NEWS WRITING TIPS:

“Need to know”
1. What happened next?
2. So what?
3 Core Journalism Principles:
1. TRUTH - Tell the truth and shame the devil
2. ACCURACY – Bedrock of journalism
3. FAIRNESS –
Where stories come from:
*Natural occurring events like disasters, accidents
*Planned activities like meetings and news conferences – Calendar stories
*Reporter’s enterprise
#digging deeper
What should we write about?
-Something happens  Something big happens – Significance
 Something happens to somebody – Prominence
 Something happens nearby – Proximity
 Something relevant happens – Significance
 Something just happened – Timeliness – “kalian lalabas?” Fresh
 Something unusual happens –
 Something interesting happens –
News writing process:
1. Conceive – what struck you as most interesting or important.
What is the most newsworthy.
What is the main point of the story/ highlight
What do readers/viewers need or want to know
2. Collect – Get the basics 5W’s & 1H
Take good notes
Jot down details from observations
Tape interviews for sound bites
Get quotes, facts, comments from sources
Note down additional info
Highlight important points in notes
Gather anecdotes
Consider the your focus as you report

3. Construct
 Find the focus – write a focus sentence on top of your story before you begin
Plan an order

Headline:
What’s the news?
What’s the story?
What’s the image
How can I tell it in six words?
So what?
4. Correct Errors:
Read your story aloud
Check the basics (are the 5W’s there, Context and Background)
Check accuracy (Double check names, etc)
Superlatives don’t use if not true

Secret: Change angle, don’t be used the last year

1. Invite: hard news or soft news, first things first, straight news, fresh news angle
The news angles – How would you tell this story to a friend?
What would an early headline be for this story?
What are the unanswered questions?
How do we bring something new to this story?
What’s the glimpse of wisdom we can offer?
*Inverted triangle or *Hourglass or Diamond
2. Inform Cover all grounds
Supporting details, Weave/Itahi in the date
3. illuminate – Use Quotes, Watch out for laway quotes Attribute information, Block quotes
4. Connect – Keep sentences TIGHT , Give Context (So what?), Provide background,
Details: Statistics