+

Writing the News StoryMr. Crimando in College

+We Still Need News Stories!

Don’t let the news on TV fool you; it’s imperative that we get fully developed news stories.

We need to be informed to be successful Where do we get our news?

+What Makes Up a News Story?

What are the parts of a news story?

+It’s Pretty Simple!

Gathered Information Lead Body Conclusion

NOTE: We are talking hard news here.

+The Good Old Inverted Pyramid

+How?

Before and after writing the lead, a reporter examines his or her notes carefully to see the story as a whole

Can group notes under information from the interview and sources from the fact-finding stage

Some reporters place notes in the 5 W’s & H categories

You might also write a focus statement (sentence or two) explaining what the story is about

+How?

After you write the lead, which usually includes all of the 5 W’s & H, you might add additional details in order of importance

You might add items that humanize the story, including opinions, after this

Last paragraph is least important

+Is the Inverted Pyramid Always the Best Way?

Some news editors and reporters are changing to keep readers interested.

+Paragraphs

Paragraphs in a news story are short; usually containing one main fact or one person’s opinions or explanation

Another fact, another person’s explanation, or commentary will be in a new paragraph—NOTE: while this is usually true, content comes first.

Paragraphs longer than 4 sentences look long to today’s weenie readers

+We Will Continue This on Thursday! Bring in the following for tomorrow:

GENERAL JOURNALISM: News Story for News Day; you will choose a story from the news and analyze this in class (20 points). This occurs every Wed. unless otherwise noted.

HONORS JOURNALISM: Tower Day; bring in a copy of The Tower to analyze and discuss in class! This occurs every Wed. unless otherwise noted.

+Let’s Try This:

Get into a group of 2-4 students. Select one major news story from the past year or so. List as many facts about the story as you can without worrying about order or importance. Then, relist them in order of most to least important. Why did you order them this way? Each group should write the best lead about that story as possible, then present it to the class.