JOURNALISM

BREAKING NEWS
- Breaking or non-routine news is defined as hard, unplanned news that takes the
newsroom by surprise, such as plane crash or earthquake. Therefore, it cannot be
predicted.
- Breaking news is also known as a special report.
- It is broadcasted to report the details of a current event.
- Breaking news are follow-ups on the stories already covered by the channel. Any major
advancement in the already reported story leads to breaking news.
- Breaking news is usually presented with a reporter who provides the detailed information
When writing breaking news, it is important to remember the three Cs: clear, concise, and
correct.
- Clear, means that the writing must be easy to understand.
- Concise, means that the writing should be to the point.
- Correct, means that the information in the writing should be accurate.
Steps in Writing Breaking News for TV
The following steps are involved in writing breaking news for TV: 1. Gather or establish
the facts of the story.
2. Write a concise, attention-grabbing headline.
3. Write a lead that sums up the story.
4. Write the body and conclusion of the story.
5. Edit the story for clarity, conciseness, and grammar
Here are eight essential “skills without script” in reporting breaking news
1. Knowledge base: An understanding of issues, names, geography, history and the ability
to put all of these in perspective for viewers. It comes from the journalist’s commitment
to being a student of the news.
2. Ability to process new information: Sorting, organizing, prioritizing and retaining
massive amounts of incoming data.
3. Ethical compass: Sensitivity to ethical land mines that often litter the field of live
breaking news — unconfirmed information, graphic video, words that potentially panic,
endanger public safety or security or words that add pain to already traumatized victims
and those who care about them.
4. Command of the language: Correct on grammar, syntax, pronunciation, tone and
storytelling — no matter how stressed or tired the anchor or reporter may be.
5. Interviewing skill: An instinct for what people need and want to know, for what
elements are missing from the story, and the ability to draw information by skillful,
informed questioning and by listening.
6. Mastery of multitasking: The ability to simultaneously: take in a producer’s instructions
via an earpiece while scanning new information from computer messages, texts or
Twitter; listen to what other reporters on the team are sharing and interviewees are
adding; monitor incoming video — and yes, live-tweet info to people who have come to
expect information in multiple formats.
7. Appreciation of all roles: An understanding of the tasks and technology that go into the
execution of a broadcast, the ability to roll with changes and glitches, and anticipate all
other professionals involved.
 8. Acute sense of timing: The ability to condense or expand one’s speech on demand, to
sense when a story need refreshing or recapping, to know without even looking at a clock
how many words are needed to fill the minute while awaiting a satellite window, live feed
or interviewee.

SAMPLE BREAKING NEWS SCRIPT

Anchor : Viewers, we have got breaking news. Two workers have been killed at the site
anonymously in Lahore. For detailed information, we have our reporter ____ (name of
the reporter) with us.
_______ (name of the reporter), can you hear me?
Reporter : Yes, I can.
Anchor : Kindly tell us more about the incident.
Reporter : Early morning, when everybody at the site arrived, they found the dead
bodies of two workers at a corner in the construction site. Until now nobody knows the
whole scene of how they got there and what may have happened. So, the police are
investigating at the site.
This is me _____ (name of the reporter) with cameraman _____ (name of the
cameraman), Lahore.

FLASH NEWS
- Flash news is sudden therefore they are shorter than breaking news.
- The information in flash news has not many details with it.
- To understand flash news let’s consider an example of a natural disaster which had taken
place suddenly. The channels may not have the full details of the event but they want to
provide the information of occurrence of this disaster to their viewers. They simply flash
news stating that such an event has taken place. It is brief and sudden news. It may also
contain alerts for the viewers.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT/TV ANNOUNCEMENT
- It is aired on the Television or shared via other media outlets for free; it is produced on
behalf of non-profit organizations or government agencies; it is a short message to the
public in service of the public’s interest.
- It is aimed at creating awareness, spreading information, and/or influencing public
behavior regarding a particular issue.
Advantages and Disadvantages of PSA
Advantages:
- You can capture people's attention and communicate your message clearly and concisely.
- It is a relatively inexpensive way to reach a large audience.
- You can control the content and timing of your message.
Disadvantages:
- You have a limited time to communicate your message.
- You cannot control how people receive or interpret your message.
TV ADVERTISEMENT
What are Television Ads?
- Advertisements is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to purchase
or take some action upon products, ideas, or services.
- Television advertisements are a span of television programming produced and paid for by
an organization or company that displays a strong message.
- Today, television ads appear on every channel and try to persuade an audience to
purchase or take some form of action regarding products, ideals, and/or services.
Essential Keys in Creating an Effective Television Advertisement
- The following keys for success are based on the fact that the average television ad today
is about 30 seconds in length.

1. Do Not Forget Your Call to Action

Your call to action is extremely important in trying to persuade an audience. Mentioning
important information (dates, time, place, price, phone number, address, website info,
etc) is essential to attract the audience to take action. Including an attention getter such
as a catchy slogan or saying can be helpful.
2. Stick to Time
The average T.V. ad is about 30 seconds long. It is important to put as much information,
but not overloading the ad with too much info within that 30-second time frame to allow
the information to get across.
3. Think about Consistency
Format and style should be consistent. Use of same font, colors, logo, and slogan allows
the ad to be clean and consistent. Using different format and style of the opposing side is
obviously imperative to make the advertisement stand out.
4. Put People in the Ad
Putting people in an ad can draw in the audience because people can relate to other
people. Having the actors doing something related to the product, idea, or service the ad
is trying to convey is helpful. For example, customers would be more attracted to a sofa
ad when there are people lying or sitting down comfortably and displaying positive
emotions about the product compared to a sofa ad that has a 30 second clip of different
sofas while a narrator tells the audience how comfortable the sofa can be.
5. Write a Detailed Yet Short Script
Because the ad last for about 30 seconds, it is extremely important that the script for the
people in the ad is at the appropriate length. A short sentence that grabs an audience’s
attention is a key component here. Because there is a limited time to grab the audience’s
attention, the message needs to be sent out quickly. Short and punchy sentences are a
good thing here.
6. The Audio and Video Must Match
When creating a video ad, the audio and video must match, obviously. Merging the audio
and video is a tool to create a powerful message. This is an easy key component to an
effective television ad.
The Dos and Don'ts in Creating T.V. Advertisements
The Dos
- Get the message across quickly (remember short time frame).
- Use people along with objects in the advertisement (people relate to other people).
- Be consistent. Consistency is key in attracting audience - consistent style and format.
- Incorporate short sentences in the ad. This makes it useful in saving time overall and
getting the message across
- Use repetition. Repetition is a good thing in ads because it allows the audience to digest
the information easily.
The Don’ts
- Do not add too much information that the advertisement will be overloaded with “stuff”.
Don’t want to overwhelm the audience with a boatload of information.
- Do not have a script that is long and time consuming. Remember, there is only a 30
second time frame.
- Do not have an ad with only objects. Add people or actors to make the ad realistic.