NEWSPAPER ARTICLES VS INFORMATIVE ESSAYS CONTENT Basic facts

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES VS. INFORMATIVE ESSAYS

CONTENT • Basic facts – so everyone can understand. • Interviews with witnesses • Vivid details • Simple word choice

ORGANIZATION • Headlines, bylines, place lines, leads • Start with the basics • End with the significance • Body is for facts, interviews, etc.

TONE/ POV • Still 3 rd person – no first person pronouns • More acceptable to include opinions – “It appears…” “It seems…” • Breaking News – Intense, Urgent, Tone • Light-Hearted News – Cheerful, Humorous Tone • Serious Topics – Somber, Knowledgeable Tone

ELEMENTS OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE • Headline – – Acts as the title – Catches readers’ attention – Sums up the story – Usually lacks articles (a, an, the) and is written in the present tense. • Byline – – Writer’s name – Writer’s specialty (crime, sports, politics, etc. ) – Usually found in larger newspapers

ELEMENTS OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE • Place Line – – Where the story begins or takes place. – Written in capital letters as the first words of the article followed by a dash • Lead – – The opening section or paragraph. – Provides basic information before diving into details. – Most likely answers what, who, when, where.

ESTABLISHING TONE • Word choice – vivid word choice creates tone. • Pronouns – Do you address the audience or not? • Sentence Structure – short, choppy sentences or longer more complex sentences. • Content – what do you focus on?

TONE DISCUSSION • Read your assigned article and annotate for tone. • Have one tone word in mind and be prepared to discuss it with someone else.

FOR YOUR ARTICLE Tone must match purpose/ content!