HOW TO

WRITE A
NEWSPAPER
ARTICLE
 THE • THIS IS THE FIRST SENTENCE OF A
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, AND THE
“LEAD” MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE
ARTICLE.

• ANSWERS WHO, WHAT, WHEN,

WHERE, WHY, AND HOW
• TYPICALLY A LONG SENTENCE
 THE • EXAMPLE: It didn’t take long for
“LEAD” swine flu to show up at Vista del Lago
High School in California’s Sacramento
County: About 10 a.m. on Aug. 10, two
hours into the first school day,
administrators got a call with news that
a freshman who had stayed home that
morning had a confirmed case.
 THE • Place the most important facts at the
beginning of the broadcast and
“PYRAMID” additional information was mentioned
in order of descending importance
• This is done because people often don’t
read an entire article, and need the
important information quickly
QUOTES • “Quotes can be a wonderful tool for a
news writer, when used appropriately,”
explained longtime journalist Doug
Wood-Boyle, who has worked in the
field for over a quarter century.
• Quotes provide a real-life context to the
information in an article.
REVIEW • Have a “lead”
– Who, what, where, when, why and how

• Use pyramid format

– Move from most important information to
less important information
• Include a quote
– Eyewitness accounts and personal opinions
add legitimacy to your journalism