes3. Checking and verifying data4. Analyzing and interpreting5. Write clearly with 5WsH formula

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

1. Timeliness2. Proximity3. Prominence4. Oddity5. Significance6. Conflict7. Human Interest

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

TIMELINESS

When an idea or an opinion or an event is very recent and it answers some of the many questions and puzzles in the community that idea or opinion or event is timely.

Panalo si Erap? Sa pagkapresidente?

Tsk, tsk, tsk…..Teka….Teka….Bakit

ang date dito November 14,

1999?

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

PROXIMITY

Write about news which happened in your locality or in your campus. Readers should be able to relate to the news especially if it’s a national news.

Bibisita daw c PNOY dito sa

IHMA…Talaga?!?

Naku, news

worthy yan!

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

PROMINENCE

People make news. People with high positions are always sources of news.

Sagutin mo nga ako

doggie. Sino and sikat ngayon?

Hmmm…si Manny

Pacquiao? O si Jake?

Sino iyon???

I graduated class

valedictorian!

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

ODDITY

Something strange is always interesting.

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

SIGNIFICANCE

Progress has the element of significance.

DOGS AND CATS ARE NOW LOVERS

FRIED CHICKEN NO MORE! BIRD FLU NO MORE!

CATS AS DANCE INSTRUCTORS!

Sino ang ama?Sino?!

ELEMENTS OF NEWS

CONFLICT

Life is always laden with conflict, between good and evil, between the negative and positive.

Si….Si… Sino nga ba?Ugh!?

NEWS WRITING

Inverted Pyramid

The 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

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

vs. Jack suffered a skull

fracture and Jill is in serious condition after the pair tumbled down a hill during their ritual water-carrying chores yesterday.

NEWS WRITING

The Newark Valley boys’ baseball squad played a game yesterday afternoon.

vs. The Newark Valley

boys’ baseball squad beat Candor at home yesterday in a thrilling extra-inning showdown between neighboring rivals.

NEWS WRITING

Most Important or Interesting

Least Importantor Interesting

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LEAD WRITING

Most 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.

LEAD WRITING

Depending on the nature of the story and its driving news elements, a lead can focus on one or a few of the six question words:

LEAD WRITINGHat Banning: One Story, Six Possible

Leads

Who? — The Newark Valley Board of Education members passed a resolution last night banning the wearing of hats in all school district buildings.

What? — Hat wearing was banned in all school district buildings last night after the Newark Valley Board of Education passed a new resolution.

LEAD WRITING Where? — In

Newark Valley last night, the board of education passed a resolution to ban the wearing of hats in all school district buildings.

When? — Last night, the Newark Valley Board of Education passed a resolution banning hat wearing in all school district buildings.

LEAD WRITING How? — By a 6-1 margin last night, the

Newark Valley Board of Education passed a resolution banning hat wearing in all school district buildings.

Why? — Citing a pattern of early-onset baldness in Newark Valley teenagers, the board of education last night passed a resolution that restricts hat wearing in all school district buildings.

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LEAD WRITING

Too Many Choices?

For local news, which is what we will be writing, it is important to know that most readers want to know news in this order:

LEAD WRITING

1. What happened or what will happen next?

2. Who was involved?

And then…• When? •

Where?• How? • Why?

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LEAD

1. Includes only the 5Ws and the H which are important.

2. Starts with the most important or the most interesting fact or both.

3. It is short, usually 25-35 words.4. Begins with specific, interest-arousing word.

1. Avoid starting with such words and phases as a, an, the; as a meeting, yesterday, last night, last week, recently; days of the week; according to, it is(will, was, will be) there is(are, will be).

2. Avoid overloading the 1st sentence of the lead.

3. Identify the person mentioned.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LEAD

DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEAD

1.Cartridge Lead- short, abruptExample Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo warned

yesterday all corrupt government officials.

2. Punch Lead- it surprises, intriguesExample There will be no classes at all levels

tomorrow.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEAD3.Picture Lead- gives pictorial

account of the event.Example Clutching his five year-old son, Pedro

Sison, 32, could not control his tears to roll down on his cheek when he heard that his wife, Marivic, 30, and their two-year-old daughter, were among those killed in the Manor hotel fire

incident in Quezon City.

4.Contrast Lead- give difference

Example Seven years ago, she was only the

vice president. Today, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the president, the highest government post in her country of more than 90 million Filipinos.

5. Question Lead- raises a question to make readers read more

ExampleCan Sen. Panfilo Lacson be charged

before the Ombudsman due to allegations that he had laundered millions of dollars in the US, Hong Kong, and Canada?

PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

In using the 5 Ws and 1 H formula in a straight news, it will eventually determine the news writer’s focus and sequence of the news story, not only in the making of the lead paragraph, but also the body or the development of the story.

TESTING THE FORMULA

WHAT: filing of criminal charges by the police authorities

WHO: against a Mati City fireman

WHY: for allegedly looting at the height of a fire

WHERE: at IHMA, Delia Tetreault Building

WHEN: yesterday

THE WRITTEN LEAD1ST VERSION

Police authorities filed charges against a Mati fireman who was allegedly caught looting at the height of the multi-million peso fire that gutted Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy Delia Tetreault building last Thursday.

2ND VERSION

A Mati fireman was charged in court yesterday for allegedly looting at Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy Delia Tetreault building while the it was on fire.

3RD VERSION OF THE LEAD

For looting instead of fighting a fire raging at Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy Delia Tetreault building Thursday night, a fireman is now facing a serious problem.

3RD VERSION

A Mati fireman realized this rather too late yesterday after he was held in court for allegedly looting at the height of a raging fire that engulfed Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy Delia Tetreault building in Mati Thursday night.

4TH VERSION

TESTING THE FORMULAWHAT: collision between a

speeding tricycle and a utility van

WHO: Five graders were killed and three van passengers injured

WHERE: at the corner of Rizal St. and Bonifacio St.

WHEN: 5 p.m. last Thursday.

2ND TEST FOR THE FORMULA

Five graders were killed and six van passengers were injured in a collision between a speeding tricycle and a public utility van at the corner of Rizal St. and Bonifacio St. at 5 p.m. last Thursday.

1ST VERSION

Five graders from a prominent school met sudden death when their speeding taxi rammed into a bus on Rizal St. and Bonifacio St. at 5 p.m. yesterday.

2ND VERSION

Five graders met sudden death in one of the worst road collisions at 5 p.m. yesterday.

Five graders might not know what hit them when their speeding taxi rammed into a bus yesterday.

3RD VERSION

4TH VERSION

THE BODY OF THE STORY

LEAD

Body

Structure of the News Story

CLIMAX

SECONDARY INTEREST

DETAILS

TYPES OF NEWS STRUCTURES

1. Straight News Story

2. News Feature Story

3. Fact Story4. Action Story5. Quote Story

1. STRAIGHT NEWS STORYThe Summary lead answers the most important W’s among the 5 W’s.

The body is the elaboration of the W’s and the H.

1.STRAIGHT NEWS STORY

Summary Lead

Elaboration of W

Elaboration of another W

Further Elaboration

1.STRAIGHT NEWS STORY

The Summary Lead

A man is now languishing inside the Mati City jail for trying to snatch the necklace of a 19- year-old lady whom later proved to be more than his equal.

1.STRAIGHT NEWS STORY

Secondary Lead

Police said Abelardo Beknoy, 21, of 738 Sto. Nino St., Mati City, apparently mistook Mary Yee for the helpless victim. To his surprise, Yee turned out to be a brave lady.

1.STRAIGHT NEWS STORY

Details where theblow-by-blowTechnique isused

Immediately, after Beknoy grabbed her necklace, Yee sprang out of the tricycle and ran after him.

1.STRAIGHT NEWS STORY

Details

When she finally overtook him, Yee collared him.

Beknoy was not aware that he was running towards a traffic policeman who arrested him immediately.

2. NEWS FEATURE STORY

It is an informative discussion of news events or technical subjects in expository form. It is halfway between a news story and an editorial. Like the news story, it is factual, but its purpose is to give information and entertainment.

2. NEWS FEATURE STORYLEAD

NARRATIVE

SURPRISE CLIMAX

The strains of “Joy to the World” came through the radio and the 58-year-old mother began to cry.

The Christmas carol reminded Conception Empano that it is the third holiday she will spend without her missing daughter Karen.

“They are saying she could already be dead. I don’t care. I know she is alive,” the tearful mother said on Tuesday.

The young woman is among the 201 victims of forced disappearances listed by the human rights group Karapatan during the Arroyo administration.

3. FACT STORY

LEAD FACT

SECONDARY

FACT 3

FACT 4

3. FACT STORYThe Department of Health

recently declared that it will launch the Dengue Awareness Program in the province this coming September 1.

Gabriel Morales, the DOH Provincial Director, also said in an interview yesterday that the agency will release the guidelines on how to prevent the spread of dengue.

4. ACTION STORY

It′s not merely giving facts, but deals on the dramatic action incidents, description of persons as well as explanatory data.

Write first a summarizing lead before writing it.

Give sufficient attention to the elaboration of important information, background and interpretation.

4. ACTION STORYLEAD INCIDENT TOLD

RETOLD MORE DETAILS

RETOLD MORE DETAILS

RETOLD MORE DETAILS

Two pupils were wounded as the old stage in Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy crashed yesterday.

The victims were identified as Rey Uy, 10, and Pete Sy, 11, both grade five students of St. Thomas More.

Witnesses said that the two were busy practicing on stage when the old building suddenly crashed on the ground. Luckily, the two appeared with just minor bruises after the incident.

5. QUOTE STORYLEAD SUMMARY

QUOTE

SUMMARY

QUOTE

SUMMARY

RANKING THRU IMPORTANCE

“A newswriter understands the situation that he is in and eventually demonstrates the rare ability to retell how the story happens in a clear, concise, and accurate manner ; that, then, is a sign that news exists.”

THANK YOU!

THE END