Journalism Principles and Practices – Module 3

Basic Newspaper Writing

Topic 1
What is News
 Something told as having just happened: information about something that just happened or
will soon happen
 A report of a current happening or happenings in a newspaper, on television, radio, etc.
 A report of a current event.
 A report on current events in a newspaper or on radio or television.
 NEWS stand for North, East, West, South
Elements of News
 Timeliness
o Timeliness relates to the newness of facts
o The more recent the event or situation, the more likely it is to be newsworthy.
o Editors deciding between two stories that are fairly equal, will select the most recent or
timely.
o Without timeliness, a publication will lose readership.
 Proximity
o Proximity simply refers to the nearness of the event. (Physical and Psychological)
o If it happens nearby, it is usually of more interest (more newsworthy) than if it happens
elsewhere.
 Conflict
o Conflict involves tension, surprise, suspense, and opposing forces.
o Why do strikes make news? Wars? Even sports events?
o Humans are always in a state of conflict with the environment.
 Consequence
o This element refers to the importance of the event.
o If what has happened or will happen will have an effect on a large number of people,
then it has more consequence than something that will affect fewer people.
o It considering consequence, ask yourself how many people will be affected.
 Progress
o Progress makes news, and whether it is local, national, or international determines
where and how it is reported.
 Prominence
o When it comes to news, people are not created equal.
o True, names make news, but some names make more news more than others because
of their prominence.
o The famous, infamous and the eccentric have a special appeal for the public
 Human Interest
o Human interest stories cause the reader to laugh or cry, to feel emotions.
o Some journalists describe human interest stories simply by saying they are stories
about people and events with which the reader can identify.
o Because of this, human interest stories can overcome the lack of proximity.
  Variety/ Oddity
o If the occurrence is unusual, strange, or has never happened before, it is likely to be
newsworthy.
 Humor
o People like to laugh, so some incident that is humorous is likely to be reported.
o Make sure, however, that such reports do not become hurtful or inappropriate in
content.
o

Topic 2
A. According to Approach or Treatment
 Straight news story
 Human interest story
 Interpretative news
o Readers understand the significance of the facts of the story
o Explaining why the incident occurred background, personalities of principal of person
involved
B. According to Time-Relationship between the incident and the coverage
 Advance story
o A report of an expected event; aims to arouse interest in an event (Concert, Play,
Graduation)
o Must observe the following
 A complete and up-to-date future book
 Series of advance stories to cover from all possible angles
 Present a Fresh approach
 Coverage story
o Covering an event that is taking place or has already taken place
o Types
 Routine Story of an anticipated event
 Spot Story of an anticipated event
 Follow-up Story of a story that is already published
Parts of News Article
 Lead (First Paragraph)
o The beginning of a news story
o Should tell the readers in one sentence or so what the story is all about.
o Types of Lead
 What Lead (begins with “What Happened”)
 Example: A fire caused slight damage in the cafeteria yesterday
 Who Lead (begins with a name)
 Example: Vilma Santos-Recto begins first term as Lipa City
Representative
 Indefinite Who Lead (Describes a person without giving the name)
 Example: A former debater wins student council chair
 Why Lead (Begins with the reason something happened)
  Example: Due to overwhelming interest, the CITE Robotics exhibit is
extended until the end of December
 How lead (Begins with the method by which something was accomplished)
 Example: As a result of a week long fund raising drive, the Stallion drive
has collected over Php 26,000
 Link Lead (Uses the word as, where, or when to connect two ideas)
 Example: DLSL Voices will visit New York, where they will compete in
international choir festival
 ING Lead (Begins with a participle – word usually ending in “-ing”; usually
contains a comma after the first few words)
 Example: Camping in Mt. Makulot caps 2019 Lasallian Youth Assembly.
 Gathering the news
o Sources of News

 Beats  Publicity and Press

 Printed Material Release
 Tips from Readers  Coverage
 Characteristics of a good writer
o Reliable o Build up a stock of general
o Enthusiastic information
o Prompt o Develop clear ideas as well as
o Have initiative to suggest or cover the expression for these ideas
the news o Working hard to write correctly
o Develop the power of observation o Habitually accurate

Topic 3 - Editorial Cartooning

Cartooning
 is an important medium
 gives visual impact to the idea
 is an effective social force
 aims to entertain as well as to exert influence on the readers
 are good-natured and humorous; others are serious and sophisticated
Tips on Cartooning
1. Limit the use of words and labels to a minimum
2. Use symbols that are universal
3. Develop your own style
4. Avoid libel (committed when one makes fun of a person without conveying an idea)
5. Be open to the ideas
6. May or may not be related to the editorial of the paper
Topic 4 – Editorial Writing
Editorial Page
 Is said to be the soul of the newspaper
  Serves as the forum for opinions where problems are presented analyzed, discussed, and
possibly solved
Elements of Editorial Page
1. Masthead 3. Editorial Policy 5. Columns
2. Editorial Platform 4. Editorial 6. Photos and Cartoons
Sources of Editorial Topics
1. News 2. Research 3. Special Occasions
Structure of Editorial
1. Beginning (to introduce the topic, make some backgrounder)
2. Building of the case (through logical sequence)
3. Conclusion (summarizes or drives home the point)
Steps in Writing an Editorial
1. Planning
 Select a topic that interest the readers
 Limit the article to only one aspect of the chosen subject
 Maintain the purpose for writing the editorial
 Obtain sufficient data
 Take a stand
 Use a sound reasoning and not based on myth
2. Writing
 Be brief
 Write simply and direct
 Be impersonal
 Be sincere
 Write clearly and vigorously
 Present facts rather than opinion
 Be authoritative; but don’t preach
o Use device such as striking title, good lead, illustration, analogy, comparison and
contrast, authority to support facts
o End appropriately
o Relate the editorial to the lives of the readers

Types of Editorial Leads

 Simple statement (of the situation, problem or news event to be written about)
 Question (challenging attention)
 Striking Statement (arousing reader’s interest)
 Narration
Types of Editorial
1. Informative – define term or issues, identify persons and factors, provide historical or
geographical background
 2. Argumentative – takes a stand on a controversial issue and lines up its reason in a logical
way
3. Editorial of Persuasion – enlists the reader’s support of a program; cites advantages to be
gained for supporting
4. Editorial of Interpretation – explains the significance of a recent news event
5. Editorial of Criticism – analyze the fault in a situation
6. Editorial of Appreciation – written in praise of a person, institution, or activity
7. Editorial of Entertainment – light and short
8. News Editorial – summary of events pertaining to one news topic
9. Editorial of Survey and Review – gathers opinion of various sectors
10. Editorial of Refutation – written in answer to an opposite opinion in another paper
11. Ironical Editorial – Suggest the opposite in such an exaggerated manner through real
purpose is obvious
12. Editorial Analogy – present a comparison of two entirely different things
Topic 5 – Sports Writing
Sports
 Has greatest appeal to a large number of male readers
 Documents the thrill of sports team (rivalry between sponsoring companies and teams)
How to manage sports news
 Know the proper play of sports
 Contribute to good sportsmanship
 Have a variety of material besides the sports story (columns, interviews, features on graduate
athletes)
 Play up advance news
 Use cartoons, illustrations, photographs
 Have a balance of all sports (basketball, football, volleyball, chess, billiard)
Nature of Sports News
 Requires accuracy, organization, brevity, and good writing (basically, the same as general
news)
 Primarily describes action
 Uses a special vocabulary which is exclusive to sports (sports jargon)
 Uses more colorful, vigorous style
Kinds of Sports Article
 Advance Story
o Creates Interest
o Furnishes the readers with plenty of data – the line-ups, strong and weak points of the
contenders, performance records of the teams, competitors, tradition and history,
system of play
 Report of the event
 Analytical Story (reviews the game as far as the strategies, the keys of the plays, outstanding
performers)
 Off-the-court story
  Follow-up sports story
 Summary of the activities of a team during a week or season
 Sports Article
o Summarizes past records and performances of the team, explains new rules, publicize
athletic tradition, sketch the career of a prominent player
 Sports Feature
o Is more of a personality sketch of an athlete or coach, his hobbies, experiences off the
athletic field, superstitions, etc.
 Sports Column
 Advance Coverage Story
o Includes information of the coming event as the first part of the story and information of
the past event as the last part
Structure of a Sports Story
 Lead – includes the significance, the winner, the hero, and the score
 Body
o Key play and outstanding performer quotations from players, trainers, coaches
o Play-by-play account
o Personalities
o Background on players
o Importance of event
o Summaries of results and statistics

Qualities of a good sportswriter

 Sportsmanship
 Ability to report accurately a fast contest
 Familiar with sports terms
 Has basic knowledge of sports rules and regulations
 A specialized use of summary and feature leads
Gathering the information
 Before the game
o Read the rules
o Know the key people
o Get the names in full and check the spelling
o Attend sports events and practice sessions
o Make notes on things that count
o Read various newspaper and compare how sports writers cover a particular game
 During the game
o Organize your materials
o Be there ahead of the event
o Secure a good working place –near the action
o Make notes as complete as possible
o Observe important plays, unexpected or unusual, personal standouts on things other
than point scoring and touches of humor or the light things
 o Don’t get too involved as a cheering spectator
 After the game
o Interview the coaches, outstanding players
o Get quotes
o Check facts, especially the score with the scorebooks
o Gather more information from special statistics, newspaper stories, game movies, box
scores, standings
Tips on writing the sports story
 Be accurate
 Avoid cliché
 Include human interest (personal background of the performer)
 Keep your sense of humor
 Exercise discipline
 Follow the inverted pyramid order
 Write headlines along with the story
 Write the story immediately after the event
Topic 6 – Headline Writing
Headline
 Title of any news story
 Window of the news
 Function to:
1. Give the gist of the news
2. Present the news for rapid survey reading
3. Indicate the relative importance of the news by the amount of display
4. Give a pleasing appearance to the news page.
Qualities of Headline Writers
 Possess a keen sense of news values
 Able to pick out significant thoughts
 Expert with words: expressive, active, short
 Accurate in grammar
 Clever in expression
CLASSES OF HEADLINES according to purpose:
 Headline designed to INFORM
o DEPED launches flexible learning
 Headline designed to INTRIGUE
o Duterte bids UP scientists for COVID-19 vaccine

Steps in Constructing a Headline

 Underline the key words in the lead
 Using the underlined words, write a short telegraphic sentence summary of the news
 Divide according to units of thoughts into the number of lines required
  Substitute simple, effective synonyms to reduce the width within the limits of space allotted
 Check if it allows the rules of construction
Rules in Constructing a Headline
1. Write a headline that is easy to read
(not sounding like a tongue twister)
wrong: HK protesters pepper police with stones, spears
right: HK protesters use stones, spears to attack police
2. Give the main idea in the first line (who – what)
PDEA arrests 2 suspects in buy bust

3. Avoid heads that carry a double meaning

wrong: Aged Fight Pension Plan for future
right: Aged group fight new pension plan
4. Write nothing in the headline that is not in the story
5. Avoid repeating key words or ideas
Wrong: Meralco billing fiasco settled: Govt settled refund
Right: Meralco billing fiasco settled, refund to start in August
6. Don’t use names unless person are well –known
Wrong: Magalong appointed Covid-19 Lead
Right: Baguio mayor to lead Covid-19 Task Force
7. Be specific
Wrong: Student given scholarship
Right: Champion athlete receives La Salle grant
8. Don’t editorialized
wrong: Green Stallions make good showing
right: Green Stallions win 3 out of 4 games

9. Make complete statements; never use labels

Wrong: Veterans awarded
Right: 35 WWII veterans awarded
10. Reflect the tone of the story
Wrong: Lipa city boy lost downtown
Right: Police help Allan reunite with dad
11. Avoid using negative verb
wrong : Ms U pageant 2020 won’t be held
right : Ms U pageant 2020 cancelled
12. Avoid alliteration
wrong: Street sweeper stabbed, dies
right: Street sweeper knifed to death
13. Use forceful dynamic verbs
wrong: Stallions beat Bulldogs, 52-36
right: Stallions slash Bulldogs, 52-36
14. Preferably, use present tense
 wrong: Congress trashed ABS-CBN franchise bid
right: Congress trashes ABS-CBN franchise bid
15. Use familiar, short words
wrong: Philippine philatelist club visits National Library
right : Stamp club visits National Library
16. Never start with a verb; start with a noun
wrong : Destroy real estate property worth 16M
right: 16M worth real estate property destroyed
17. Don’t use article a, an, the
wrong : Duterte revamps the PNP
right: Duterte revamps PNP
18. Minimize in punctuations
wrong: PNP lockdown policies posted. Duterte approves
right: Duterte approves PNP lockdown policies
19. Use the infinitive group for future events
wrong: Students will handle publications funds
right: Students to handle publications fund
20. Omit weak verb if clearly implied
Wrong: Duterte is next ASEAN chief
Right: Duterte next ASEAN chief
21. Don’t use unfamiliar abbreviation
Wrong: SupCourt backs de Lima plea
Right: SC backs de Lima plea

Module 4:
Topic 1: History and Development – Magazine
Early magazines only lasted for just a few issues due to:
1. Insufficient funds to survive and start-up period
2. Poor printing equipment
3. Inadequate distribution facilities
In the Philippines:
 Magazines used to be called as “weeklies, fortnightly, monthlies, quarterlies, journals, or
reviews”
 First Magazine published: Royal Economic Society of the Friends of the Country published
Registro Mercantil de Manila (Register of Manila) on January 20, 1824.
 Precios Corientos (Current Prices)
o First publication in the country to use the English language
o July 6, 1924
o Both Spanish and English
 Early Magazines in the country
 o La Illustracion Filipina (1859) one of the first illustrated journals promoting culture
(illustracion – illustration/combination of photos and texts)
o El Trovador Filipino (1874) the first of the intellectual journals (trovador – lyric poet)
o El Bello Sexo (1891) considered as the first women’s magazine in the country (bello
sexo – fair/beautiful gender/sex)
o Patnubay ng Katoliko (1890) first publication entirely written in Tagalog

Magazines like newspaper were not excluded from the censorship of the state and the church
 Magazine Publications
o El Bello Sexo or The Fair Sex (1891) was the earliest known publication for women
o Other publications include:
o La Illustracion Filipina (1859)
o Madrid-Manila (1892)
o La Moda Filipina (1893)
o El Hogar (1893) (Hogar – means home)
Topic 2
Magazine during the American Period
 Filipino Revista Semanal Ilustrada (Philippines Illustrated Weekly Magazine) (1909-1910)
o A weekly illustrated magazine in Spanish and Tagalog
o Editor was Constancia Poblete
o Poblete was also the director of La Democracia
o Illustrada exposed the discriminatory practices against women – campaigns for political
positions, treatment on workplace, sexual harassment
 La Mujer (The Woman) (1925)
o An illustrated monthly women’s magazine in Spanish and Tagalog
o 1925
o Published by J. Hernandez Gavira
o La Mujer is tamer than Illustrada
 Women’s Journal (1920)
o Philippine Journal of Education Commission
o 35 centavos
o Paz Marquez Benitez
 Dawn (1933)
o Philippine Association of University Women
o Renamed Woman’s World
o Highly Informative Publication
o Good Taste and finesse
o Targets Elite and the middle class
 Women’s Magazine
o It was published monthly
o Sold for 15 centavos
o Later on incorporated with the Women’s Home Journal and had an awkward name
Woman’s Home Journal World
Post-War Years (1945-1971)
 Magazines during the Post-war:
o Midweek Review (1949)
o Graphic Reports, later named as Philippine Herald Magazine (1951)
o Woman’s Home Journal and Weekly Women’s Magazine (1958)

Martial Law Years (1972-1986)

 Martial Law Proclamation 1081
 President Ferdinand Marcos
 September 21, 1972
 Most publication were closed down; when they reopened, they used another name
 Magazines during the Martial Law Years:
o Women’s Home Companion (1973)
o Women’s Journal (1973)
o Mr. and Ms. (1976)
o Woman Today (1975)
o Mod Filipina (1975)

Post Martial Law Years (1986-2002)

 EDSA Revolution
 President Corazon Aquino
 1 male-oriented, 2 teen, 3 sports, 16 showbiz magazines, and 6 women’s magazines
came out
 By 1996, there was a boom in the magazine industry
 Characteristics of Magazines
o Magazine readers are those who have achieved financial success
o Advance in technology made it possible to use sharper image and glossy magazines
o Magazines offered the glamorized word

Topic 3: Feature (Lifestyle) Writing

Types of Feature Stories
 Feature Story  Informative  Travelogue
 Human Interest  Practical Guidance  Historical Feature
 Interview (how-to-do-it)  Personal Experience
 Interpretative  Seasonal or Holiday or Accomplishment
 Entertainment  Personality sketch
How to do articles
 Explains how a process or activity is done or completed
 The parts and ingredients are identified with specific uses
Descriptive Articles
 Describes an object, place, or activity
 Identifies the advantages and disadvantages
  Explains the amenities and uniqueness of the place or object
Personal Experience Articles
 First person writing
 Account of an event or situation, e.g. ghost hunting, coral diving, immersion, outreach
Personality Profile
 Features a person’s hobbies, awards, background, and qualities
 Focuses on the life of the person and how this life makes a difference to others
Historical
 Features a significant event in the past that has an impact to the present time
 Details may be information that are not yet published or popularized
Travelogue
 Features a trip or place
 Explains the transport and expenses
 Identifies the scenery that makes the place different similar from others
 What to Bring
Topic 4:
Style in Feature Writing a Feature article
Avoid: Observe
 Wordiness  Word choice
 Vagueness  Strong description
 Cliché  Effective anecdotes
 Triteness  Literary devices
 Passive construction  Personal creativity
 Overuse of adjective, adverbs, and other
figurative language
Characteristics of Special Feature Stories
 Variety of subject matter
 Variety of tone
 Variety of form and style
 More entertaining than informing or instructing
 Well organized
 Rarely begins with Summary lead
 Strikes the keynote in the opening sentences
 Strikes to give the reader a first-hand sensation by reconstructing the original
 Has no approved length
 May or may not be timely
 Literary
Steps in Writing Feature Stories
  Pick an interesting subject
 Limit the subject to a specific area
 Use a tentative title
 Use devices such as quotes and figurative of speech

Topic 5: Photography
 A good picture is as good as 10,000 words
 The photo editor/ photographer must be familiar with his equipment
 Photos are called Cuts in Journalism
 Cuts should be:
o Greater simplicity
o Candid or action shots
o Tell a story or message
o Show struggles, actions, emotions, romance, beauty, oddity, and humor
o Climatic point of the story
o Sharp and meaningful
o Free from extraneous items/photobombers
 Overused shots
o Handshaking
o Ribbon cuttings
o Passing of checks or certificates
o Group picture that says nothing
 Tips for better picture
o Try squatting or standing in a chair when shooting picture
o Take portraits of people in typical poses
o Avoid cliché shots like firing squad, ribbon cutting
o If cliché shots can’t be avoided, try to shoot interesting facial expression
o When shooting a field demo or contests, make sure to show the audience or spectators
nearby
o Never be careless in flipping the photos (a right-hand writer can turn into left hand, a
print on the shirt maybe reversed)
o In taking pictures of a speaker, make sure that his/ her face is not hidden behind the
microphones
o In photos of exhibits, it is better to have someone viewing the exhibits than just to
picture the exhibits alone
 What is a Camera
o The camera is a light-tight box with a hole at one end and a light-sensitive material at
the other end
o It functions to control light, such as that once light has struck the chemical sensitized
portions of the film, exposed positives or negatives can be obtained
o This means that the camera can produces a positive or negative image depending on
the type of film that you used
o DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflex
o SLR – Single Lens Reflex
 Visual Elements in Photography
o Shape (geometric shapes like triangles, oblongs, squares, etc.)
o Lines (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, jagged, circular)
o Textures (rough as in bark of a tree, smooth as in a velvet, soft as in a cotton ball)
o Form or 3-dimensional aspect of an object
o Color (green leaves, red strawberry, blue sky)
 Food Photography
 Sports Photography
 News Events Photography