Types of News Stories

As the reader goes on reading his morning papers, he observes the

different ways the news stories have been written. This is so because
there are different types of news, and each type is treated differently.

News stories may fall under any of the following types according to:

1. Scope of origin

a. Local news – report of events that take place within the

immediate locality.
b. National news – news that takes place within the country.
c. Foreign news – news that takes place outside the country.
d. Dateline news – news preceded by the date and place of origin
or place where it was written or filed: Tokyo, Jan. 20. (AP)

2. Chronology or sequence

a. Advance or anticipated – news published before its occurrence,

sometimes called dope or prognostication. The reporter
foretells events expected to occur at definite time in the future.
b. Spot news – news that gathered and reported on the spot. It
deals with unscheduled information demanding immediate
publication. The reporter himself is an eyewitness to the event
that took place.
c. Coverage news – news written I given beat. Both spot news and
coverage news are good examples of first – hand reporting.
d. Follow – up news – a sequel to a previous story. Having a new
leadoff its own, it is a second, third, or subsequent of a serial.
3. Structure

a. Straight news – news that consists of facts given straight

without embellishment. It mains aim is to inform. It uses the
summary lead and is written using the inverted pyramid
structure.
b. News feature (featurized news distinguished from a feature
article) - it is also based on facts, but it entertains more than it
informs. It uses the suspended interest structure like the
narrative; thus, it cannot meet the cut-off test. In writing a
news-feature, the writer may give his impression, may
described and narrate, but without resorting to biased opinion;
i.e., without editorializing. The reporter’s by line usually
appears with his story.

(1) Single-feature or one incident story – the story deals with

an isolated event. A single fact is featured in the lead and
is explained further in the succeeding paragraphs. The
story breaks logically at every paragraph; thus enabling
the reporter to cut or lengthen it as space dictates.
(2) Several-features, multiple-angled, or composite story -
several facts are included in the lead in their order of
importance. These facts are elaborated one after the
other in the body. The several-feature story aims to draw
together two or more divergent aspects of related news
items separately; the writer writes them in one big story.

4. Treatment

a. Fact story – this is a plain exposition setting forth a single

situation or a series of closely related facts that inform. It is
written in the inverted pyramid design.
 b. Action story – a narrative of actions involving not mere
simple facts but also of dramatic events, description of
persons and events, perhaps testimony of witnesses, as
well as explanatory data. Sports games, competitions,
accidents, and war reports are examples of action stories.
c. Speech report - a news story usually written from a public
address, talks, and speeches.
d. Quote story – speeches, statements, and letters, and some
extent, interviews when reported, are regarded quotes
stories. All are based on recorded information, either
written or spoken, and transcribed by the reporter in the
form of news.
e. Interview story – a news report written from an interview.

5. Content

a. Routine story – celebrations, enrollment, graduation,

election stories reported year in and year out.
b. Police reports – accident, fire, calamity, crime stories, etc.
c. Science news
d. Developmental news
e. Sports stories

6. Minor forms

a. News brief – a short item of news interest, written like a

brief telegraphic message, giving mainly the result with
details.
b. News bulletin – it is similar to the lead of a straight news
story. Its aim is just to give the gist of the news.
c. News-featurette – this is a short news feature usually
used as filler, e.g., “quirks in the news.”
d. Flash – a bulletin that conveys the first word of an event.