NEWS- a timely presentation of report that is
The lead paragraph is usually composed
significant to many people in a particular
location.
- News informs, educates, and
sometimes entertain.
- News can be presented in multimedia
format (print, broadcast, online)
- News in history in the making
What are the attributes of news?
1. Timeliness
2. Significance
3. Proximity
4. Prominence (popularity)
5. Oddity (something that is not common)
NEWS STRUCTURE
- Unlike other forms of writing (such as
essays, feature articles or editorials),
news follows a specific format which is
called inverted pyramid
News is written in third person point of view,
making the author a dispassionate narrator of
events
Inverted pyramid of journalism
Lead
Helpful (body of the news)
Tale of the news
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:
1. The headline is always written in
present tense and usually follows an S-
V-O pattern
2. The headline and the lead paragraph
should talk about the same angle or
topic
3.
of only one sentence
4. The lead paragraph should be around
35 words
5. Ideally one sentence+ one thought
6. One sentence= one paragraph unless
the succeeding sentence is related to
the sentence before it.
7. Keep it short and simple (K.I.SS.) a
paragraph should contain around 75
words only
8. Be concrete
GATHERING INFORMATION BEFORE
WRITING THE NEWS
1. Interviews
2. Writing from documents
3. Actual coverage of an event
4. When gathering information please do
not forget the details: is the spelling of
the name correct? What is the position
in the company of the person you are
writing? What? When? How? Why?
WRITING THE NEWS ARTICLE
Begin with the LEAD
Lead is a general statement or summary of
what the news is all about. It contains the
most important information in the news.
Do not include details such as names of
persons involved, exact address statistics….
When mentioning the name of the
institution for the first time, spell it out and
follow with the acronym inside the
parernthesis
When mentioning the name of a person for
the first time, give the complete name. in
 succeeding mentions, just write their
surname

Titles such as presidents, vice presidents

secretary are always spelled out and never
abbreviated

Titles Mr. Ms. atty are always

abbreviated and never spelled out.

WRITING THE BODY OF THE NEWS

- The paragraph after the lead should

provide more details bout the general
information mention in the lead
- “ what would my readers want to know
after I gave them the lead?”
- One thought= one sentence
- One sentence= one paragraph
- Write the succeeding details in order of
importance
- Use transition devices.
- Use adjectives sparingly
- Include direct quotations

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Do not invent or manufacture facts to suit your

desired angle

Double check your interview to avoid

misquotations

Check your vocabulary. Make it simple and

understandable to ordinary readers.

Verify the veracity of information before

publishing it.

Proofread your article before publication.

Present both sides of the story.

Practice writing to develop your skills.