EFFECTIVE
NEWS WRITING
What is News Writing?
✓ News writing is a type of journalistic
writing that describes events by
answering basic questions such as who,
what, where, when, and why.
✓ This type of writing is usually objective
and expository, reporting and explaining
the facts of an event rather than
providing an opinion or analysis.
5 C’s OF EFFECTIVE NEWS WRITING
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLARITY CONCISENESS
CORRECTNESS CREDIBILITY COMPLETENESS
1. CLARITY
A new’s story depends only on three basic things:
The correctness of
The logical order the sentence
of the story The simplicity of structure
the words used
✓ is achieved by ✓ the preferable one is
maintaining an ✓ the level of the simpliest form:
inverted pyramid vocabulary used for subject-verb-direct
format newspaper is for a object
ten-year-old
INVERTED PYRAMID FORMAT
COMPLEX WORDS SIMPLE WORDS
Terminate End
Summon Call
Numerous Many
Purchase Buy
Frequently Often
subject-verb-direct object
The use of pronouns
Tom is playing with his toy horse, while Brenda is playing with her dolls.
The use of Active Voice
x Lara spoke with Maria while she filled out the travel form. (To whom does the
pronoun she refer to? ).
✓ Lara filled out the travel form while talking to Maria.
2. CONCISENESS
using as few words as possible to convey an
idea clearly. It helps keep the reader’s attention
and makes the writing easier to understand.
IMPORTANCE IN NEWS WRITING
• Space limitations in news papers
• Reader engagement
KEY PRINCIPLES OF CONCISENESS
• Complete information without
verbosity
• Importance of clarity
• Strive for brevity
Wordy Phrases vs. Tight Words
Wordy phrases are lengthy expressions that can often be replaced
with shorter, more direct alternatives without losing their meaning. They
typically involve unnecessary words or overly complex wording that can
clutter sentences, making them harder to read and understand.
IMPACT ON WRITING
Reduced Clarity Lack of Brevity
Decreased Engagement Invcreased Reading Time
Here are some examples of sentences that contains unnecessary words:
Improving Vocabulary
Expanding your vocabulary can help you find single words to replace
longer phrases.
For example:
Wordy: The donation came from someone who did not want to be
identified.
Tight: The donation was anonymous.
Wordy: Maria believed but could not confirm that Joe would come to
the meeting.
Tight: Maria assumed that Joe would come to the meeting.
Avoiding Empty Words
Empty phrases don’t add meaningful information to a
sentence. They often state the obvious and can make your
writing feel less direct.
For example:
x There is a need to shorten sentences in a news story.
✓ A news story should have short sentences.
Preventing Redundancy
Avoid repeating the same idea in different words, which
can make sentences unnecessarily long.
Here are some examples:
Redundant: Cory Aquino wore color yellow clothes as a
symbol of defiance.
Concise: Cory Aquino wore yellow to defy the Marcos
dictatorship.
Learning from Examples
A classic example of wordiness is:
Wordy: Many have made the wise observation that when a
stone is in motion rolling down a hill or incline that moving
stone is not as likely to be covered all over with the kind of
thick green moss that grows on stationary unmoving things
and becomes a nuisance and suggests that those things have
not moved in a long time and probably will not move any time
soon. (67 words)
Tight: A rolling stone gathers no moss. (6 words)
3. CORRECTNESS
(technical and conceptual)
Technical correctness refers to the
structure, grammar, and style of the news
story, One staple among journalists
references is the little book Elements of
Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White,
which gives the basics of good writing. A
writer-in-training should also invest in a
good English grammar book.
There are certain words in the English language that are confusing,
especially to those who are more comfortable in speaking in the
vernacular.
Here are a few examples of commonly misused words and phrases:
affect, effect:
Affect is usually used as a verb meaning to influence.
Effect is usually used as a noun meaning result.
-The drug did not affect the disease, and it had several adverse side
effects.
-Effect can also be a verb meaning to bring about.
-Only the president can effect such a dramatic change.
elicit, illicit:
Elicit is a verb meaning to bring out or to evoke. Illicit is an
adjective meaning unlawful.
The reporter was unable to elicit information from the police
about illicit drug trafficking.
--------------------------------------------------------------
ago, since:
Use one or the other, not both.
- My dog Fluffy died three days ago.
- It has been three days since my dog Fluffy died.
x It has been three days ago since my dog Fluffy died.
in behalf of, on behalf of:
In behalf of means "for the benefit of."
On behalf of means "in place of or as representative."
-Bea presented the donation to the White Cross on behalf of
her husband, to be used in behalf of the orphans.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Using Quotations
There are three types of quotations: the direct quote, the
partial quote, and the paraphrase.
Direct quotes use the quotation marks and are the
verbatim words of the source, whether that source is a
person or a document. The quote is attributed to the
source with words such as "he said" or "it said."
If the source is wordy but what he/she says is
controversial or colorful, then opt for a partial quote,
meaning, quote only the contentious phrase.
Paraphrasing is simply stating the source's words in
your own words without altering the original message.
Conceptual correctness
refers to the accuracy of the data presented in
the story. A journalist should be obsessed with
making sure his/her dats is factual, objective, and
fair.
In any case, some basic areas to watch out for
are names, dates, and numbers. You also have to
be extra careful in using quotes. The fastest way
to lose a source is to misquote him or spell his/her
name wrong.
4. Credibility
What is Credibility in News Writing?
Credibility means A complete
the story is A credible news story is a
truthful, story is based on credible story.
accurate, and facts, not
reliable hearsay.
How to Establish Credibility
1. Use the right 3. Be fair and
sources: unbiased:
2. Avoid hearsay:
Get info from
authorized people
Include both sides
(e.g., principal for Always verify of the story.
school policies, facts before Avoid stories with
coach/referee for reporting. only one point of
intramurals). view.
Why Credibility Matters?
Credibility builds trust.
*Readers believe in your
*Biased reporting can
news when it is fair,
mislead the audience.
balanced, and factual.
Even if there are many sources, if they are all from the same
background or have the same bias, the story loses credibility.
5. COMPLETENESS
Completeness means that the story has all the necessary facts. A complete
story goes beyond the 5 W's and H. It gives context and background to the
event, issue, or idea being written about.
Completeness
*A message is *Be sure you have
complete asked and
when all *What answered
information information is
necessary for a who? what?
"necessary"
reader to when? where?
-depends on the why? and how?
understand it is writing situation. question.
included.
COMPLETENESS
Completeness refers to the practice
of providing a full and comprehensive
account of an event or issue. This
concept is crucial for journalists as it
ensures that the audience receives all
necessary information to understand
the context and significance of the
news being reported.
THANK YOU!
