NEWS WRITING

Best words in the best order

News
An oral or written report of a
past, present, or future event. It
should be factual, truthful,
accurate, unbiased, and
interesting.
 ON
NEWSWORTHINESS:
What makes news, news?
 1.Conflict
Elements
of News 2.Immediacy
(Timeliness)

3.Proximity (Nearness)

4.Prominence

5.Significance

6.Oddity
 6. Numbers
Elements 7. Names
of News
Sub- 8. Romance
criteria
9. Drama

10. Adventure

11. Progress

12. Animals
TYPES OF NEWS
STORIES
What kinds of news must you write?
1. Scope or origin
a) Local news - immediate locality

b) National news - within the

country

c) Foreign news - outside the

country
2. Chronology or sequence
a) Advance or anticipated - prognostication; the
reporter foretells

b) Spot news - gathered and reported on the spot;

unscheduled information demanding immediate
publication; the reporter is an eyewitness

c) Coverage news - written from a given beat

d) Follow-up news - sequel to a previous story

3. Treatment
a) Fact story - plain exposition
b) Action story - narrative of actions; dramatic events,
description of persons and events, testimony of witnesses,
explanatory data
i. sports/games
ii. competitions
iii. accidents
iv. war reports
c) Speech report - public address, talks, speeches
d) Quote story - speeches, statements, letters, interviews
e) Interview story - from an interview
4. Content
a) Routine story b) Police reports
i. celebrations i. accident
ii. enrollment ii. fire
iii. graduation iii. calamity
iv. election
iv. crime stories
storiesb)
4. Content

c) Science news

d) Developmental news

e) Sports stories
SCIENCE
WRITING
Why write science
articles/news?
Science is not a private domain of
scientists. Even a layman is interested
in science because it affects his daily
life. He thirsts for scientific literature,
one of course which he understands.
 The science writer, therefore, should be
able to communicate clearly and
effectively so that he can popularize and
translate scientific reports into stories
which Mr. Average Reader, or the layman,
understands.
 Know the science and say it in
using the tongue of your readers.
To do blindly copy what the
professionals would say especially
if there are simpler terms (e.g.
endemic conjunctivitis? sore eyes).
SPORTS
WRITING
Why write sports
articles/news?
More and more readers are now turning
to the sports section before looking at
the prosaic news of the day. But while
many talk about sports, there are only a
few who can write a sports story.
 Even experienced beat reporters get
lost covering games and writing about
them because it takes more than just
answering the Five Ws to be able to come
up with a comprehensive sports news
story.
Qualities of a Good Sports
Writer
1.Must know sports, rules, strategy, team,
and players records.
2. Must attend the games or meets as a
reporter, not as a spectator.
3. Must know coaches and players.
4. Must observe accuracy.
5. Must be able to take notes quickly without
losing the sequence of the play.
6. Must be fair and unbiased in reporting event,
although he has a favorite team.
7. Must not make comments without supporting
them with facts on which they are based, although
sports writers have more freedom than any other
writers.
8. Must use the specialized language of the
particular sports that he is reporting.
9. He must bear in mind that he writes for his
Writing the Sports Story: The
Lead
1. The key play lead
- strategy
2. The outstanding player lead
- key player
3. Analytical approach lead
- broader picture of the overall
strategy
Writing the Sports Story: The
Body
1. Team or individual standing
- If part of a series of games, the story must report how
the teams or players stand in relation to other teams.
2. Decisive play
- The most crucial part of the game that gives the team
a certain winning margin.
3. Best scores of the day
- Usually put in the headline as well. However, the
writer must not neglect the top scorer of the day.
4. Play-by-play
5. Quotation