The most important information needs to go at the top,
because your audience could stop reading at any point. News Article Structure
1. Elements of a News Article:
a. headline b. byline c. lead statement d. body i. facts ii. quotations Headline
The “title of the story,” which should grab the reader’s
attention and sum up the main idea of the story.
Examples:
“Local Farmer Wins Ten Million Dollars!”
“Can Twitter Predict the Future? Research Says Maybe” “How to Improve Your Memory in One Evening” “Gene Breakthrough Restores the Sight of People with Inherited Eye Disease” “Villagers Hurt in West Bank Clash” Byline A line below the headline that gives the author’s name and the date the article was published. Lead Statement
This is called the “lede” in the field of journalism.
It is the introductory sentence at the beginning of
a news article that summarizes the key details of the story. It answers the questions of:
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, & HOW
Example: “An elderly Jeju man died Monday
when an early morning fire raged through his home.” Lead Statement: Examples
“The White House on Wednesday directed the
Justice Department to release to the two Congressional Intelligence Committees classified documents discussing the legal justification for killing, by drone strikes and other means, American citizens abroad who are considered terrorists.”
“Seniors will pay lower bus fares thanks to a city
council decision last night.” Body
Everything that comes after your lede is the body
of the news article. It should include a more detailed description of what happened, how people reacted, and why the event is significant.
The body should include:
○ Facts ○ Quotations Example News Story Scores Dead in Uganda Bomb Blasts August 33, 2016 - Author Name
At least 64 people have been killed in two near simultaneous
bomb explosions, apparently targeting crowds watching the World Cup final, in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, police have said.
One blast hit an Ethiopian restaurant in the south of the city,
while the other occurred at a rugby sports club in the east of Kampala. “We have 64 dead and 65 injured. The nationalities of all the fatalities will be released later,” Judith Nabakooba, Uganda’s national police spokesperson, said on Monday. Example News Story The US embassy confirmed that one US citizen was among the dead and a number of other foreigners were reported to be among the injured. Both blasts struck at the centre of large crowds watching live coverage of Sunday’s World Cup football final between Spain and the Netherlands.
“These bombs were definitely targeting World Cup crowds,”
Kale Kayihura, the inspector-general of Ugandan police, said. He said he believed Somalia’s al-Shabab, a group which the US says has links to al-Qaeda, could be behind the attacks. If that proves true, it would be the first time the group, which has carried out multiple suicide attacks, inside Somalia has struck outside of the country. Review Activity:
Write a news article about:
● club sign-ups / recruitment this week
Include: ● Headline ● Byline You will write it one ● Lead (Lede) part at a time! ● Body #1 - Brainstorm Ideas
You will need to find a specific
focus for your story. Right now, come up with ideas for what exactly you want to write about in your article. #2 - Write a Headline
The “title of the story,” which should grab the reader’s
attention and sum up the main idea of the story.
Examples:
“Local Farmer Wins Ten Million Dollars!”
“Can Twitter Predict the Future? Research Says Maybe” “How to Improve Your Memory in One Evening” “Gene Breakthrough Restores the Sight of People with Inherited Eye Disease” “Villagers Hurt in West Bank Clash” #2 - Write a Headline
Review:
Is your headline short?
Does it capture what the article is about? Did you capitalize it like a title? Is it written in active voice?
● Bomb Strikes Small Village = active :)
● Small Village Struck by Bomb = passive :( #3 - Add a Byline A line below the headline that gives the author’s name and the date the article was published. #4 - Write a Lead Statement
This is called the “lede” in the field of journalism.
It is the introductory sentence at the beginning of
a news article that summarizes the key details of the story. It answers the questions of:
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, & HOW
Example: “An elderly Jeju man died Monday
when an early morning fire raged through his home.” #5 - Write the Body
Everything that comes after your lede is the body
of the news article. It should include a more detailed description of what happened, how people reacted, and why the event is significant.