Republic of the Philippines

Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

WHAT IS NEWS?
● News is about information about current events printed in newspapers or broadcast by the
media.

WHAT IS FORMAL WRITING

● In formal writing, the writer uses a more objective approach, stating main points and then
supporting those points with arguments. Formal writing is less emotional in style, so it
avoids things like exclamation marks and emojis.

WHAT IS NEWS WRITING

● According to the NMU Writing Center, Journalism or news writing is a prose style used
for reporting in newspapers, radio, and television.

SOURCES OF NEWS:
● Office, departments, librагу
● School Calendar
● Invitation and Memos
● Different Club and Organizations
● Students and Teachers
● Sports Team
● Community

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF NEWS

● Truth - Journalism is nothing without a solid bedrock of truth. Your writing must be
accurate. But accuracy is not enough: Your stories must be true. If you accurately report
an untrue or misleading statement, you are doing a disservice to your audience.
● Fairness, balance and responsibility - The "target" of a critical story should be giver an
opportunity to respond before publication. Fairness sometimes includes truth-telling and
fact-checking. It is your responsibility to report the truth, not to repeat the assertions of
powerful people.
● Precision - Precision means that each word should be used as it was intended by its
original "dictionary meaning. Meanings often evolve over time, but in journalistic
writing, we stay true to the book. There should also be no slang or abbreviations.
● Simplicity & Brevity - Writing with brevity (short and to the point) helps create
simplicity. The longer a sentence is, the more difficult it is to understand. Also, audiences
don't like long paragraphs because they Look too overwhelming to read.
● Clarity - Make sure your audience understands clearly what you are saying. The words
you use should convey the meaning you intend. Be specific. Use active voice. Put
numbers into context - particularly large numbers. Avoid long, disjointed sentences
shackled with confusing dependent clauses
● Objectivity & Factual - Objectivity means the absence of personal opinion. A
journalist's writing should be based on facts, observations, and interviews with expert
sources, or those knowledgeable of the issue. Write in third person (he, she, they), not
first person (I me, my, our, we), to stay removed from the story in order to be fully
objective
 Republic of the Philippines
Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF NEWS

● Conflict - this may involve physical or mental conflict-man versus man, man versus
animals, man versus nature or man versus himself.
● Immediacy or Timeliness - This element emphasizes the newest angle of the story. The
more recent, the more interesting it is to the reader.
● Proximity or Nearness - This may refer to geographical nearness as well as to nearness
of kinship or interest
● Oddity or Unusualness - This refers to strange or unnatural events, objects, persons, and
places. An odd story is interesting not because of its news value but because of the
human-interest side of it.
● Prominence - Events and announcements that Involve high-profile figures are more
likely to generate media coverage. Visits from national figures often require months of
preparation due to anticipated community Interest.
● Names - Important names make news.
● Drama - This adds color to the story. The more picturesque the background and the more
dramatic the actions are, the more appealing the story is to the reader.
● Romance and Adventure. - The romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had
hugged headlines for many years. Romance may be experienced with other things. There
were the romance of Hemingway with the sea and of the astronauts with space.

TYPES OF NEWS
The following are the different types of news:
● Scope or Origin
● Chronology or Sequence
● Structure
● Treatment
● Content
● Minor Forms

SCOPE OR ORIGIN

● Local News - Report of events that takes place within the immediate locality.
● National News - News that takes place within the country.
● Foreign News - News that takes place outside the country.
● Dateline News - News preceded by the date and place of origin or place where it was
written or filed. Tokyo, Jan. 20 (AP)

CHRONOLOGY OR SEQUENCE
● Advance or Anticipated - News published before its occurrences, sometimes called
dope or prognostication. The reporter foretells events expected to occur at a definite time
in the future.
● Coverage News - News written from a given beat. Both spot news and coverage news
are good examples of first- hand reporting.
● Spot News - News that is gathered and reporter on the spot. It deals with unscheduled
information demanding immediate publication. The reporter himself is an eyewitness to
the event that took place.
 Republic of the Philippines
Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

● Follow up news - A sequel to a previous story. Having a new lead of its own, it is a
second, third or subsequnet chapter of a serial.

STRUCTURE
● Straight News - News that consists of facts given straight without embellishment. Its
main aim is to inform. It uses the summary lead and is written using the inverted pyramid
structure.
● Coverage News - (featured 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 describe and narrate, but without resorting to biased
opinion, 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.
(2) Several Feature. Multiple angle or composite story several facts are included in the
lead in their order of Importance.

TREATMENT
● Fact Story - This is a plain expositions setting forth a single situation or a series of
closely related facts that inform. It is written in the inverted pyramid design.
● 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.
● Speech Report - A news story usually written from a public address, talks, and speeches.
● Quote Story - Speeches, statements and to some extent interviews when reported are
regarded as quote stories.
● Interview Story - A news report written from an interview.
● Hard News - Events, such as killings, city council meetings and speeches by leading
government officials, are timely and are reported almost automatically by the media.
● Soft news - Events, such as lunch to honor a retiring school custodian or boy scouting
jamboree are not usually considered immediately important or timely to a wide audience.

CONTENT
● Routine Story - Celebrations, enrollment, graduation, election stories reported year in
and year out.
● Police Reports - Accident, fire, calamity, crime, crime stories etc.
● Science News - Exhibits, experiments, etc
● Developmental News - Defined as "a type of reporting and writing on topics related to
the process of economic development (Steele, 2009, p. 401)
● Sport Stories - Featuring a mix of sports and sporting activities wrapped up in one big
story. With a multitude of characters to meet, you will make plenty of friends and
enemies along the way
 Republic of the Philippines
Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

MINOR FORMS
● News Brief - A short item of news interest, written like a brief telegraphic message,
giving mainly the result with details.
● News - Featurette - This is a short news feature usually used as filler, e.g "Quirks in the
news"
● News Bulletin - It is similar to the lead of a straight news story. It aims is just to give the
gist of the news.
● Flash - A bulletin that conveys the first word of an event.

WRITING THE LEAD

Kinds of Lead-1.) Conventional or Summary Lead, 2.) Grammatical Beginning Lead 3.) Novelty
Lead

1. CONVENTIONAL OR SUMMARY LEAD - this kind of lead used in straight news

answers right away all or any of the 5 W's and/or the H. It may be one of the following:
WHO Lead-Used when the person involved is more prominent that what he does or what
happens to him.
● WHAT Lead-Used when the event or what took place is more important than the
person involved in the story.
● WHERE Lead - Used where the place is unique and no prominent person is
involved.
● WHEN Lead - Rarely used as the reader presumes the story to be timely.
However, this lead is useful when speaking of deadlines, holidays, and important
dates.
● WHY Lead - used when the reason is more prominent or unique than what
happens.
● HOW Lead-Used when the manner, mode, means, or method of achieving the
story is the unnatural way.

2. GRAMMATICAL BEGINNING LEAD

Some examples of these grammatical beginning leads are:
● Prepositional Phrase Lead The phrase is introduced by a preposition.
● Infinitive Phrase Lead - it begins with the sign of the infinitive to plus the main
verb.
● Participial Phrase Lead - It is introduced by the present or past participle form of
the verb.
● Gerundial Phrase Lead - It is introduced by a gerund (a verbal noun ending in ing)
● Clause Lead The lead begins with a clause which may either be independent or
subordinate; or may either be a noun or an adjectival or adverbial clause.

3. NOVELTY LEAD
Some examples of these novelty leads are:
● Astonisher Lead - Uses am interjection or an exclamatory sentence.
● Contrast Lead - Describes two extremes or opposites for emphasis. The sharper
the contrast, the more effective the lead will be.
 Republic of the Philippines
Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

● Epigram Lead Opens by quoting a common expression, verse, or epigram, at least

familiar in the locality.
● Picture Lead - Describes a person, a place or an event, at the same time creating a
mental picture of the subject matter in the mind of the reader.
● Background Lead - Similar to the picture lead except that it describes the setting
which may be more prominent than the characters and the events
● Descriptive Lead - Used when comparatively few descriptive words can vividly
formulate an imagery.
● Parody Lead - Consists of a parody of a well-known song, poem, lines etc.
● Punch Lead - A short, forceful word or expression.
● One word Lead - Self explanatory
● Quotation Lead Consists of the speaker's direct words which are very striking and
which are usually quoted from a speech, a public address, or an interview.
● Question Lead An answer to a question which is the basis of the news story.

9 PRINCIPLES OF JOURNALISM
1. Journalism's first obligation is to tell the truth.
2. The first loyalty is citizens.
3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.
4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.

The Inverted Pyramid

The Inverted Pyramid of news suggests that news be told in order of most interesting or
important to least interesting or important.

Who, what, when, where, why; the most important information.

Supporting information; key quotes.
Additional facts, Information and quotes
Background and alternative explanations
Least important information

CONCLUSION
News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing events,
issues, and characters in the world outside. Though it may be interesting or even entertaining, the
foremost value of news is as a utility to empower the informed. The purpose of journalism is thus
to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their
lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.
 Republic of the Philippines
Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

TEST QUIZ: Multiple Choice

1.) A type of news that is published before it's occurrence, sometimes called dope or
prognostication.
a. Straight News
b. Coverage News
c. Advance or Anticipated News

2. It is a short item of news interest, written like brief telegraphic message, giving mainly the
result with details.
a. News brief
b.Routine story
c. News featurette

3. This story contains plain exposition setting forth a single situation or a series of closely related
facts that inform.
a. Soft Storу
b.Quote Story
c. Fact Stoгу

4. This element emphasizes the newest angle of the story. The more recent, the more interesting
it is to the reader.
a. Proximity or Nearness
b. Immediacy or Timeliness
c. Oddity or Unusualness

5. It is a news that consist of facts given straight without embellishment. Its main aim is to
inform.
a. News Feature
b.Straight News
c. Spot News

6. Give one essential qualities of campus news writing

➔ Truth - Journalism is nothing without a solid bedrock of truth. Your writing must be
accurate. But accuracy is not enough: Your stories must be true. If you accurately report
an untrue or misleading statement, you are doing a disservice to your audience.

7. Give one element of campus news writing.

➔ Conflict - this may involve physical or mental conflict-man versus man, man versus
animals, man versus nature or man versus himself.

8-10: List 3 important principles of campus news writing.

1. Journalism's first obligation is to tell the truth.
 Republic of the Philippines
Cebu Normal University

Medellin Campus
Telephone No.: (+63 32) 436 2029
Email: medellincampus@cnu.edu.ph | Website: www.cnu.edu.ph

2. The first loyalty is citizens.

3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.