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Newswriting Med 2
Newswriting Med 2
Fadriquela
School Paper Adviser
New Era University- High School Department
No. 9, Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City
News is difficult to define
because it has many
variables.
Classification of Leads
♦ According to purpose:
1. Conventional or Summary lead
2. Unconventional, unorthodox
or novelty lead
♦ According to construction, leads maybe
classified into 3 groups:
1. Who-What-When-Where-Why-How
leads
This is the oldest type known to
journalists and has come to be known
as the 5W’s and an H
I have six honest serving men
(They taught me all I know)
Their names are What and Why
and When and How and Where
and Who
The Who lead
Names make news,
especially prominent
ones. It maybe one
person, several
persons, or an
organization.
However, the lead
should avoid
featuring more than
3 personal names.
The What lead (or event feature)
Most straight news leads play up
what the story is all about.
A struggle to protect or increase
respective numbers of congressmen on
opposing sides of the impeachment
fence began yesterday at the House of
Representatives.
The Why lead
To further streamline emergency hotline
services and strengthen anti crime efforts,
the Philippine National Police conferred
with respondents of emergency hotline
‘117’ in a top-level meeting at the Crown
Plaza Galleria.
The How lead – often used for unusual
happenings and action stories.
Staging a 48-hour walkout beginning
today, nearly 100 South Korean
journalists at a government controlled
television station demanded that the
government stop dictating how they
cover the news.
The When lead
It is used when an event takes place at
unconventional hour, or in making an
announcement where the time is
important to the reader.
Tomorrow, May 15, is the
last day for filing individual
tax returns.
The Where lead
Convalescent homes in Solano have
been the sites for beauty contests to
choose representatives to
the 7th Annual My Fair
Lady Pageant, where
Contestants are
mostly in their
70s and 80s.
Characteristics of a Good Lead
1.Includes only 5Ws and the H which are
important.
A small contingent of US developmental
gymnasts traveled to the Soviet Union last
June to take a closer look at Soviet
gymnasts.
What: travel
Who: US developmental gymnasts
Where: Soviet Union
When: June
Why: to take a closer look
2. Starts with the feature of the story,
which may either be the most
important or most interesting fact or
both.
3. It must be short- usually 25-35
words if it is one paragraph.
4. Begins with specific, interest
arousing words.
5. Avoid when possible, beginning
with such words and phrases as
a, an, the, at a meeting, yesterday,
last night, days of the week,
according to, it is, there is, etc.
6. Suggests the source of the news when
necessary.
♦ in stories which foretell something not
generally known.
♦ about future events in order to protect
the paper if the event does not occur.
♦ in stories about important events that
the reporter failed to attend.
♦ to attribute an opinion,
thereby avoid editorializing.
7. Avoid overloading the first sentence of
the lead.
8. Is written colorfully when possible.
9. Avoid citing the news source in stories
which readers would expect to be eye
witness accounts or in
stories in which citing
the source would be
unnecessary.
How to write a Summary Lead
1.First study carefully the notes that you
took for the story, selecting the 5Ws and
H. It is best for beginners to list the
5Ws and H on a sheet of paper, and
opposite each, write the appropriate
act.
2. Choose the feature on
the basis of news values
and your readers –
what will interest them.
3. Arrange the remaining 5Ws and H, in
the order of decreasing importance.
4. Determine the best way to start the
lead sentence.
5. Keep in mind all the other
characteristics of a good
summary lead.
6. Test your lead.
7. Rewrite the lead if
you can improve it.
The Unconventional or NOVELTY lead
♦ It uses any device that will
attract attention, arouse curiosity,
or sustain interest. It adds vigor and
color to writing and does not
contain the gist of the story, but
merely serves as an introduction
The NOVELTY lead is used:
♣ When the facts are not entirely straight
news.
♣ When the facts maybe made much more
interesting by a novel way of presenting
them.
♣ When the purpose is
to arouse the reader’s
interest.
Types of Novelty leads:
1. Narrative Lead – It draws the reader
into the story by allowing him to relate
himself with the characters.
December 1999. With the Y2K scare and
end-of-the millennium jitters hovering in the
air, I found myself in a book store for some
last minute shopping. I was looking for the
abridged versions of the classic Heidi and
the Secret Garden to give to my nieces
when I saw a vaguely familiar title: The lady
or the Tiger. As I traced the embossed title,
a particular memory flooded my
consciousness.
2. Descriptive lead
It illustrates a mental picture of the
subject to the reader. This is effective in
writing a personality sketch.
The night fell as we descended the summit
of Mt. Makiling. The cicadas were sending us
off with their choir. While walking, we couldn’t
stop imagining the possible appearance of
Maria Makiling, who according
to legend, is the goddess
of this mountain.
3. Quotation lead
This statement is uttered by well-
known person or celebrity.
“You stole the presidency, not
only once but twice.” Shouted Susan
Roces, widow of Fernando Poe Jr., during
a gathering of the opposition, denouncing
Pres. Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo’s alleged vote
rigging during the
2004 election.
4. Question lead
A thought provoking question to capture
the interest of reader and lead them to
find the answer provided by the
succeeding details of the article.
When was the last time I told my father
I loved him? I wish I could tell
him a thousand times how
much I love him now,
but he is already
heedless inside
his coffin.
5. Teaser
A device to deceive the reader in a jesting
manner to arouse his curiosity and gently
lead him into the story. It is generally
short, crisp and witty. Mostly suggestive
and humorous.
Which comes first, the hen or the egg?
Well, egg could not be
made possible without
the hen. But where does
the hen come from?
6. Punch lead
It is short, striking one-sentence lead.
Interest
Readers
♦The basis of all news is
FACT.
♦The job of the reporter is to
make facts INTERESTING to
a particular group of
READERS
♦ News must be factual
•Different facts
will be interesting
to different
readers.
♦ Qualities that distinguish news from
other forms of writing:
1. Must be ACCURATE
•Reporters must work hard
to achieve accuracy.
•They must check, double-
check, and re-check every
fact.
♦ Reporters must question
their sources carefully.
•Informants
sometimes
misinform although
rarely on purpose.
2. It is BALANCED.
Balanced in a news story is
a matter of emphasis and
completeness.
♦ News is considered balanced
and complete when all
significant details are included
and have proper relationship
with each other.
DETAILS
Use quotes from
interviewees
Wrap up
Use a quote or
catchy
phrase
5. It is RECENT
Timeliness is of major
importance in this era of fast
communication.
Reporters emphasize
The newest angle
of the story.
How to write an Effective Lead
1. Use a simple sentence.
2. Do not overload the beginning paragraph
with the answer of 5Ws and H. Remember
that the second paragraph is a secondary
lead too.
3.Do not use an important or unusual word
twice in the same sentence.
4. Avoid, when possible the use of
articles such as a, an, the – as
the beginning word of the lead.
Rules in Paragraph Construction
1. A paragraph of the news should not
exceed 75 words.
2. Important facts should be placed at the
beginning of the paragraph.
3. Avoid repetition of clauses, phrases
and other similar grammatical construction
at the beginning of each paragraph.
4. Do not put direct quotation and
indirect quotation in the same
paragraph.
5. One sentence paragraph is preferred in
writing news. But if it cannot be avoided it
should not exceed three sentences
6. For easy reading, average number of
words per sentence should be between 15
to 20. A sentence longer than 30 words
may be hard to understand.
7. Arrange paragraph in the descending
order of importance so that the lay-out
editor can delete the last least
important ones for lack of space.
Qualities of a News Writer
1. Has nose for news
♦ knows where to get the data
♦ knows what angle of the event
should be highlighted in the news
♦can easily identify event, which
is worth publishing as news.
Qualities of a News Writer
2. Inquisitive
3. Patient
4. Fair
5. Interested with people
6. Always seeks for truth
7. Resourceful
8. Reliable
9. Has wide vocabulary
10. Wide reader
“When love and skill work together,
expect a masterpiece.” John Ruskin