NEWS WRITING Lets talk about News Writing By
NEWS WRITING
Let’s talk about … News Writing By Jeanne Acton, UIL & ILPC Journalism Director and Vicki Mc. Cash Brennan, MA, CJE
“News is anything that's interesting, that relates to what's happening in the world, what's happening in areas of the culture that would be of interest to your audience. ” — Kurt Loder, music journalist, former editor of Rolling Stone
What is a lead? Let’s talk about Leads • It’s the first sentence of the story, the beginning. • It tells the most important information and the newest information. • It grabs your readers’ attention. But there’s more …
What must your lead do? • Start a flow of energy for your story • Tell something interesting about the subject of the story • Show the significance of the story • Set pace and tone • Establish your voice That’s a lot! Let’s talk about Leads
Some great student-written leads … She peeked around the door leading to the 500 Hall. “Hey, ” she whispered, “is Mrs. Solomon looking? ” Five minutes later, the girl with darting eyes would be silently speed walking towards the black gate, trying to leave school during C Lunch. [Hillsborough High School] Freshman Noah Barboza likes to spend his time lifting at the gym, not lifting textbooks around school. Barboza is constantly struggling with the pain of carrying his books around campus on his way to his eight class periods. [Cypress Bay High School] At first glance, senior basketball player Myron Dewar might pass through halls unnoticed. His only striking feature is his strange, indifferent gaze that seems to hide his past, his thoughts, his inner turmoil. [Coral Springs High School]
The NEWS or summary lead Let’s talk about Leads • Tells the 5 W’s and H in 25 words or fewer. • Starts with the MOST IMPORTANT or INTERESTING information first. • Can start with any of the 5 W’s or H, but some choices are better than others … What does your reader need to know most?
Types of news leads Use these often: • “What” lead – Starts with what happened or what the story is about. • “Why” lead – Begins with the cause of the story, why it happened. • “How” lead – Begins with how the event happened.
Types of news leads Use this sometimes: • “Who” lead – Starts with a person or group. Use this if “who” the story is about is well known or interesting. Avoid these: • “When” lead – Begins with time. Almost never the most important factor. • “Where” lead – Begins with a place. Rarely is the most important factor.
The “who” lead When the person you’re writing about is the most important reason you’re writing the story, then start with “who. ” President Barack Obama will greet students in the courtyard on Thursday after his speech at the Expo Center. Maybe … Students will no longer be allowed to leave campus for lunch due to excessive after-lunch tardies, Principal Joe Blow said Tuesday. Definitely NO! Principal Joe Blow announced Tuesday that students will no longer be allowed to leave campus for lunch due to excessive tardies.
The “who” lead Does not need a name to work. Sometimes identifying the “who” by an occupation or accomplishment will do it – as long as the person is interesting enough to hook your reader. Yes … Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, 64, became the first person to complete a 110 -mile swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. It took her 53 hours.
The “when” lead Do not start with the time element. It’s almost never the most important factor. Definitely no! On Tuesday Principal Joe Blow announced that students will no longer be able to leave campus for lunch. Maybe, for an anniversary story. . . Fifty years ago, on Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas. It was a defining moment for the country, one that people older than 55 remember the way most American adults remember Sept. 11.
The “where” lead Don’t start with a place, either. It’s almost never the most important or interesting factor. Definitely no! At the school board meeting on Tuesday, Principal Joe Blow announced that he has ended the off-campus lunch policy. Maybe … but maybe not In the principal’s office, the senior class dumped 30 pounds of sand to protest the cancellation of the senior trip to Cancun. And again: Why is this type of lead rarely – almost never – used?
On the topic of “where” … News writers handle the “where” with a DATELINE, a city name in all caps before the lead to say where the story originated. CATANIA, Italy — More than 800 people were believed to have drowned in the weekend sinking of a boat packed with migrants trying to reach Europe, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday. Datelines are not used on local news stories where the place is understood. Similarly, there’s no need for datelines student newspapers, websites and yearbooks to name your school. Readers know where you are.
The “why” lead This kind of lead starts a story by explaining WHY something unusual happened. WHY answers: What caused this to happen? Use this often! Example: To carry on a tradition that started in the 1970 s, four seniors streaked across the football stadium during the homecoming pep rally wearing only paper leis and tennis shoes.
The “how” lead Similar to the “why” lead, this kind of lead explains how something happened. Use this only when the explanation is short, clear and interesting. “How” sometimes requires more explanation than you can fit in a lead, but when you can, use the how. Example: Through a grassroots effort by young voters, Gilbert Castillo, 18, won the election Tuesday to become the youngest mayor in the city’s history. Is there a better way to write this lead?
The “what” lead Use this most often. This is the most straight-forward. If you can’t write this lead, you don’t know enough to be writing the story. WHAT tells WHAT HAPPENED. There might be more than one “what” in any given story, so your task might be to figure out which “what” is the most interesting to your readers. Examples: • The Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings series won’t be found on school library shelves this fall. • School libraries will remove the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series from shelves this fall.
A great “what” lead … More than 300 women were shot, stabbed, strangled, beaten, bludgeoned, or burned to death over the past decade by men in South Carolina, dying at a rate of one every 12 days while the state does little to stem the carnage from domestic abuse. ~ Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina. The story “Till Death Do Us Part” won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and was written by Doug Pardue, Glenn Smith, Jennifer Berry Hawes, and Natalie Caula Hauff
Why learn to write the summary lead? Yes, of course, there are lots of other ways to start a story. Basic LEADS • Basic news or Summary lead • Anecdotal or narrative (storytelling) • Descriptive (scene-setting) Less-used feature LEADS • Metaphor or simile • Word play: puns, alliteration • Action • Contrast, twist of fate • Shocking statement • Freak lead What information needs to be in your story no matter how you start?
While we’re on this topic … Three leads to avoid 1. Question Leads Usually, question leads are just weak and uninteresting. Get to the point with a summary lead instead. Have you ever wondered about … (No. Next…) Just don’t write these leads.
While we’re on this topic … Three leads to avoid 2. Quote Leads Quotes need context. The reader needs to know who’s speaking. Seldom is a quote so compelling and well-said that it can set the tone and focus for the whole story. Just don’t write these leads.
While we’re on this topic … Three leads to avoid 3. Topic Leads It is not enough to just state the topic of your story. These are some of the worst leads ever: § § On April 25 at the Shockley Community Center, prom was held. The school board met Tuesday to discuss problems with school lunch. The Bulldogs played the Hurricanes Friday in a crucial conference game. With Thanksgiving coming, people are thinking about food. Just don’t write these leads.
Every story needs a summary. Regardless of what you are writing about, the 5 Ws and H belong in the story. If you get in the habit of writing a summary lead for EVERY STORY, you will always have the basics covered – even if you end up with a different kind of lead. A bonus: Your feature leads will have a better focus because they have to lead into your summary!
How to write effective news leads Now you know you can start your leads in different ways, but how do you find the BEST lead for your story? Use this four-step process.
How to write an effective news lead* 1. Collect all your facts. REPORTING is key. • Who: What person or group is this story about? There might be more than one. List them all. • What: What happened? What is the issue, problem or conflict? Explain it. • When: Day, date, time • Where: Be as specific as possible • Why: Why did this happen? Provide context. • How: How did it happen? Provide details. *Adapted from Inside Reporting by Tim Harrower
How to write an effective news lead* 2. Sum it up, boil it down. If you had just 10 seconds to tell the story, what would you say? How would you tell it to your best friend? How would you tweet it? If telling your mom, would you tell it differently? Tell the story out loud to yourself or a friend. *Adapted from Inside Reporting by Tim Harrower
How to write an effective news lead* 3. Prioritize the 5 Ws. Which of the 5 W’s or H is most compelling, most interesting? Write a draft of your lead focusing on that fact, usually the what, why or how. Use the “who” only if the person is someone interesting or prominent. Avoid starting with “when” or “where. ” *Adapted from Inside Reporting by Tim Harrower
How to write an effective news lead* 4. Rethink, rewrite, revise. Here’s where you stop thinking that your first draft is good enough. It is not. Ask yourself: • Is this clearly written so everyone can understand it? • Is it in the active voice? (Who did what to whom? ) • Are there extra words you don’t need? • Will this grab the readers and make them want to keep reading? *Adapted from Inside Reporting by Tim Harrower
LEADS- PRACTICE The most important paragraph in the story.
What is the purpose of the lead? ◦ Grabs the reader’s attention ◦ Informs the reader quickly ◦ Needs to be hones but colorful. ◦ It should have lively verbs. ◦ It should be brief, concise, and above all, accurate.
What goes in the lead? ◦ Five Ws & the H ◦ Who ◦ What ◦ When ◦ Where ◦ Why ◦ How ◦ Note that the lead doesn’t have to contain ALL of these.
Who. What. When. Where. Why Swimming was prohibited at Sunny Isles Beach Monday after a dangerous amount of bacteria was found in the water last week. Miami-Dade County health officials declared the Atlantic Ocean off limits because ingesting the water can make people, particularly children, sick.
Who did what? When did they do it? Where did it happen? How did it happen? Why did they do it? If you answer these questions completely, you will have a well-reported news story.
The basic news lead A 16 -year-old was arrested in the robbery and beating death of an 88 -year-old veteran from Spokane, Wash. , who survived being wounded in World War II. • • Who: A 16 -year-old What: Was arrested When: ? ? Where: Spokane, Wash. • Why: robbing and beating an 88 -yearold veteran to death • How: ? ?
The second paragraph A second male teen was still being sought in the murder of Delbert "Shorty" Belton, a retired aluminum company worker who was brutally attacked in the parking lot of his lodge Wednesday night and died the following morning. • • Who: a second teen What: being sought When: Wednesday Where: in the parking lot of Delbert “Shorty” Belton’s lodge • Why: murder • How: a brutal attack
The third paragraph “These are two individuals who for whatever reason went out on a given night to rob someone, ” Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub said. “They robbed him, they beat him and they killed him. ” • This is an emphasis paragraph. It uses a quote to introduce the emotion of the event.
The fourth paragraph Charges of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery were pending against the suspect in custody. Straub said police were closing in on the second and urged him to surrender. • Additional information is provided in descending order of importance. This is called the “inverted pyramid” style of news writing.
The follow-up story Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who pleaded guilty to slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians inside their homes, will spend the rest of his life in prison, a military jury decided on Friday. • Who: A military jury • What: decided on life in prison • When: Friday • Where: ? ? ? • Why: Sgt. Bales pleaded guilty to slaughtering Afghan civilians • How: ? (deliberations)
What’s most important? • Start with the most important thing in the story. • Usually that’s the WHO or the WHAT. • Rarely – almost never – is it the WHERE or the WHEN. • Sometimes, particularly in follow-up stories, the WHY or the HOW may be the most important way to start.
Please don’t start like this: At 1: 15 p. m. Wednesday in the gym at Sun Valley Vista High School in Westchester, Ariz. , five students were seriously injured when a jump shot by Brandon Mc. Gee shattered the backboard, causing glass to rain down on the unsuspecting teens. How many things can you find wrong with this lead?
How about this instead? Five students were hurt when star basketball player Brandon Mc. Gee slammed the backboard during fifth period on Wednesday, causing it to shatter before the students could move out of the way.
Find some tweets Twitter teasers often use the 5 W’s effectively. • Use Twitter to follow several news organizations such as local media, CNN, The New York Times, NBC News, Al-Jazeera, Huffington Post. • Choose three tweets from news organizations about today’s news that you think uses the 5 Ws & H effectively.
Your assignment • Write three tweets you chose. • For each one, complete this list: • • • Who: What: Why: When: Where: How: • Answer: How many of the 5 W’s and H did the tweets contain? Which of the 5 W’s came first most often?
EXAMPLES OF GOOD LEADS
LET’S PRACTICE WRITING LEADS
Lead writing reminders • Think of the “what” and the “who” first … usually those make the best start for a lead. • Look at the facts and numbers. Anything? • Choose the information with the most impact or that is the most interesting. Think of your news values (proximity, timeliness, impact, conflict, oddity, human interest …) • Write a complete summary lead. One or two sentences to start the story and cover most of the 5 W’s and H. • Don’t add info that you don’t know!
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H According to Lake Mary Police: • Where: Lake Mary, Fla. , an Orlando suburb • When: Monday, Sept. 9 • Who: George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty in the shooting of Trevon Martin, who was unarmed • What: Zimmerman was arrested after his wife called 911, saying he had threatened her and her family with a gun • Why: Zimmerman’s wife recently filed for divorce • How: Police dashcams showed Zimmerman on his knees as police approached. One of the officers had a gun drawn on him.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • • • Where: Orlando, FBLA state competition When: Sunday, Nov. 3 Who: Adam Bernstein, senior What: won first place in Website Design Why: His website for the fictional Willow Lake B&B was judged the best of those submitted. • How: “I’ve been working on this website for months based on the national topic, ” Bernstein said. “I’ll be tweaking it based on the judges’ comments in hopes of winning at nationals. ”
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • What: Try-outs for the 20 available positions in the Color Guard. Ability to twirl a flag not necessary, but coordination is. • Where: Main courtyard • When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 3 p. m. • Who: Dancers, students with rhythm • Why: New positions are open because the awardwinning band auxiliary is expanding. • How: See Ms. Brenda Lee, Color Guard coach, Room 142, to sign up.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • A fight broke out in the cafeteria during second lunch on Tuesday. • Ten students were suspended, according to information the principal provided to teachers. • Although students are saying race was a factor because one of the students seen in the fight used the n-word, the principal denies that race was an issue. • “The students suspended were of different races and nationalities, ” Principal Joe Garcia said. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it. ”
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • Music teacher Susan Schaub has received a grant to study in New York this summer. • She will take a course at The Julliard School and participate in a choral performance at Carnegie Hall. • She will attend symphonies, an opera and a Broadway musical, meet directors and conductors and participate in music seminars. • “It’s a dream come true, ” she said. • She’s particularly excited to be bringing what she learns back to her students next school year.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • The monthly meeting of the student council was called to order at 3: 30 p. m. Friday, Feb. 1. The roll was called and the minutes approved as written. • Vicki Chavez, treasurer, reported that there was $2, 425 in the treasury and that the group had raised $1, 621 at the talent show on Jan. 18. • Rob Andrews, finance committee chair, said because of the success of the talent show, his group would like to have another one on May 19. His motion to have another talent show passed. • Discussion: The May talent show will emphasize teacher talent rather than student talent. Assistant Principal David Hart will perform with his rock band, and the faculty women will do a comedy routine.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • The student council voted at its meeting on Thursday to spend $350 for prizes in a campus clean-up campaign. • Prizes will be awarded at the end of first quarter to the clubs that create and complete the best clean-up plans. • First prize is $150. Second prize is $100. Third prize is $50. • The Environmental Science Club figures it will win the top prize because it already has recycle bins in most of the classrooms and members pick up the recycling weekly. • The Key Club plans to sweep teachers’ classrooms after school. • SHAPE will go outside with gloves and trash bags and pick up trash. • The Cheerleaders bought Magic Erasers and Clorox wipes and plan to clean all the door frames in the school. • Spirit Club has decided to stop all use of profanity in the halls and lunchroom by calling for a school spirit ban on the use of such words.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H According to a North Miami police report: • Joe Platto, 17, was driving south on Biscayne Boulevard when another car apparently ran a red light at 172 nd Avenue and broadsided Platto’s car, a blue 2005 Toyota Corolla. It was demolished. • Sergi Clemens, 34, was driving the other car, a 2009 Buick. • Clemens wasn’t hurt. He was issued a ticket for reckless driving. • Platto was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital by EMS, but he died without regaining consciousness. • The accident occurred around 12: 30 a. m. Sunday Principal Joe Smith also confirmed the following information: • Platto was a transfer student in his second week at North Dade Senior High. He was in 11 th grade. • Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 3 p. m. at Fred Hunter Funeral Home. • Grief counselors are available all week in Student Services.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • The Principal’s Award is given each year to the most outstanding senior. • This year’s award is to be presented to Janie Jordan. • According to the criteria, the award should go to the person who is most outstanding in scholarship, athletics, music and extracurricular activities. • Some students think that Janie, who has a 2. 5 grade point average on a 4. 0 scale, does not meet the criteria. • Other students support her nomination because she is captain of the school’s winning volleyball team and senior class president. She sings the National Anthem at school functions. She was the lead in the school play, won a state award in thespians competition, and she leads the chorus.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • A mural to brighten up the school picnic area is behind schedule. • Students in the Art Club are supposed to be doing the work. • Kelly Jeffries, Art Club president, blames the principal for not providing money. • Principal Joe Baker says the Art Club has been uninterested in doing the mural. He says the money is available. • The Art Club has planned a mural of school life on the largest wall of the picnic area. • Jeffries says the committee has not received approval for the mural from the principal. • The principal says no drawing has been presented, so he cannot release the funds.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • The PTA met on Tuesday night, April 26, in the cafeteria. • Treasurer Ines Martinez reported that there are 252 members and the treasury has $6, 823. • Robin Lattice, who teaches algebra, was named Teacher of the Year for her work with the Homework Hotline, a phone line students can call for help with math homework. • Member Kathy Burrows was named Member of the Year for having perfect attendance. • The awards were presented by PTA President Cindy Li. • Li also announced that the school’s faculty has reached 100 percent membership for the second year in a row.
Write a lead using the 5 W’s and H • A baby macaw parrot was stolen from the Baby Exotic Birds store in Lakewood. • Jill O’Connor, 35, faces felony charges for stealing the bird, worth $2, 000. • O’Connor was employed at Baby Exotic Birds. • She traded the bird for a 2000 Mercury Cougar. • She bragged to the car owners that she’d smuggled the bird out of the store by nesting it in her brassiere. • The car owners were friends with the owners of the bird store. They reported theft. • O’Connor was booked into the county jail.
INVERTED PYRAMID The Structure of News Writing
The Lead. Where the main facts go. Significant Information Least significant information
Why the inverted pyramid? o. Natural way to tell a story. § Example: You are telling a friend about a football game. You start off by telling who won; you don’t start off at the kickoff. o. Readers in a hurry get the essential information without reading the entire story. o. Because of the headline. Most headlines are based on information contained in the first paragraph, so the most important facts should be in the first paragraph. o. Makes it easy to trim a story that won’t fil into its allotted space.
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