NEWS STORY

Planning

It is important that you adjust your writing to suit your purpose. This page tells you about the ‘style’ you should use. The information below the line will tell you how to structure your report. Read the information carefully and discuss it with your teacher before starting a draft.

Writing Features

• A newspaper report must be objective. The writer's opinion should not be clear.

- Sentences should be statements.

- The report should be written in the third person.

- A detached, impersonal tone should be used.

• Writing is concise and to the point.
• Paragraphs are brief. It is common to see just one or two sentence paragraphs.
• Reports often include some direct speech in the form of statements from witnesses or those involved in the event. E.g. Mr. Burns, the store manager said the theft had “shocked and distressed” his wife.
• 'Catchy' headlines in the present tense draw attention to an article.
• Past tense is used to report what happened.

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NOW IT’S TIME TO WRITE THE ARTICLE:

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Headline

The headline is a title that 'tells the story' and attracts attention to the article. To achieve this it can be-

Eye-catching- written in a bold print.

A pun, -‘Millionaire uses common cents’.

A cliché-‘Chef bites off more than he can chew’.

Sensational- 'Terror as winds lash coastline’.

By-line

The by-line gives credit to the author of the story. It appears just below the headline, prior to the lead paragraph.

‘by…(name of author-that’s you!)’

The Lead

• The first paragraph is called the Lead. It tells the reader what he or she needs to know most - the Who? What? Where? When? and Why? of what has happened.
• The Lead is a clear outline of the story.

The rest of the story…

• Less important details are contained in the following paragraphs, such as background information, more explanation about any aspect of the 5 Ws listed above.

Photograph

• Include a photograph at the end of your story. It will be formatted later.