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News Writing
Outline
•What is news?
•Elements of News
•News Gathering
•Writing the News
•News Leads
News
•North, East, West, South
•Contains 5 Ws and H
•News is “tomorrow’s history unfolding
today.”
•A break from the normal flow of events,
an interruption with the expected
•A timely report of events, facts and
views that concern a significant number
of people
• News is what is new; it’s what’s
happening
• News writing is the most basic skill
that a journalist must possess
Characteristics of News
1. Accurate
2. Balanced and Fair
3. Truthful
4. Objective
5. Concise
6. Properly attributed
7. Well-written

Elements of News
1. Timeliness/Immediacy
2. Proximity
3. Prominence
4. Oddity
5. Conflict
6. Suspense
7. Human Interest
8. Consequence
9. Significance
10. Development
 News Gathering

Data gathering
1. Actual coverage of events
2. Interviewing an expert or
persons in authority
3. Use of documents, such as
speeches, policy statements,
research reports, press
releases, and other important
papers
Steps in Writing the News Story

• List down all data.

• Arrange facts in a descending order of

importance.

• Make a lead play up the most interesting

and important points.

• Present the other details of the news in

the next paragraph to answer the
questions not yet answered
 The Lead
First paragraph of the news story that gives
the reader the sense of the story to follow

An eye-catching sentence that stimulates the

interest of the reader yet devoid of
misleading information

Serves as bait to hook the reader

Gives direction as to how the story will be

unfolded

Tells the most important facts of the news

story.

Readers will decide whether the message is

compelling, entertaining or informative
enough to warrant their attention
What do my readers
need to know most?

Which fact or facts

shall appear in the
lead?
Get to the point!

Don’t waste my time!

Tell me the story!

Classification of Lead
1. Direct/Summary Lead
It answers the five Ws and
one H (What, Who, Where,
When, Why and How).

2. Delayed/Novelty Lead
It attracts reader’s attention,
arouses his curiosity and
sustains his interest.
 Direct/Summary Lead
Aiming to boost the
morale of student athletes
to have a chance at the city
meet’s over-all crown, Mr.
Bonnie Macario, principal of
Gov. Pelaez Memorial
National High School,
announced yesterday that
there would be equivalent
incentives for won games
and broken records.
Delayed/Novelty Lead
When athletes are loved,
the championship is next!
Gov. Pelaez Memorial National
High School thru its principal,
Mr. Bonnie Macario, proclaimed
yesterday its desire for the city
meet’s over-all crown by giving
equivalent incentives to its
student athletes as morale-
booster for every won games
and broken records.
 Direct/Summary Lead Delayed/Novelty Lead

Inaanyayahang dumalo ang May kilala ka bang

mga alumni o nagtapos sa alumni o nagtapos sa Mataas
Mataas na Paaralan ng na Paaralan ng Talamitam mula
Talamitam mula Batch 1948 Batch 1948-2013?
hanggang 2013 sa kauna-
unahang Grand Alumni Kung mayroon, sila ay
Homecoming na gaganapin inaanyayahang dumalo sa
sa TNHS gymnasium sa kauna-unahang Grand Alumni
Okt. 25. Homecoming na gaganapin sa
TNHS gymnasium sa Okt. 25.
 Types of News Leads:
Rarely use these...
“Who lead” - begins with a person. The person
is usually not the most impor tant fact of the story.

“When lead” - begins with time. Rarely is the

time the most imporant factor.

“Where lead” - begins with the place. Hardly

ever is where the most important factor.
 Types of News Leads:
Use these often...
“How lead” - begins with the how of the story.
Used often.

“Why lead” - begins with the cause the story.

Used often.

“What lead” - begins with the fact of the story.

Used often.
 Subject + action verb + object
DOLE conducts nationwide job fairs
The Department of Labor and Employment
(DOLE) is now organizing more than 200 job
fairs across the country to help those set to
graduate this school year, Secretary Rosalinda
Baldoz said.

Copyreading and Headline Writing

 The Body
Amplifies, gives examples and explains the
beginning or the lead

Must include the chronology of the issue

Contains background and secondary details

Must cite sources of information

Must use primary sources for crucial data

Write in the third person

Use “said” for attribution

Make use of transitions

One sentence, one idea, one paragraph

Dagdag diskwento sa senior citizen, isinulong
Iminungkahi ng isang mambabatas na bigyan pa ng
karagdagang diskwento ang mga senior citizen.

Sa kanyang panukala, nais ni Senior Citizens party-

list Rep. Godofredo Arquiza na mabigyan ng 20
porsyento na diskwento sa lahat ng bibilhin ng mga
senior citizen.

Kabilang sa mga iminumungkahi sa House Bill 6681

na mapatawan ng 20 porsyento na diskuwento para
sa mga senior citizen ang professional license at
driver’s license fees, business license at permit fees.

Aniya, layunin ng panukala na makilala ang

karapatan ng mga nakakatanda alinsunod sa
Saligang Batas, kung saan nakasaad na dapat
bigyang prayoridad ang pangangailangan ng mga
nakatatanda.
“Article 15, Section 4 declares that it is the duty of the
family to take care of its elderly members while the
State may design programs of social security for
them,” pahayag ni Arquiza.

Sinabi pa ng kinatawan ng mga matatanda na layunin

din ng panukalang batas na mabigyan ang matatanda
ng suporta sa ikakaayos ng kanilang buhay at kanilang
sektor sa lipunan.

Sa panukala, inuutusan ang Department of Social

Welfare and Development, Department of
Finance, Department of Interior and Local
Government na gumawa ng mga palatuntunan at
regulation upang maramdaman ang layunin ng
panukala.

“It is the Supreme Court that shall promulgate the

appropriate guidelines in the implementation of this
Act in respect of the docket fees,” ani Arquiza.
 Habijan inspires anew
in 2nd Imus City Teachers Congress

Dr. Erico M. Habijan, chief education supervisor

of DepEd IV-A CALABARZON, shared words of
wisdom to the 1,800-strong teaching force of the
Schools Division of Imus City during the 2nd
Imus City Teachers Congress held at Imus
Sports Complex on May 31.

Habijan talked of meaningful insights and urged

the teachers to always be professional in
everything they do.

“Ang nagpapabuti sa tao ay ang pagtataglay at

pagsasabuhay ng mga mabubuting gawain,” he
stressed.
The regional chief highlighted 6 habits of an
excellent “guro-naryo” by Bo Sanchez that he
trimmed down and articulated into:
Linawin mo kung ano ang yaman mo. (Treasure
versus Wealth)
Alamin mo ang mga BAKIT ng iyong EMOSYON
at DAMDAMIN. (God’s purpose)
Lumikha ka ng pinaniniwalaang yaman.
(Change of mindset.)
Ang pagiging agresibo ay gawing palagian.
Magpursigi ka kung saan ka magaling. (Do not
neglect your gift.)
Ipamahagi mo ang iyong yaman. (Share your
gift. It is your best investment.)

He also presented three challenges:

Pick your own battles. Not everything is worth
flipping out over.
Huwag mong hayaang maging mahirap ka.
Pasukubin mo ang lahat. Kung ayaw mo
magpasukob, umalis ka.

Habijan, after praising the use of E-learning,

challenged the teachers to conduct a research
about the effective use of technology in
students’ learning outcomes compared to the
traditional way of teaching as a study of Wolf
(2013) suggested otherwise.

He, however, said whatever strategies teachers

choose to use, the best will still be the “strategy
from the heart.”

It can be recalled that Habijan also graced the

first congress held May last year.
The second congress also featured the Imus
City Public WIFI and website presentation, and
discussions about the school calendar, child
protection policy, guidelines on promotion, Abot-
Alam program, and SCOUTERS ROCK, the 12
things to do for Transparent, Ethical and
Accountable (TEA) Governance of Region IV-A
CALABARZON.
 Tips in Writing the News Effectively
• Write the news as soon as you have
gathered the facts.
• List facts according to their descending
importance.
• Highlight the most important data as your
lead.
• Be accurate in presenting facts.
• Omit verbal deadwood and redundancies
For the reason that because
At the present time now
Tender his resignation resigned
Told his listeners said
Held a conference met

Past history, dead corpse,

final conclusion, fatal killing,
other alternatives, free gift,
advance prediction,
 Tips in Writing the News Effectively
•Avoid editorializing.
•Be objective.
•Make short paragraphs.
•One sentence one paragraph.
•Use simple and familiar words.
•Never use the first person.
•Prefer active than passive voice. (English)
•Never start the sentence with numerical
figure.
•Think before you write
Advance Techniques
• Requires ability to be not dependent on
technology.
• Demands flexibility
• Entails continuous writing to be
acclimatized to the habit of beating deadlines
•Have a nose for news
• Writing fast is as important as writing
well
 +++THE END+++

Thank you! God bless!

“Love what you are

doing and it will love
you in return.”