News is any information about an unusual event, place or person that is new to group of

people, and that information can be either be appreciated or simply discarded by the
recipient/s of the information, depending on the need or present state of that particular groups
of people.
THE LEAD
The lead is the first paragraph of the news story that gives the reader the sense of the
story to follow. A way to write good leads is to think of them in advance- to frame the lead
while the story is unfolding. For hard news, the lead is usually brief, direct and contains
several general information.
Example 1:
A pedicab driver was stabbed and killed when he refused to give his earnings to the
assailant in Sampaloc, Manila last night.
Example 2:
The U.S. State Department issued a stern warning to China to refrain from sending
armed ships to the West Philippine Sea ( South China Sea ) and instead apply a peaceful
solution to the said contested area. (Lead)
The Direct Lead / Summary Lead
The Summary Lead is the easiest to write, and, at the same time, fits the fast lifestyle of
the reading public. It consists of guide questions, who, what, why, where, when and the how
or popularly known in journalism world as the 5W’s and 1 H.
Example of Direct Lead:
No Tuition Fee Hike
Realizing the effects of worldwide financial crises to most Filipino families, the High School
principal of St. Mark Catholic School announced yesterday that there would be no tuition fee increase this coming
school year.
Dr. Roberto Gonzales said that the school management is ready to sacrifice just as what the
parents are doing nowadays due to economic slowdown in the country.
But Gonzales was quick to explain that the quality of education will never be sacrificed despite the
perceived lack of budget of the school this coming school year.
1. The “Who” comes from the kind of person involved judged by his occupation,
religion, age, and sex.
Example: Remi Rose Rodriguez has been elected chairman of the College of Arts and Sciences Students Board at
Batangas State University in Lipa City.

2.The “What” is more important than the “who” when the circumstance
would be significant no matter who the persons involved.
Example: One man was shot dead and another was beaten today in an outbreak of violence as jeepney strikers tried to
prevent operation of the Shell Petroleum Corporation in Makati City.

3. The “Why”, it is the cause rather than the result that is the feature of the story.
Example: Trying to pass another car while travelling at high speed brought serious injury to two men last night when
their automobile overturned twice on Macapagal Boulevard at Potter Avenue.
4. The “Where” in advance stories of meetings, speeches, athletic events, etc.,it must be very
definite .Room numbers, street addresses,etc. should be given. In local stories, it is not
always necessary to mention the name of the city or a street address.

Example of Location Story: Eight testing lanes, which motorists must submit their automobiles and trucks to
examination for safe driving qualifications, will be opened tomorrow.

5. The “When” about the same may be said of the “when” as of the “where”. It ordinarily is
included inconspicuously in the lead as:
Four thieves hit two Makati stores early Wednesday and got away with a total loot estimated at P1,300,000.
6. The “How” means details to explain how is something occurred. Consequently, when the
feature unmistakably consists in such details, care must be exercised to avoid wordiness.

Example:
What: killing of a pedicab by his passenger
Who: a pedicab driver
How: repeatedly stabbed in different parts of the body
Where: Sta. Cruz Manila
When: early morning

Guidelines in Writing Your Lead:

The lead should be simple, brief, compact, vigorous, attractive, and should shoot
straight as a rifle bullet into the reader’s attention.
- It should be written in a manner appropriate to the subject matter.
- It should not carry gratuitous opinion of the reporter, unless it is signed.
- It should fix authority for information, lest the reader questions the
story’s authenticity.
- It should avoid beginning with non-essential details.
The Body
We have to take note that the news story takes the shape of an inverted pyramid. The
second and third paragraphs of a news story should only serve to expound on the lead.
Every paragraph in the news story’s body should give readers additional information and
specific details.

The Campus Beat

For a school paper, the most common news stories will be about school policies,
student competitions, changes in personnel, or crime and accident stories within the
neighbourhood of the school.
A school policy story should contain: the gist of the school policy, the reasons for its
issuance, a statement of the administration and reactions of those affected.
A student competition story should highlight the winner; unusual, exciting, or unique
facts regarding the competition or the players; and a background on the competition.
For a campus paper, crime and accident stories should be limited to the vicinity of the
school or to events involving a school.