Activity 1

1. Get your department newsletter

and go over with your articles.
2. What is your main article or
news?
3. Look at your lead. How many
words are in your lead?
 THE ABCS OF NEWS WRITING
• The first and most important is accuracy -- a story can be
creative and compelling, but if it contains errors, it is
worthless.
• Second is brevity. Each word in your story should do a
job. If not, take it out. Get to the point. Say it just once.
Don't be redundant.
• Clarity starts with complete, competent reporting. You
should understand your subject so completely that your
story leaves it crystal-clear in the reader's mind. Your
story should leave no questions unanswered. Avoid
jargon.
Key Learning
Points
• TheReport
News key elements of a News Report are:

1. Headline
Catches your
attention
Sums up the
story
 2. Byline
 Writer’s name
 Writer’s Specialty, e.g.
sports, food, crime,
current events

3. Placeline
Where the story begins
 4. Lead
The opening section
Gives most important
information
Should answer most of the
5W's
THE FIVE 'W's'
Who, What, When, Where, Why and sometimes How and So
What? You don't have to cover all these in the lead,
obviously, but usually you will address one or two in the
first graph.
The rest should come soon. Make sure they are all covered
somewhere in your story.
6. Quotation
What someone actually said
Adds accuracy
Adds “at the scene” feeling
News usually has at least one of these elements:
Impact. Impact is determined by the
number of people affected
Proximity. The closer your audience is to the
event, the greater its news value.
Timeliness. "New" is a big part of news.
Prominence. The public cares more about celebrities
than they do about people they don't know
Novelty. If an event is unusual, bizarre, the first, the
last, or once-in-a-lifetime, it is has more news value
Relevance. How does the story affect
the reader?
Usefulness. How can I use this information?
TEN-POINT CHECKOFF LIST
1. Accuracy
2. Brevity
3. Clarity
4. Be specific
5. Get to the point
6. Put things in order
7. Get quotes right
8. Write smooth/active voice
9. Grammar/spelling/AP style
10. Five Ws/answer all the questions
Body Construction and Organization
1.The body of the story explains or clarifies futures found in the lead
or add features not found in the lead.

2. The body of the story provides details and background

3. Keep paragraphs short. Those limited to 60 words

4. Paragraphs limited to one to three sentences preferred

5. Each paragraph should contain only one idea

6. Remember short paragraph encourage reader to continue reading

7. Use simple words. Don’t let reader look for dictionary.

8. Make sure information introduce or outlined in the lead is
covered in the same order in the body of the story.
9. Avoid introducing information at the end of the story.
10. Transitions are necessary to show the reader as a sense
of direction.
11. Add attributions of prominent persons.
12. Add faculty and students reactions.
13. Arrange your details in logical order
14. Before using acronyms of the word or phrase, elaborate
it first on the previous sentences
15. In attribution, use the position of the persons
• Editorializing- Keep your opinion out of the story
• Using first and second person – keep yourself out of the
story
• Poor grammar and spelling
• Too long paragraphs
• Misspelling names
• Trying to use all of the information

Needed to Void
 WHAT NOT TO DO IN LEADS
1. Don't make the lead too complicated. Don't load it
5. Don't begin
down with too with
many anames,
direct quote
figures if it isKeep
or details. a
full the
sentence. Don't
lead sentence shortstart with
-- never a quote
more than 35unless
words.
it2.isDon't begin with thequote.
an exceptional time, day or date, or place. Better
to focus on the action, the who or what.
6.3. Don't use a form of the verb to be
Don't begin with an empty, say-nothing expression or
in the
lead,a if you can
generality avoid
that it. distinguish
fails to Use an action verb.
this news from
7. Don't overstate
other news: the Innews
There were... inreleased
a report the lead,
today...
makingAccording to... dramatic than it really is.
it more
4. Don't begin with a question if the question is answered
Watch "disaster"
in the words.
story. Question leads are cliché leads.
 TENSE CHANGES WHEN USING
REPORTED SPEECH
ACTIVE VOICE, PASSIVE VOICE
Voice is that inflection of a verb that shows whether its
subject is the doer of the action indicated or is acted upon.
If the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active
voice. If the subject is acted upon, the verb is in the passive voice.
Active voice is dynamic. Passive voice is static. Active
voice is vigorous and emphasizes the actor. Passive voice is
evasive about naming the actor.
News writing should almost always be in the active voice
because news is about action and actors.
Normally, the tense in reported speech is one tense
back in time from the tense in direct speech:
She said, "I am tired." = She said that she was tired.
Phrase in Direct Speech Equivalent in Reported Speech
Simple present Simple past
"I always drink coffee", she said She said that she always drank coffee.
Present continuous Past continuous
"I am reading a book", he He explained that he was reading a
explained. book
Simple past Past perfect
"Bill arrived on Saturday", he said. He said that Bill had arrived on
Saturday.
Present perfect Past perfect
"I have been to Spain", he told me. He told me that he had been to Spain.
Past perfect Past perfect
"I had just turned out the light," he He explained that he had just turned
explained. out the light.
Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous
They complained, "We have been They complained that they had been
waiting for hours". waiting for hours.
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
"We were living in Paris", they told They told me that they had been
me. living in Paris.
Future Present conditional
"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he He said that he would be in Geneva on
said. Monday.
Future continuous Conditional continuous
She said, "I'll be using the car next She said that she would be using the
Friday". car next Friday.

You do not need to change the tense if the reporting verb is in the
present, or if the original statement was about something that is still
true, e.g.

 He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next one.
 We explained that it is very difficult to find our house.
These modal verbs do not change in
reported speech: might, could, would,
should, ought to:
 We explained, "It could be difficult to
find our house." = We explained that
it could be difficult to find our house.
 She said, "I might bring a friend to the
party." = She said that she might bring
a friend to the party.
Activity 2
Write a news article about
todays INSET. Be sure to follow
the tips you’ve learned.
“ There is no great writing
! Only great rewriting”
Nick Quaquin