IDENTIFICATION 20 POINTS

WRITING HEADLINE

Every news story has a title of its own called a headline. This headline in printed type is much
bigger and bolder than its body which is the story itself. The headline of the number one story on Page
1 is called a banner. If it runs across the page it may be called as streamer.

Among the important functions of the headline are the following: (1) to tell in capsule form what
the story is all about; (2) to grade the news as to importance; and (3) to make the page look attractive.

Structure of Headlines

1. Flush Left –both lines are flushed to the left margin. This is also true with a one-line headline.
This has no exact count for the units in each line.

Family planning

Seminar held
2. Dropline or Step Form –the first line is fluhed left while the second is indented. It may consist
of two or three, and sometimes four lines of types of the same length, somewhat less than a
column in width, so that the first line is flushed to the left, the second centered, and the third
flushed to the right.

Local boy scouts

bleed for a cause

3. Inverted Pyramid –each of the three or four lines in this head is successivley shorter than the
line above it.

School launches

Kalinisan

drive

4. Hanging Indention –the first line is flushed left. This is followed by two indented parallel lines.

Chief editor

bats for more

development news

5. Crossline or Barline –a one-line headline that runs across the column. The simplest form, it is
single line across the alloted space. If it runs across the page, it is called a streamer.

Local students join CLEAN drive

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6. Boxed Headline –for emphasis or art’s sake, some headlines are boxed:

Community involvement
a. Full box
science camp theme

b. Half box Campus paper catalysts for national development

c. Quarter box Local students, teachers bleed for a cause

Today

7. Jump Story Headline –a jump story (a story continued on another page) has a headline of its
own. This may be the same as the original headline or it may just be a word, a phrase or a
group of words followed by a series of dots.

Local students…
(from page 1)
Do’s and Don’ts in Writing Traditional Headlines

a. Do’s
1. Make your headline answer as many W’s as possible.
2. The headline should summarize the news story. It should contain nothing that is not found in
the story.
3. Positive heads are preferable to negative ones.
Example:
School physician allays flu fear is better and shorter than Flu
epidemic not rampant in city.

4. Put a verb expressed or implied in every deck.

5. Omit articles like a, an, and the and all forms of the verb to be (is, are, be), unless needed to
make the meaning clear.
Example:
Reclaimed banks are cause of recurrent flood (are before cause is not
necessary)
Barack Obama is new US President (is is necessary to make the
meaning clearer)

6. Use the stronger word in the first line as much as possible.

7. The active verb is better than the passive verb in headlines.
Example:
Local Hi-Y aids flood victims
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But, for variation, and especially when the doer is unknown or not prominent, the passive
verb may be used.
Example:
Food production drive intensified
RP’s lost image abroad regained

8. Use the present tense for past stories and the infinitive form for future stories.
Example:
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo bats for national reconciliation.
Lantern parade to cap X’mas affairs

9. Write numbers in figures or spell them out depending upon your needs for your unit counts.
10. Use any of the following headline styles, but be consistent once you have adopted one.
a. All caps
CHARACTER, NATIONALISM VITAL COGS IN EDUCATION
b. Cap and lower case
Character, Nationalism Vital Cogs in Education
c. Down style
Character, nationalism vital cogs in education

B. What to Avoid in Writing Headlines

1. Avoid the following kinds of headlines:

 Fat Head –the spaces between the letters or words are so crowded that there are no more
spaces between, them or that the spaces are so small that several words read as one.
BSP LAUNCHES DRIVE

 Thin Head –the spaces between the letters or words or the space after the words in a line
are so wide that the effect is ugly.
BSPLAUNCHESDRIVE
 Label Head –an incomplete headline, like the label of a product.
CHRSITMAS PARTY
 Wooden Hand –a very weak headline that is devoid of meaning, sometimes due to the
absence of a subject or the lack of a verb.
TO HOLD EXCURSION
 Mandatory Head –it gives a command because it begins with a verb.
HOLD DIALOG WITH PRINCIPAL
 Screaming Head –it is a big and bold headline of a short and unimportant story. A
sensational head is another mind of screaming headline.
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2. Don’t tell the same thing even though =you use a different word. Each succeeding deck
should contribute information.
3. Don’t comment directly or indirectly. Avoid editorializing even in headlines.
4. Unless the subject is implied is has been mentioned in the first deck, avoid beginning a
headline with a verb.
5. Don’t end a line with a preposition. Neither should you separate a preposition from its object.
Don’t confuse a hanging preposition with a two-word verb that ends with a preposition.
6. Don’t break off abbreviations, names, and hyphenated words.
7. Avoid repeating principal words regardless of the n8umber of decks.
8. Avoid heads that carry a double meaning.
9. Don’t coin abbreviations of your own. Use only those that are common to the readers like
PNRC, DepED, and DCS.

Punctuating Headlines

A few pointers as regards punctuation of headlines should be observed. As a rule, headlines,

just like titles of editorials, features, and literary articles, should not end with a period.

Other simple rules follow:

1. Use a comma in place of the conjunction and.

Self-reliance, discipline up at Baguio confab.
2. Two related thoughts should be separated with a semicolon. As much as possible this should
be at the end of the line if the headline is a two-line headline or a running headline.
School joins Operasyon Linis;
P.E. –CAT boys drain estero
3. The dash may be used for smaller decks, but not for headlines in large types.
4. The single quotation marks, not the double quotation marks, are used in headlines.
Cultural development:
‘Linggo ng Wika’ theme
5. Follow the other rules of punctuation.
WRITING THE LEAD
Every news story begins with an introduction called the lead (pronounced as leed). This may be a
single word, a phrase, a clause, a brief sentence, an entire paragraph, or a series of paragraph.
KINDS OF LEAD

1. Conventional or Summary Lead.

This kind of lead used in straight news answers right away all or any of the 5 W’s and/or the H. It
may be one of the following:

a. WHO lead – Used when the person involved is more prominent than what he does or what
happens to him.

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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo addressed April 20,
the PMA graduates in Baguio City.

a. WHAT lead – Used when the event or what took place is more important than the person
involved in the story.
The NSAT will be given Nov. 24 to all graduating high school
desiring to enrol in the four-year college course.

b. WHERE lead – Used when the place is unique and no prominent person is involved.
The Philippines will be the site of the next Miss Universe contest.

c. WHEN lead – Rarely used as the reader presumes the story to be timely. However, this lead is
useful when speaking of deadlines, holidays, and important dates.
April 15 is the deadline for filing the income Tax Returns at the BR.

Today, almost to the hour, the Revolutionary Government

was proclaimed by former President Joseph Estrada.

d. WHY lead – Used when the reason is more prominent or unique than what happens.

Because of poverty, around a thousand students dropped out from

school last year. This was learned from PNU President Nilo L.
Rosas.
e. HOW lead – Used when the manner, mode, means, or method of achieving the story of the
unnatural way.
By appealing to the school board,
the Manila Science High School was able
to construct a three-story concrete building.
2. Grammatical Beginning Lead

There are times when the lead is introduced by a kind of grammatical form which is usually a
phrase or a clause used to emphasize a feature. Here, the important W’s are found in the main clause,
not in the introductory or subordinate clause which is just a modifying feature.

Some example of these grammatical beginning leads are:

a. Prepositional phrase lead – The phrase is introduced by a preposition.

With brooms and other cleaning equipment,

boy scouts from the Manila high schools cleaned the city markets
in consonance with Mayor Lito Atienza’s CLEAN and Beautification
Drive.
b. Infinitive phrase lead – It begins with sign of the infinitive to plus the main verb.
To encourage tourism, balikbayans are given
a warm welcome by their fellow Filipinos.
c. Participial phrase lead – It is introduced by the present or past participle form of the verb.

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Hoping to cop the first place, the PNU wood-pushers honed up
for the chess championship games. (present participle.)
Dress like a priest, robbers were able to enter bank. (past participle)
d. Gerundial phrase lead – It is introduced by a gerund (a verbal noun ending in ing).

Winning the development communication trophy

during the national press conference was Araullo High School’s
best achievement of the year.
e. Clause lead – The lead begins with a clause which may either be independent or subordinate, or
may either be a noun or an adjectival or adverbial clause.

Because Sept. 9 was Osmena Day, all lessons dealt when the life
of the late president Sergio Osmena Sr. (Subordinate, adverbial)
3. Novelty Lead

Some kinds of lead are best used in writing news features. They are written in such a way that
they attract attention or carry out a definite purpose. Among these kinds of novelty leads are:

a. Astonished lead – Uses an interjection or an exclamatory sentence.

Champion of District I!
Better look your best this week!
b. Contrast lead – Describes two extremes or opposite for emphasis. The sharper the contrast,
the contrast, the more effective the lead will be.

Four months before the Beautification and Cleanliness Drive,

Zone 15 in Tondo, Manila was the dirtiest district,
three months after, it won first place in the CLEAN contest
sponsored by the department of Community and Local Government.
c. Epigram lead – Opens by quoting a common expression, verse, or epigram, at least familiar in
the locality.

Like father, like son. Ramon Garcia Jr., graduated valedictorian this
year.
Ten years ago, his father, Mr. Ramon Garcia Sr., also topped his
class
and delivered his valedictory address on the same rostrum
where the young Garcia delivered his.
d. Picture lead – Describes a person, a place, or an event, at the same time, creating a mental
picture of the subject matter in the mind of the reader.

The new principal, although only in his early thirties,

is already silver-haired. He seldom talks, but when he does,
he talks with sense.
e. Background lead – Similar to the picture lead, except that, it describes the setting which may
be more prominent than the characters and the events.

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The PNU campus was turned into a miniature carnival ground
on Sept. 1 during the 104th F-Day celebrations of the university.
Decorated with buntings and multicolored lights,
the quadrangle was a grand setting for a barrio fiesta.
f. Descriptive lead – Used when comparatively few descriptive words can vividly formulate an
imagery

Dressed in white polo barong, and with diplomas in their hands,

1,500 graduates marched down the stage to the tune of Osmena
High March.
g. Parody lead – Consists of a parody of a well-known song, poem, or lines.

Water, water everywhere, but no water to drink.

This was what the flood victims found to their dismay.
h. Punch lead – A short, forceful word or expression. It is rarely used.

Victory Day!
Magsaysay High School celebrated on March 18 its fifty victory
in the city-wide journalism contests.
i. One-word lead

March!
Thus, ordered Hi-Y president Joey Lina Jr. of Osmena High School
to start the “Walk for Heath” fundraising drive.
j. Quotation lead – Consists of the speaker’s direct words which are very striking and which are
usually quoted from a speech, a public address, or an interview.

“The youth in The New Republic have become partners of the

government in its struggle for progress and advancement,
“thus spoke PNU Director Rene Romero to some 400 student
delegates
to the 2006 Hi-Y-Y-teens Leadership Training Seminar
held on Dec. 26-30 at the Edilberto Dagot Hall.
k. Question lead – An answer to a question which is the basis of the news story.

Who will reign as Miss Intramurals this year?

This will be known on Aug. 8 after the final screening
to be held at the PNU Gym and Performing Arts Center

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MULTIPLE CHOICE (20 POINTS)

ELEMENTS OF NEWS
ELEMENTS THAT MAKE NEWS

What is News?

News is an oral or written report of a past, present, or future event. It should be factual, truthful,
accurate, unbiased, and interesting.

A news story may be appealing to a particular reader for any or all of the following elements:

1. Conflict - This may involve physical or mental conflict – man versus man, man versus animals,
man versus nature, or man versus himself. Stories of war, athletic meets, and journalism
contests are example of conflicts.
2. Immediacy or timeliness - This element emphasizes the newest angle of the story. The more
recent the event, the more interesting it is to the reader.
3. Proximity or nearness - This may refer to geographical nearness as well as to nearness of
kinship or interest. To a Filipino reader, news about a cholera epidemic in Asia concerns him
more than the same kind of epidemic in Europe, unless he has relatives in Europe. Again, if two
news stories – one about the results of the NSAT examinations and another about the results of
the bar examinations appear on the same page, a graduating fourth year student will read first
the former because of its immediate interest to him.
4. Prominence - Some people are more prominent that others by reasons of wealth, social
positions, or achievements. The sudden death of Presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr.
hugged national and international headlines for many months. Prominence may also refer to
places or things.
5. Significance - Whatever is significant to the life of an individual is interesting to him, this is why
newspapers sell like the proverbial hotcakes when news of the increase in the price of oil or the
imminence of war is published.
6. Names - Important names make important news, Also, the more names there are in the story,
the better.
7. Drama - This adds color to the story. The more picturesque the background and the more
dramatic the actors are, the more appealing the story is to the reader. The public certainly loves
a good show. Anything that moves a reader to tears or to laugher is good news.
8. Oddity or unusualness - This refers to the strange or unnatural events, objects, persons, and
places. An odd story is interesting not because of its news value but because of the human-
interest side of it. Consider this: A dead man comes to life, finds himself in a coffin, sits up and
dies again of heart attack.
9. Romance and Adventure - The romance of Joey Marquez and Kris Aquino had hugged
headlines for many years. Romance may be experienced with other things. There were the
romances of Hemingway with the sea and the astronauts with space.
10. Sex - Since the dawn of history, sex has always interested man. Stories of sex are usually
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related to stories of romance, marriage, divorce, and the varied activities of men with women.
However, this is not always the case. The element of sex is involved when a woman like Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo is elected president of a country or when a bandit queen robs a bank in
broad daylight.
11. Progress - The onward and forward march of civilization or the progress of a country is
chronicled step by step in the newspaper. The trend today is towards the development
communication. Reports on the significant changes in the established order and on scientific
achievements are in order.
12. Animals - Stories of animals, especially those with talents are good reading matter because of
their human-interest value.
13. Number - Sweepstakes numbers, vital statistics, election results, scores in games, casualties,
fatalities, price of goods, and ages of woman make good news.
14. Emotion – All the other elements of news mentioned above appeal to the emotion. But the
term emotion here includes the various human responses such as the innate desire for food,
clothing, shelter, the universal interest in children, animals, and nature, and the natural feeling
of love, sympathy and generosity, of fear, hatred, and jealousy.

WRITING THE EDITORIAL

An editorial is the official stand of the paper on a relevant development or issue. It is personal
commentary written by any of the editors who comments or gives the newspaper or’ or the staff’s opinion about
various aspects on an issue which is of interest and importance to the public. It is critical interpretation of
significant, usually contemporary events so that the readers will be informed, influenced, or entertained. It is the
stand of the paper, not of an individual editor.

Characteristics of a Good Editorial

Reddick gives three qualities of a good editorial: (1) interest; (2) brevity; and (3) force.
Spears and Lawshe, on the other hand, characterize an editorial as one that: (1) must have clearness of
style; (2) has moral purpose; (3) has sound reasoning; and (4) has the power to influence public opinion.
It can be added further that a good editorial must: (1) lead logically to a conclusions; (2) present only
one idea; (3) avoid wordiness; and (4) present facts and not mere opinion.

What to Find in the Editorial Section

1. Top Editorial/Editorial Proper/Lead Editorial –the no.1 editorial usually based on the banner news or
on an existing issue that should be discussed and solved right away.

2. Editorial Column –an individual commentary of a columnist.

3. Editorial Cartoon –a graphic illustrations/sketch that, like the top editorial, comments on an important
issue.

4. Letter to the Editor –sent to the staff by an outsider to complain or appreciate.

5. Guest Editorial –sent in by an authority on any topic useful to the reader, especially on values,
education, or morality.⁰

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Types of Editorial
1. Editorial of Information. It seeks to give information in facts unknown to the reader. It restates the facts
of news stories or adds other facts with minimum explanation. It may define terms, identify persons or
factors or provide a background.

2. Editorial of Interpretation. It explains the significance or meaning of a news event, current idea,
condition, or situation, theory, or hypothesis. The writer doesn’t argue nor criticize, not merely presents
both sides of an issue and leaves the judgment to the reader.

3. Editorial of Criticism. It points out the good or the bad features of a problem or situation mentioned in
the news. Its purpose is to influence the reader. It suggests a solution at the end.

4. Editorial of Commendation, Appreciation, or Tribute. It praises, commends, or pays tribute to a

person or organization that has performed some worthwhile projects or deeds, or accomplishments.

5. Editorial or Argumentation. This is oftentimes called editorial or persuasion. The editor argues in order
to convince or persuade the reader too accept his stand on the issue.

6. Editorial of Entertainment. It evokes a smile, a chuckle, laughter, while suggesting truth, its main aim is
to entertain. It is usually short.

7. Mood Editorial. It presents a philosophy rather than an argument or an explanation. Often times, the
subject matter is nature or emotion.

8. Special Occasion. It explains the significance of a special day or occasion.

9. Pooled Editorial. The consensus stand or position of several editors from different schools on a
common issue or problem published in their respective school papers at the same time.

10.Guest Editorial. Opinion sent to the staff by an authority on a particular topic –educational, political,
religious, or moral.
11.Letter to the Editor. Sent by an outsider to the staff, either praising or complaining.

Parts of an Editorial
Organize your editorial, select only one specific idea to develop. Be sure the topic is of interest to the
reader. Organize your editorial in three parts: (1) the introduction; (2) the body; and (3) the ending. The first
contains the newspeg with the reaction. It is usually one short paragraph. (A newspeg is a brief statement about
the news event or issue upon which the editorial is based).
The body may take two or three short paragraph that support or justify the reaction. The ending,
sometimes called should prove or justify the reaction or stand already made in the introduction. The end or last
paragraph of an editorial is sometimes called the punchline or clincher. But if the preceding lead and body have
been well organized and carefully written, the conclusion may be omitted.

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MATCHING TYPE (20 POINTS)

FUNCTION/PARTS OF A CAMPUS PAPER

NA PRINT NA!!!!!

UNIT COUNTING IN HEADLINES

Unit Counting in Headlines (in Letterpress Printing)

Writing headlines is not as simple and as easy as it seems. A headline should fit the allotted
space by a system of unit counts given to each letter, figure, or space. This is done to avoid a thin
head, a fat head, or a bleeding headline (one that extends out of a column or page)

The corresponding unit counts are given as follows:

½ unit –jiltf and all punctuations except the em dash (–), and the question mark (?)

1 unit –the question mark, space, all figures, capital JILTF, all lower case letter except jiltf.

1 ½ -the em dash, lower case m and w, and all capital letters except capital M and W and
JILTF.

2 units –the capital M and W.

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