Publication Process

& News Writing

Rj Junsay
Editor-in-Chief, USA Publication
USA Publications Outputs
 Establishing the Editorial Board

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Program Management Community Literary Photography Photography

Editor Editor Editor Editor Editor

Staff Writer Staff Photographer Staff Artist

Staff Writer Staff Writer

Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Photographer Staff Artist

Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Photographer Staff Artist
Strategic Planning
Interviews & Structuring News
Copy Reading
Lay-outing and Designing
• A layout is a design for the overall appearance of a
printed page--with particular emphasis on the effective
positioning and arrangement of page elements.
• News design is the process of
arranging material on a newspaper
page, according to editorial and
graphical guidelines and goals.

Main editorial goals include the

ordering of news stories by order of
importance, while graphical
considerations include readability and
balanced, unobtrusive incorporation of
advertising.
Nineteenth-century
newspapers were
often densely packed
with type, often
arranged vertically,
with multiple
headlines for each
article.

A number of the same

technological
limitations persisted
until the advent of
digital typesetting and
pagination in late 20th
century.
Some of these changes included:
• Fewer articles per
page
• Fewer but larger headlines.
• More standardized column
widths.
• More standardized fonts.
Fonts are usually differentiated
in two ways: (1) serif vs. non-
serif and (2) variable width vs.
fixed width.
The highlighted headlines are
set in serif font styles in
variable width.
 On Fonts…

Note to communicators:
Because serifs define individual letters more
sharply and make them easier to recognize, serif
fonts are generally easier to read than sanserif
fonts. (Indeed, research indicates that most
readers can read a message in a serif font more
quickly--and with greater comprehension and
retention--than they can read the same message
in a non-serif format.)
Dummy Sheet
Presswork
News Writing
• What is NEWS
Information that has a meaning for a set of readers. Its
basis are: facts – actual occurrences, situations, interest – must
be interesting, and readers – for a number of people. It should be
Brimming with facts, Accurate, Latest, Interesting, Timely, and
Acceptable for Publication.
Qualities that distinguish news
from other forms of writing
• 1. Accurate – verifiable facts
• 2. Balance – giving each fact proper emphasis putting it in
proper relation to other facts
• 3. Objective – impartial and honest
• 4. Concise and Clear – meaning is clear
• 5. Recent – timely; appropriate at the time it is printed or
broadcast
What makes facts interesting
(NEWS VALUES)
• Immediacy/Timeliness
• Proximity/Nearness
• Consequence
• Prominence
• Drama
• Oddity/Unusualness
• Conflict
• Human Interest
Tips for news gathering

1. Understand the story before covering it

2. Make advance appointments
3. Know how to conduct an interview
4. Work as close to the event as possible
5. Know how to take down notes
6. Be familiar with sources of information
7. Gather more information after the event
8. Get facts and check them
9. Be thorough
Characteristics of a Good News
• It is the briefest summary of the story.
• Includes only those 5W’s and H that are important.
• Usually one paragraph.
• Starts with the “feature” of the story.
• Summarizes in the first few words the most important facts of the
story.
• Usually begins with the subject of the verb.
• 7. What- most frequently used lead/ Who- follows closely.
• 8. Begins with specific, interest-arousing words.
• 9. Avoids- a, an, the/ there is, are, will be/ today, yesterday, last
week, etc.
• 10. Cites source of news if necessary.
• 11. Avoids overloading/ labeling.
• 12. Written colorfully when possible.
Novelty Leads
• Punch or Astonisher
• Descriptive/Background
• Direct Quotation
• Exclamatory
• Staccato
• Contra
Writing the Body of the Story
• Explaining or elaborating the feature or features in the lead
and
• By adding minor features not summarized in the lead
The Framework of the Story
• The inverted pyramid (fact story)- places features of the story
according to decreasing importance.
• Chronological-order- arranged according to time sequence of
appearance.
Testing a News Story
If you can answer “yes” to each, your story is a great one.

• Do I have all the facts?

• Did I verify these facts with my source?
• Have I checked the spelling of all names and are all names
identified/
• Have I verified the dates with the calendar so that Friday is
June 17, for example?
• Is the story written in the order of decreasing importance?
• Is the first paragraph, the lead, short – 25 to 30 words?
• If there are many 5W’s and H’s for one paragraph, are they
relegated to the second and even the third paragraphs?
• If appropriate, is the lead written in a novelty fashion?