Writing A News Story

Writing a News Story
1. What can I write about? What is news?

News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues. It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.

2. Identify what kind of a story it is

Hard news (+/- 600 words): This is how journalists refer to news of the day. It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper.

It starts with a summary lead. What happened? Where? When? To/by whom? Why? (The journalist's 5 W's). It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.

Soft news (+/-600 words): This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive. Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations. As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news.

Feature (+/-1500 words): A news feature takes one step back from the headlines. It explores an issue. News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy. They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item.

Hint: Remember to "balance" your story. Present the opinions of people on both sides of an issue and let the readers make their own decision on who to believe.

Editorial: The editorial expresses an opinion. The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news.

3. Structure for your article

The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple: a lead and the body.

The lead
its function is to summarize the story and/or to draw the reader in (depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story

In a hard news story, the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow. It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible.

In a soft news story, the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion. This type of opening is somewhat literary.

The body of the story involves combining the opinions of the people you interview,
some factual data, and a narrative which helps the story flow. A word of caution, however.

The role of a reporter is to find out what people are thinking of an issue and to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue. As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.

summarizing the essentials:

4. Further tips for news writing

Finding story ideas

Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your friends are talking about.


Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.


Think of a youth angle to a current news story.


Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.


Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.
Newsgathering

Begin collecting articles on your subject.


Talk to friends and associates about the subject.


Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.


Create a list of people you want to interview; cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.


Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.
Interviewing do's and don'ts

Be polite.

Find a tpic. Find an angle. Collect iformation. Gather interviews. Write the story. Edit the story.