Unit 2: Writing For Print Media 1. In any newspaper company, the department responsible for...
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Transcript of Unit 2: Writing For Print Media 1. In any newspaper company, the department responsible for...
Unit 2:
Writing For Print Media
1
In any newspaper company, the
department responsible for determining
the contents of the newspaper is the
Editorial Department.
The life span of a daily newspaper is 24
hours a day. Because of that, the two
main and important roles of journalist
are writing and editing of news
stories.
2
The key elements of a News Report are:
1. Headline
2. Byline
3. Placeline
4. Lead
5. Body
6. Ending
3
1. Headline
- Catches your attention
- Sums up the story
2. Byline
- Writer’s name
- Writer’s Specialty, e.g. sports, food, crime, current events
Example:
Hospital director stabbed
By Saifulizam Mohamad dan Amran Mulup
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3. Placeline & Date-Where the story begins and reported
Examples:
Utusan Malaysia: KUALA LUMPUR 3 May –
Kosmo. KOTA BHARU-
The Sun. PETALING JAYA (May 16, 2013)
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4. Leads
The most important structural element of a
story is the lead or "intro" — (the story's
first, or leading).
Charnley (2010) states that "an effective
lead is a 'brief, sharp statement of the
story's essential facts.'“
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The news reporter must master the lead. The lead is the first
paragraph of a news story. In fact, the lead is the most
important part of a news story because:-
1. it contains the most important facts of such a news
story.
2. summarizes the facts of a news story and it must be
attractive, interesting and readable
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The lead could extend to the second paragraph of the story
but under normal circumstances, it should not go into the
third paragraph.
Mencher (2010) says a lead should not exceed 35 words.
According to Mansor (2010) is ideally 20-25 words in
length.
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According to Mencher (2010) “The lead sentence
usually contains one idea and follows the subject-verb-
object sentence structure for clarity.”
This means the lead should begin with the subject,
followed by an active verb and conclude with the object
of the verb. This structure also makes the reporter to
write simple and short sentences.
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IMPORTANCE OF THE LEAD
1. The Lead Summarizes The News:
It gives the reader the sense of the story to follow and takes
him or her to the supporting facts or claims presented in the
opening statements.
2. The Lead Answers The Questions Raised By The 5Ws And H:
However, not all the answers provided by the 5Ws and H must
be present in every lead to make it acceptable but no
important one should be left out or omitted.
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3. The Lead Must Emphasize The News Feature:
The lead is expected to play up the most interesting or significant
aspect of the story. The news feature must be played up in the lead.
4. The Lead Must Attract Readers To The Story:
As the window of the story, the lead must get the attention of the reader
and sustain this till he or she gets into the story.
5. The Lead Should Suggest The Headline:
From the lead it becomes easy for the sub-editor or editor to cast the
headline for the story. The lead should help suggest this.
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Example of Lead:-
KUALA LUMPUR 24 Marc - Clark Barr, 45, Leah Tard, 42, and
Eileen Dover, 17 were injured when a bolt of lightning struck their
private plane, a Cessna 812, at 9:12 p.m. Friday. Barr suffered a
fractured leg, Tard cracked several of her ribs, and Dover, who
remains in intensive care at Serdang Hospital, broke both her
wrists and ankles after nearly drowning in the river after the plane
crashed. .
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5. News Body
The rest of the follow-up story should follow
the same balancing act of combining the
latest news with background information.
Generally, the newer developments should
be placed higher in the story, while the older
information should be lower down.
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Your article body should consist of supporting data and quotes
from those people that you have interviewed. You can also insert
statistics and images depending on the kind of story that you're
covering.
As your audience are pressed for time, find ways on how you
can make your whole article relatively short but meaty. You can
do this by using only the most effective words and by eliminating
irrelevant details from your content.
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Example of News Body:
Lead: KUALA LUMPUR- 3 May Police yesterday arrested a man who they say set the fire last week that killed two people in a house.
News Body: Police said Larson Jenkins, 23, used rags soaked with gasoline to set the fire at the house that killed his girlfriend, Lorena Halbert, 22, and her mother, Mary Halbert, 57.
Detective Jerry Groenig said Jenkins was apparently angry because Halbert had recently broken up with him.
The fire started around 3 a.m. last Tuesday and quickly swept through the house. Lorena and Mary Halbert were pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured.
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3. Ending
Placing a less important information.
Only to support the body and-lead.
Closing is the least important thing in
the news but pity if omitted.
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Example of Ending:
Lead: KUALA LUMPUR- 3 May. Police yesterday arrested a man who they say set the fire last week that killed two people in a house.
News Body: Police said Larson Jenkins, 23, used rags soaked with gasoline to set the fire at the house that killed his girlfriend, Lorena Halbert, 22, and her mother, Mary Halbert, 57.
Detective Jerry Groenig said Jenkins was apparently angry because Halbert had recently broken up with him.
Ending: The fire started around 3 a.m. last Tuesday and quickly swept through the house. Lorena and Mary Halbert were pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured.
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