ALVIN B.

HIZON
Division Journalism Trainer
Definition of News
A first rough draft of history.

Philip L. Graham,
American publisher, 1915-1963
Definition of News
What you see is news, what you know
is background, what you feel is
opinion.
Lester Markel, American journalist,
1894-1977

Definition of News
In the final analysis news may be defined as
any accurate fact or idea that will interest a
large number of readers; and of any two
stories, the accurate that interests the
greater number of people is better.

LYLE SPENCER
Journalism education pioneer
Definition of News
Anything that you can
find out today that you
didnt know before.

TURNER CATLEDGE
Former editor, New York Times
Definition of News
A master passion is the
love of news.

George Crabbe,
British poet, 1754-1832
Definition of News
Journalism is
literature in a hurry.

Matthew Arnold,
British poet and critic,
1822-1888
Definition of News
NEWS is a report.

It MUST be objective.
Judging Newsworthiness
Most
Newsworthy Front Page
Treatment
What is news and what is
not?
The answer is that they do it in exactly
the same way as everybody else.


For example, which do you think is more interesting:
a) A girl going to primary school, to high school, or to
university?
b) A man aged 25 marrying a girl aged 20, or a man
aged 55 marrying a girl aged 15?
c) A car killing a chicken, a pig or a child?

Criteria of News
New
Unusual
Interesting/
Significant
About
People
It has to be new!
If it is not new, it cannot be news.

The assassination of Ninoy Aquino is
unusual, interesting, significant and
about people, but it cannot possibly be
reported in tomorrow's papers, because
it is not new.

It has to be unusual!
Man bites dog!
Definition of News
Man bites dog.

-United Press International

What makes a story interesting?
Impact
Immediacy
Proximity
Prominence
Novelty
Conflict
Emotions

A HUSBAND WITH FIVE
WIVES?
EXAMPLE
Lady Godiva rode naked through
the streets of Coventry yesterday in
a bid top cut taxes. (Hicks, 1999)
Consider Readers
Readers are in a hurry.
Readers have short attention spans.
Readers want stories that personally
connect.
Readers want stories told in a compelling
way.
There's more than just one type of reader.

KISS and tell?
News should be specific, not
general; clear not vague.
Telling the 5W-1H is one way of
achieving this.
The Language
Most news stories in broadsheets,
tabloids or provincial press are written
in the PAST TENSE.
Sentences are mostly active rather than
passive.
Concise writing is the norm.
Sentences and paragraphs are usually
short.
KISS and tell?
K-eep
I-t
S-hort and
S-imple
Sources of News
Conflicts: This category includes wars, strikes,
revolutions, secessionist groups, tribal and clan fights,
elections and the power battles of politics.
Disaster and tragedy: This may include air crashes,
train crashes, ships sinking, volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, or human tragedies like children falling
down deep wells from which they cannot be rescued.

Sources of News
Progress and development: Development is always
news in a developing country. The report should be
always of how the changes affect people's lives, for
better or for worse. New ideas or progress in one area
may stimulate ideas in another. Development stories
may include education, the development of new
technology, improvement of farming techniques, road
building and irrigation schemes.
Sources of News
Crime: Any crime can be news, whether it is a road
traffic offence, break and enter, corruption, forgery,
rape or murder.
Money: These stories include fortunes made and lost,
school fees, taxes, the Budget, food prices, wage rises,
economic crises and compensation claims.
The underdog: One traditional role of the journalist
is to defend the rights of the little person - the soldier
against the unjust officer, the innocent man against
false charges, the poor against exploitation.

Sources of News
Famous people: Prominent men and women make
news. What people in the public eye do, the lives they
lead and what they look like, are all of interest. It is
especially newsworthy when they fall from power, lose
their money or are involved in scandal.

Sources of News
Health: Many people are concerned with their health,
so they are interested in stories about traditional
remedies, medical research, diseases, hospitals and
clinics, drugs, diet and exercise.
Sex: All societies are interested in sex, even if they do
not talk about it openly. Many news stories about sex
involve behavior which goes outside society's generally
accepted standards.

Entertainment: Stories about who is doing what, who
is performing where, and what it is worth going to see
or hear.
Sport: They all want to know sports results, news of
sportsmen and sportswomen and their achievements.
Human interest: A child going abroad for surgery; a
pilot recovering from injuries received in an air crash
and determined to fly again; or a man with a collection
of a million picture postcards.

Straight News
News told in direct fashion
Time element is vital. News gets stale
very fast.
Brief, tersely written and gives a factual
account of an event
JUST THE FACTS
When you write a story, you must
try to be objective, truthful and fair.
When you select your facts
carefully and arrange them
skillfully, you can communicate
without inserting your own
opinion.
THE SHAPE OF NEWS
STORIES
Dear Mom and Dad,
I don't want you to worry
about me, but I have some
news for you which you are not
going to like. I met a boy here
at the start of the semester and
he likes me a lot. Well, we
have been seeing a lot of each
other and ...

THE SHAPE OF NEWS
STORIES
Dear Mom and Dad,
I am PREGNANT.
NARRATIVE

When electricians wired the home of Mrs Marie
Ustaris in Pasong Tamo, Quezon City, some years ago
they neglected to install sufficient insulation at a
point in the laundry where a number of wires crossed.

A short-circuit occurred early this morning.

Contact between the wires is thought to have created
a spark, which ignited the walls of the house.

The flames quickly spread through the entire house.

Mrs Ustaris, her daughter Peni (aged ten) and her son
Jobert (aged five months) were asleep in a rear
bedroom. They had no way of escape and all perished.
NEWS

A woman from Quezon City and her two children
died in a house fire in Pasong Tamo today.

Mrs Marie Ustaris, her ten-year-old daughter Peni
and baby son Jobert were trapped in a rear bedroom
as flames swept through the house.
The fire started in the laundry, where it is believed
faulty electrical wiring caused a short-circuit. The
family were asleep at the time.

The flames quickly spread and soon the entire house
was blazing.

etc etc


The Inverted Pyramid
Background
Minor Detail
Least
Significant
Information
LEAD-most important/interesting
information
More facts
The Inverted Pyramid
This news writing format summarizes
the most important facts at the very
start of the story.

The Inverted Pyramid
Standard form of presentation of news stories
Proceeds from the most important to the least
important
Presents facts in the order of decreasing importance
presented in a logical sequence
Direct and impersonal
Uses short paragraphs
Only one main idea each paragraph
Makes the reader know whos responsible for
statement presented
Advantages of
the Inverted Pyramid
Allows hurried reader to grasp the essentials
without going beyond the lead
Helps the headline writer
Meets the cut-off test (The last paragraph
may be cut off without impairing the
meaning of the story)
Disadvantages of
the Inverted Pyramid
It gets repetitive, and
it doesn't always organize the story
material logically or engagingly.
Types of News
According to chronology or sequence:
Advanced
Spot
Coverage
Follow-up
Types of News
According to structure:
straight
news feature
Types of News
According to treatment:
fact story
action story
quote/speech story
interview story
Types of News
According to content:
science
developmental
police story
routine story
Types of News
Advanced Forms:
interpretative
in-depth
News stories usually come from:
events that are sudden and unpredictable;
events that are scheduled and predictable;
news releases alerting the media to noteworthy events or
topics;
ideas generated by readers, editors or reporters; and
your own ideas.
Where Stories Come From
Closing the information gap between what you already
know to what you do not know (what you still have to
know)
As a take off point, you, the news writer should find
the 5Ws and 1H
Data Gathering Defined
1. Primary Sources
First hand information (expert
interviews)
People who are directly involved
Reports prepared by people directly
involved (journals)









SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
2. Secondary sources
Provides information supporting
the primary source
SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
Sources provide the raw material that reporters
turn into stories. Without them, there is no news.
Reporters are only as good as their sources.
Every reporter must learn how to:
select sources for relevance;
check sources for accuracy;
balance sources for fairness; and
cultivate sources for tips and future story ideas.
The more sources you use, the better the depth,
context and reliability of your reporting will be.

FINDING AND USING
SOURCES
The main types of sources to consult:
newsmakers
spokespeople
experts
official records
reference material
ordinary people

FINDING AND USING
SOURCES
Plagiarism can ruin a reporter's career. Some
ways to avoid committing plagiarism:
quote and credit the source;
paraphrase, while still crediting the source; and
rework and reword the idea until it's more yours
that theirs.

Thou Shalt Not Plagiarize
The ability to observe events accurately and record
details faithfully is the secret to great reporting.
Sight
Sound
Action
Emotion

OBSERVATION
What's the best way to record the facts and quotes
you gather for a story? It all starts with your
notebook.
A typical page in a reporter's notebook
Which is the best way to take notes?
notebooks
tape recorders
typing

TAKING NOTES
Ask Yourself: "Which Type of Interview Should
This Be?"
Long, formal interview
Quick phoner
Walkaround
On-the-fly chat
Backgrounder
INTERVIEW
ATTRIBUTIONS
Collect facts, opinions and quotes from the best
possible sourcesthen attribute them.
Should It Be "Said" or "Says"?
News stories are almost always written in the
past tense.
But the present tense is appropriate for reviews,
feature stories and broadcast newswriting.


Other Life-Savers
MATH FOR JOURNALISTS
Using figures can help make your stories
more relevant and readable.
A brief review of:
calculating percentages
figuring the mean and the median
working with polls and surveys

Other Life-Savers
Are everyday stories
Believed to become dull and too straightforward
Program stories, community events done regularly,
school contests, among others

Routine Events
Reporters should focus.
Find one person to tell the story. For example, at a
graduation, find one graduate or parent -- or person
who idolizes the speaker.
Find one fifth-grader at Earth Day who is nagging her
parents about recycling.
Try some spins and get the odd features of the event so
it wont appear a boring news in print.

Covering Routine Events
Another tip for non-creative reporters: Tell them to go
with a photographer and tell them to keep asking the
shooter, "What are you seeing? What's interesting to
you." Photogs have an uncanny ability to find the good
stuff.
Look for the basic human element. Ask yourself and
your writer: What's this story really about?
No small stories, only small minds.
-Chip Scanlan
1. Use a person's full name and title the first time
you mention him or her in an article.
For example, write Charles Everett, professor of
communication, not Prof. Everett. Once people have
been fully identified, refer to them by last name only.
There are exceptions, so always check the AP
stylebook.
2. Spell out abbreviations or acronyms on first
reference.
For example, use City College of Calamba the first time
you refer to the college in a story. You may use CCC on
any references made after that. Another example
would be to use DAR only after you have spelled out
Department of Agrarian Reform on first reference.

3. Abbreviate months when used with days, and use
numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) not ordinal numbers (1st,
2nd, etc.).
Exceptions are March, April, May, June, and July -- write
them out, don't abbreviate. For example, write Sept. 2,
2008, not September 2nd, 2008. But, when using only
the month and year, spell out the month.

4. Generally, spell out the numbers zero through
nine and use numerals for 10 and higher.
Note, however, that numbers used at the beginning of a
sentence are spelled out. Example: Five hundred
twenty-four students attended. It is better, however, to
rewrite the sentence so that it does not begin with a
number. Example: Attending the event were 524
students from local colleges. Years are one of the
exceptions. For example: 2008 was a bad year for
investors.


5. But use numerals even for ages younger than 10.
This is another exception to the aforementioned number
rule. When used like an adjective, say X-year-old,
including the hyphens. Otherwise, don't use the
hyphens. For example: The 5-year-old girl
accompanied her brother, who is 8 years old.

6. Spell out the word "percent" but use numerals for
the actual number.
Examples: Participation increased 5 percent. Nearly 28
percent of all students don't like algebra. Exception:
use may use the % sign in headlines.


7. To indicate time, use figures and lowercase letters
(9 a.m., 6 p.m.).
Put a space between the figure and the letters.
Exceptions are noon and midnight. Do not say 12 noon
or 12 midnight -- it's redundant.

8. Capitalize formal titles used before a name.
For example, write DepED Secretary Jesli Lapus. Very
long titles may be shortened or summarized unless
they are essential to the story, but the shortened form
should not be capitalized (for example, you may use
spokesperson instead of Vice President for Public
Affairs and Communications). Use lowercase when
formal titles follow a name (e.g., Jesli Lapus, DepED
secretary). General titles, such as astronaut Neil
Armstrong and actor Matt Damon, are lowercase.


9. Capitalize formal titles and names of people,
places, or things to set them apart from a general
group.
These include proper nouns such as Mike, Canada,
Hudson River, and St. John's Church. But use
lowercase for common nouns (i.e. nouns not coupled
with a proper name), such as the river or the church.
Also, put a word in lowercase when you have more
than one proper noun sharing the word. Example:
Tarlac and Quezon provinces. Capitalize the first word
in a sentence. Refer to the dictionary or AP Stylebook,
if needed. When in doubt, use lowercase.


10. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Miss, Mrs.,
or Ms., except in direct quotes or where needed to
distinguish between people of the same name.
Using courtesy titles may be polite. And the New York
Times uses them in its articles. But it is not AP style.