Lecture and Sharing

on News Writing
• October 14, 2008
8:00 AM Catherina Cittadini
St. Louis School
Calindagan, Dumaguete City
 NEWSWRITING
• As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the
readers. You should try to provide some visual
details to bring the story to life (this is difficult
if you have conducted only phone interviews,
which is why face-to-face is best). You should also
try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel
means getting some understanding of the
emotional background of the piece and the people
involved in it. Try to get a sense of the
characters involved and why they feel the way
they do.
 Process
Part I
ELEMENTS OF NEWS
1. Timeliness
2. Proximity
3. Prominence
4. Consequence
5. Human Interest
6. Conflict
 TIMELINESS
• something that just happened tends to be more
newsworthy than something that happened some
time ago. In today's fast-paced communications
environment, you want to give the reader a sense
that this is news NOW. In fact, when you write a
news story you want to make sure it has a news
peg. The news peg is the element that you hang
your story on. It is the element that makes the
story news NOW, as opposed to last week or
next week. Timeliness is often the news peg.
 PROXIMITY
• proximity refers to the nearness of a given
event to your place of publication. For
instance, if a plane crashes and kills 200
people, it certainly is news. But if one of the
passengers was local, or used to be local, or
has local relatives, you have a new story angle.
Even if you don't have that kind of connection
to the story, you can ask, "How safe are
planes that fly out of the local airport? Could
what happened there happen here?"
 PROMINENCE
• prominence refers to the “newsworthiness” of
an individual or organization. When spousal
abuse leads to one partner injuring or killing the
other, it is sad. When one of those partners is
O.J. Simpson, you have an international news
story. When a married man has an extra-marital
sexual relationship with a woman half his age, it
is bad for a marriage. But if the man is Bill
Clinton, president of the United States,?...
 CONSEQUENCE
• the element of consequence refers
simply to the importance of an event. For
instance, the schoold star’s dismal
performance in the school’s examstar is
more important to more people than is
your failure on the exam because of the
consequences. The team may lose the big
game!
 HUMAN INTEREST
• something that is out of the ordinary is
news. A pumpkin is not news, unless it is as
big as a small car. We are obsessed with
records, too, that indicate the biggest,
longest, shortest, smallest, tallest,
shortest, etc. something. There are
thousands of news stories in the Guinness
Book of World Records because of our
obsession.
 CONFLICT
• why do so many people attend sports
events? Conflict. Why are so many
people interested in elections?
Conflict. Why are wars, to take the
most extreme case, news? Conflict.
• Conflict involves tension, surprise,
and suspense.
NEWSWRITING STYLE
 Writing
The news lead—A good news story, unlike
the novel or play, is based on one main idea.
That is why it is so important to decide on a
focus and stick to it. A well-focused article tells
your reader that you worked from a plan. It
gives the reader a sense of completeness, a
sense that you know what you are doing.
The beginning of a news story is called a lead.
  The lead should tell the reader in one sentence
or so what the story is all about.
 TYPES OF NEWS LEADS
Summary Lead
• This answers the 5Ws of the story in one
sentence and is usually the best choice for
a news release. A Company is launching A
Product at A Tradeshow taking place On A
Date, in A Town, it was announced today.
The journalist gets the all the facts and
can make a decision about where it’s
worthwhile to find out more.
 QUESTION LEAD
• Question lead: Good for feature stories, columns
and blog posts this lead can be effective in drawing
readers in. What has wheels, is green and everyone
is jumping on it? The environmental bandwagon is
rolling through marketing departments of large
corporations all over the western world as
companies seek to appeal to ethically-motivated
consumers.
• Here, curiosity is raised with the question and the
issue being discussed is explained in the answer.
Avoid using questions that require a yes/no answer.
 Quotation Lead
• Drawing on well known sayings and famous
quotes gives the reader immediate context.
Mark Twain once said that reports of his death
were greatly exaggerated; that thought sprung
to mind yesterday as strolled around an
international trade show at CICC for the online
gambling industry.

• "When a man bites another human being's ear,

he should be banned from boxing for life,"
Evander Holyfield said, pressing a handkerchief
against the side of his bloodied head .
 FACTUAL LEAD
• Using statistics and hard facts up front can
gain immediate interest and encourages the
reader into the story. Fifty per cent of working
mothers fail to prepare healthy family meals
because they ‘just don’t have the time’,
according to a survey conducted by A Meal
Preparation Company. The target audience will
identify regardless of which side of the issue
they fall on.
 ANECDOTAL LEAD
• This can be an effective device, if done well.
• I heard one on the local radio the other day; the
reporter was attempting to draw from her personal
life to illustrate her point.
1. I was with my grandchildren other day and was
enjoying watching the kids playing and running
around in the school yard, when it struck me.

2. This is how my love for God makes me feel,

energetic and full of joy!
•
 DESCRIPTIVE/DRAMATIC/
PICTURE LEAD
• This is where you draw a picture with words to
put your reader into the scene and is very
effective for longer feature stories. Readers can
picture themselves in the scene and are now part
of the story.

• Mourners lined up for miles yesterday in the

pouring rain to take one last look and lay
flowers near the coffin of Mother Teresa, who
lived among Calcutta's sick and needy for 35
years.
Further tips for news writing
Finding story ideas
Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your
friends are talking about.

Read everything you can get your hands on; get

story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.

Think of a youth angle to a current news story.

Research a subject that interests you ask yourself

what you would like to know more about.

Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is

important to them.
NEWS GATHERING
Begin collecting articles on your subject.
Talk to friends and associates about the subject.
Contact any agencies or associations with interest
or professional knowledge in the area.

Create a list of people you want to interview; cover

both sides of the story by interviewing people on
both sides of the issue.

Collect government statistics and reports on the

subject get old press releases or reports to use as
background.
 Interviewing do's and don'ts
• Be polite.
• Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this
means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not
want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."

• Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).

• Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.

• Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.

• Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from
the question you are asking and return later.

• Don't attack the source.

• Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.

• On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always
remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.
 Organizing

• Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.

• Review your notes.

• Look for a common theme.

• Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.

• Develop a focus.

• Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.

 Writing and Editing
• Writing and editing
• Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.

• Don't be afraid to rewrite.

• Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.

• Be direct.

• Tell a good story.

• Tell the reader what you think they want to know.

• Always ask yourself what the story is about.

• Read the story out loud; listen carefully.