News Writing 2

News Writing 19
MODULE II: NEWS WRITING Notes

Unit 2: The Story Structure
Structure
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Structure of News: 5Ws and H
2.2.1 Components of the Story
2.3 News Writing Styles
2.3.1 The Inverted Pyramid Format
2.3.2 Hourglass
2.3.3 Narratives
2.3.4 The Five Boxes Story
2.4 Quote, Attribution and Paraphrase
2.4.1 What to Quote Directly
2.4.2 Problems in Direct Quotation
2.4.3 Correcting Quotes
2.4.4 Attributing Direct and Indirect Quotes
2.4.5 Guidelines on How to Attribute Information
2.5 Intro or Leads
2.5.1 Function/Importance of the Lead
2.5.2 Various Types of Leads
2.6 Writing the body of the News
2.6.1 Where Is the Body of News Located in a News Story?
2.6.2 The Function of the Body of News
2.6.3 Building a News Story
2.6.4 How Is Each Paragraph Arranged in the Body?
2.6.5 Clear Writing
2.7 General Rules for News Writing and Reporting
2.7.1 Tips on Writing a News Report
2.8 Summary
2.9 Check Your Progress
2.10 Questions and Exercises
2.11 Key Terms
2.12 Further Readings
Amity Directorate of Distance & Online Education

20 News Writing
Objectives
Notes After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 Understand the structure of news and news writing styles
 Discuss the concepts of quotes, attribution and paraphrase
 Explain about writing the body of the news
2.1 Introduction
Story structure distinguishes news writing from other types of writing such as the essay,
poetry, drama, novel, short story and so on. Whereas the author of these other forms of
composition usually begin with minor incidental details and work to a climax near the
end of their compositions, the news writer reverses this plan of organization. He begins
with the climax. In his first paragraph generally referred to as the lead or introduction,
the news writer begins with the most important information or climax of the story. The
second most important information comes second; the third most important information
comes third and so on. This form of news writing is called the Inverted Pyramid Format.
In this unit, we shall be discussing about the structure of news and news writing
styles and the concepts of quotes, attribution and paraphrase. We will also learn about
writing the body of the news.
2.2 Structure of News: 5Ws and H

The first person associated with the 5Ws and H is Rudyard Kipling. “I keep six honest
serving men they taught me all I know and their names are What, Why, Where, When,
Who, and How”. The question these “men” raise is what happened? Why it happened,
where it happened, when it happened, who was involved and how it happened. It may
be that not all of these questions can or should be answered in connection with a story
but it will be unfortunate and unprofessional for a reporter not to make attempt to find
answers to these questions.
1. What Happened?: From the analysis of news stories published in five notable
newspapers, the WHAT of the stories is the most common starting point? In asking
the question What Happened? The answer forms the opening of the story.
Example: A total sum of N2.8 billion was pumped into the foreign exchange market
in March this year alone by the Central Bank.
A further explanation of the “What” follows:
This represents an increase of 15% over the level of N2.4 billion recorded last year.
2. Who Was Involved?: The news of WHO as the opening element shows the
prominence of the personality involved in the news story and it is from this angle
that Harold Evan in his book – News Writing – defines news as people. When the
WHO is not prominent, that is, when it has no attraction in itself and leads to no
special destination in the society; it will rarely open the news story. In some cases,
special WHO may justify emphasis even though identification does not become part
of the lead?
Examples: President Olusegun Obasanjo has promised to improve the conditions
of service of federal civil servants in the country in order to stem corrupt practices.
United State President, George W. Bush has announced a donation of $50m in
support of AIDS epidemic in Africa.
3. Where Did It Happen?: The location of a news story is important and of interest
when the media considers their area of coverage or place of reporting.
Example: An Evangelist of the Christ Church of the lord, Mr Aboidun Baruwa was
killed by a lion at the Zoological garden of the University of Ibadan last Saturday.

News Writing 21
4. When Did It Happen?: Time element is important in a news story, and in most
cases, it is included in the lead. However, it often sounds odd to begin a news story
with time. That is why” At noon last Saturday” cannot begin a story. Notes
Example: President Goodluck Jonathan leaves Abuja Monday morning for Madrid,
to begin a three-day state visit Spain.
5. Why Did It Happen?: The WHY of a news story is the circumstances surrounding
the event behind the story. In most cases, the WHY is always answered in the body
of the news story, unless when the circumstances surrounding the WHY deserves
more explanation.
Example: INEC cannot remove Ngige based on his expulsion from the PDP. This
clarification was made yesterday by the INEC Chairman. Abel Gbobadia, to refuse
claims credited to him.
6. How did it happen?: The HOW of a story is closely related to the WHY? That is
why the HOW and the WHY of the story is usually left for the second or third
paragraph that form the body of the story. However, the HOW of a news story is
mostly used to explain the process the event takes to become a news story.
Example: Taiwanese police have rescued a wealthy businessman kidnapped and
held for two weeks in the boot of a car while his captors demanded a ransom of 50
million Taiwan dollars.
2.2.1 Components of the Story

The components of a story are what the story must contain to be accepted. Mencher
(2010) identifies seven of such components thus:
 Accuracy: All information provided in a story must be accurate and the facts must
also be verifiable.
 Attribution: The sources which provided the reporter with information he or she
used in writing his/her story must be properly identified.
 Complete: A news story should contain the specifics that illustrate, prove and
document the main point of the story
 Balanced and Fair: A news story should make sure all sides in a controversial
issue are presented.
 Objective: The writer or reporter should never inject his or her own personal biases
and prejudices into his or her story.
 Brief and Focused: The good news story should get to the point as quickly as
possible and should keep to the point.
 Well-written: A good news story should be clear, direct, interesting and error-free.
2.3 News Writing Styles

2.3.1 The Inverted Pyramid Format
The Inverted Pyramid Format is a news story writing format used centuries ago;
however, most modern newspapers still use the format because it is the most space-
efficient story form known. It permits writers to deliver the most important information in
a paragraph or two. This type of news writing format gives the most important
information in the news first in form of a lead and goes on to develop the story in a
descending order of importance. The Inverted Pyramid story has no conclusion, as
many single incident news stories are presented in this form. The illustration below
shows the format.

22 News Writing
Notes
Figure 2.1: Inverted Pyramid Format

The purpose of this type of structure is to present the news quickly, clearly and
readably, to help the reader easily understand the content of the story. Its basic logic
grows out of the different ways in which readers approach a news story. Some will be
so interested in the subject that they will read every word the reporter writes, regardless
of how it is written; others read only a few paragraphs; many will only read the headline
and lead.
To provide all these readers with maximum benefit, the reporter arranges the fact in
descending order of importance. The inverted pyramid form has a professional
advantage over the conventional method of essay writing. When a news story is very
long and needs cutting, the sub-editor can easily cut from the paragraphs, which
contain the least important details.
The Advantages/Importance of the Inverted Pyramid Format

1. It makes the reader get the gist quickly.
2. It helps in headline writing.
3. It facilitates reading.
4. It satisfies the curiosity of the reader.
5. It helps and facilitates page make up.
6. It facilitates editing to suit the news hole.
2.3.2 Hourglass
It builds on the inverted pyramid and combines a narrative. It delivers breaking news
and tells a story. The first 4-6 paragraphs contain a summary lede and answer the most
pressing questions. Then a transitional phrase cites the source of the upcoming story -
"Police say the incident occurred after closing last night." The article concludes with the
chronological story.
Try a modular architecture called the hourglass. In the top globe, break your news
in inverted-pyramid form with the most important information coming first, followed by
other highlights.
In the bottom globe, tell your story in narrative form, from beginning to middle to
end. This is a good form for any news story that can get readers to ask those great
narrative questions: How did that happen? What happened next? Lots of crime stories
News Writing 23
look good in hourglass form, but any story with a cause and effect, or a complication
and resolution, works: rescue stories, accident stories, journeys, quests and many
others. Notes
As a hybrid, the hourglass lacks the quick precision of the inverted pyramid and the
involving suspense of a narrative story. But it’s a good form for constructing a news
story that goes beyond the news. It’s a form that takes advantage of the suppleness of
print. It’s hard to see videographers and photographers making use of the hourglass in
a straightforward way.
2.3.3 Narratives
It has a beginning, middle, and end just like a story. One famous example, Truman
Capote's In Cold Blood, was actually published as a novel. But for most news articles,
narratives should be short and to the point and used only where telling a personal story
helps to convey the point of the article. The New Yorker is noted for using narrative
form.
2.3.4 The Five Boxes Story
It combines the forms listed above. Useful when you have a lot of data to sort through.
Box 1 contains the lede, Box 2 contains the nutgraph, Box 3 tells the story begun in Box
1, Box 4 contains supplemental details such as statistics or expert opinions, and Box 5
contains the "kicker" or the quote, image, or comment that ends the story on a strong
note.
2.4 Quote, Attribution and Paraphrase

Direct quotes add colour and credibility. By using direct quotes, you are putting your
audience directly in touch with the speaker. Like a letter, direct quotes are personal. Not
everything people say should be put into direct quotes. You need to learn what to quote
directly, when to use partial quotes and when to paraphrase. You must also learn how
and how often to attribute a remark because some information may not excuse you
from a possible libel suit. Therefore, you must also learn to deal with off-the-record
quotes and background information.
2.4.1 What to Quote Directly

Brief, precise and relevant quotes spice up any story. But you can overdo a good thing.
You need direct quotes in your story, no doubt but you also need to develop your skill in
recognizing what is worth quoting. Make use of the following guidelines:
1. Use direct quotes when someone says something unique
2. Use direct quotes when someone says something uniquely
3. Use direct quotes when someone important says something important.
2.4.2 Problems in Direct Quotation

1. Paraphrasing Quotes: Some quotations need verifications while others need
clarification. Do not quote someone unless you are sure of what that person means.
The best way to avoid confusing and unclear quotes or needlessly long wordy
quotes is to paraphrase.
2. Partial Quotes: It is also much better to paraphrase or to use full quotes than to
use fragmentary or partial quotes. Example:
The Vice-Chancellor said lecturers should “turn off” unnecessary lights and “lock
up” before closing for the day.
This sentence will be better off without quotation marks. Again partial quotes often
contain an ellipsis inside them to tell the reader that some of the words of the
quotes are missing. Example:

24 News Writing
“I have come here tonight ... and I have crossed state lines ... to conspire against
the government”.
Notes
This practice at times may be justifiable, but you should not keep the reader guessing
and wondering what is missing.
2.4.3 Correcting Quotes

None of us regularly speaks in perfect, grammatical sentences. The same persons
when writing down his remarks presumably would write grammatically and correctly.
Therefore, it is accepted practice on many newspapers to correct grammar and to put a
person’s remark into complete sentences. This has, however, brought some
controversy. The question is “Would you fix a quote to make the person you are quoting
sound grammatical?” Here are some opinions and answers from renowned reporters.
1. Columnist James Kilpatrick: Sure. It is elementary courtesy, and every one does
it. You don’t change the substance of your subject’s thought, of course. You could
make anyone in politics look ridiculous if you quoted him verbatim all the time with
all the ands, ifs, buts, and ors.
2. Jack Newfield, former Senior Editor for village voice: No, I don’t. New York
political leader Meade Esposito’s colourfulness comes from his lack of grammar.
3. The AP Style book says: Quotations normally should be corrected to avoid the
errors in grammar and word usage that often occur unnoticed when someone is
speaking but are embarrassing in print.
4. Use of Obscenity: On most newspapers, some things people say are never
permitted in print, even if they are said uniquely. Newspapers rarely print
obscenities, profanities or vulgarities unless they are essential to the story. For
instance, obscenities are not used in the Washington Post except with the approval
of a top editor. But if it is a “Hardcore” obscenity referring to the body and sexual or
excretory functions, The Washington Post’s Style book calls for the first letter
followed by dashes. E.g. He called the President a “f- -king fool”
2.4.4 Attributing Direct and Indirect Quotes

In composition and creative writing classes, you may have been told to avoid repeating
the same words. This is not so in news writing and reporting especially for the word
“said”. Reporters and editors prefer forms of the verb “to say” in most instances, even if
they are repeated throughout a story. There are reasons for doing so:
1. ‘Said’ is Unobtrusive – Not easily noticeable and hides in the news columns and
calls no attention to itself.
2. ‘Said’ is Neutral- It has no connotations.
3. ‘Said’ is Objective – It does not depict the reporter’s biases.
When you get information from a source, you normally need to attribute that
information to someone. Attribution means to tell your readers or listeners the name and
title of the person you interviewed or document you got the information from. You do it,
for example, through the verb "to say" or a phrase like "according to ...."
There are three levels of attribution, depending on whether your source is happy
about being publicly identified or whether they want to keep some secrecy about what
they tell you. These three levels (which we will explain in detail) are:
 On the record, which means you can use both their words and their name;
 Non-attributable, which means you can use the information, but not the source's
name;
 Off the record, which means you cannot use either the information or the source's
name.

News Writing 25
All of these terms are only used to describe reporting methods. They should not appear
in your finished story. Let us look at these three in detail:
Notes
On the record
Most information you are given will be on the record. People will tell you the details
openly and allow you to quote their names and titles. The politician making a speech,
the witness describing a crash, the police officer reporting an arrest, the company
chairman defending an increase in prices, all are usually prepared to be quoted and to
give their names. Even if they are unhappy about the story you are writing (perhaps
because it makes them look bad), most people will understand your need to report fairly
and accurately what they say.
It is always best to get information on the record. You can remain accurate by using
the exact words people say. You can also make the story seem more human by using
direct quotes (or by using their voices on radio and television). But most important,
people judge what they read or hear by the person who says it. They are much more
likely to take notice if the Justice Minister says he believes in capital punishment than if
the man who sweeps the street says it. On the record comments have an extra level of
understanding for people because they know who is speaking and exactly what was
said.
Non-attributable
Sometimes a source will give you information on the understanding that you can use
the information but not attribute it to them.
Your source may do this for one of several reasons. Perhaps they are not officially
allowed to give you the information, but they think it could be made public. Perhaps they
do not want to be in the public eye.
Politicians sometimes give non-attributable details of a plan so that they can find out
public reaction to it without any risk. If the public likes the plan, the politician can then go
on the record and claim the credit. If the public do not like the plan, the politician can
abandon it without losing face because his name was never associated with it anyway.
The danger for journalists is that, if the politician does decide to abandon an unpopular
plan, you will be left looking like a fool for writing about a story which the politician will
then deny ever having considered. Politicians occasionally leak document to the media
for similar reasons - to test public opinion on an issue unofficially.
If you agree not to use your source's name, there are phrases you can use instead,
such as "a spokesperson for...", "a reliable source at..." or "sources within..." These
should only be used if you cannot convince the source to go on the record. They are an
admission that you cannot tell the whole truth.
If your source refuses to go on the record, ask them if they mind some information
being used and attributed to them, but leaving the more sensitive information not
attributed specifically to them. They may allow their name to be used for certain parts
but not for others.
For example, the Police Minister, Ari Katoa, may tell you about a forthcoming
operation against drug growers, but not wish to be quoted on the details for fear of
offending his police commissioner. However, he will be quoted on the problem itself.
You might then write the story:
Police in East Island are to launch a major offensive against marijuana growers.
Extra police will be drafted in from today and helicopters will be used to search out
drug plantations.
Sources within the Police Department say this is the biggest operation of its kind
ever mounted on the island.

26 News Writing
Police Minister Ari Katoa says drug abuse is a serious menace to the stability of the
nation and the lives of young people.
Notes
You should try to avoid making any agreement to accept non-attributable
information unless it is unavoidable. Your job as a journalist is to pass on news as
accurately as possible. Unattributed stories will not seem as accurate to your audience
as stories where information is attributed.
Off the record

You will occasionally be given information on the understanding that it is totally off the
record. Although you will have to ask your source exactly what they mean by such a
phrase, it usually means that you should not even write about what they tell you. And
you must certainly not use their name.
People usually give information off the record when they want you to understand
the background to something which is too sensitive for them to talk publicly about. For
example, you might get a tip-off of a major police operation planned for the next day
against the hide-out of a criminal gang. You ask the police chief for more information,
but he will obviously not want you to publish anything which might warn the gang. On
the other hand, he might not want to say "no comment" because you might start asking
questions somewhere else. So he might say he will tell you off the record, on condition
that you do not tell anyone else.
Because he is asking you a favour - that is to keep secret something you already
know a little bit about - you should expect a favour in return. If you agree not to publish
details of the story before the raid, ask him whether, as a sign of goodwill on his part, he
will allow you to accompany the police on the raid. You will then beat all your
competitors to the story of the raid itself and have a scoop.
One thing to remember about any request to treat information off the record is that it
is only a request. You can agree or disagree. If a person says they will only speak to
you off the record, you must decide how important their information is - and whether you
can get it from somewhere else. If you cannot, perhaps you can agree to their
conditions. In any case, you should bargain with them to give it on the record or at least
non-attributed.
If a person gives you an interview and only tells you at the end that it was all off the
record, argue that they should have said so earlier and not wasted your time. You are in
a strong position because you now know what it is they want to keep a secret.
Using assumed names

You occasionally have to protect a source's identity by giving them an assumed name.
This arises most often when you are writing about the victims of some kind of abuse,
usually in feature articles or documentaries. These people may not mind you are telling
their story, but they do not want other people to know exactly who they are.
Children especially should be protected, although you can use assumed names for
anyone with a good reason to have their identity kept secret, such as alcoholics, drug
addicts or battered wives.
It is usual in such cases to give the person assumed name, for example "Tony" or
"Juanita", and no surname. You must, of course, tell your readers or listeners that this is
not the person's real name, but is being used to protect them. If you use a picture them,
make sure they are not recognisable in it. If you use their voice, it is common practice in
radio and television to electronically change it so it cannot be recognised.
You may also have to disguise other facts of the story if there is a chance that these
will lead people to identify the person. This should only be done after careful
consideration and with the approval of your editor.

News Writing 27
2.4.5 Guidelines on How to Attribute Information
1. If a direct quote is more than one sentence long, place the attribution at the end of
the first sentence. Example:
Notes
“The bus overturned at least three times,” the policeman said. “None of the twenty
passengers was hurt. Luckily, the car did not explode to flames.”
2. Do not follow a fragment of a quote with a continuing complete sentence of
quotation. For example:
WRONG: The Vice-Chancellor said the time had come “to turn off some lights. We
all must do something to conserve electricity.”
RIGHT: "The time has come to turn off some lights,” the Vice Chancellor said. “We
must all do something to conserve electricity.”
Always separate partial quotes and complete quotes.
3. The First time you attribute a direct or indirect quote, identify the speaker fully.
Example:
The Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious Covenant University, Prof Aize
Immonokhome Obayan, said students will no longer be allowed to wear jean
trousers to lectures.
(a) Don’t attribute direct quotes to more than one person, as in the following: “The
bullets came out from everywhere,” witnesses said. “The protesters had guns
even the children amongst them.”
You can however, eliminate the quotation marks, if indeed any witness made
the statement. Never make up a source and never invent a quote for
anonymous witnesses. It is dishonest, inaccurate and inexcusable.
(b) In stories covering past news events, use the past tense in attributing, and use
it throughout the story. However, stories that do not report on news events,
such as features, may be effective if the attributions are consistently in present
tense. Example:
“‘I like being the mayor,’ she says” You are indicating that she still enjoys it.
(c) Ordinarily, place the noun or pronoun before the verb in attributions. Example:
“Everything is under control,” the Inspector
General of Police said.
If you must identify a person by indicating a long title, it is better to begin the
attribution with the verb. Example:
“I enjoy the new position,” says Prof. Prince Izedonmi, Dean of Post Graduate
Studies, and Covenant University.
2.5 Intro or Leads

Since most stories are written in the inverted pyramid form, the news reporter must
master the lead. The lead is the first paragraph of a news story and contains the 5Ws
and H. In fact, the lead is the most important part of a news story because it contains
the most important facts of such a news story. The lead also summarizes the facts of a
news story and it must be attractive, interesting and readable. The lead could extend to
the second paragraph of the story but under normal circumstances, it should not go into
the third paragraph. This is not to say that one has not come across a story of three-
paragraph lead in our dailies. What we are trying to emphasize here is that a reporter
should not indulge in writing three-paragraph leads.
According to Mencher, “The lead sentence usually contains one idea and follows
the subject-verb-object sentence structure for clarity.” This means the lead should begin

28 News Writing
with the subject, followed by an active verb and conclude with the object of the verb.
This structure also makes the reporter to write simple and short sentences.
Notes
Some writers and editors also prefer to place word limit on leads. Mencher says a
lead should not exceed 35 words.
2.5.1 Function/Importance of the Lead

1. The Lead Summarizes the News: It gives the reader the sense of the story to
follow and takes him or her to the supporting facts or claims presented in the
opening statements.
2. The Lead Answers the Questions Raised By the 5Ws and H: However, not all
the answers provided by the 5Ws and H must be present in every lead to make it
acceptable but no important one should be left out or omitted.
3. The Lead must Emphasize the News Feature: The lead is expected to play up
the most interesting or significant aspect of the story. The news feature must be
played up in the lead.
4. The Lead must Furnish the Reader with Identification Needed for Clarity:
Persons, places and events must be given identification to make the lead clear to
the reader. These bits of information may be considered as parts of the answers to
the WHO, WHERE and WHAT of an event.
5. The Lead must also suggest or give the Authority on which the News is
Written: This is called Documentation. Documentation gives credence to the news
story.
6. The Lead must Attract Readers to the Story: As the window of the story, the lead
must get the attention of the reader and sustain this till he or she gets into the story.
7. The Lead should Suggest the Headline: From the lead it becomes easy for the
sub-editor or editor to cast the headline for the story. The lead should help suggest
this.
Hints on How to Write the Lead

1. Use the SVO (subject-verb-object) sentence structure.
2. Make use of simple and short sentences.
3. Discover the most important element of the story and play this up in your lead.
4. Decide on what lead feature to emphasize among the five Ws and H and make this
part of the first sentence.
5. Use a single element if you find out that one element stands out clearly in the story.
6. Make your lead go straight to the point.
7. Always ensure that your main verb is in the active voice.
2.5.2 Various Types of Leads

There are several types of leads; however, Sonaike (1987) identifies nine thus:
1. Summary Lead which comprises of a statement that answers the 5Ws and H of a
news event;
2. The Effect’s Lead which focuses on the effect or consequences of an event;
3. The Contrast Lead which portrays contrasts of news events;
4. The Direct Address Lead which directs its statement at the reader;
5. The Question Lead which asks a questions and provides an answer as well;
6. The Cartridge Lead which presents the gist of an even in the fewest words;
7. The Double Feature Lead which contains two separate ideas;
8. The Quote Lead which starts with a quotation and

News Writing 29
9. The Shirt-tail Lead which is a lead broken into two sentences expressing two
related ideas.
Notes
We shall further explain some of these lead types that are relevant with examples.
Summary Lead
The summary lead is often used with the inverted pyramid form because it seeks to
summarize the story in a few lines and tells the reader what he needs to know by
answering the 5Ws and H. The summary lead summarizes the whole story and gives
details later. It is very brief and deals only with the key points of the story.
Example: The ultra-modern Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia State, reputed to
be the biggest in Africa was razed by fire on Tuesday.
Figurative or Coloured Lead

This lead permits the extensive use of figures of speech or allows the use of words in
the figurative sense rather than the literal sense. The power of a figurative lead is in its
eye-catching effect.
Example: After a countdown of several weeks, the Governor has put a fire button and
blasted the MD of the state owned sugar Company into the rank of redundancy.
Quotation Lead
A quotation lead usually consists of a striking statement that could make readers
interested in the story. Because the quotation lead is easy to write, the general rule is to
use it sparingly. It should be used only where the quote is quite significant, and in cases
where it could add drama to the story. Whenever a quotation is used, the explanation of
such quotation should be made in the next paragraph.
“The implementation of the present law on abortion would continue to impede the
control of abortion in the country”
Question Lead
The question lead raises a question and attempts to answer the question. A question
lead is commonly used in explanatory or specialized writing. The question at times
answers itself when it is rhetoric.
Example: What is constructive comment and what is disloyalty to the state? This is the
question in many minds today following the dismissal of a state commissioner as a
result of an alleged anti-government speech.
The function of the second paragraph as statement following the questions is to
explain the question to the listeners, readers or viewers.
Bullet Lead
Bullet lead is nearest to the headline. It is a shot sentence that carries great impact.
Example: Multibillionaire and business tycoon, Chief was killed today in a car bomb
outside his home.
Staccato Lead
This consists of short sentences, coming one after the other to create heightened effect.
It is used to establish a mood best suited for the kind of news story.
Example: The disaster started with a building flash.
Next, a shattering roar that led to a crumbling wall then breaking glass, and death.

30 News Writing
Immediate – Identification Lead
Notes In the immediate – identification lead, one of the most important facts of the story is the
“WHO” element. Reporters often use this approach when someone important or
someone whose name is widely recognized is making news.
Example: Pop Singer Roy Kelly was hospitalized in good conditions with second –
degree burns on his scalp last night after his hair caught fire when he was filming a
commercial.
Delayed – Identification Lead

When a reporter uses this type of lead, usually it is because the person or persons
involved have little name recognition among the readers. Example:
Madison – A 39-year old carpenter was killed today in a two-car collision two blocks
from his home.
Dead is William Domonske of 205 W. Oak St. injured in the accident and taken to
Mercy Hospital were Mary Craig, 21, of 204 Maple Ave. and Rebecca Roets, 12, of 207
Maple Ave.
Multiple – Element Leads

In some stories, choosing one theme for the lead is too restrictive. In such cases the
reporter can choose a multiple – element lead to work more information into the first
paragraph. However, such a lead must be written within the confines of a clear, simple
sentence(s).
Example: PORTLAND – The city council Tuesday ordered three department heads
fired, established an administrative review board and said it would begin to monitor the
work habits of administrators.
Leads with Flair

Although the inverted pyramid is designed to tell readers the news first and fast, not all
stories begin with the most important statement. When the news value you want to
emphasize is novelty, often the lead is unusual.
Example: ROME, ITALY (AP) – The wedding guests included a drug suspects, the
social coordinator was a narcotics agent, the justice of the peace was a police chief and
52 officers were party crashers.
For the unsuspecting bride and groom the ceremony Friday was truly unforgettable
– a sting operation set up by state and local police that led to 30 arrests.
Please note you may come across other types of leads depending on the author
you are reading. However, the summary lead is the most commonly used in this part of
the world because of its tendency to summarize the 5Ws and H in the lead.
2.6 Writing the body of the News

The body of news provides more of the background and details of a news story
following the headline and lead. The news body could contain just one paragraph or
more. Each paragraph, however, could be either simple compound or complex
sentences depending on how much information the writer wants to give.
2.6.1 Where Is the Body of News Located in a News Story?

The information from the second paragraph to the last paragraph of a news story is
called the body. However, the body of some news stories may have only one
paragraph. Similarly, a paragraph may also contain just one sentence.

News Writing 31
2.6.2 The Function of the Body of News
The body of news provides the reader the background and details of a news story. It is Notes
an optional part in that it can be eliminated by the reader if they do not have time to
skim it or it can be trimmed by the editor from the bottom up if there is not enough
space for it, without causing any harm to the news story because the news summary
and main idea are already stated in the headline and lead.
2.6.3 Building a News Story

The first hurdle has been cleared when you have written your intro. You have made a
good start - but only a start. You now have to tackle the rest of the story to ensure the
second, third and following paragraphs live up to the promise of the intro.
With a thorough understanding of the story, its content and its implications, and with
the appropriate intro composed, the remainder of the story should fall into place quite
naturally. It should become natural for you to take the readers and listeners by the hand
and lead them through the story so that they absorb easily the information you have
gathered.
Remember the pyramid

Remember the pyramid. Using this structure, the first sentence or first two sentences of
the story make up the intro and should contain the most important points in the story.
In the sentences below the intro, detail is given which supports the facts or opinions
given in the intro; and the other most newsworthy details are given.
Less important details and subsidiary ideas or information follow until the story
finally tails away to the sort of details which help to give the full picture but which are not
essential to the story.
A story written in the pyramid style can be cut from the bottom up to fit limited space
or time.
Length and strength

The actual length of the news story should not be confused with the strength of the
story.
Some very strong stories about major issues may be written in a few sentences,
while relatively minor stories can sometimes take a lot of space.
However, it is usual for stronger stories to be given in more detail.
Whatever the length of the story, the bottom point of the pyramid - the place where
we stop writing - should be the same. That is the level at which further details fail to
meet the criteria for newsworthiness.
Simple steps in writing the news story

As with writing the intro, if you follow a step-by-step approach to the rest of the story
you will make your task simpler and easier. We have already chosen key points, a news
angle and written an intro about Cyclone Victor. Let us now return to that information
and write the full news story.
The amount of detail which you include will be different for print and broadcasting. If
you are writing for a newspaper, you will need to include as much relevant detail as
possible. If you are writing for radio or television you will give much less detail.
For example, a newspaper report should certainly include the names and other
details of the dead and injured people, if those details are available. You will not want to
include these details in a radio report unless they are especially noteworthy.

32 News Writing
One reason for this is that newspaper readers can jump over details which they do
not want, and carry on reading at a later part of the story. Radio listeners and television
Notes viewers cannot do this, so you must make sure that you do not give details which most
of your listeners will not want. If you do, you will bore them, and they may switch off.
It is also true, of course, that you can fit much more news into a newspaper than
into a radio or television bulletin. Radio reports have to be short so that there is room for
other reports in the bulletin.
Information
Providing the correct information is important.
Key points
Select the key points from the intro that have to be discussed in detail.
Decide the most newsworthy key points which best fills the four criteria for news:
 Is it new?
 Is it unusual?
 Is it interesting or significant?
 Is it about people?
Remember to decide to use one key point in preference to other if they were about
the same fact if it is more appropriate or shorter for intro.
The intro
By filling in just enough of the Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? to allow
the intro to stand alone if necessary, we finally wrote the intro:
Options
We have three choices at this point for writing the rest of the story. We could tell it
chronologically - that means in the time order in which the events happened. Or we can
tell it in descending order of importance of the key points, all the way down to the least
newsworthy at the end. Or we can use a combination of these two approaches, i.e. we
can begin by giving the key points in descending order then fill in the less important
details in chronological order.
Whichever option we choose, there must be a clear logic behind the way the story
is told. This will make it easy for the reader to follow and understand it. There are many
ways in which you could show visitors around your village or town, some of which would
be logical and some illogical.
You might show them the centre of the village first, then move to the outer
buildings, and finish with the river and the food gardens. Or you might show everything
to do with one family line first, and then move to a second family line, and so on.
Visitors could follow and understand either of these.
However, if you wander at random through the village, pointing out things as you
happen to see them, your visitors will probably become confused.
So it is with writing the news story. You must choose a clear and simple sequence
for telling the facts and giving relevant opinions. In this way your readers or listeners will
not become confused.
Ranking the key points

The points that we have chosen as key points need to be ranked in an order of their
importance.

News Writing 33
Clearly, for example, the deaths need explaining if possible, as does the damage to
people's homes, because lives are more important than homes.
Notes
We have to make sure that the paragraph should not be too long and the key point
is also emphasised properly.
Notice here that we can change the word “houses” to “homes”, since “homes” is
houses with people living in them. We can also change the phrase "sustained
considerable structural damage" to "were badly damaged". As in the intro, you must
avoid overloading any sentence in your story with unnecessary words - remember the
canoe. The original phrase was just jargon. The rewritten phrase is shorter and simpler
to understand.
Telling the rest of the story

It would be possible to write the rest of the story by choosing more key points from the
information left, ranking them according to newsworthiness then writing them in order.
This is, however, very complicated and may confuse your reader or listener. A much
simpler alternative is to now go back to the beginning of the event and tell it in
chronological order, as things happened.
Before we do this, we have tell our audience that we are going to change from the
key points method of news writing to the chronological method, otherwise they might
think that our next paragraph is our next key point (although our readers or listeners
would not use that term). The easiest way of doing that is to provide a kind of summary
to the first segment of our story with the paragraph:
Checking the story

Before we hand the story in to our chief of staff or news editor, there are two more
things we have to do to make sure that it is accurate; we must check for mistakes and
we must check for missing details.
Inexperienced journalists are often so relieved that they have actually written a story
that they forget to check it properly. You should make it a firm rule to read your story
through several times before handing it in.
If you should find another mistake on any reading, correct it and then, because your
reading has been interrupted by the correction, you should read the whole story through
again from the beginning. Keep doing this until you can read it through from beginning
to end without finding any errors. Only then can you hand it in.
Mistakes
We have to check back through our story to make sure that we have all the facts
correct, the right spellings, the correct order of events, the proper punctuation. In short,
is this how you want to see the story in your newspaper or hear it read out on air?
Missing details
We have to ask ourselves whether there are still any outstanding Who? What? Where?
When? Why? or How? Questions still to be answered
The amount of detail which we include in the story will depend on how much we feel
our readers or listeners will want.
As we explained earlier, newspapers will give more details than radio or television
bulletins.
The final version

The final version of our story, let us say for a newspaper, is now almost ready.
We check for mistakes, and are satisfied that we have made none.

34 News Writing
We then check for missing details. We have not given the names of the dead and
injured, so we might phone the police and the hospital. Both places tell us that names
Notes will not be released until the families have been informed. This must be included in our
story.
2.6.4 How Is Each Paragraph Arranged in the Body?

Since there may be one paragraph or more in the news body, each paragraph is
structured to present the news in order of descending importance,’ or in the form of an
inverted pyramid, not in chronological order as in other types of writing.
The following are some steps in arranging paragraphs of the news body:
Step 1: Use the second paragraph to provide the background by making the story
clearer, for example, what had happened before.
Step 2: Introduce direct quotation as the source of news in the third, fourth
paragraphs and so on to communicate directly to the audience. However, do not string
all the quotations together. Save some for the other paragraphs if there are too many of
them.
Step 3: Use transitions when a new paragraph is introduced. There are many kinds
of transitions which help smooth every paragraph together. They are:
 Numerically: first, second, third, etc.
 By time: at 3 p.m., by noon, three hours later, just half an hour before, etc.
 Geographically: in Bangkok, over India, outside the home, district 3 voters, in
Delhi itself, on Ramkhamhaeng University campus, etc.
 With words: also, but, once, meanwhile, therefore, in other action, however,
below, above, etc.
Step 4: Do not include any personal opinions because the reporters are the eyes
and ears of their audiences. They are just eyewitnesses, not the authors. If they want to
express their own opinion, use direct quotations of people involved in the incident. If an
adjective is used to describe a person or something, put it in quotation marks, for
example, Radio Thailand and TV channel 11, both run by the Public Relations
Department have been dubbed “dinosaurs” for producing “dull” and “unattractive”
programs.
Step 5: Do not end the news report with an ending similar to a short story, novel or
play. Make the writing or report stop, but not the news story. An effective way to
conclude a news story is with a direct quotation.’
2.6.5 Clear Writing

Choosing what to include in your story is only one part of writing the news story. If you
wish to do the job well, you must also think about the way in which you write it.
There are a number of things which you need to keep in mind if you are going to write
clearly.
Simplicity
Keep the language and grammar clear and simple. This is not just a rule for intro writing
- it applies throughout the whole news story.
A lot of young journalists write bright, snappy intros with simple grammar and short
words, and then spoil the story by overloading the rest with long and obscure words and
complicated grammatical constructions.
We will discuss this in greater detail in the chapters on Language and Style. For
now, remember that the same factors which make a good intro also apply to the whole
of the story

News Writing 35
Another way in which we help to keep things simple for our readers or listeners is
by writing paragraphs of one or two sentences. You may have been told in writing
essays that you only start a new paragraph for a new idea. This does not apply in Notes
journalism, where we try to get lots of ideas into a short space in a newspaper or short
bulletin on radio or television.
It is standard practice in news journalism to start a new paragraph with each
sentence. We call each of these short paragraphs a par. You should get used to this
term.
The great advantage of having short pars in radio scripts is that the newsreaders
have no trouble keeping track of where they are on the page. When they finish one
sentence, their eyes automatically move to the beginning of the next par. In
newspapers, short paragraphs introduce white space on to the page, at the beginning
and end of each par, which makes the story more readable. It also makes the story
easier to cut, if it is too long to fit on the page.
Accuracy
We have already mentioned that accuracy is one of the principal requirements of
journalism. You may have to generalise in your intro to keep it short and simple.
However, you must be accurate and precise when giving the full details later in the
story.
Sequence and continuity

By identifying key points and ranking them in importance you have placed the facts in
some kind of order. Certainly this is the best method to use for the intro and the first few
paragraphs. However, with a long and involved story you will find that jumping from key
point to key point may confuse your reader or listener. You will have to put your facts in
a logical sequence and provide continuity between different segments of the story.
Telling the story in chronological order will do this for some kinds of events, such as
the cyclone or a rescue, but it will not work for all stories - for example an election
campaign or a debate over where to build a new school. These need a slightly different
approach once you have written your intro and principal key points.
If you were showing someone around your village, you would not begin by pointing
out the church, then take them inside the copra drying hut, then point out your home,
and then take them inside the church. You would be more likely to start your tour by
pointing out the main places of interest in general (that is like your intro and first few
paragraphs), and then you would go on to visit each of the places, such as the church,
the copra drying hut and your home, showing each in greater detail.
That is how it should be with your story. Once you have written your intro and the
paragraphs telling the principal key points, take each aspect of the story in turn and give
details of it before moving on to the next aspect. Do not ramble from key point to key
point. Take your readers or listeners by the hand and lead them through the story.
When you change from one aspect to another, you may occasionally have to
provide linking words to guide your audience:
 However, a spokesman for the men said they had a number of other complaints.
 Meanwhile, the Western Highlands government was preparing its own plans to fight
the coffee rust.
The "however" in our first example says that we are about to hear an opposing view
to the one previously expressed. The "meanwhile" in our second example tell us that
something else is going on at the same time.
There are a number of other linking words which can give your story continuity. Be
careful. Each has a specific meaning, so get it right. Also, remember that if you repeat

36 News Writing
"meanwhile" ten times in a story you will simply leave your readers or listeners
confused, not knowing where in the story they are.
Notes
Facts first
Some stories involve both the announcement of facts (such as an increase in income
tax) and comments on the facts themselves (from the Finance Minister, opposition
leader and others). You must always give enough explanation of the facts first to put the
comments in context; otherwise you will confuse your reader or listener:
RIGHT: WRONG:
Income tax is to rise by two The Finance Minister said today that an
percent next month. increase in income tax was needed to help to
pay for increased spending on education.
The Finance Minister, Mr
Barney Kina, said today the Mr Barney Kina announced that income tax
rise was needed to help to will therefore rise by two percent from next
pay for increased spending month.
on education.
You must also make sure that any facts or comments which are given in a brief
form in the intro are explained in full later in the story. You must never leave any
important Who? What? Where? When? Why? or How? questions unanswered. In our
cyclone example, we said in the intro that six people had died. We explained how they
died later in the story.
The same rule applies to comments. If you say that someone attacked a policy or a
proposal, later in the story you must quote the exact words he or she used, to support
your intro. Readers or listeners will not take everything you say on trust - they too want
evidence, and you must provide it.
Quotes and attribution

We have discussed quotes and attribution fully in section 2.4. For the moment there are
two general observations to make.
The first is that quotes bring any story to life by bringing together the news-maker
and the reader or listener. On radio and television we do this by using a taped interview
so that the person can be heard (and seen on television) actually saying the words. In
newspapers, we use the person's actual words, in quote marks (").
In both cases, the readers or listeners are given direct access to the source of the
news. When journalists do not use quotes, they seem to be getting in between the
news-maker and the reader or listener. They seem to get in the way.
The second observation is that you should, wherever possible, attribute the
statement of facts to someone your reader or listener can identify in the story. This
gives your audience some idea of how reliable the information is.
Background
Very often, you will write a news story updating something which has been reported by
your newspaper, radio or television station before. We call stories which continue to
produce new developments running stories, and we call stories which build upon
previous news items follow-ups.
You cannot assume when writing a follow-up that your readers or listeners will know
the original facts of the story. You have to summarise the issue briefly to bring them up
to date. We call this information background. One or two paragraphs of well-written
background details must be included in the body of your news story, so that it makes
complete sense.

News Writing 37
2.7 General Rules for News Writing and Reporting
The success of any profession depends on the quality of rules and regulations guiding Notes
such a profession and concerted efforts to ensure such regulations are not tampered
with. In this unit, we will be considering the general and basic rules that guide news
writing and reporting.
General Rules for News Writing and Reporting are discussed below.
1. Do not Pass a Verdict or make a Judgment: It is not your duty as a reporter or
writer to pass a verdict or make judgment. Just gather the facts of the story present
them to your audience and let them decide on whose side they will want to go.
2. Do Not Editorialize: Leave editorializing to the Editorial Writers. News reports must
be as straightforward and objective.
3. Avoid the use of Unfamiliar Jargon: Do not assume that your audience knows
the meanings of the unfamiliar jargons you are using. Always use familiar words.
4. Keep yourself and other reporters out of the story unless you and they are an
essential part of the news.
5. Avoid the use of “told me”, “told this writer” or “told our reporter.” The phrase “in an
interview will serve your purpose.
6. There must be perfect accuracy in writing and reporting. When in doubt, leave it out.
7. There must be no wilful distortion of facts in either news or headlines: Never
tamper with the facts of a story no matter the benefits that may accrue to you as a
result. This is an unforgivable offence in journalism. Any reporter who tampers or
fabricates the so-called facts of a story is finished in the industry. You become
leprous, untouchable and unemployable.
8. Guard against publication of libellous statements: The good reporter is the one
who lives to write another report and see the fame of the previous reports come to
him. Avoid writing your way into jail. Libellous statements should be avoided
because of its capacity to keep you in jail and close down your media organization
because of insolvency resulting from the inability to pay court fines.
9. Always use simple words: News writing and reporting are not the platforms to
impress anybody with long sounding and big words. Always use the nearest simple
word. A good news report is the one the average reader reads and understands.
10. All news copies must be typewritten and double-spaced: The era of hand
written copies is gone. Therefore, a reporter must know how to type his story using
the computer. It must also be typed in double space so that Sub-Editors and Editors
will be able to edit the copy.
11. The first page must carry the reporter’s surname, a slug line and date in the top left
hand corner. Slug lines must be short- preferably one word.
12. Start your story half-way down the first page: You must give enough space for
your superior editorial staff to work on your copy.
13. Leave at least 1(inches) margin at left, right, top and bottom of each page. Don’t
overcrowd the pages. Leave appropriate margins as suggested.
14. Each page must be numbered or lettered. The correct letter or numeral is in the
form of “B copy next” or “page 2 next”. This type of numbering must appear at the
bottom right hand corner of each page except the last.
15. The end of a story must be marked by a centred “30” or “***” or “#”.
16. Always make you lead interesting. Guard against misleading leads. Leads sell a
story. Therefore, to get and keep the attention of your audience, the lead must be
interesting.
17. Use the inverted pyramid format when writing your news story. This is the generally
accepted format for writing news reports because it presents the most important

38 News Writing
elements of a story in the first few paragraphs. The format also makes it easy to cut
stories from the bottom without losing any substance of the story.
Notes 18. You must quote accurately. Use quotes only where necessary to brighten up your
story. Please, do not overdo this in your copy.
19. Use SAID if you want to write in the present tense and SAID THAT if it is reported
speech. This style helps the copy retains currency and live.
20. Always read your copy carefully and connect all typographical spelling and
grammatical mistakes before turning it in. This is a primary rule even in ordinary or
everyday writing. No amount of haste could justify a badly written copy.
21. Your copy must be submitted in duplicate and both copies must be properly edited.
22. Never underline words or phrases or titles of books in your copy.
23. From the perspectives of Agbese (2008), a seasoned reporter and publisher, don’t
exaggerate, don’t over dramatize, beware of adjectives, use the active voice and be
natural and conversational when you write.
2.7.1 Tips on Writing a News Report

If you need some tips on writing a news report, then keep reading. The following tips
range from gathering the facts to the style of writing you should use.
Four important parts of a news story are news, context, impact, and emotion.
Readers need to know the facts and who or what may be affected by them. Related
stories and background information make up the context and the emotional parts of the
story show the human side of it. Following are tips on writing a compelling and gripping
news report.
 Facts: The facts will answer the: who, what, when, where, why, and how of the
news event. A writer has a responsibility to make sure his facts are accurate. If you
have to write a report before you get all the facts, then say that in the report.
 Style: When writing a news report, use the active voice. The active voice is more
understandable and has more impact. Make short, concise sentences with action
verbs. Your language needs to be simple and not have extra words that don’t really
contribute to the focus of the story. For example, the weather or how someone is
dressed doesn’t need to be included unless it has a bearing on the overall story.
While you are writing, try to anticipate any questions a reader might have while
reading your story.
2.8 Summary
The first person associated with the 5Ws and H is Rudyard Kipling. “I keep six honest
serving men they taught me all I know and their names are What, Why, Where, When,
Who, and How”.
The Inverted Pyramid Format is a news story writing format used centuries ago;
however, most modern newspapers still use the format because it is the most space-
efficient story form known. It permits writers to deliver the most important information in
a paragraph or two.
Direct quotes add colour and credibility. By using direct quotes, you are putting your
audience directly in touch with the speaker. Like a letter, direct quotes are personal. Not
everything people say should be put into direct quotes.
The media industry is an organized industry and so there must rules and
regulations guiding how copies are written and filled for publication. Some of these rules
may differ from country to country but the underlying fact is that they make for good
writing. Any report that lacks these rules or some of them will definitely turn out rejected
by a reputable editor or media organization. This unit focused on the rules that make for
a good copy.

News Writing 39
The body of news provides more of the background and details of a news story
following the headline and lead. The news body could contain just one paragraph or
more. Each paragraph, however, could be either simple compound or complex Notes
sentences depending on how much information the writer wants to give.
The information from the second paragraph to the last paragraph of a news story is
called the body.
It is believed that you are now familiar with these rules after going through this unit.

Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is one of the Ws of the structure of News?
(a) What Happened?
(b) Who Was Involved?
(c) Where Did It Happen?
(d) All of these
2. Which of the following is one of the components of the story?
(a) Accuracy
(b) Attribution
(c) Balanced and Fair
(d) All of these
3. ............................................. is a news story writing format used centuries ago;
however, most modern newspapers still use the format because it is the most
space-efficient story form known.
(a) Hourglass
(b) Inverted Pyramid Format
(c) Narratives
(d) The Five Boxes Story
4. In the five box story, Box 1 contains the ……………………………….
(a) Lede
(b) Nutgraph
(c) Supplemental details such as statistics or expert opinions
(d) "Kicker" or the quote, image, or comment that ends the story on a strong note.
5. In the five box story, Box 2 contains the ……………………………….
(a) Clue that story begun in the lede
(b) Supplemental details such as statistics or expert opinions
(c) Nutgraph
(d) None of these
6. Box 5 contains…………………………………..
(a) Supplemental details such as statistics or expert opinions
(b) "Kicker" or the quote, image, or comment that ends the story on a strong note
(c) Nutgraph
(d) Lede
7. By using …………………………………….., you are putting your audience directly in
touch with the speaker.

40 News Writing
(a) Indirect Quotes

(b) Direct quotes
Notes
(c) Attribution
(d) Paraphrase
8. ………………………………………… means you can use both their words and their
name
(a) Non-attributable
(b) Off the record
(c) On the record
(d) None of these
9. ........................................... is often used with the inverted pyramid form because it
seeks to summarize the story in a few lines and tells the reader what he needs to
know by answering the 5Ws and H.
(a) Figurative or Coloured Lead
(b) Quotation Lead
(c) Summary lead
(d) Bullet Lead
10. ..................................................... consists of short sentences, coming one after the
other to create heightened effect. It is used to establish a mood best suited for the
kind of news story.
(a) Immediate – Identification Lead:
(b) Staccato Lead
(c) Delayed – Identification Lead
(d) Leads with Flair

1. Differentiate between a news story structure and style with that of a normal essay in
English Language.
2. What are the various components of the story?
3. Discuss why the components of a story are vital to a journalist’s credibility.
4. Identify ten rules of news writing and argue that they should be retained even
beyond this century.
5. Define various rules used for news writing and reporting.
6. What are Libelous statements? Discuss why these statements should be avoided.
7. Give some tips on writing a good news report.
8. Discuss the guidelines in attributing information
9. Identify five leads of five lead stories in the Guardian Newspaper and state the type
of lead they are.
10. Identify and discuss two types of leads that will be suitable to the general interest
Newspaper.
2.11 Key Terms

 Libelous Statements: Libelous statements, whether against persons or products,
are published statements that are false and damaging.
 Inverted Pyramid: The inverted pyramid is a metaphor often used by writing
instructors to illustrate how information should be arranged or presented within a
news story.

News Writing 41
 Direct Quotes: Direct quotes add colour and credibility.
 Staccato Lead: This consists of short sentences, coming one after the other to
create heightened effect.
Notes
 Bullet Lead: Bullet lead is nearest to the headline. It is a shot sentence that carries
great impact.
 Summary Lead: Summary lead is often used with the inverted pyramid form
because it seeks to summarize the story in a few lines.
Check Your Progress: Answers

1. (d) All of these
2. (d) All of these
3. (b) Inverted Pyramid Format
4. (a) Lede
5. (c) Nutgraph
6. (b) "Kicker" or the quote, image, or comment that ends the story on a strong
7. (b) Direct quotes
8. (c) On the record
9. (c) Summary lead
10. (b) Staccato Lead

 Hallin, C. Daniel & Mancini, Paolo (2004), Comparing Media Systems: Three
Models of Media and Politics, Cambridge University Press.
 Rozell, J. Mark (2003), Media Power, Media Politics, Rowman & Littlefield
 Esser, Frank & Pfetsch, Barbara, Comparing Political Communication: Theories,
Cases, and Challenges, Cambridge University Press.
 Nabi, L. Robin & Oliver, Mary Beth (2009), The SAGE Handbook of Media
Processes and Effects, SAGE.
 Sparrow H. Bartholomew (1999), Uncertain Guardians: The News Media as a
Political Institution, JHU Press.

42 News Writing
Notes CASE STUDY: SATELLITE NEWS GATHERING
N
ews Gathering is one of the most competitive areas of broadcasting, making the
ability to deliver high quality video and audio in the most efficient way possible an
absolute commercial necessity.
The Challenge
News Gathering is one of the most competitive areas of broadcasting, making the ability to
deliver high quality video and audio in the most efficient way possible an absolute
commercial necessity. One of the highest costs is the ongoing procurement of satellite
bandwidth, creating a serious conflict between the operational need to increase the
number of live transmissions and the commercial requirement to curtail expenditure by
reducing bandwidth use. At the same time, the need to deliver higher standards of video
quality, driven upwards by the increasing size and sophistication of consumer displays and
the comparison between SD and HD content in particular, is also causing further
significant challenges by threatening to push bandwidth requirements upwards to even
more unaffordable levels.
SIS LIVE is a leading provider of satellite broadcast services and operates the largest
satellite uplink fleet in Europe. SIS LIVE has many of the world’s largest broadcasters
among its clientele. When one of the most prestigious and respected of these decided to
invest in new technology to provide a steep change in operational efficiency, SIS LIVE was
able to propose a complete and highly cost-effective solution including the provision of
new encoding equipment and dedicated transponder bandwidth on a leasing basis.
The Solution
The new encoding equipment was central to the success of the project and was tasked
with delivering outstanding operational efficiency without compromising either the stringent
video quality or latency requirements. Since MPEG-4 AVC promises substantial bit-rate
savings over MPEG-2 and is fast replacing it as the compression technology of choice in
contribution applications, it was clear that equipment best able to exploit the benefits of
this technology for news gathering was required. However, with many solutions on the
market claiming to provide the best answer, SIS LIVE conducted its own investigations to
testing facilities. The list of requirements was extensive and included a very high level of
“systems in a box” integration, extreme ease of use and a step-change in encoding and
modulation efficiency with very low end-to-end latency and very high video quality. Finally,
the solution had to be HD ready to support the very real possibility of conducting news
gathering in HD as well as supporting alternative delivery methods such as IP.
“Our operation relies on providing a first class service to our customers who include high
profile broadcasters. It was essential that our chosen solution delivered the best video
quality but was also easy to use, offered a high level of integration and operated across
broad range of operating points. Ericsson EN8040 Voyagers clearly met these criteria.”
—Mark Shadbolt, Sales Director, SIS LIVE
The new, third-generation EN8040 Voyager is the world’s most integrated MPEG-4 AVC
DSNG solution and combines MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC encoding with a wide range of
integrated output options including ASI, DVB-S2 satellite, COFDM and IP. This makes the
unit not only suitable for a wide variety of roles, but also makes it multi-purpose since
many of these options can be fitted and used simultaneously to target contribution
applications using virtually any delivery format.
Testing proved for their application that the EN8040 Voyager could halve MPEG-2 video
bit-rates while maintaining excellent video quality and low end-to-end latency. The
integrated satellite modulator enabled the benefits of MPEG-2 to be concatenated with the
encoding savings, providing on average a further 25 percent savings. Extensive functional
testing within DSNG vehicles as well as in the lab proved that the EN8040 Voyager was
reliable, simple yet very flexible and compact enough to integrate easily into existing news
gathering fleets with a small amount of staff training and minimal disruption.
Working in combination with the successful Ericsson RX1290 Multi-format Professional
Receiver, this contribution-focused, latency and performance optimized solution readily
achieved the goal of delivering a 50 percent transponder bandwidth reduction, and
resulted in a contract being placed with SIS LIVE to roll the solution out throughout the
news gathering network. This included a London-based national news gathering team, 13
regional teams based around the UK and a number of international operations. Today, the

News Writing 43
EN8040 Voyager is in full service supporting all of these operations and is providing a
healthy return on investment by delivering substantial bandwidth savings.
Conclusion Notes
The outstanding performance of the EN8040 Voyager MPEG-4 AVC HD DSNG is
becoming an essential asset for many news gathering businesses around the world. Its
combination of best-in-class encoding coupled with the most efficient modulation can allow
satellite bandwidth to be reduced by 50 percent, or HD EN8040 Voyager can rapidly repay
its initial investment cost many times over, and with HD hardware fitted as standard, it is
no wonder why the EN8040 Voyager is establishing itself as the new powerhouse behind
modern news gathering operations.
About SIS
SIS is one of the world’s leading companies in the television broadcasting industry. It is the
foremost supplier of television programming and data services to the UK and Ireland
betting industry. The company’s broadcast business, SIS LIVE, has the largest satellite
uplink fleet in Europe and is the largest outside broadcast provider in the UK. It offers a
complete broadcasting solution from onsite outside broadcast facilities through to global
distribution and IP provision. The company covers 100,000 hours of live events worldwide
each year, including Formula One, Glastonbury Music Festival, The Wimbledon
Championships and European Tour Golf, and delivers approximately 80 percent of live
news feeds across the UK.
Question:
Discuss how the performance of the EN8040 Voyager MPEG-4 AVC HD DSNG is
becoming an essential asset for many news gathering businesses.
Source:
http://voyager.ericsson.net/uploads/documents/originals/SNG%20Case%20Study%20-
%20Voyager%20site.pdf

44 News Writing
Unit 3: Sources of News

Notes
Structure
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Categories of Sources
3.2.1 Types of Sources
3.3 Headline Writing
3.3.1 Importance of Headlines
3.3.2 Catchy Headlines
3.4 News Analysis
3.4.1 How to Find the Story Idea
3.5 Backgrounder
3.5.1 How to Write a Backgrounder
3.5.2 Parts of a Backgrounder
3.5.3 Freelance Writers and the Backgrounder
3.5.4 How to Use a Backgrounder
3.5.5 A Backgrounder by any other Name
3.6 Summary
3.9 Key Terms
Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 Understand the categories and types of sources of news
 Discuss the process and importance of headline writing
 Explain the meaning of backgrounder
3.1 Introduction
To define news is one thing to get it is another. To gather news the reporter must know
where and when to look for it, what and whom to see, why and how to verify the facts
he assembled and when and how to use the information he has gotten to write a story.
News gathering is the major occupation of both cub and experienced reporters. This is
the major reason greater attention will be paid to it in this unit.
In this unit, we shall be discussing about the categories and types of sources of
news and the process of headline writing. We will also learn about meaning of
backgrounder.
3.2 Categories of Sources

Every story begins as a stream does “from a source”. You cannot find a great story
today that does not have a story. This reminds me what one of my great Professors told
News Writing 45
me-that every PhD as a story! Such stories also have a beginning. This is the major
reason most persons who are unfamiliar with the news gathering process often wonder
how reporters gather and assemble their information, how do they get access to Notes
information and information sources, and how do they sustain the daily publication of
news in their media organizations. This shall be our concern in this section. There are
three broad categories of sources of news stories thus:
Predictable Sources
These are sources that regularly service the news industry either because of their
function that make their activities of public interest or by their nature that help generate
events that attract a large number of people. Predictable Sources include diary of news,
published reports in form of newspapers, magazines, journals, and handouts, broadcast
on Radio/TV and prepared speeches. It also includes active or dramatic newsbreaks,
which include news from the police, hospitals, fire service, hotels, schools, religious
organizations, labour and political associations. With predictable sources, you are sure
to get something from there all the time.
Unpredictable Sources
This means a nose for news that borders on the ability, training, exposure and
experience of the reporter to determine what news is and report it accordingly.
Unpredictable sources are the likely sources where breaking news or tips that could
lead to scoop could come from.
Anticipated Sources
This is similar to predictable sources except for the fact that anticipated sources are
restricted to planned events that a reporter knows will definitely happen. Such events
include a national day celebration, budget speech and special anniversaries, Labour
Day etc.
No matter the sources of getting news, a good reporter should have the ability to
listen, see and possess attributes of a good interviewer. These are needed in dealing
with those sources.
Sources could also be human in nature, physical or online. Human sources are
those personal contacts you have build over time. They are also authorities and people
involved in news events. The physical sources are consists of records, documents,
reference works etc. The Online sources include a vast array of human and physical
sources, from academics to government data.
3.2.1 Types of Sources

News is happening all the time: People are being born or dying, banks are being
robbed, roads are being planned, companies are making profits or losses, storms are
destroying homes, courts are sending people to jail or freeing them, scientists are
discovering new drugs. Every minute of every day, something newsworthy is happening
somewhere in the world.
Even if you are a journalist working in a small country, something newsworthy is
probably happening in your country at this moment, while you are reading this book.
Your job as a journalist is to get information on those events and present it to your
readers or listeners. But you cannot be everywhere all the time to see those events for
yourself. So you need other ways of getting information on all those hundreds (maybe
millions) of events you cannot witness yourself. When someone or something provides
you with information, we call them a source.
Sources of information can be people, letters, books, files, films, and tapes - in fact,
anything which journalists use to put news stories together. Sources are very important
if you want to report on events or issues and explain the world to your audience.
Journalists try to work as much as possible from their own observations, but this is often

46 News Writing
not possible. Some events or issues are finished before the journalist gets there. Others
are like plants which only show their stem and leaves above the ground - the all-
Notes important roots are hidden from sight. Journalists who only report what they see can
miss much of the news unless they have sources to tell them of more details or other
aspects which are out of sight.
Journalists should deal in reliable facts, so it is important that the sources you use
for writing stories can give you accurate information about what happened or what was
said. But just as there are lots of different news events, so there are many different
sources of information. Some of them will give you very accurate information and we
call these sources reliable (because we can rely on what they say). Others are less
reliable, but still useful, while some can hardly be trusted at all. The main way of judging
sources of information is on their reliability.
Reporters
One of the most reliable sources of information (although not completely reliable) is
other journalists. They may be your colleagues or reporters from a news agency which
supplies your organisation. If they are well trained, experienced and objective, their
reports will usually be accurate and can be trusted. However, if there are any essential
facts missing from their reports, these will have to be provided. Either they will have to
provide them or you will have to find the missing facts yourself. Mistakes can happen.
This is why news organisations should have a system for checking facts. A reporter's
story should be checked by the news editor then the sub-editor. In small newsrooms,
where the reporter may also be the editor or newsreader, the reporter must be
especially careful in checking facts.
There is also the danger that reporters misinterpret what they think they see and
then present that as a fact. This often happens when reporting such things as the size
of a crowd. Unable to count every person in it, they make an estimate, often sharing
their guesses with other journalists on the scene. This is just an estimate and any report
which says "there were 40,000 people present" should be treated with caution, unless
the reporter knows the exact number who came through the gate.
All sources, including reporters, are said to be reliable if we think they can be
believed consistently. If a source is always correct in the information they provide, we
will believe them next time. If they make a mistake, we may doubt what they say.
Reliability is built up over time.
Your personal reliability as a journalist is important. If you have a good record for
fair and accurate reporting, you will be believed. If you get a reputation for being
careless in your work or biased in your interpretation, your colleagues, readers or
listeners will not be able to rely upon you. In all cases it is better only to report what you
know and make it clear in your report that everything else is either an estimate, an
opinion or the word of someone else, perhaps a witness. You must always try to give
precise facts and attributed opinion. If you cannot do that, you can use phrases like "it is
believed that ..." or "it appears that ...". It is better to do this than to leave your readers
or listeners believing that what you have said is a proven fact.
Primary sources
Often the source is someone at the centre of the event or issue. We call such people
primary sources. It might be a man who fell 1,000 metres from an aircraft and lived to
tell the tale; or a union leader who is leading wage negotiations. They are usually the
best sources of information about their part of what happened. They should be able to
give you accurate details and also supply strong comments.
The fall survivor might say: "I saw the ground rushing up towards me and I kept
thinking `So this is death'." The union leader might warn: "If the employers want blood
on their hands, we are ready to supply it."

News Writing 47
Of course, just because a person was present at an event does not mean that they
are either accurate or fair. The fall survivor may have injured his head after landing and
so be confused. The union leader will want to present his side in the best light. It is vital Notes
to double-check and cross-check facts with other sources.
A word of warning here: If any of your sources, however reliable, gives you
information which is defamatory, you can still be taken to court for using it. You are
responsible for deciding whether or not to publish the defamatory material.
Written sources
Not all primary sources will be spoken. Written reports can make an excellent source of
information for a journalist. They are usually written after a lot of research by the
authors; they have been checked for accuracy and are usually published with official
approval.
However, just because information is printed, that does not mean that it is reliable.
With typewriters, computers and modern technology, it is relatively easy to produce
printed material. You must look at who has produced the document. Are they in a
position to know enough about the topic and have access to the reliable facts? Do they
have a reputation for reliability?
This is especially important with information on the Internet. Anyone can put
information onto the Internet and unless you know how trustworthy they are you cannot
judge the reliability of what they write.
One advantage of the Internet is that you can quickly cross-check numerous
sources, but beware: a mistake on one site can easily and rapidly be repeated by
people writing on other sites. Even major online references such as Wikipedia rely on
volunteers writing the entries and checking their accuracy and there have been
numerous cases of people using entries in Wikipedia and other online reference works
to spread untruths.
In many countries, official transcripts of the proceedings of a court or parliament
have some legal protection from actions for defamation.
Leaked documents
You may occasionally be given documents which have not been officially released to
the press. They may be given to you by someone in a company or government
department who does not want to be seen giving them to the media. We call
these leaked documents.
Documents are often leaked by people who believe that the public should know the
contents (such as an environmental report), but who are unable to reveal it in public
themselves, perhaps because they do not have the authority to do so. In some cases,
documents are leaked by a person to gain an advantage over someone else, perhaps
someone who is criticised in the report.
Leaked documents are often excellent sources of news stories because they can
contain information which someone wants to keep secret. This might be a plan to do
something which the public might oppose, such as bulldozing homes to make a new
road. It might be a report on corruption within an organisation which the heads of that
organisation do not want to be publicly known. Just because a government, company or
other group does not want information to be known, that does not mean that you should
not report it. If you believe that it is important to inform your readers or listeners of
certain facts, you must do that, even if the information was given to you unofficially. Of
course, like any information, leaked documents must still be checked for accuracy
before they can be used.
There are also legal dangers to consider when using leaked documents. They
might, for instance, have been stolen. It is usually an offence to receive stolen property
if you think it could have been stolen, even if it is only a few sheets of paper. As we

48 News Writing
explain in the chapters on investigative reporting, photocopying the document then

returning it is often a way to overcome this problem.
Notes
Leaked documents could also be covered by copyright, so you could be breaking
the law by quoting directly from them. You are on safer ground in reporting the
substance of what was said, in your own words.
Secondary sources
Secondary sources are those people who do not make the news, but who pass it on.
The official police report of an incident or comments by someone's press officer can be
called secondary sources. Secondary sources are not usually as reliable as primary
sources.
Most eyewitnesses should be treated as secondary sources for journalists because,
although they are able to tell what they think they have seen, they are often not trained
for such work and can be very inaccurate, without meaning to be.
You have to assess the reliability of secondary sources and if necessary tell your
readers or listeners where the information came from.
Tip-offs
Occasionally someone will call with a story tip-off but refuse to give their name. These
are said to be anonymous (meaning "no name"). These are the most dangerous
sources of information and should only be used with extreme caution. Although
anonymous tip-offs can provide good story ideas, they must never be used without a lot
of checking. If they are wrong, you will be held directly responsible unless you have
checked what they said with other more reliable sources.
Often people who ring up with a tip-off will tell you their name if asked, but on the
promise that you do not reveal their name to anyone else. You must still cross-check
what they say because, of course, you cannot quote them as your source if there is any
dispute about accuracy, for example if you are taken to court for defamation.
3.3 Headline Writing

If you talk to enough copywriters, you’ll eventually hear that headlines are critical for
your copy’s success. David Ogilvy summarizes this quite well in the quote above. The
greater majority of people who read your headline won’t continue reading. Only the
ones drawn in by an attention-grabbing headline will continue on to read the first
sentence of your copy.
So your headline matters a lot. A great headline convinces more people to read
your copy while a poor one sends potential customers searching for somewhere else to
spend their money. This leads us to another famous Ogilvy quote:
“It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent
of your money…”
Ogilvy believed headlines were so important that he viewed them as being worth
90% of the money invested in advertising. Can this be true?
3.3.1 Importance of Headlines

Headlines are so important that a single word can impact a campaign dramatically.
We’ve seen e-mail subject lines where a one word change increased click-through by
46%.
Open rates were nearly identical and the e-mail creative was exactly the same for
both versions, but click-through went up by 46% in the second. If the ad was sent to
2,000,000 e-mails, the winning version would lead to 17,000+ more clicks, all from

News Writing 49
changing a single word. That’s a measurable difference that significantly impacts the
bottom line.
Notes
So why are headlines so important? It’s because they’re the first lines of your copy
that customers read. They create an initial impression that either draws readers in or
pushes them away. Even if the rest of the copy is amazing and would convince 3 out of
10 people to buy, if the headline puts them to sleep, only a fraction of the customers
who would have bought something will read your copy and make a purchase.
The headline alone can make or break an ad, homepage, or e-mail subject line. It
sets the tone for the rest of the copy. If the headline pulls readers in, you’ll make more
sales; if not, you’ll be left wondering what happened.
And that’s why we’re devoting an entire chapter to headlines. By following the
points in this chapter, you’ll learn how to write attention-grabbing headlines that convert
readers into buyers.
3.3.2 Catchy Headlines

The first thing you need to know is the #1 rule for headline writing: The primary
purpose of the headline is to get the first sentence read. If you hang around
copywriting circles long enough, you’re sure to read this rule at one point or another
because most copywriters’ view getting potential customers to continue reading as the
number rule of headline writing. Convincing your customers to keep reading means the
time or money you invest in your copy won’t go to waste. So first, focus on writing a
headline that pulls your customers in and compels them to read the first sentence.
Here are four more rules of thumb to keep in mind. They’re taught as the “four u’s”
of headline writing by a number of copywriters.
The four u’s:
 Your headline should be unique.
 Your headline should be ultra-specific.
 Your headline should convey a sense of urgency.
 Your headline should be useful.
You can rarely accomplish all four in a single headline, but if you can at least
include one or two then you’re bound to write a headline that’s more likely to compel
your prospective customers to continue reading.
Let’s talk about each in more detail.
Tip One: Your Headline Should Be Unique

The first thing you want to consider is how to make your headline unique. If yours is just
like everyone else’s, then your company won’t stand out. Your customers won’t have
any reason to think you’re different than your competitors, which means they won’t have
any reason to buy from you than from someone else.
Today’s consumers are savvier than customers of the past. They’re used to being
bombarded with commercial after commercial that says the same thing. We can all
remember watching a commercial with lines like, “Buy now with three low payments of
$24.95. That’s right. Only $24.95 per month. If you buy today, you’ll get a free carrot
peeler valued at $19.95.”
Businesses use commercials like this because they work, at least on a subset of
customers, but many people are turned off by commercial wording they’ve heard over
and over again. As soon as they hear, “Three equal payments of $24.95,” they tune out
waiting for something that seems more credible.

50 News Writing
If you sound the same as everyone else, you’re automatically going to put
customers to sleep, but if you do something different, you’ll stand out, your message will
Notes be refreshing, and you may delight your customers enough to get them to buy from you.
What’s so great about this “headline”? For starters, it’s unique. It’s not a boring
tagline that reads the same as the thousands of other taglines that copy each other. It’s
also brazen. It shows personality. It stands out. It gets customers’ attention.
To write headlines like this you have to be willing to take risks, but the benefit of
doing something unique that stands out means you won’t be placed in the same bucket
as your competition. You’re more likely to connect with customers who are looking for
businesses that don’t speak like boring corporate robots.
It works first and foremost because it has personality. People like to do business
with people they like, and the same is true with businesses. If people like your business,
they’re more likely to want to do business with you. We’d rather give our money to
someone we like than someone we don’t.
Butchers and other local service providers used to differentiate themselves by being
more personable, and you can differentiate yourself by giving your business a
personality that appeals to customers. Gary Vaynerchuk did this with Wine Library TV,
and Brian Clark did this with Copy blogger. MailChimp is another great example of a
business that wins customers over with a unique, approachable personality that stands
out from the competition.
Tip Two: Your Headline Should Be Ultra-Specific

In addition to being unique, your headline should be ultra-specific. It should provide
enough information to let customers know whether or not the offer you're presenting is
interesting to them. If your headline isn’t specific enough, customers won’t know
whether or not what you’re selling is something they’re interested in.
Here’s an example:
A while ago I visited a blog with this headline: “You’ll Be Missed.” I had no idea what it
was about. Did the owner lose a family member? Did her dog pass away? Did
something else terrible happen? I felt bad for her, but I had no idea what was going on.
When I clicked through, I found out it was a post about Steve Jobs. He had just
passed away in the past couple of days, and the author was writing about how she
would miss Mr. Jobs. It ended up being a well-written post, but as a reader, I had no
idea what it was about until I clicked through to read.
In cases like this, it’s much better to provide enough specific information to compel
readers to continue reading than to write something “clever” that doesn’t give readers
adequate information to decide whether or not they’re interested.
If it wasn’t this specific, e-retailers may not know the offer is targeted to them. They
could read the headline, not know they’re the ideal customer, and then move on.
Headlines should be specific enough to get the attention of the company’s target
customers.
Tip Three: Your Headline Should Convey a Sense of Urgency

When possible, your headline should convey a sense of urgency. It should include
something that compels readers to continue reading so they don’t miss out. This isn’t a
rule that can always be used, but when it can, it works really well.
This post ended up doing well on the KISSmetrics blog. It’s titled “Are You Losing
Sales by Giving Customers Too Many Choices?” So why was it so successful?
One of the reasons is that it conveys a sense of urgency. When business owners
read it, automatically they think, “Hmmm...maybe I am losing sales. I need to read this

News Writing 51
article to find out.” And then they click through to read. The urgency of losing sales
compels them to read the post.
Notes
Whenever possible, it’s good to write headlines that convey a sense of urgency to
convince people to continue reading.
Tip Four: Your Headline Should be Useful

This may be the most important tip of all. If your headline isn’t useful and doesn’t
convey a benefit, then it may not give people a reason to continue on past the headline.
People want to know what benefit they’ll receive from reading what you’ve written.
This also happens to be one of the rules that companies break the most. They end
up writing something clever because for some reason most people think that’s the point
of writing a headline. In doing so they fail to communicate a benefit and fail to give
readers a reason to continue reading. Eventually, they end up with disappointing sales
because no one pays attention to their copy. That’s a mistake you don’t want to make.
What benefit is Bidsketch promising? They’re promising that you can create
professional client proposals in minutes, which ultimately means you’ll land more clients
and save time in the process.
3.4 News Analysis

3.4.1 How to Find the Story Idea
How to find the story idea has always pricked the mind of reporters especially during lull
period. But the imaginative reporter will discover in this section that the story idea could
be gotten from a lot of places. For instance, the readers sometimes bring story ideas to
the newspaper office. Most story ideas, though, are the result of an active imagination,
a lively curiosity and a little help from friends. Journalists soon learn to recognize how
stories written for other publications can be written for their own. They get in the habit of
carrying a little notebook to jot down ideas when something somebody says strikes a
responsive chord. But even for good journalists, the wellspring of ideas sometimes dries
up. Therefore, take note of these 10 sources of story ideas. They are good for anytime
and anyplace.
Other People
As a journalist you meet many people from time to time. What are they talking when
they are not talking business? What have they heard lately? Journalists have to listen
even if it means eavesdropping while having a cup of tea. What do you think interest
people? There is no better source of story ideas than the people you meet while you are
off-duty or on duty. They are, after all, your readers. Therefore, take note of others and
always try to find out what’s on their mind. Whenever you look try to see beyond your
nose.
Other Publications
News stories are sometimes recycled across the country by different media
organizations in different ways. Read other newspapers, magazines, books, pamphlets
and the house journals and newsletters of businesses and organizations. But please
note that all stories cannot fit in every community. You have to know your own
readership. A story about urban renewal will definitely attract more attention in Lagos
than in Iyana Iyesi. When you are reading other publications for ideas, remember that
you should not duplicate a story in your own newspaper report verbatim. You are only
looking for the idea, so as to take the story from a new angle.

52 News Writing
News Releases
Notes Releases from Public Relations persons are valuable sources of story ideas. Try to
follow up on some of these regular releases that come to your media organization. You
may never know where they will take you to or predict the end.
Social Services Directory

Many cities and localities have a composite listing of all agencies providing social
services. These listings could throw up different kinds of ideas about the society which a
reporter could follow through. You should therefore take note that each of those
agencies and their clients could lead to a potential story.
Government Reports
Behind every statistics, there is a person. Every person is a potential story. The census
report for instance contains not only the number of people in a community, but also their
income and education, how many cars they own, whether they rent or own a house, etc.
Such census reports tell much more. Therefore, find out what and why, and you have
for yourself a treasure chest of stories.
Stories in Your Newspaper

Many a stream has yielded gold nuggets after the first wave of miners have left.
Newspapers sometimes play hit-and-run journalism. Always ask yourself, whenever you
read a report in a newspaper, if the human interest angle has been reported
adequately. When your newspaper is concentrating on the election winners, maybe you
can get an interesting story by talking to the losers and their supporters. And when the
unemployment statistics are reported in your newspaper, remember that behind each of
those numbers is a name of a person without a job and probably a family to support.
Advertisements and Yellow Pages

Adverts especially classifieds could be valuable sources of story ideas. Look through
the Yellow Pages too. You may stumble on a good story idea.
Wire Copy
Whenever you go through the stories from the wire services, don’t forget to ask yourself
if there are any stories that can be localized amongst them. When a wire service story
for instance describes the increase in the rate of inflation, you should ask yourself how
the people in your community would be affected. Always look for a local angle or slant.
Local Newspapers
Don’t ever brush off local news tips. Your readers may be more interested in them than
the so-called national news stories.
You
In the final analysis, you are the one who must be alert enough to look and listen to
what is going on around you. Always raises posers for yourself and attempt to answer
them. Remember, reporters who are attuned to people rather than institutions will find
the world around them a rich and fertile source of human interest. Don’t tune out. Look
and see!
Checking the Facts of a Story

A lot of places and information are available for the reporter who is very thorough in his
job and desires to verify every fact that goes into his story before publication. Some of
these avenues are found in the reference manuals maintained in most newsrooms or in
newspaper libraries. Below is a list of some of the avenues and places available for the
reporter to check, cross check or even triple check his facts before going to press:

News Writing 53
 Local and Area Tеlеphonе Dirеctoriеs: This could bе usеd to vеrify thе spеlling
of namеs and addrеssеs, еtc. Thеy arе usually rеliablе, but thеy arе not infalliblе.
 City/Town Dirеctoriеs: Thеsе providе thе samе information as thе tеlеphonе
Notes
dirеctory but also providе information on thе occupations of citizеns and thе ownеrs
or managеrs of businеssеs.
 Statе Manuals/Brochurеs: Thеsе providе information on various govеrnmеnt
agеnciеs.
 Maps of thе City: County, Statе, Nation and World Local maps arе usually postеd
in thе nеwsrooms othеrs may bе found in atlasеs.
 Bartlеtt’s Familiar Quotations: This will hеlp you not to quotе anyonе out of
contеxt or statе a quotation as anonymous whеn it actually has an author.
 National Assеmbly Rеcords, Gazеttеs and Hansards: Thеsе arе whеrе
Govеrnmеnt еstablishmеnts and parastatals storе its official information for rеtriеval
and rеfеrеncе.
 Facts on Filе (Facts on Filе Inc): This is a wееkly compilation of nеws from
mеtropolitan nеwspapеrs.
 Guinnеss Book of World Rеcords: Anybody who has donе any notablе thing and
probably what no onе has donе bеforе thеn gеts listеd in Guinnеss Book of World
Rеcords.
 Currеnt Biography: You no longеr nееd to worry that you can find thе datе of birth
of a notablе pеrsonality or his middlе namе or еvеn placе of birth. Chеck Currеnt
Biographiеs.
 Tradе and Profеssional Journals and Nеwslеttеrs: This will obviously contain
usеful information on businеssеs and rеlatеd mattеr.
 Rеadеr’s Guidе and Rеadеr’s Digеst: Any rеportеr who is not rеading Rеadеr’s
Guidе or Rеadеr’s Digеst is obviously missing out on an important information
loadеd book that could bе usеful to thе modеrn rеportеr.
 Wеbstеr’s Nеw World Dictionary of thе Amеrican Languagе: This is a good
rеfеrеncе matеrial for journalists.
 Who’s Who (St Martin’s, Nеw York): Shows who is who as publishеd by St.
Martin’s
 Who’s Who in Amеrica (Marquis): Also shows who is who in Amеrica.
 World Almanac and Book of Facts: A book whеrе you may probably find any
mеaningful thing you arе looking for.
These useful publications and others not mentioned here, enable reporters to verify
data and so avoid unnecessary embarrassment caused by avoidable and recognizable
errors.
3.5 Backgrounder
A backgrounder is an informational document often provided with a press release, press
advisory or as part of a larger media kit. The backgrounder gives the press or other
interested parties a more detailed background of an issue, event, and person of interest
or launch. How to write a backgrounder is a skill that many freelance writers and PR
writers should know.
It is provided because other press or media documents such as media advisories
and press releases are necessarily kept short and succinct. The backgrounder provides
more information to the journalist or media outlet without compromising the readability
or standard format of the media advisory or press release.
When eBay or Google sends out a press release, reporters can be pretty sure that
it’s legit. But if you are doing public relations for a new company or one that has
traditionally shied from the limelight, you will want to introduce yourself to the media. A

54 News Writing
great way to get all the pertinent information about your company to the media quickly
and accurately is by providing a backgrounder.
Notes
A backgrounder is an information sheet that you should send out to all media
sources along with your news releases, press conference invitations, feature stories
and other approaches. As with other documents you send to the media, such as press
releases and fact sheets, backgrounders should be short and written in the AP style.
What is the purpose of a backgrounder? Aside from letting reporters and editors
know that you are a legitimate organization, they also provide background information
to fill out any stories journalists might write or air about your company. Backgrounders
also help them decide whether covering your company falls within the purview of their
media outlet.
What information should a backgrounder provide? All business backgrounders
should provide a brief company history, a list or summary paragraph of key players, and
some information about the company’s structure, sales volume, and capitalization. Also
include information about the company’s main products and services, and its position in
the market. If you are pitching to local media, you might want to tailor this to pertain to
the local area, such as “Company X is the only provider of hot air balloon rides in
Smithville.” If you are publicizing a non-profit, you should also include your mission
statement, board of directors, and funding sources.
One important fact to remember about backgrounders is to make sure they are
extremely accurate. First, if an inaccuracy goes out on your backgrounder, the press
may very well print or air it, and retractions are very hard to come by, especially if the
erroneous information was provided by you. Second, reporters will likely dig into
information you provide them, so don’t feel tempted to round that $925,000 grant up into
a cool million on your backgrounder.
Finally, while backgrounders should be short, feel free to include web addresses
that reporters can visit for more information. If you write about a certain flagship
product, for example, link reporters to a page full of the specs, prices, and media
mentions of that product so that can quickly gather background information for a story.
Reporters are deadline-oriented professionals. If you provide a backgrounder with
all the information they need to write or air a complete story about you, they may very
well pick your news release out of the pile and run with it.
3.5.1 How to Write a Backgrounder

To write a backgrounder, begin with a short introduction to the topic at hand. Then,
insert subtitles based on the additional information that you'd like to provide the media.
Some examples of common backgrounder subtitles or subsections are listed below.
Last, fill in the information as appropriate under your subsections.
Since most of your documents will be aimed at media organizations, write the
backgrounder according to AP style. Keep in mind that you're writing for busy
professionals, so make ample use of subheads and easy-to-reference graphics, too.
Your research may involve interviewing your client or other members of the
organization; outside research should be heavily cited within the backgrounder, as
journalists will often want to follow-up and verify your information.
Think about who your ideal media outlet is for the event or launch you're working
on, and then consider if they'd be more interested in the history of your event, the roles
of the people in the organization, or the geographical applicability of the work at hand
(for more on these sections, read on to the next subsection!).
Despite the above suggestions, backgrounders--like all pieces aimed at journalists--
should be kept brief.
The last thing a PR writer wants to do is lose the interest of the media!

News Writing 55
3.5.2 Parts of a Backgrounder
Typical sections of a backgrounder may include history of the organization, event or Notes
topic at hand, applicable statistics or other data, the names, descriptions and
qualifications of important people within the organization, direct statements about why
the event or issue is applicable and worth covering in today's news cycle (and in
general), geographical or population data related to the issue, and a couple of emotive,
interesting vignettes that the journalist could use to create their story.
3.5.3 Freelance Writers and the Backgrounder

Freelance writers may come across the need to write a backgrounder for clients who
are seeking media attention, whether that is a start-up, a non-profit or a business in
general.
You may be hired to write just a backgrounder, but it is more likely that your client
will need several different kinds of media-oriented documents, if not an entire media kit.
Again, the need for media documents often comes up in the course of a launch, event
or press conference, though this is not always the case.
3.5.4 How to Use a Backgrounder

Backgrounder documents may be used as part of a media kit, such as one stored on an
organization's website or given out in hard copy during a press event. Note that this
means it should render well in print and electronically.
They are often used in conjunction with press events, such as staged rallies or
press conferences. Again, they are generally provided with several other documents as
part of a media kit or press kit.
They can be used other ways, too, such as a way to introduce a new organization,
issue or event to the media, or as a touch-base for talking points.
3.5.5 A Backgrounder by any other Name

Backgrounders may often be referred to by other terms. For example, they may be
combined with or confused with a "fact sheet." Often used as part of a larger "media kit."
3.6 Summary
To define news is one thing to get it is another. To gather news the reporter must know
where and when to look for it, what and whom to see, why and how to verify the facts
he assembled and when and how to use the information he has gotten to write a story.
Every story begins as a stream does “from a source”. You cannot find a great story
today that does not have a story. Predictable Sources include diary of news, published
reports in form of newspapers, magazines, journals, and handouts, broadcast on
Radio/TV and prepared speeches. Unpredictable sources are the likely sources where
breaking news or tips that could lead to scoop could come from. How to find the story
idea has always pricked the mind of reporters especially during lull period. But the
imaginative reporter will discover in this section that the story idea could be gotten from
a lot of places. A lot of places and information are available for the reporter who is very
thorough in his job and desires to verify every fact that goes into his story before
publication.
These are sources that regularly service the news industry either because of their
function that make their activities of public interest or by their nature that help generate
events that attract a large number of people. Predictable Sources include diary of news,
published reports in form of newspapers, magazines, journals, and handouts, broadcast
on Radio/TV and prepared speeches.
News is happening all the time: People are being born or dying, banks are being
robbed, roads are being planned, companies are making profits or losses, storms are
56 News Writing
destroying homes, courts are sending people to jail or freeing them, scientists are
discovering new drugs.
Notes
There is also the danger that reporters misinterpret what they think they see and
then present that as a fact. This often happens when reporting such things as the size
of a crowd. Unable to count every person in it, they make an estimate, often sharing
their guesses with other journalists on the scene.
You may occasionally be given documents which have not been officially released
to the press. They may be given to you by someone in a company or government
department who does not want to be seen giving them to the media. We call
these leaked documents.
Headlines are so important that a single word can impact a campaign dramatically.
We’ve seen e-mail subject lines where a one word change increased click-through by
46%.
How to find the story idea has always pricked the mind of reporters especially
during lull period. But the imaginative reporter will discover in this section that the story
idea could be gotten from a lot of places. For instance, the readers sometimes bring
story ideas to the newspaper office. Most story ideas, though, are the result of an active
imagination, a lively curiosity and a little help from friends. Journalists soon learn to
recognize how stories written for other publications can be written for their own.
A backgrounder is an informational document often provided with a press release,
press advisory or as part of a larger media kit. The backgrounder gives the press or
other interested parties a more detailed background of an issue, event, and person of
interest or launch. How to write a backgrounder is a skill that many freelance writers
and PR writers should know.

Multiple Choice Questions
1. ……………………………. are sources that regularly service the news industry either
because of their function that make their activities of public interest or by their
nature that help generate events that attract a large number of people. Predictable
Sources include diary of news, published reports in form of newspapers,
magazines, journals, and handouts, broadcast on Radio/TV and prepared
speeches. It also includes active or dramatic newsbreaks, which include news from
the police, hospitals, fire service, hotels, schools, religious organizations, labour and
political associations.
(a) Predictable Sources
(b) Unpredictable Sources
(c) Anticipated Sources
(d) None of these
2. ……………………………… means a nose for news that borders on the ability,
training, exposure and experience of the reporter to determine what news is and
report it accordingly.
(d) None of these
3. ………………………………… are similar to predictable sources except for the fact
that anticipated sources are restricted to planned events that a reporter knows will
definitely happen.

News Writing 57
Notes
(d) None of these
4. …………………….. are one of the most reliable sources of information (although
not completely reliable) are other journalists.
(a) Primary sources
(b) Reporters
(c) Written sources
(d) Tip-offs
5. Often the source is someone at the centre of the event or issue. We call such
people ………………………….
(a) Written sources
(b) Primary sources
(c) Tip-offs
(d) Reporters
6. You may occasionally be given documents which have not been officially released
to the press. They may be given to you by someone in a company or government
department who does not want to be seen giving them to the media. These are
called ……………………………………...
(a) Leaked documents
(b) Secondary sources
(c) Anonymous
(d) Journalists
7. Which of the following is true for headline?
(a) Your Headline Should Be Unique
(b) Your Headline Should Be Ultra-Specific
(c) Your Headline Should Convey a Sense of Urgency
(d) All of these
8. The census report for instance contains not only the number of people in a
community, but also their income and education, how many cars they own, whether
they rent or own a house, etc. Such census reports tell much more. This is
comprised by ……………………………..
(a) Advertisements and Yellow Pages
(b) Government Reports
(c) Wire Copy
(d) Local Newspapers
9. ………………………………………………………… could be used to verify the spelling
of names and addresses etc. They are usually reliable, but they are not infallible.
(a) State Manuals/Brochures
(b) Maps of the City
(c) Local and Area Telephone Directories
(d) City/Town Directories
10. ……………………………………… will obviously contain useful information on
businesses and related matter.
(a) City/Town Directories
(b) Trade and Professional Journals and Newsletters

58 News Writing
(c) Facts on File

(d) Maps of the City
Notes
1. Discuss the various ways a reporter could gather news of an event he did not
witness.
2. Discuss the concept of finding a story idea.
3. Discuss the news gathering procedure and mention five places to verify your facts
before turning them out to your editor.
4. Will all your sources be reliable? How would you handle sources to ensure they
don’t get you into trouble?
5. Write short notes on the following:
(a) Primary sources
(b) Leaked documents
(c) Government Reports
6. Explain the concept of backgrounder.
7. Differentiate between backgrounder and news analysis.
8. Give a list of some of the avenues and places available for the reporter to check,
cross check or even triple check his facts before going to press.
9. What is headline? Briefly describe its relevance.
10. State the four rules of thumb to keep in mind to write a catchy headline.
3.9 Key Terms

 Predictable Sources: Predictable Sources are sources that regularly service the
news industry either because of their function or by their nature.
 Unpredictable Sources: Unpredictable Sources means a nose for news that
borders on the ability, training, exposure and experience of the reporter to
determine what news is and report it accordingly.
 State Manuals/Brochures: These provide information on various government
agencies.
 Maps of the City: County, State, Nation and World Local maps are usually posted
in the newsrooms. Others may be found in atlases.
 Facts on File (Facts on File Inc): This is a weekly compilation of news from
metropolitan newspapers.
Check Your Progress: Answers

1. (a) Predictable Sources
2. (b) Unpredictable Sources
3. (c) Anticipated Sources
4. (b) Reporters
5. (b) Primary sources
6. (a) Leaked documents
7. (d) All of these
8. (b) Government Reports
9. (c) Local and Area Telephone Directories
10. (b) Trade and Professional Journals and Newsletters

News Writing 59
 Walker, S. (1975). News Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company Notes
 Charnley, M. (1996). Reporting. Toronto: Holt, Rinehart & Winston
 Brooks, B.S., et al (1998). News Reporting and Writing. New York: St. Martin’s
Press
 Nabi, L. Robin & Oliver, Mary Beth (2009), The SAGE Handbook of Media
Processes and Effects, SAGE.
 Sparrow H. Bartholomew (1999), Uncertain Guardians: The News Media as a
Political Institution, JHU Press.

60 News Writing
Notes CASE STUDY: NEWS GATHERING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
I
n recent months, social media – and Twitter in particular - has become an
indispensable tool. Along with an increasing number of BBC journalists, we now use it
constantly to monitor breaking news, spot potential story ideas and make new contacts.
The traditional newswires are now a secondary source of information. HootSuite has
replaced ENPS as my first port of call for the latest details on unfolding events.
For a while, we've been interested in exploring whether there is a place within our
newsgathering for a World Affairs journalist dedicated to gathering material for social
media platforms.
So, when dozens of foreign ministers gathered at Lancaster House this week for the
London conference on Libya, we decided to try an experiment. Armed with a Macbook,
digital stills and video cameras, recording equipment and a WiFi connection, we provided
a steady stream of content through the day via Twitter.
Quickly snatched photos from around the media centre were posted on TwitPic. Radio
dispatches from diplomatic correspondents Bridget Kendall and Jonathan Marcus were
uploaded via Audioboo.
Official Foreign Office press releases and communiqués were cut and pasted onto
Twitlonger. Using a Marantz digital audio recorder plugged into the conference pool feed
and Adobe Audition for Mac, we were able to 'top and tail' press conferences and
statements from the likes of David Cameron and Hillary Clinton and post them as
Audioboos within seconds of them finishing. The boffins at Audioboo spotted what I was
doing and kindly allowed me to upload files that were longer than the usual five-minute
limit. This meant we could upload press conferences in their entirety.
Although we planned to use a Flip camera to post video onto YouTube as well, the
demands of my 'real' job as the newsgathering radio producer meant we didn't have time
to do this.
So, what did we learn? Primarily, we confirmed that with fairly standard equipment it is
possible to provide comprehensive news coverage on a developing story across social
media platforms using text, pictures, audio and video.
While flagship BBC News outlets will still need satellite trucks, radio cars and crews,
broadcast-quality material can now be turned around in seconds by a single journalist
working in the field with just a laptop.
We were pleased that there seemed to be an appreciative audience for the content we
provided. We received a tweet from a Danish diplomat who said she was using my
Twitlonger posts as her primary information source because we were getting material out
far faster than the official channels.
"The only problem” is that some non-tweeting diplos still want all their information to come
with a Foreign Office logo on it." We are sure that in time that credibility gap will narrow.
Most gratifyingly of all, we made new contacts. Other journalists who were following my
tweets came over to me in the press centre to say hello. We were delighted to be able to
put faces to the names of fellow tweeters whose posts we trust.
One word of caution, though. One-day social media experiment added additional demands
to an already full workload. In the long run, it would be unreasonable to expect a journalist
with other BBC outlets to serve to provide engaging content for a number of social media
platforms in addition to their normal duties.
Providing material for social media cannot just be an afterthought in the newsgathering
process. It needs to be properly resourced if it's to be done at all.
Question:
Discuss the use of Newsgathering for social media.
Source: http://bbcjournalism.oup.com/blog/posts/Newsgathering-for-social-media-a-case-
study3

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Notes

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News Writing 19

MODULE II: NEWS WRITING Notes

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2.2 Structure of News: 5Ws and H

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2.2.1 Components of the Story

2.3 News Writing Styles

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Figure 2.1: Inverted Pyramid Format

The Advantages/Importance of the Inverted Pyramid Format

2.3.4 The Five Boxes Story

2.4 Quote, Attribution and Paraphrase

2.4.1 What to Quote Directly

2.4.2 Problems in Direct Quotation

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2.4.3 Correcting Quotes

2.4.4 Attributing Direct and Indirect Quotes

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Off the record

Using assumed names

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2.5 Intro or Leads

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2.5.1 Function/Importance of the Lead

Hints on How to Write the Lead

2.5.2 Various Types of Leads

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Figurative or Coloured Lead

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Immediate – Identification Lead

Delayed – Identification Lead

Multiple – Element Leads

Leads with Flair

2.6 Writing the body of the News

2.6.1 Where Is the Body of News Located in a News Story?

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2.6.3 Building a News Story

Remember the pyramid

Length and strength

Simple steps in writing the news story

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Ranking the key points

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Telling the rest of the story

Checking the story

The final version

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2.6.4 How Is Each Paragraph Arranged in the Body?

2.6.5 Clear Writing

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Sequence and continuity

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Quotes and attribution

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2.7.1 Tips on Writing a News Report

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2.9 Check Your Progress

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