HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE THE LEAD

HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

THE “LEAD” o THIS IS THE FIRST SENTENCE OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE ARTICLE. o ANSWERS WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, AND HOW o TYPICALLY A LONG SENTENCE

THE “LEAD” o EXAMPLE: It didn’t take long for swine flu to show up at Vista del Lago High School in California’s Sacramento County: About 10 a. m. on Aug. 10, two hours into the first school day, administrators got a call with news that a freshman who had stayed home that morning had a confirmed case.

THE “PYRAMID” o Place the most important facts at the beginning of the broadcast and additional information was mentioned in order of descending importance o This is done because people often don’t read an entire article, and need the important information quickly

QUOTES o “Quotes can be a wonderful tool for a news writer, when used appropriately, ” explained longtime journalist Doug Wood-Boyle, who has worked in the field for over a quarter century. o Quotes provide a real-life context to the information in an article.

REVIEW o Have a “lead” n Who, what, where, when, why and how o Use pyramid format n Move from most important information to less important information o Include a quote n Eyewitness accounts and personal opinions add legitimacy to your journalism