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Writing News

News stories structures

Ø News stories are written following set structures •  help reporters organize the story into a logical, well-

structured unit Ø the type of story often determines the type of

structure used Ø basic organization principle:

•  sorting out the urgent, the essential •  providing a simple, clear, depersonalized, sober

account of events

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The Inverted Pyramid

Ø Most basic news story form •  expresses the idea of urgency in news reporting, i.e.,

•  most important information should come first •  facts should be arranged in decreasing order of importance

most newsworthy

least newsworthy

Why the Inverted Pyramid?

Ø gets the point of the story to the reader in the fastest way possible

Ø prioritizes relevant information Ø lends itself to quick editing of story length

•  sub-eds start cutting from the bottom •  story is complete even though the last few

sentences of a story in this format to fit in a column on a page

Ø particularly well-suited to be used with mobile devices and host services

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Introduction of a news story

The beginning of a story never starts at the chronological beginning, but rather with the

ending or the latest, more interesting or dramatic thing. It also introduces the Who and What (and When)

of the story. Intros (leads) should be 30 words max and

one-sentence long.

Paragraphs following the intro (lead)

Expand on the points raised in the intro, provide more info

Background is included to add interest

and put the story in context.

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Final Paragraphs

Well constructed final paragraphs can be easily cut from the bottom up, leaving the

remaining paragraphs to stand as a coherent and cohesive

report.

Example of a story written with an inverted pyramid style

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•  Violence erupts in Baghdad book market

•  At least 38 killed; Shi'ite militia put on the defensive •  •  A firefighter emerged from the site of a car bomb attack yesterday in

Baghdad that tore through the city's book market, killing at least 38 people and injuring 105. (ali jasim/REUTERS)

•  BAGHDAD -- A suicide car bomber turned a venerable book market into a deadly inferno and gunmen targeted Shi'ite pilgrims yesterday as suspected Sunni insurgents brought major bloodshed back into the lap of their main Shi'ite rivals. At least 38 people died in the blast and seven pilgrims were killed.

Drawbacks of the Inverted Pyramid

Ø does not encourage readers to read past the first part of the article •  readers’ interest tends to decrease as the story

progresses Ø does not stimulate journalists to write well-

written story endings •  Best writing skills are used for the beginnings

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The Hourglass

Ø combines inverted pyramid and traditional story telling •  main facts are told, in decreasing

order of importance, in the first paragraphs

•  events are told in chronological order in the second part of the story

•  chronological narration is introduced by a turn

facts reported in an inverted pyramid style

Chronological narration of events

turn

Features of the Hourglass

Ø Main facts are told quickly in the first paragraphs

Ø Real ending •  makes the story more balanced •  motivates readers to read story through the end •  discourages editors from cutting from the bottom’

Ø some information appearing at the top of the story may be repeated in the chronological portion, making the story longer

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Examples of a story written with an hourglass style

Wallet Vanishes, $1,021 Charged to Credit Card Based on a story from: http://darien.patch.com/articles/, January 2, 2013 A woman shopping at a local supermarket discovered her wallet had vanished from her pocketbook and a large charge had been made to her credit card. Police gave this account: The victim was engaged in conversation by another woman, who then left the area. The wallet held $60 in cash and two credit cards. […]

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•  Wilson High School student, 17, and man, 18, sold Ecstasy to undercover detective, police say

•  He and man, 18, sold Ecstasy, police say •  A 17-year-old Wilson High School student and an

18-year-old man were arrested after they sold Ecstasy to an undercover Spring Township detective for a third time, police said Wednesday.

•  …….

•  Police gave this account:

Narrative style

Ø Resembles the style used in novels or plays •  but narrative style news stories are based on facts

Ø Events reported following chronological order of beginning, middle, and end

Ø Emphasis on emotions, dramatic components of the story.

Ø Descriptions of situations and/or places Ø People and their stories are prominent

•  Dialogue is frequent

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When is it used?

Ø suitable for main feature stories Ø also adopted for stories with a high emotional

impact on the audience (e.g., crime stories) Ø increasingly being encouraged in online news

•  presents news that is more involving and appealing

Ø favoured form in broadcast media

Example of a story written in the narrative style

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•  Anguish in the Ruins of Mutanabi Street •  In Baghdad’s Literary District, Mourning

Loved Ones and a Once-Unifying Place

•  BAGHDAD, March 9 -- On a pile of bricks, someone had left a pink plastic flower, a pair of glasses and a book with crisp, white pages. They glowed in the black debris of Mutanabi Street, which by Friday had become a graveyard of memories. At 9:03 a.m., a man in a rumpled brown suit walked past dark banners mourning the dead. He stopped near the flower and the book, which was opened to a chapter on the virtues of Baghdad.

•  …..

Use of neutral language in pyramid-style stories

Ø Detached 3rd person point of view •  Avoidance of 1rst and 2nd person pronouns (I, we,

you, us, …) Ø Non-emotional language

•  Avoidance of expressions that imply evaluation or judgement

•  E.g., impressive, interesting, disappointing…

•  Use of quotes to create drama, add emotions, report opinions, etc… •  But selection of best quotes is not an objective

process

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Example of use of neutral language

School faculty disarms shooter Usa Today, 1/11/2013

In Taft, Calif., teen with shotgun injures student before being stopped. A 16-year-old student armed with a shotgun walked into class in a rural high school Thursday and shot one student before a teacher and another staff member talked him into surrendering, officials said.

How can you still get bias in?

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CRASH VICTIM ‘AN ASPIRING MODEL’

(Press Association, UK, September 17, 2012)

•  A young woman killed after an asylum seeker allegedly drove the wrong way down a motorway was a university-educated aspiring model, her family has said.

•  •  Rebecca Caine, 20, from Leeds, was a back seat

passenger in a Chevrolet Matiz, when the vehicle was involved in a head on collision with a Renault Megane, coming the wrong way up the motorway, allegedly driven by Zimbabwean Wilfred Museka.

•  iii. Miss Caine, known as Becky, died in the crash but the driver of the Matiz and two other passengers suffered only minor injuries. The Chevrolet was heading east towards Leeds when the collision occurred at 3am on Sunday, near to junction 21 of the M62, near Milnrow, Greater Manchester.

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Text coherence

Ø Paragraphs are treated as indendent text units Ø Sentences and paragraphs are linked through:

•  coordinating conjunctions (make text easier to read) q  and, but, then, for, or, not, yet, so

•  Repetition of structural patterns q  E.g., Subj+ Verb is repeated at the beginning of paragraph

or sentence: •  they directed… they launched… they hit…

•  Repetition of lexical item, …) q  E.g., same word/concept, synonym, is repeated at the

beginning of paragraph or sentence: •  Pet meat… pet food … dog food… the meat

•  A young woman killed after an asylum seeker allegedly drove the wrong way down a motorway was a university-educated aspiring model, her family has said.

•  Rebecca Caine, 20, from Leeds, was a back seat passenger in a Chevrolet Matiz, when the vehicle was involved in a head on collision with a Renault Megane, coming the wrong way up the motorway, allegedly driven by Zimbabwean Wilfred Museka.

•  Miss Caine, known as Becky, died in the crash but the driver of the Matiz and two other passengers suffered only minor injuries. The Chevrolet was heading east towards Leeds when the collision occurred at 3am on Sunday, near to junction 21 of the M62, near Milnrow, Greater Manchester.

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•  Museka, 31 of Powell Street, Clayton, Manchester appeared at Bury Magistrates’ Court charged with causing death by dangerous driving and was remanded into custody.

•  In a tribute from Miss Caine’s family, they said: “As you can imagine our lives are shattered and our hearts are broken into pieces. She was a beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of her. She was embarking on a modelling career and would be finishing her final year of her business degree at Leeds University.

•  “Rebecca was a bright light that attracted everything to her with her infectious laugh and her beaming smile. She saw the best in everyone and was loved by hundreds of friends. The worst part is the emptiness and the total waste of a beautiful life. She was only 20 when she died.

•  “She was our little girl now she is our little angel. Something somewhere has failed us. ….

•  Museka is also charged with fraud by false representation in that he claimed to have held a full UK driving licence for 10 years to get reduced insurance premiums, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. District Judge Mark Hadfield remanded the defendant in custody to appear at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, on October 8.

•  Sergeant Lee Westhead from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “A team of specialist officers are now investigating and we are providing support to the victim’s family.

•  Anyone with information is asked to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741.