Soft and Hard News
Soft news structure
chronological order logical order narative order
Hard News
Hard news is your serious news. It's usually found on the front page of the newspaper or at the top of a newscast. This news is usually about the big news story of the day, politics, or business. The goal or purpose of a hard news story is to inform readers. It quickly gives a reader the major details and it sticks to the facts. What happened? When did happen? Where did it happen? How did it happen? Why did it happen? A lot of hard news is reported as it happens. This may include coverage of a press conference, the aftermath of a tornado or the results of a big court case. A hard news story also has a more serious tone, or feel, to it than other news stories. It is straightforward. Sentences are short and words like "I" or "we" are rarely used. When a journalist is writing a hard news story, he/she must organize his/her notes to focus on the most important facts. This means he/she will take out any information that is opinion or that is not really important. .
Hard News Story Structure
Most Important to least important
Soft News
Soft news includes lighter news stories. This may include stories on art, entertainment, and food. It may also include pieces about restaurant reviews, tips articles and human interest stories telling about exceptional people in the community or positive events. Sometimes soft news pieces are also called features. The purpose of soft news can sometimes be to inform readers, but usually it is to entertain, to persuade, to create emotions or to describe. While facts are important in soft news stories, so is emotion. Instead of reporting who, what, where, when, why and how first, reporters want to try and tell a story and get you to feel something. These stories do not usually have a serious tone. Instead, they may have a sad tone, an inspirational tone or a tone that makes you feel another emotion. Good feature stories do contain facts, but they also have a lot of anecdotes, or short stories and lessons, descriptions, adjectives and direct quotes.
Types of soft news
There are six different types
V.I.P profile
When writing a VIP Profile, the journalist tells all about a person. This can include their likes, dislikes, interests, accomplishments, family history, etc. Usually this type of story is about a celebrity, political figure or someone who is unique.
Historical Features
When writing a historical feature, the journalist describes a historical event or a specific period of history in detail. They may explain how it has changed or just give an overview. This could be written in response to a special event that connects to the history, for example a bicentennial celebration.
Human Intrest
When writing a human interest story, a story designed to get people to connect with others emotions, the journalist wants to get readers to experience emotion. As the journalist goes through his/her notes, he/she will keep the facts, but will also keep details that make people feel particularly sad, happy or any other big emotions.
Narative
When writing a narrative or more of a story, the journalist tells a first-person account about something. It could be an account of a trip, attendance at an event or an article describing a special relationship or experience.
News Features
When writing a news feature, the journalist goes more in-depth about a major news story. The journalist may describe what is going on with a war, a natural disaster or a local crime. It could also cover controversial issues in politics or court cases more in-depth.
Tips or How to
When writing a tips or how-to article, the journalist provides helpful information to the readers. This may highlight the best places to visit, advice for topics such as picking a college, or instructions for making things like jewelry or robots.