Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
National Capital Region
DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS
Las Piñas City
LAS PIÑAS CITY NATIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL Carnival Park Street, BF Resort Village, Talon II, Las Piñas City
GRADE-8 CAMPUS JOURNALISM
(News Writing)
JOEMAR L. FURIGAY
How to tell a news story A
short story starts at the beginning and works its way to the end.
A
news story starts at the end and works its way back toward the beginning.
Here is the story. The
beginning:
Once upon a time there were three bears-a father bear, a mother bear and a baby bear. They lived in a house in the woods. On the edge of the woods lived a little girl called Goldilocks. One day Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods.
Here is the story. The
ending:
Goldilocks ran as fast as she could and reached the edge of the woods just in time. She never went into the woods alone again.
Here is the news story. A young Forest Glen girl escaped unharmed today when she was chased through the woods by three angry bears. The girl, 10-year-old Goldi Locks, was resting at her Primrose Street home this afternoon recovering from her ordeal. Ms Locks told reporters she had gone for a walk in the woods, but had become very tired and hungry.
Here is the news story. She said she found a cottage in the woods and went to sleep in an upstairs bedroom. Some time later she was wakened by three angry bears who began threatening her. She said she escaped by jumping out a first floor window.
Here is the news story. However, Ms Locks said the bears had pursued her and she had just managed to reach the edge of the woods in time. “I will never go into the woods alone again,” Ms Locks said. A spokesperson for the Forest Glen Wildlife Conservation Group said the bears were there first and people should treat wild animals with caution and respect.
What is the basic structure of news? A straight news follows the traditional structure of news writing. It is written in the inverted pyramid form. The most important facts are placed at the beginning, and the other details are given in the succeeding paragraphs.
What is the basic structure of news? The pyramid structure begins with the primary lead, a short paragraph, which answers at least four of the five Ws and one H at its most effective angle. The next paragraph is the secondary lead, which complements the main lead by answering those of the five Ws and one H, which are left unanswered.
What is a lead? Its classifications? The lead, or lede, is the opening sentence of a news story. It may be a summary lead, which answers the five Ws and one H, or a novelty lead, which attracts the reader’s attention, arouses his curiosity, and sustains his interest. The novelty lead, however, is preferable only in writing a news feature. In straight news, the summary lead is strongly recommended.
Checklist of a news story Accuracy
spell correctly
get the names of people and places right quote sources accurately (There can be serious legal consequences if you are careless about accuracy.)
Checklist of a news story No
comment or opinions:
Your job is to report, not comment. Put quote marks around the words involved. Use some common adjectives sparingly. Strictly no adverbs of manner. (Until you have a recognized reputation or some expertise, no comments or opinions, please.)
Checklist of a news story The
lead:
The most important is the what.
What angle are you talking about?
Angle 1: A 10-year-old girl escaped unharmed yesterday when she was chased through the woods by three savage bears.
Angle 2: The relieved mother of a 10-year-old girl who yesterday just managed to outrun three fierce bears has warned parents not to let their children play in the Taringa Woods.
What angle are you talking about?
Angle 3: Angry residents of Primrose Street have called on the provincial government to cull the bear population in the Taringa Woods.
Angle 4: Animal rights and conservation groups have sprung to the defense of a group of bears that chased a terrified girl through the Taringa Woods yesterday afternoon.
What angle are you talking about?
Angle 5: Police are investigating claims that a girl who was chased through the Taringa Woods yesterday afternoon by three angry bears had smashed some of their furniture and taken food from their kitchen without permission.
(Getting the “angle” right is a matter of judgment: news sense.)
What angle are you talking about?
Let’s consider the following data for angling:
What:
hanging to death
Who:
an old man
Where:
inside his sister’s house in Quezon City
When:
yesterday
Why: unable to find work and could not go home to his family in Sultan Kudarat How:
by hanging himself using an iron cord
What angle are you talking about? Angling
using the WHAT LEAD
Hanging himself, an old man was found dead yesterday inside his sister’s house in Quezon City.
What angle are you talking about? Angling
using the WHO LEAD
An old man was found dead after hanging himself yesterday inside his sister’s house in Quezon City.
What angle are you talking about? Angling
using the WHERE LEAD
Inside his sister’s house in Quezon City, an old man was found dead after hanging himself yesterday.
What angle are you talking about? Angling
using the WHEN LEAD
Yesterday, an old man was found dead after hanging himself inside his sister’s house in Quezon City.
What angle are you talking about? Angling
using the WHY LEAD
Unable to find work and could not go home to his family in Sultan Kudarat, an old man hanged himself to death yesterday inside his sister’s house in Quezon City.
What angle are you talking about? Angling
using the HOW LEAD
Using an iron cord, an old man hanged himself to death yesterday inside his sister’s house in Quezon City after he failed to find work and could not go home to his family in Sultan Kudarat.
What angle are you talking about?
At first, you may think that all the angles of the story are all right. However, if your examine them closely, you will find out that nor all of them are effective in catching the readers’ interest.
Checklist of a news story Sources: Unless information is widely accepted, or is common knowledge, it should be sourced. Material that is controversial, debatable, open to question or a matter of opinion, should always be sourced. Facts and figures (unless common knowledge) should be sourced.
Checklist of a news story Logic: Expand the key point of the lead. (If it does not do that, either the second par is wrong or the lead is wrong.) Develop or connect the important elements of each par.
How to expand the key point Par 1: Retailers Christmas sales.
have
reported
record
Par 2: Shops will be open until midnight on Christmas eve. (Here, neither the elements in the first par is developed in the second.)
How to expand the key point Par 1: Retailers Christmas sales.
have
reported
record
Par 2: Retail Trades Association general secretary Norma Fleming said several department stores and major shopping centers had recorded December turnover figures well in excess of budget expectations.
Achieving logic in a news story A young Forest Glen girl escaped unharmed today when she was chased through the woods by three angry bears. The girl, 10-year-old Goldi Locks, was resting at her Primrose Street home this afternoon recovering from her ordeal. Ms Locks told reporters she had gone for a walk in the woods, but had become very tired and hungry.
Achieving logic in a news story She said she found a cottage in the woods and went to sleep in an upstairs bedroom. Some time later she was wakened by three angry bears who began threatening her. She said she escaped by jumping out a first floor window.
Achieving logic in a news story However, Ms Locks said the bears had pursued her and she had just managed to reach the edge of the woods in time. “I will never go into the woods alone again,” Ms Locks said. A spokesperson for the Forest Glen Wildlife Conservation Group said the bears were there first and people should treat wild animals with caution and respect.
Checklist of a news story Background: A young Forest Glen girl escaped unharmed today when she was chased through the woods by three angry bears. This is the second such incident in a week.
(Background can be needed as early as the second par. Indeed, it can be even part of he lead.) In the second such incident in a week, a Forest Glen child has been chased through the woods by three angry bears.
Checklist of a news story Attribution: 1. organization, title, first name and surname followed by indirect quote first 2. direct quote followed by the appropriate honorific (Mr/Ms/Dr/Prof) and surname with “said” 3. direct quote followed by personal pronoun (he/she) with “said” 4. direct quote, no attribution 5. honorific and surname followed by indirect quote
How to do an attribution Communities in the north of the state have been warned to expect a severe storm season this summer. Bureau of Meteorology ( ) senior forecaster ( ) Geoff Smith ( ) said yesterday tropical sea temperatures were the warmest they had been for a decade and that was a danger sign. ( ) “Cyclones are distinct possibility too,” ( ) Mr Smith ( ) said.
How to do an attribution “Sea temperatures off the coast of the United States have been very warm this year and they have had a terrible huriccane season,” ( ) he ( ) said. “We need to be ready in case it happens here.” ( ) Mr Smith ( ) said a 24-hour cyclone watch had been in place for a month and although there had been no alerts so far this season, no one should be complacent. ( )
So you want to win a press parley?
Common news articles fire hostage-takings vehicle accidents “-napping” incidents ambush/shooting incidents rape/suicide robbery/theft/hold up/snatching raid/bust operations salvage victims demolition jobs brawls/rallies
So you want to win a press parley?
Getting the lead right 1. What happened?
2. Who were involved? 3. Where it happened?
4. When it happened? * Why/How it happened?
So you want to win a press parley?
Getting the lead right For example: A 10-year-old boy shot himself dead after toying with a homemade .38-caliber revolver of his security guard father in their house in the village of Nagsabaran in Balaoan, La Union last Wednesday.
So you want to win a press parley?
Getting the lead right For example:
A 10-year-old boy shot himself dead (who) (what) after toying with a homemade .38-caliber revolver of (how) his security guard father in their house in the village of (where) Nagsabaran in Balaoan, La Union last Wednesday. (when)
So you want to win a press parley? Getting the lead right
Activity 1:
The incident happened near the intersection of EDSA and Taft Avenue. Two alleged robbers were killed. Police officers killed them in a shootout. The police were from Pasay City. It was yesterday. It happened past midnight.
So you want to win a press parley?
Getting the lead right Activity 1 (answer):
Pasay City police officers killed two alleged
robbers
in a shootout
near the
intersection of EDSA and Taft Avenue at past midnight yesterday.
So you want to win a press parley? Getting the lead right
Activity 2:
The incident occurred before dawn yesterday.
Matt Evans is an actor.
It happened in Quezon City.
He smashed his car into a bus terminal.
He allegedly drove his car under the influence of liquor.
So you want to win a press parley?
Getting the lead right Activity 2 (answer):
Actor Matt Evans allegedly drove his car while under the influence of liquor and
smashed it into a bus terminal in Quezon City before dawn yesterday.
So you want to win a press parley? Getting the lead right
Activity 3:
The woman was Korean. The man was Filipino. The hotel is in Ermita, Manila. The bodies were bloody. The bodies of a woman and a man were found in a hotel room. It happened late Tuesday. It was in the afternoon.
So you want to win a press parley?
Getting the lead right Activity 3 (answer):
The bloodied bodies of a Korean woman and a Filipino man were found in a
hotel room in Ermita, Manila late Tuesday afternoon.
Let’s apply!
So you want to win a press parley?
Anatomy of an action news story 1. Lead Who died? Wounded? Hurt? What? Where? When?
2. Body (major details) a. identify casualty, fatality, perpetrator b. give significant information accounts of witnesses police reports/investigations interviews
So you want to win a press parley?
Anatomy of an action news story 2. Body (major details) b. give significant information recovered evidences background of the story
3. Body (minor details) charges against the suspects police action
on-going events
So you want to win a press parley? Example: A vacationing overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was shot dead while his companion was wounded as they were attending the wake of a neighbor in Barangay Barangobong on Sunday. Raymund Mata, 34, died from a gunshot on the head while Richard Morales was rushed to the Sacred Heart Hospital in Urdaneta City for treatment of a bullet wound in the neck.
So you want to win a press parley? Example: A witness named Luz Irlandez said the victims were trying to pacify a group of quarreling men, which allegedly irked the suspect, identified as Romulo Gajes. Mata and Morales decided to leave the place, but Gajes reportedly pulled out a gun and shot them. The suspect escaped after the killing.
So you want to win a press parley? Example: A vacationing overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was shot dead while his companion was wounded as they were attending the wake of a neighbor in Barangay Barangobong on Sunday. (lead) Raymund Mata, 34, died from a gunshot on the head while Richard Morales was rushed to the Sacred Heart Hospital in Urdaneta City for treatment of a bullet wound in the neck. (identify the casualty, fatality)
So you want to win a press parley? Example: A witness named Luz Irlandez said the victims were trying to pacify a group of quarreling men, which allegedly irked the suspect, identified as Romulo Gajes. (account of a witness) Mata and Morales decided to leave the place, but Gajes reportedly pulled out a gun and shot them. (police report/investigation) The suspect escaped after the killing. (on-going event)
