news writing med 2

8/3/2019 News Writing Med 2

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Ms. Meden F. Fadriquela

School Paper AdviserNew Era University- High School Department

No. 9, Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City


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News is difficult to definebecause it has many

variables.

News must be factual, yetnot all facts are news.


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News is primarilyabout people,

what they

say anddo.


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A report of any event or situation.

A record of the most interesting,

important and accurate

information obtained about thethings man think andsays, sees and

describes, plansand does.


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It is anything published in anewspaper which interests

a large number of people


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News is any event, idea or

opinion that is timely, that interestsor affects a large number of

persons in a community, and that is

capable of being understood bythem.

- Dean M. Lyle Spencer

Former Dean, School of Journalism

Syracuse University


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According to CarlWarren, Former

Radio NewsEditor of NewYork Times, allnews is intendedto interest, informor entertainsomebody

somewhere large sections ofthe public.


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If something is happening NOW, it

is more newsworthy than if ithappened yesterday or last week or

two weeks ago. Oftentimes the

most newsworthy element in thestory is the most recent happening,

the latest thing in

a series of happenings.


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The news story must immediately tell the

impact of the event.

b. The value of the news depends upon the

newness of the happening.

c. It concerns not only of the recency(time of occurrence) but also primacy

(you gasp with surprise when you first

hear or see it is news to you, regardless

of age)


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How close to your readers is this

event taking place? All other things

being equal, something that ishappening in or near their location is

much more meaningful to them than

something taking place across townor across the world.


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Interests of the readers primarily

depends upon the closeness of their

own personal affairs.Closeness not only place but

interest.


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Is a well-known person part of thestory? Readers like to read about

people they know. If a person iswell-known, more readers will be

interested than if a person who is

mentioned is not known.


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A good example is thenewsworthiness of the classic

remark made by Charles A. Dana,in

1882: When a dog bites a man

that is not news, but when a man

bites a dog that is news.


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How will this event impact yourreaders? How important is it?

Something that is more important

will be more newsworthy than

something that is of little

importance, all other things beingequal.


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Is there a conflict between persons in the

story? A rivalry? A misunderstanding?

People are naturally drawn to conflict

and find it fascinating.

This element is essential in catching the

attention of the readers like the intenseconflicts of the different political groups

in the Philippines.


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Anything that appeals

to the readers

emotionsmakeshim laugh, cry, get

angry, feel sympathy,

etc.has the

potential for human

interest.


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Another factor in stimulating the

appeal and interest of the readers.

The continuing suspense of day-to-day news events will always attract

the attention of the reading public.


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News story thatis appealing to

the readers,irrespective of itspoint of origin,such as local,community,national andinternational.


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Suggest the breadth and extension of

the news.


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It adds color and vitality to the story.


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Mystery, suspense,

comedy, the unusual, thebizarre are chief elements

of drama


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It is present in stories of romance,

marriage, divorce and other

relationships.


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Involves any significant change for

the betterment of mankind.


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Special Types of News Stories

A. According to style of presentation

1. Straight News- the data arepresented

in direct fashion using the summarylead.

2. News Features the data are

presentedindirectly through the use of noveltylead.


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B. According to place of occurrence

1. Local News the event that happenswithin the locality of the reader.

2. Foreign News the events takes place

outside the country.


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C. According to content

1. Science and Technology News

2. Developmental Communication

3. Sports News


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D.According to sources

1. Action Story

the reporter himself is aneyewitness of the event that happened.

2. Based on the record news

The information are gathered from therecords like the police stations, hospitals

and other agencies.

3. Based on interview -

Interviewing the persons

who know the event.


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E. According to page makeup

1. Single incident story one event only.

2. Composite Feature more than one

event that happened at the same time.

3. News Brief news item usually not

more than two paragraphs.

4. Bulletin important last minute news of

a running story printed on the front page

in boldfaced type and maybe boxed.


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5. Flash

It presents only the basic facts of a fresh

story that comes in too late to be printedin full news item.

6. Side bar storyBrief news item on some

lighter aspects of an event

placed side by side to a

related significant news.

F A di t th f


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F. According to the sequence of

occurrence

1. Advance News

A report of expected event

2. Spot News

A report of event which the writer hasactually witnessed.

3. Coveragebased on given assignment

or beat like news gathered from hospitals

police stations, and other agencies.

4. Follow-up News recent development

of reported event.

THE LEAD


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THE LEAD

In writing the story, we are interested toknow the LEAD which is the

introductory sentence of the news story.

Classification of Leads

According to purpose:

1. Conventional or Summary lead

2. Unconventional, unorthodox

or novelty lead


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According to construction, leads maybeclassified into 3 groups:

1. Who-What-When-Where-Why-How

leads

This is the oldest type known tojournalists and has come to be known

as the 5Ws and an HI have six honest serving men

(They taught me all I know)

Their names are What and Whyand When and How and Where

and Who

Th Wh l d


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The Who lead

Names make news,

especially prominentones. It maybe one

person, several

persons, or anorganization.

However, the lead

should avoidfeaturing more than

3 personal names.


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The What lead (or event feature)

Most straight news leads play up

what the story is all about.

A struggle to protect or increase

respectivenumbers of congressmen onopposing sides of the impeachmentfence began yesterday at the House of

Representatives.


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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.


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The How leadoften 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 theycover the news.


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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 individualtax returns.


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The Where lead

Convalescent homes in Solanohavebeen the sites for beauty contests to

choose representatives to

the 7th Annual My Fair

Lady Pageant, where

Contestants aremostly in their

70s and 80s.

Ch t i ti f G d L d


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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 Sovietgymnasts.

What: travel

Who: US developmental gymnastsWhere: Soviet Union

When: June

Why: to take a closer look

2 St t ith th f t f th t


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2. Starts with the feature of the story,which may either be the most

important or most interesting fact orboth.

3. It must be short- usually 25-35

words if it is one paragraph.


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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.

S h f h h


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6. Suggests the source of the news whennecessary.

in stories which foretell something notgenerally 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 A id l di h fi f


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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 instories in which citing

the source would be

unnecessary.

H i S L d


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How to write a Summary Lead

1.First study carefully the notes that you

took for the story, selecting the 5Ws andH. It is best for beginners to list the

5Ws and H on a sheet of paper, and

opposite each, write the appropriateact.

2. Choose the feature on

the basis of news valuesand your readers

what will interest them.

3 A h i i 5W d H i


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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 othercharacteristics of a good

summary lead.

6. Test your lead.7. Rewrite the lead if

you can improve it.

Th U i l NOVELTY l d


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The Unconventional or NOVELTY lead

It uses any device that will

attract attention, arouse curiosity,or sustain interest. It adds vigor andcolor to writing and does notcontain the gist of the story, butmerely serves as an introduction


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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 readers

interest.

Types of Novelty leads:


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Types of Novelty leads:

1. Narrative Lead It draws the reader

into the story by allowing him to relatehimself 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 somelast minute shopping. I was looking for theabridged versions of the classic Heidi andthe Secret Garden to give to my nieces

when I saw a vaguely familiar title: The ladyor the Tiger. As I traced the embossed title,a particular memory flooded myconsciousness.

2 D i ti l d


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2. Descriptive lead

It illustrates a mental picture of the

subject to the reader. This is effective inwriting a personality sketch.

The night fell as we descended the summit

of Mt. Makiling. The cicadas were sending usoff with their choir. While walking, we couldnt

stop imagining the possible appearance of

Maria Makiling, who accordingto legend, is the goddess

of this mountain.

3. Quotation lead


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3. Quotation leadThis statement is uttered by well-

known person or celebrity.You stole the presidency, not

onlyonce but twice.Shouted SusanRoces, widow of Fernando Poe Jr., duringa gathering of the opposition, denouncingPres. Gloria Macapagal

Arroyos alleged vote

rigging during the

2004 election.

4 Question lead


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4. Question lead

A thought provoking question to capture

the interest of reader and lead them tofind the answer provided by thesucceeding 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


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5. Teaser

A device to deceive the reader in a jesting

manner to arouse his curiosity and gentlylead 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


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6. Punch leadIt is short, striking one-sentence lead.

Hungry farmers are selling not onlytheir carabaos but also their children.

7. Freak lead - it uses typographicaleffects to enhance its appeal.

Wanted: Filipino doctors and nurses.This is the appeal of several government-ownedhospitals which face closure due to the exodusof many Pinoy doctors and nurses abroad.

8 Astonisher lead


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8. Astonisher lead It uses an exclamatory sentence.

NSPC 2006 Champion!Bold red letters printed on a three-meter long

streamer was over the gate of the New Era

University when the Hudyat, Official Student

Publication of the Elementary

Department won as Best

School Paper during the

National Schools PressConference held in Kalibo,

Aklan, February 22-26.

9 One word lead


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9. One word lead

It uses a very significant word to capture

or arouse the interest of the reader.Bang!

Sprinters from the different divisions of the

National Capital Region zoomed bullets to thefinishing line in a 100-meter dash

during the National Capital Region

Athletic Association (NCRAA)Meet, Held at Amoranto

Stadium, Quezon City, April 1-6.

10 Parody lead


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10. Parody lead

It consists of a parody of a well-known

quotation, song, poem, book or movie filmtitle.

You only live once, but if you live it

right, once is enough.This familiar adageproved true to Clarence Castillo,a young boy

who died while rescuing his younger brother at

the height of flooding in Infantatown in Quezon last year for

he was posthumously

awarded for his bravery.

11 Background lead


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11. Background lead

It describes an event in which the

background overshadows the individualwho participate in it; often use storiesabout carnivals, festivals, dances and

others.It was like the school was put in a time

machine and was led back to the past when

teachers and students who participated in theBuwan ng Wika program, gathered in front of

the four-storey building garbed in old

Filipiniana costumes.

12 Contrast lead


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12. Contrast lead

* it is used to point up opposites and

extremes.Four years ago, she fought for the

installation of Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo

as President of the Philippines through

EDSA II Revolution. Today, former

President Corazon Aquino

is calling for GMAs

resignation.

13 Staccato lead


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13. Staccato lead

Usually consists of series of words or

phrases, punctuated by periods,commas or dashes.

Neglected. Denuded. Abused. and

Abandoned. This is the real picture of ourforest today.

HARD N & SOFT N


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HARD News & SOFT News

Journalists today often refer to hardnews and soft news.

HARD News

is important to large numbers ofpeople.

is timely

usually about events in government,politics, education, foreign affairs,labor, religion, courts, etc.

SOFT News


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SOFT News usually less important because it

entertains, although it may alsoinform

often less timely than hard news

includes human interests andfeature stories which may relate tohard news.

appeals more to emotions than tothe intellect or the desire to beinformed.

HARD News


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HARD News

Despite its importance, usuallyattracts fewer readers because itmay not be as interesting as

soft news ormaybe more

difficult

to understand.

3 Factors Essential to News


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3 Factors Essential to News

Facts

Interest

Readers

The basis of all news is


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The basis of all news isFACT.

The job of the reporter is tomake facts INTERESTING to

a particular group ofREADERS

N b f l


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News must be factual

News is based on actual

occurrences, situations,thoughts and ideas.

Yet, not all facts are news

News must be interesting


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News must be interesting.

But not all facts are interesting.

Different facts

will be interesting

to different

readers.

Qualities that distinguish news from


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Qua t es t at d st gu s e s o

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


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Reporters must questiontheir sources carefully.

Informantssometimes

misinform althoughrarely on purpose.

2 It is BALANCED


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2. It is BALANCED.

Balanced in a news story isa matter of emphasis andcompleteness.

News is considered balanced


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News is considered balancedand complete when all

significant details are includedand have proper relationship

with each other.

The purpose of balance is to give the

reader a fair understanding of the

event, not a detailed account of everyfact.

3 It is OBJECTIVE


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3. It is OBJECTIVE

News is a factual report, nota report of how the reporterthought something should

have been.

A reporter must report news

as impartially and honestlyas possible.

Objectivity is difficult to


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Objectivity is difficult toachieve because areporters own opinions and

feelings can easily interfere

with factual presentation instories.

4 It is CONCISE and CLEAR


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4. It is CONCISE and CLEAR

Hard news stories almostalways follow the invertedpyramid and are written

concisely and clearly so thatthe meaning is clear to anaverage reader.

Guidelines of the Inverted Pyramid


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LEAD SENTENCE : 5 WsUse catchy statements (clever,

funny, surprising, provocative)

DETAILSUse quotes from

interviewees

Wrap upUse a quote or

catchy

phrase

Guidelines of the Inverted Pyramid

5 It is RECENT


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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


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1. Use a simple sentence.

2. Do not overload the beginning paragraphwith the answer of 5Ws and H. Rememberthat the second paragraph is a secondarylead too.

3.Do not use an important or unusual wordtwice in the same sentence.

4. Avoid, when possible the use of

articles such as a, an, the asthe beginning word of the lead.

Rules in Paragraph Construction


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g p

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, phrasesand other similar grammatical construction

at the beginning of each paragraph.

4. Do not put direct quotation andindirect quotation in the same

paragraph.

5. One sentence paragraph is preferred in


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writing news. But if it cannot be avoided itshould not exceed three sentences

6. For easy reading, average number ofwords per sentence should be between 15to 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 leastimportant ones for lack of space.

Qualities of a News Writer


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Q

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


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2. Inquisitive

3. Patient4. Fair

5. Interested with people

6. Always seeks for truth7. Resourceful

8. Reliable

9. Has wide vocabulary10. Wide reader

Q


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When love and skill work together,

expect a masterpiece. John Ruskin

news writing med 2

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