News Writing

Mary Evanssayhello@maryevanswriter.c

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What is News?

News is… timely

An event or something that has happened; a change of policy; a new product or the opinion of a

relevant person.

What is News?

News… reflects change

News is something that makes today different from yesterday.

What is News?

News… affects people

The biggest news is what affects the largest number of people.

What is News?

News is…

• Current – this is happening now• Relevant – this affects YOU• Informative – this is what/how/why it is happening

• Important – this is something you need to know

But above all…

NEWS

IS

NEW!!

New News

Brings us brand new information:

OBAMA EATS GERBIL

WAR DECLARED ON NORWICH

CELLULITE TO BE CRIMINALISED

New News

OR… puts a new spin on information we already knew:

DISGRACED CABINET MINISTER ‘ALSO KICKED KITTENS’

JORDAN’S LOVE-CHILD: DNA TEST SHORTLIST REVEALED

Is it News?

• The Pub Test: Would it make your friends put their pints down?

• The Bong Test: Does it fit between the ‘bongs’ on News at Ten?

• The Pocket Test: Will it affect the reader’s pocket?

• The ‘So What’ Test: Does anybody care?

How to write News

• Know your reader

• Know what you want to say

• Know what will grab their attention

How to write News

The IntroA good intro will:• Sum up the story• Contain the most important facts

• Be short and punchy• Use emotive words• Appeal to the reader

How to write News

The IntroShould always answer:

• Who?• What? • How?• Where?• When?• Why?

How to write News

The IntroWho? David Cameron / Darth Vader / 1DWhat? quit / massacred / revealedHow? in a wetsuit / bloodily / candidlyWhere? No 10 / Scunthorpe / on their blogWhen? this morning / yesterday / moments ago

Why? to swim with dolphins / after a disastrous Butlins holiday / they’re taking holy orders

How to write News

The IntroThe “six-word” ruleThe first six words of an intro

should:• Be gripping • Grab attention

• Contain the crux of the story

The First “Six” Words

George Osbourne unveiled drastic tax cuts for badgers last

night.

Simon Cowell sensationally announced today ‘I will be

Pope’.

Intro = In the know

If you read nothing else, a good intro has already told you the

story.

News story structure

The inverted triangle

NEWS GETS LESS IMPORTANT

the furtheryou go

down

News Structure

• Most important points first• Reverse chronology• Use relevant quotes• Predict what happens next

News structure

The hard news formula: W.H.A.T• What’s the story?• How did it happen?• Amplify the main points• Tie up the loose ends

Using Quotes

Quotes are ESSENTIAL to news stories. They provide:

• First person (eye-witness) accounts

• Expert opinion and/or analysis• Counter-argument (other side of the story)

• Veracity – this really happened

Using Quotes

“BU TO ACCEPT ORGANS FOR FEES”• Spokesman for BU defending option of kidneys for fee payment

• Student who wants to keep their liver

• Surgeon/Financier explaining pros and cons of dissecting students

Using Quotes

Do:• Be accurate• Take your time taking a quote• Quote sentences out of order• Tidy sentence construction BUT never in a way that changes the sense

Using Quotes

Don’t:• Quote out of context• Change sense• Make them up

Editing Quotes

“It’s like, yeah, it’s not like I don’t like people from

Bournemouth or anything, right, it’s just like I prefer people from Poole, d’ya know what I

mean?”

Editing Quotes

A Safe Edit:

“It’s not that I dislike people from Bournemouth, I just prefer

people from Poole.”

Editing Quotes

A Potentially Libellous Edit:

“I don’t like people from Bournemouth.”

News Headlines

A headline should:• Sell the story• Draw the reader in• Use 3 – 5 words (if possible)

News Headlines

• Don’t use articles (ie ‘the’ or ‘a’)

• Use one name (often surname, tabloids love nicknames)

• Use impact words (ie ‘slams’, ‘killer’, ‘shock’)

News Headlines

WORLD ENDS TOMORROW

iPHONE 5: ‘JUST LIKE 4’

BUDGIE KILLER GETS LIFE

EASTENDERS STAR TRIES ACTING

News Writing: Golden Rules

• KISS – Keep it simple, Stupid• Write it tight, write it right• Write in the past tense• Find your angle• Don’t bury the lead• Get it right

And Finally…

Please bring samples of news stories to your workshops for

discussion.

WDP DEADLINES

Assignment 1 (Letters and Memos)FRIDAY 19TH OCTOBER @ 12noon

Assignment 2 (News story/Press release)

FRIDAY 16TH NOVEMBER @ 12noon

Hard copies to Student Support (with a top sheet)