NEWS WRITING

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.

A news article tells the truth:

The journalist writes facts that are, to the best of his/her knowledge, true. A careful journalist only states things that he/she can prove to be true, and will 'cite' the source of any uncertain information. example: "According to Mrs. Brown, principal of North Oaks High School, most high school freshmen take Spanish as a second language."

The purpose of a news article is to report the facts of a current event or problem.

Although many people enjoy reading the news, the purpose of a news article is not entertainment.

Lead Paragraph(s)

The lead paragraph is found at the beginning of the news report both print and TV. The lead briefly answers the questions "who", "what", "when", "why", "where", and "how". The 'skeleton' of the story can be found here.

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. For example, the byline of an article written in Atlanta, Georgia would read 'Atlanta' , while an article from Leary, Georgia would have to include the name of the state.

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.

Closing

Simply reiterate your main point with slightly different verbiage. It may not be very creative, but it works. Bonus points for strong words and imagery! FOR TV : I thank you for watching this is YOUR NAME for WCT News now back to the studio.

News articles relate information that affects or is of interest to the public.

Some newspapers print articles that are of interest to a smaller audience. When the audience is concentrated in a particular region, such as a particular city or state, the newspaper is known as a 'local' paper.

News is factual:

Something that is factual can be proved or disproved. For example, "Last Saturday was a rainy day," is a factual statement, because it can be clearly shown that last Saturday either was or was not rainy. "Rainy days are depressing," is not a factual statement, because it is a personal opinion.

The language used in news articles is often different from the language that is used in everyday conversation.

The style of writing is impersonal, and the vocabulary is often more formal.

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.

News articles are objective:

They do not reflect the personal opinions of the journalist. Quotes and opinions of witnesses and observers to events may be included in an article, but they must be cited.