Writing a News Story

Writing a News Story
1. What can I write about? What is news?

On the surface, defining news is a simple task. News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues. But a newspaper does not only print news of the day. It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.

Choosing what's news can be harder.

The reporter chooses stories from the flood of information and events happening in the world and in their community. Stories are normally selected because of their importance, emotion, impact, timeliness and interest. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!

2. Identify what kind of a story it is

Hard news (+/- 600 words): This is how journalists refer to news of the day. It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper.

It starts with a summary lead. What happened? Where? When? To/by whom? Why? (The journalist's 5 W's). It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.

Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.

Soft news (+/-600 words): This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive. Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations. As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news.

Feature (+/-1500 words): A news feature takes one step back from the headlines. It explores an issue. News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy. They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item. Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.

Features are journalism's shopping center. They're full of interesting people, ideas, color, lights, action and energy. Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.

Hint: Remember to "balance" your story. Present the opinions of people on both sides of an issue and let the readers make their own decision on who to believe. No personal opinions are allowed. The quotes from the people you interview make up the story. You are the narrator.

Editorial: The editorial expresses an opinion. The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.


3. Structure for your article

The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple: a lead and the body.

The lead
One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story. Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is to summarize the story and/or to draw the reader in (depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).

In a hard news story, the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow. It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible. (e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)

In a soft news story, the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion. This type of opening is somewhat literary. Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader. (e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.

The body
The body of the story involves combining the opinions of the people you interview, some factual data, and a narrative which helps the story flow. A word of caution, however. In this style of writing, you are not allowed to "editorialize" (state your own opinion) in any way.

Remember:

The role of a reporter is to find out what people are thinking of an issue and to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue. These comments make up the bulk of the story. The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole. Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).

As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.

Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:

Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.

An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?

4. Further tips for news writing

Finding story ideas

Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your friends are talking about.


Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.


Think of a youth angle to a current news story.


Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.


Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.
Newsgathering

Begin collecting articles on your subject.


Talk to friends and associates about the subject.


Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.


Create a list of people you want to interview; cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.


Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.
Interviewing do's and don'ts

Be polite.


Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."


Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).


Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.


Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.


Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.


Don't attack the source.


Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.


On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.
Organizing the information

Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.


Review your notes.


Look for a common theme.


Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.


Develop a focus.


Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.
Writing and editing

Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.


Don't be afraid to rewrite.


Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.


Avoid run-on sentences.


Be direct.


Tell a good story.


Tell the reader what you think they want to know.


Always ask yourself what the story is about.


Read the story out loud; listen carefully.


1. Find a topic
2. Find an angle
3. Collect data
4. Gather Interview
5. Write the story
6. Edit the story

The five freedoms of the first amendments
-Speech
-Assembly
-Religion
-Press
-Petition

Tinker Standard
-Tinker vs. Des Moines School District(1960)
-Black armbands in 1965
-Student speech cannot be censored as long as it does not "materially disrupt class work or invole substantial disorder or invaion of the rights of others."

The Fraser Standard
-Bethel School District vs. Fraser(1986)
-Innopropiate speech for class president
-Because schools officials have an "interest in teaching students the boundaries of social appropiate behavior," they can sensor student speech that is vulgar or indecent, even if it does not cause a "material or substantial disruption."

The Hazelwood Standard
-Hazelwood School district vs. Kuhlmeier(1988)
-Censor stories in student newspaper about teen pregnancy and divorce
-Things can be censored if it goes against the teachings of the schools


The Frederick Standard
-January 2002, Olympic torch travels through town
-Principle Morse cancels school
-Senior Frederick unveils banner on the sidewalk across street reads "Bong Hits 4 Jesus"
-Suspended for 10 days

Elements of Libel
-A defamatory statement
-Published to at least one other person
-Is false

Superbowl Commercials

What is the company?
PlayStation 2
Who is the target audience:
Gamers (males 18-30 years old)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor, action
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Quick edits
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Live in your world, play in ours
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, it was funny and got my attention

What is the company?
Budweiser
Who is the target audience:
Football fans
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Animals and humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
The rewind
What is the slogan/message for the company?
No slogan
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes because of the punch line

What is the company?
Chrysler
Who is the target audience:
Females
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Sleek and smooth
What is the slogan/message for the company?
No slogan
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, I'm a guy

What is the company?
Pepsi
Who is the target audience:
Pop drinkers
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Has to have visual to make it work
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Its a twist on a great thing
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, it was funny and I liked it

What is the company?
FedEx
Who is the target audience:
People who have seen Castaway
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Flash backs
What is the slogan/message for the company?
No slogan
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes cause i have seen the movie

What is the company?
Dodge
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Fast shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Grab life by the horns
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i don't like Dodge

What is the company?
Gatoraid
Who is the target audience:
Sports players and athletes
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Action shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Is it in you?
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, i love gatoraid

What is the company?
SportsCenter
Who is the target audience:
ESPN watchers
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Two different locations
What is the slogan/message for the company?
This is SportsCenter
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, its not the funny

What is the company?
H&R block
Who is the target audience:
Adults doing their taxes
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Different scenes
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Don't get bad advice
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i don't do my taxes

What is the company?
Budlight
Who is the target audience:
Adults
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Different people's reactions
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Make it a bud light
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i can't buy beer

What is the company?
Visa
Who is the target audience:
Credit card owners
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity and humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Different angles
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Its everywhere you want to be
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No I don't have a check card

Definition:
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.

It is the telling of current events that are news worthy through Internet, radio, television, magazine or newspaper.

List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.

TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1 . Timeliness- Care about things that are happening now Ex. Health care, Hatti

2. Significance - Many people are impacted Ex. 9/11

3. Unusualness - Something unusual Ex. man bites dog

4. Prominence - Famous people Ex. Brittany Spears gets head shaved

5. Proximity - Things that occur that are close to you Ex. Twins news

6. Human Interest Stories - Stories that make you feel good Ex. Man saves kitty




What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. control what you read

2. Don't have to wait for news to come on

3. Newspaper can go to much more detail


What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?

1. Videos and sound clips

2. Shows live updates

3. Professional explain story for you, access anywhere


Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?
You can have a bit of both of broadcast and print journalism. You can choose to watch videos and listen to sound clips just like broadcast journalism. You can also choose to read about topics just like print journalism.