NEWS

WRITING
ESSENTIALS

ABNER L. PUREZA
SSHT VI
Quezon NHS
THE COCONUT
 What makes news a ‘NEWS’?

• It is new.
• It has numbers.
• It has conflict.
• It has impact.
• It’s about
popular people.
• It’s near.
• It’s odd.

NEWS WRITING
 So here we go…

When we write news, we place the

most essentials in the beginning,
then we write the facts in
decreasing order of importance.
Hence, the term INVERTED
TRIANGLE is applied.
Inverted triangle (Cluster of
information)
 A news story is made or broken
by its angle.

•To choose an angle, we should ask

what is the most striking thing about
this story?
•Identify specific angle of an event
as highlight of your story (news
within a news)
•Once you find that, the story will
write itself.

Click to advance o next slide

 Key#01 – STRONG LEAD.

• Who
• What
• So, what?
SAMPLE SCHOOL NEWS LEAD.
The administration announced on Monday
flag raising ceremony that a new set of school
rules and regulations will be implemented in
Quezon National High School (QNHS) to address
cases of students’ cutting classes.
 What to remember
• Leads limited to one or two sentences are preferred.
• Most leads start with "who" or "what.“
• In leads about future events, the time, day (date) and
place usually go at the end of the paragraph.
• In leads about past events, the day (date) of the event
usually appears before or after the verb.
• Use quote and question leads in moderation.
• "What happened" makes a better story than the fact it
did.
 Key # 2.
giving flesh
to the
BODY.

.
 Secondary/support lead (2 or more
paragraphs
): elaboration of prominent W

Dr. Feliza B. Quevada, Principal IV

made the announcement after several
reports from the guidance office confirmed
that cutting classes have been rampant
during the first quarter.
 Building the nut graph

Initial reports from grade nine

guidance office said that there were 200
cases of cutting classes recorded for July;
280 for August; and 301 for September.
__________________________________
IN THIS PARAGRAPH give the main
source, background of the event (3rd
paragraph)
 Direct quotes (4th,5th
paragraphs
“We have to implement stiff policies
this time and make students realize their
self-responsibility,” the principal said.
“Students with three consecutive
absences will be subjected for first
offense, then for disciplinary measures if
they continue doing so,” she added.
 6 to the last paragraphs -
th

NEXT CLUSTER: (it may take several

paragraphs)
Continuation of the DETAILS:
• provisions of the new rules and regulations;
• start of implementation;
• punishment to be given to the offenders)
Frame these matters in news-material
sentences following the inverted triangle
structure)
 …

NEXT CLUSTER: (it may take several

paragraphs)
• Attribution of sources (what DepEd memo
supports provisions on cutting classes?)
• Other important details
 Remember…
• Keep paragraphs short. Those limited to
60 words, less is better.
• Paragraphs limited to one to two
sentences are preferred.
• Each paragraph should contain only one
idea.
• Remember short paragraphs encourage
readers to continue reading.
• Interview does matter.
 FIRST CLUSTER (most
essential)
SAMPLE NATIONAL NEWS LEAD.
President Rodrigo Duterte shot back
at an international human rights group
report on Thursday for criticizing the
Philippines' bloody war on drugs.
THE LEAD: dramatizes the WHO? WHAT? SO, WHAT?
OTHER Ws must be in the succeeding paragraphs,
it comes as bonus points only if they appear in the lead.
 …

Speaking to reporters after a

groundbreaking ceremony in Cordova,
Cebu, Duterte stood pat on the way his
anti-drug campaign had been carried out.

THE SECOND paragraph elaborates the

‘where’ and the related event that goes
with it.
 …

Duterte has been vocal on the

government’s attempt to eliminate drugs
since he sworn in to office as the country’s
16th president.
"If you kill criminals, it is not a crime
against humanity. The criminals have no
humanity," was Duterte's expletive-laced
reply. 
BACKGROUND AND DIRECT QUOTE
 NEXT CLUSTER

Last month, the country's Justice

secretary drew flak for giving practically
the same reply in reaction to an Amnesty
International report — by saying that drug
lords and pushers were not the humanity.

RELATED INCIDENT
 Next CLUSTER (minor
details)
Earlier in the day, Human Rights Watch
(HRW) released a report saying Duterte "appears
to have instigated unlawful acts by the police,
incited citizens to commit serious violence, and
made himself criminal liable under international
law for the unlawful killings as a matter of
command responsibility."
Duterte had repeatedly said the he would
protect law enforcers should they kill drug
suspects who fight back.
 Another cluster of minor
details
During his groundbreaking rites speech, Duterte
fiercely defended the anti-drug war, lashing out at priests
along the way.
"I have a country to preserve and that is the Filipino
nation. It has nothing to do with religion," he said. "My
oath before God and country is to preserve the Filipino
people, period."
He said there was "a whale of a difference"
between killing criminals and killing innocent people —
and these should not be mixed up.
"I am committed to stop drugs before I go out, which
means to say: Father, Monsignor, Bishop... marami pang
patayan 'to [many more will die]."
 Last CLUSTER (soft side of
the news)
On a lighter note, Duterte told
reporters that he was "exceedingly
excited" to go back to Davao City to see
his newborn grandson.
He said he would fly straight back
home to see Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio's
baby, who was named "Stonefish."
 Key #3: Basic news format
Here’s the suggestion:
• 1st paragraph: the lead (usually the WHO, WHAT, SO WHAT
elements of the news)
• 2nd paragraph: secondary/support lead. Elaboration of the
most important W. (bring the other w’s: where, when, why,
how).
• 3rd paragraph: Give the background of the event. Start building
the nut graph.
• 4TH paragraph: quote from the key person involved.
• 5th to last paragraphs: reverse chronology of details (from the
most to the least important details), narrative of action, citing
the sources from reported interviews, canned action (optional).
• NOTE: Cluster your details to achieve coherence.
 KEY *# 4: HEIRARCHY OF FACTS
THE LEAD. (Arrange the After you have written the lead, the
facts in this sequence) contents of the succeeding paragraphs…

Who was/is/will be affected by 2nd Paragraph: Give the details of the WHO
what happened? are affected that you stated in the lead.
(IMPACT/RELEVANCE)

What happened? 3rd Paragraph: Give the details of the

WHAT that you stated in the lead.

How did it happen? 4th Paragraph: Give the details of the HOW
that you stated in the lead.

Why did it happen? 5th Paragraph: Give the details of the WHY
that you stated in the lead.

Where did it happen? 6th Paragraph: Give the details of the

WHERE that you stated in the lead.

When did it happen?
Source/Attribution
NOTES:
The WHERE and WHEN facts may
be interchanged or switched in the
sequence.
…
7th Paragraph: Give the details of the
WHEN that you stated in the lead.
Source/Attribution 8th Paragraph: Give
details on who is/are the source of the details
you said in the
story.
For QUOTES: One-sentence quotes only.
Insert one quote between the 2nd or 3rd
paragraphs or between the 3rd and 4th
paragraphs. The quotes must add
additional information and must NOT
repeat what is said in the preceding
paragraph.
 …

• HIERARCHY OF FACTS METHOD FOR

NEWS WRITING.docx
• transforming1.pdf
• transforming2.pdf
 MORE sample news.

Rodrigo Duterte sworn in as the

Philippines' 16th president on Thursday, capping
the unlikely journey of a provincial city mayor
whose brash man-of-the-people style pledges to
crush crimes.
THE LEAD: dramatizes the WHO? WHAT? SO, WHAT?
OTHER Ws must be in the succeeding paragraphs, it
comes as bonus points only if they appear in the lead.
THE LEAD should not be more than 35 words.
 …
The 71-year-old chief executive broke with tradition
by taking his oath at the Malacanang presidential palace,
instead of hosting an inaugural rally, which he said would
only cause traffic jams in the already congested streets
of the capital.
Pres. Duterte declared before a Supreme Court
justice that he would "preserve and protect" the
constitution, which analysts say will likely see major
changes during his six years in office.
THE SECOND paragraph elaborates the
‘where’, THE NEXT paragraph presents the gist
of his inaugural speech.
 …

"True change is the mandate of my government, I will fight

corruption and the rampant illegal drug trade" the new president
said in his inaugural speech.
"I was elected as president to serve the entire country. I serve
everyone. But not only one.“
In a nod to his millions of followers on social media, Duterte's
inauguration was broadcast online using Facebook Live, allowing
Filipino workers abroad, who overwhelmingly voted for him, to
witness the event.   

THE FOURTH and fifth paragraphs present direct quotations, while

the sixth paragraph gives extra details on his inauguration.
 …

On his election campaign, he promised to

solve crime and drug abuse problem, Duterte
said the fight "will be relentless and it will be
sustained".
But he also said he knows "the limits of the
power and authority of the president", adding "I
know what is legal and what is not". During the
campaign he had threatened to shoot criminals
and kill drug dealers.  
NOTE: It presents ‘backgrounders’ as
juxtaposed in his speech.
 …

In three decades in politics, he has never lost an

election. He is also the first city mayor to be elected
president without previously having held a national
position.
"I think this is a fresh change," Jenny Lind Elmaco, a
Manila-based political observer and women's rights
advocate, told Al Jazeera.
"Duterte is an authentic leader. He does not hide
behind pleasantries, sugar-coat his opinions or mince his
words." 
NOTE: This part presents details on his leadership style. 
 …

During the campaign, Duterte vowed to amend the

constitution and support federalism, which he said would
help to end a Muslim rebellion in the country's south.
With a promise to break apart what he called the
domination of "Imperial Manila", Duterte now faces the
challenge of building on strong economic growth while
fulfilling his promise to fight corruption and end crime.

NOTE: This part presents his economic agenda/ likeness

for federalism as he said during campaign periods.
 …

Jose Torres, director of the National Press Club of

the Philippines, told Al Jazeera that the benefits of
economic growth were "not really felt" by the poorest.
He said Duterte was "able to take advantage of the
despair of the poor and the middle class" towards the
ruling class.
A problem for Duterte, however, is that he has
overpromised, Torres said.
"My only hope is he will be able to fulfill at least 25
percent of what he promised."
NOTE: Some details on Duterte’s downsides.
 THANK
YOU FOR
LISTENING

END OF SESSION