ALVIN B. HIZONDivision Journalism Trainer

Definition of NewsA first rough draft of history. Philip L. Graham, American publisher, 1915-1963

Definition of NewsWhat you see is news, what you know is background, what you feel is opinion. Lester Markel, American journalist, 1894-1977

Definition of NewsIn the final analysis news may be defined as any accurate fact or idea that will interest a large number of readers; and of any two stories, the accurate that interests the greater number of people is better.

LYLE SPENCERJournalism education pioneer

Definition of NewsAnything that you can find out today that you didnt know before.

TURNER CATLEDGEFormer editor, New York Times

Definition of NewsA master passion is the love of news. George Crabbe, British poet, 1754-1832

Definition of NewsJournalism is literature in a hurry. Matthew Arnold, British poet and critic, 1822-1888

Definition of NewsNEWS is a report.

It MUST be objective.

Judging Newsworthiness

What is news and what is not?The answer is that they do it in exactly the same way as everybody else.

For example, which do you think is more interesting: a) A girl going to primary school, to high school, or to university?b) A man aged 25 marrying a girl aged 20, or a man aged 55 marrying a girl aged 15?c) A car killing a chicken, a pig or a child?

Criteria of News

It has to be new!If it is not new, it cannot be news.

The assassination of Ninoy Aquino is unusual, interesting, significant and about people, but it cannot possibly be reported in tomorrow's papers, because it is not new.

It has to be unusual!Man bites dog!

Definition of NewsMan bites dog.

-United Press International

What makes a story interesting?Impact Immediacy Proximity Prominence Novelty Conflict Emotions

A HUSBAND WITH FIVE WIVES?EXAMPLE Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry yesterday in a bid top cut taxes. (Hicks, 1999)

Consider ReadersReaders are in a hurry. Readers have short attention spans. Readers want stories that personally connect. Readers want stories told in a compelling way. There's more than just one type of reader.

KISS and tell?News should be specific, not general; clear not vague.Telling the 5W-1H is one way of achieving this.

The LanguageMost news stories in broadsheets, tabloids or provincial press are written in the PAST TENSE.Sentences are mostly active rather than passive.Concise writing is the norm.Sentences and paragraphs are usually short.

KISS and tell?K-eepI-tS-hort andS-imple

Sources of NewsConflicts: This category includes wars, strikes, revolutions, secessionist groups, tribal and clan fights, elections and the power battles of politics.Disaster and tragedy: This may include air crashes, train crashes, ships sinking, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or human tragedies like children falling down deep wells from which they cannot be rescued.

Sources of NewsProgress and development: Development is always news in a developing country. The report should be always of how the changes affect people's lives, for better or for worse. New ideas or progress in one area may stimulate ideas in another. Development stories may include education, the development of new technology, improvement of farming techniques, road building and irrigation schemes.

Sources of NewsCrime: Any crime can be news, whether it is a road traffic offence, break and enter, corruption, forgery, rape or murder.Money: These stories include fortunes made and lost, school fees, taxes, the Budget, food prices, wage rises, economic crises and compensation claims.The underdog: One traditional role of the journalist is to defend the rights of the little person - the soldier against the unjust officer, the innocent man against false charges, the poor against exploitation.

Sources of NewsFamous people: Prominent men and women make news. What people in the public eye do, the lives they lead and what they look like, are all of interest. It is especially newsworthy when they fall from power, lose their money or are involved in scandal.

Sources of NewsHealth: Many people are concerned with their health, so they are interested in stories about traditional remedies, medical research, diseases, hospitals and clinics, drugs, diet and exercise.Sex: All societies are interested in sex, even if they do not talk about it openly. Many news stories about sex involve behavior which goes outside society's generally accepted standards.

Entertainment: Stories about who is doing what, who is performing where, and what it is worth going to see or hear.Sport: They all want to know sports results, news of sportsmen and sportswomen and their achievements.Human interest: A child going abroad for surgery; a pilot recovering from injuries received in an air crash and determined to fly again; or a man with a collection of a million picture postcards.

Straight NewsNews told in direct fashionTime element is vital. News gets stale very fast.Brief, tersely written and gives a factual account of an event

JUST THE FACTSWhen you write a story, you must try to be objective, truthful and fair. When you select your facts carefully and arrange them skillfully, you can communicate without inserting your own opinion.

THE SHAPE OF NEWS STORIESDear Mom and Dad, I don't want you to worry about me, but I have some news for you which you are not going to like. I met a boy here at the start of the semester and he likes me a lot. Well, we have been seeing a lot of each other and ...

THE SHAPE OF NEWS STORIESDear Mom and Dad, I am PREGNANT.

The Inverted PyramidBackground Minor DetailLeast Significant InformationLEAD-most important/interesting informationMore facts

The Inverted PyramidThis news writing format summarizes the most important facts at the very start of the story.

The Inverted PyramidStandard form of presentation of news storiesProceeds from the most important to the least importantPresents facts in the order of decreasing importance presented in a logical sequenceDirect and impersonalUses short paragraphsOnly one main idea each paragraphMakes the reader know whos responsible for statement presented

Advantages of the Inverted PyramidAllows hurried reader to grasp the essentials without going beyond the leadHelps the headline writerMeets the cut-off test (The last paragraph may be cut off without impairing the meaning of the story)

Disadvantages of the Inverted PyramidIt gets repetitive, and it doesn't always organize the story material logically or engagingly.

Types of NewsAccording to chronology or sequence:AdvancedSpotCoverageFollow-up

Types of NewsAccording to structure:straightnews feature

Types of NewsAccording to treatment:fact storyaction storyquote/speech storyinterview story

Types of NewsAccording to content:sciencedevelopmentalpolice storyroutine story

Types of NewsAdvanced Forms:interpretativein-depth

News stories usually come from: events that are sudden and unpredictable; events that are scheduled and predictable; news releases alerting the media to noteworthy events or topics; ideas generated by readers, editors or reporters; and your own ideas.Where Stories Come From

Closing the information gap between what you already know to what you do not know (what you still have to know)As a take off point, you, the news writer should find the 5Ws and 1HData Gathering Defined

Primary SourcesFirst hand information (expert interviews) People who are directly involvedReports prepared by people directly involved (journals)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

2. Secondary sourcesProvides information supporting the primary source SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Sources provide the raw material that reporters turn into stories. Without them, there is no news. Reporters are only as good as their sources. Every reporter must learn how to: select sources for relevance; check sources for accuracy; balance sources for fairness; and cultivate sources for tips and future story ideas.The more sources you use, the better the depth, context and reliability of your reporting will be.

FINDING AND USING SOURCES

The main types of sources to consult: newsmakers spokespeople experts official records reference material ordinary people

FINDING AND USING SOURCES

Plagiarism can ruin a reporter's career. Some ways to avoid committing plagiarism: quote and credit the source; paraphrase, while still crediting the source; and rework and reword the idea until it's more yours that theirs.

Thou Shalt Not Plagiarize

The ability to observe events accurately and record details faithfully is the secret to great reporting. Sight Sound Action Emotion

OBSERVATION

What's the best way to record the facts and quotes you gather for a story? It all starts with your notebook. A typical page in a reporter's notebook Which is the best way to take notes? notebooks tape recorders typing

TAKING NOTES

Ask Yourself: "Which Type of Interview Should This Be?"Long, formal interview Quick phoner Walkaround On-the-fly chat BackgrounderINTERVIEW

ATTRIBUTIONS Collect facts, opinions and quotes from the best possible sourcesthen attribute them.Should It Be "Said" or "Says"?News stories are almost always written in the past tense. But the present tense is appropriate for reviews, feature stories and broadcast newswriting.

Other Life-Savers

MATH FOR JOURNALISTS Using figures can help make your stories more relevant and readable. A brief review of: calculating percentages figuring the mean and the median working with polls and surveys

Other Life-Savers

Are everyday storiesBelieved to become dull and too straightforwardProgram stories, community events done regularly, school contests, among others

Routine Events

Reporters should focus.Find one person to tell the story. For example, at a graduation, find one graduate or parent -- or person who idolizes the speaker. Find one fifth-grader at Earth Day who is nagging her parents about recycling.Try some spins and get the odd features of the event so it wont appear a boring news in print.

Covering Routine Events

Another tip for non-creative reporters: Tell them to go with a photographer and tell them to keep asking the shooter, "What are you seeing? What's interesting to you." Photogs have an uncanny ability to find the good stuff.Look for the basic human element. Ask yourself and your writer: What's this story really about?

No small stories, only small minds.-Chip Scanlan

1. Use a person's full name and title the first time you mention him or her in an article. For example, write Charles Everett, professor of communication, not Prof. Everett. Once people have been fully identified, refer to them by last name only. There are exceptions, so always check the AP stylebook.

2. Spell out abbreviations or acronyms on first reference. For example, use City College of Calamba the first time you refer to the college in a story. You may use CCC on any references made after that. Another example would be to use DAR only after you have spelled out Department of Agrarian Reform on first reference.

3. Abbreviate months when used with days, and use numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) not ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc.). Exceptions are March, April, May, June, and July -- write them out, don't abbreviate. For example, write Sept. 2, 2008, not September 2nd, 2008. But, when using only the month and year, spell out the month.

4. Generally, spell out the numbers zero through nine and use numerals for 10 and higher. Note, however, that numbers used at the beginning of a sentence are spelled out. Example: Five hundred twenty-four students attended. It is better, however, to rewrite the sentence so that it does not begin with a number. Example: Attending the event were 524 students from local colleges. Years are one of the exceptions. For example: 2008 was a bad year for investors.

5. But use numerals even for ages younger than 10. This is another exception to the aforementioned number rule. When used like an adjective, say X-year-old, including the hyphens. Otherwise, don't use the hyphens. For example: The 5-year-old girl accompanied her brother, who is 8 years old.

6. Spell out the word "percent" but use numerals for the actual number. Examples: Participation increased 5 percent. Nearly 28 percent of all students don't like algebra. Exception: use may use the % sign in headlines.

7. To indicate time, use figures and lowercase letters (9 a.m., 6 p.m.). Put a space between the figure and the letters. Exceptions are noon and midnight. Do not say 12 noon or 12 midnight -- it's redundant.

8. Capitalize formal titles used before a name. For example, write DepED Secretary Jesli Lapus. Very long titles may be shortened or summarized unless they are essential to the story, but the shortened form should not be capitalized (for example, you may use spokesperson instead of Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications). Use lowercase when formal titles follow a name (e.g., Jesli Lapus, DepED secretary). General titles, such as astronaut Neil Armstrong and actor Matt Damon, are lowercase.

9. Capitalize formal titles and names of people, places, or things to set them apart from a general group. These include proper nouns such as Mike, Canada, Hudson River, and St. John's Church. But use lowercase for common nouns (i.e. nouns not coupled with a proper name), such as the river or the church. Also, put a word in lowercase when you have more than one proper noun sharing the word. Example: Tarlac and Quezon provinces. Capitalize the first word in a sentence. Refer to the dictionary or AP Stylebook, if needed. When in doubt, use lowercase.

10. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Miss, Mrs., or Ms., except in direct quotes or where needed to distinguish between people of the same name. Using courtesy titles may be polite. And the New York Times uses them in its articles. But it is not AP style.

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