News Reporting Lecture 5

LECTURE 5

Week Six
News Writing for the Print Media
NEWS WRITING FOR THE PRINT MEDIA

• Unlike radio or television reporting, which typically contains shorter and

simpler sentences, print media can include a wider variety of sentence
structure and word choices.
• However, the piece must still grab the reader’s attention and keep him
hooked. In newswriting, the focus is on getting to the point quickly and
taking the most relevant facts.
MOST NEWSPAPERS ARE DIVIDED
INTO SECTIONS.
Typical sections include:

• national/international news
• local news
• sports
• entertainment/amusements
• classified advertisements
• and neighborhood news
COMPONENTS OF THE NEWS STORY
• 1. Headline (Heading)
The headline is the title of the news article. The headline should be short, does not include a lot of detail, and should catch the readers’ attentions. It is
normally not a complete sentence, and tries to summarize the main idea or subject of the article. It is often printed in larger letters than the rest of the article, and the
major words are capitalized.
•
2. Byline
This line tells who is writing the article. It may also include the address of the author and the publication or news source for which he or she writes.
•
3. Location
This is usually placed at the beginning of the article in bold print. If the city or location is well-known, the name can be written alone, but if the city is
less famous, more information is included.
•
4. Lead Paragraph(s)
The lead paragraph is found at the beginning of the article. The lead briefly answers the questions “who”, “what”, “when”, “why”, “where”, and “how”.
The ‘skeleton’ of the story can be found here.
•
5. Supporting Paragraph(s)
These are the paragraphs which follow the lead. They develop the ideas introduced by the lead, and give more information in the form of explanations, details, or
quotes.
STRUCTURE OF NEWS
INVERTED PYRAMID
• Print journalism in the World typically follows the inverted pyramid

model, in which the most pertinent information is placed at the top of
the article. The less important a detail is, the farther down it is placed.
• The most engaging or crucial information must be immediately
obvious to readers, who might have a look headlines and leads to
determine which articles they want to read.
INVERTED PYRAMID IN NEWS WRITING
Most Important Facts

Details or Background
More Details
More Details
More
Details
HEADLINE
Text indicating the nature of the article or news story below it
 Brief summary of what the article is about

 Make your headline answer as many W’s as possible
 Positive heads are preferable than negative ones
 Omit articles like a, an, and the and all forms of verb to be (is, are, be), unless needed to make
the meaning clear
 Use the strongest word in the first line as possible
 Active verb is better than the passive verb
 Use present tense for past stories and infinitive form for future stories
THE LEAD
• The 1st paragraph: Most

important part of the article
and summarizes the story
 Answers right away the most

important questions: 5 W’s
and 1 H
 Arouses the interest of the

reader
HEADLINE VS LEAD
A headline's role is to generate audience engagement by catching their

attention.
• To draw the attention of the audience, editors also use pictorial
illustrations or a quote from the story.
A lead is the first paragraph of the story.
• After the headline, it is the most informative and impactful part of the
entire story.
THE BODY
Details of the lead
 Arranged from most important to the least important
 One sentence, one paragraph
 Sentences are generally less than 25 words
 Includes quotations whenever possible (direct or indirect)

 The rest of the story is called the body. A story should proceed in a natural and chronological order.
 Sticking to a logical order will make it easier to write the story, as well as to allow you to keep track of your ideas and
materials.
GUIDELINES IN
WRITING:
WRITING THE NEWS:
 Make sure your facts are accurate

 Keep your sentences short
 Be specific
 Avoid long and complex words
 Always write as third person (Don’t use I and We)

WRITING THE LEAD
 Pack the most important info in one sentence
 Start with the most important or unusual idea of the news event
 Go direct to the point
 Rarely use the “when” and “where” leads
 Use less than 30 words
 Avoid starting with articles: a, an, the
 Do not mention names unless the person is well-known
 Use active voice instead of passive

WRITING THE BODY
List down facts according to descending importance
 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
 Use short, simple sentences and organize them into paragraphs of no more than three or four sentences.
T H E Q U A L I T I E S O F A G O O D N E W S S TO RY
there are seven elements to a good news story.

1. Information:
• You need to have actual details about the who, what, when, where and why. Think about the facts
and details before you write a story.
2. Significance:
• Your story pitch may be of utmost importance to you, but what about the outlet’s readers, listeners
or viewers? If you are not thinking of the audience, it is likely you will strike out. Keep in mind,
however, that even if your pitch isn’t particularly news-worthy ,editors still want ideas for feature
stories that they think their readers will care about.
THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD NEWS
STORY
3. Focus:
• A good story is limited and focused. In public relations, we often want a
reporter to get all the details, but if you give them too much to work with, you
will be disappointed in the result. Remember what your core story idea is
and stay focused in your pitch. You ultimately can’t control how a reporter
decides to report, but you can help them to determine the story angle.
4. Context:
• Good news stories offer readers perspective. Again, your story idea might be of
great interest to your own community.
STORY
5. Faces:
• Good stories include characters. Think about who will be the face of the story you
pitch. Whomever you put forward – and you should offer up different sources to
enhance your success – should understand and be passionate about the story.
6. Form:
• Good news stories take shape and give the reader a sense of completion. As a public
relations practitioner, you can help reporters generate form by offering a well-
rounded set of facts and sources for a story. This list of facts and sources does not
have to be formal, but should be comprehensive, focused and carefully coordinated.
STORY
7. Voice:
• Good stories also include good conversations. The reporter has a job to provide
a narrative of facts and details; good, concise quotes will add color and
accentuate points in the story.
R E P O RT E R ’ S C H E C K L I S T
•It’s more important than ever for anyone involved in producing content to double check it for accuracy.
Don’t think someone else will catch even the most obvious errors. They won’t.
This ten-point checklist is designed to help.
1. Confirm information that could be in doubt

Any unattributed information (information that has no name attached to it) is a red flag, demanding
further investigation. Even two sources may not constitute confirmation, because one source may have
learned the information from the other. Always ask: How do they know what they know, and why are
they telling me this?
CONTIN…..
2. Clarify context
Make sure the quotes you choose to use fully capture what each
person meant to say.
* If you need to, add information in your narration/track to put
comments into context.
CONTIN…..
3. Look for what might be missing

* Review your story with an eye to significant information or points of view that have not been included.
Look at each quote or soundbite, in particular, and ask: Who would disagree or take a different position?
* Contact people whose views are not reflected in the story and give them a chance to talk. If they
decline, make mention of that in your story.
4. Review for focus
* Make sure your story backs up your lead. Have you over-reached or over-stated the story?
* Restate the focus of your story, and review the script to see if you have stayed on point or strayed from
your focus.
CONTIN…..
5. Check names, places, titles

•* Be sure you have attributed information to the correct source in every case.
•* Make sure you have checked the spelling of proper names. If possible,
check directly with the source.
6. Check spelling, grammar, usage
• * Spelling and grammar count–especially in this age of graphics, closed

captioning and Web usage. If you are not positive about a spelling, look it
up.
CONTIN…..
7. Do the math
•* Stories with numbers must be checked to make sure the numbers add up.
Recalculate percentages, percent change, ratios, and the like, no matter where you got
them.
•* Check with an expert not involved in the story if you have any questions about how
the numbers were calculated.
8. Fact check graphics
•* Make sure the information you provide to graphics is correct–especially numbers.
Call to confirm all telephone numbers and visit all Web addresses.
•* Look at the completed graphic before air to catch mistakes.
CONTIN…..
• 9. Be accurate about pronunciations
•* Make a habit of checking the pronunciation of names and places while you are in the
field. Ask people to say their names on tape, so you can go back and listen, if necessary.
•* If you are new to an area, be extra careful with names and places that may look familiar
but could be pronounced quite differently from what you expect.
10. Screen the finished story
•* Be sure that your words and pictures are telling the same story.
•* Be sure the narration and soundbites match the finished script, and that mistakes have
not crept in during tracking or editing.
END
QUIZ I
1. What`s New? And Newsworthiness?

2. List at least 3 Elements of good news?
3. Beat news vs. spot news?
4. What's news Gathering?
5. Briefly explain methods of news gathering?

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LECTURE 5

• Unlike radio or television reporting, which typically contains shorter and

Typical sections include:

• Print journalism in the World typically follows the inverted pyramid

Most Important Facts

 Brief summary of what the article is about

 Active verb is better than the passive verb

• The 1st paragraph: Most

 Answers right away the most

 Arouses the interest of the

A headline's role is to generate audience engagement by catching their

Details of the lead

 Arranged from most important to the least important

 One sentence, one paragraph

 Sentences are generally less than 25 words

 Includes quotations whenever possible (direct or indirect)

 Make sure your facts are accurate

 Avoid long and complex words

 Always write as third person (Don’t use I and We)

 Pack the most important info in one sentence

 Go direct to the point

 Rarely use the “when” and “where” leads

 Use less than 30 words

 Avoid starting with articles: a, an, the

 Do not mention names unless the person is well-known

 Use active voice instead of passive

 Avoid long and complex words

there are seven elements to a good news story.

1. Confirm information that could be in doubt

3. Look for what might be missing

5. Check names, places, titles

• * Spelling and grammar count–especially in this age of graphics, closed

• 9. Be accurate about pronunciations

1. What`s New? And Newsworthiness?

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