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JOURNALISMJOURNALISM
Writing for the News - A Quick Primer
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Different types newspaper articles we will be talking about
today:
•News Articles
•Feature Articles
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News Articles
• are news stories and focus only on the facts, just like Sergeant Joe Friday in Dragnet.
All we want are the facts,
M’am.Just the facts.
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There are several types of news articles:
• local news = what's going on in your neighbourhood.
• national news = what's happening in the country.
• international news = news that's happening outside the country.
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Journalists today often refer to “hard” news
and “soft” news.
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What’s the difference?
Hard news is
• important to a large number of people.
• timely
• usually about events in government, politics, foreign affairs, education, labor, religion, courts, etc.
Soft news is• usually less important
because it entertains, although it may also inform
• often less timely than hard news
• includes human interest and feature stories which may relate to hard news
• appeals more to emotions than to the intellect or the desire to be informed
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• usually attracts fewer readers
• may not be as interesting
• may be more difficult to understand.
Hard News
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Many stories are a combination of hard and soft news, and may present some of the information in sidebars and graphics.
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Feature articles
• about "softer" news.• may be a profile of a person who does a lot of volunteer work in the community or a movie preview.
• not considered news stories.
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Feature vs. News
• Feature– Feature is more detailed and descriptive
– Have more dialogue using quotations
– Put more of self into story
• News– Gives basic facts
– No opinions– Direct Quotations
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Writing tips
Although the articles differ in content, here
are some basics in writing news.
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The lead
Every news article starts with a lead
• first 1-2 sentences summarize the most interesting point of the article.
• should be brief yet catchy, • gives the reader an instant sense of what the article is about
• Makes reader want to read more.
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The 5 Ws
• News articles always include the essentials -- who, what, where, when and why.
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• is involved?• made a scientific discovery?
• is speaking at a forum? • made the donation? • organized the new staff group?
(Not just names, but titles and brief backgrounds if necessary.)
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• is the nature of the news story or event?
• Is it a scientific discovery, a student activity, an appointment to a professorship, an award, a talk given at MIT, a new employee benefit?
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• is the news or event taking place?
• Is it a fair at the Pima Fairgrounds, a talk at the U of A, a theater production in the Little Theater at CFHS?
• Is it taking place “in backyards around the country”?
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• will (or did) the event take place?
• What time and date is the event, or
• when will someone be available for an interview or to answer questions if needed?
• Is it ongoing or something that happened in the past?
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• is the story newsworthy?
• why should the reader care?
• why is this story or event different from others like it?
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Pop Quiz!
• Define each term: hard news, soft news
• What are differences between a feature article and a news article?
• Give an original example of each of the 5 W’s that might be used in a news story.