NEWS WRITINGSALMAN S. SAGA

NEWS• ANY NEW INFORMATION ON A

CRRENT EVENT OR UNUSUAL SITUATION THAT HAS MEANING TO A SET OF READERS.

• MEANING means APPEAL. CONNECT YOUR READER/AUDIENCE TO YOUR TOPIC.

• Geographic: something happened close to your reader, his neighbor or in his locality.

• Affective: someone close to him, be it his mom or his idol.

• Psychological: something that passions humans (money, violence, etc.).

• Temporal: something recent.• Cultural and social: something linked to the

interests of your reader.• Human Interest: odd stories• Practical: something that concerns everyday life.

PURPOSE/IMPORTANCE• INFORM - TO REPORT NEWS WITH ACCURACY AND

INTEREST • SERVE – TO PROVIDE INFORMATION SUCH AS

WEATHER, MARKETS AND SHIPPING. • ENTERTAIN - HUMOROUS ITEMS SUCH AS COMICS,

CARTOONS, COLUMNISTS AND BIZARRE STORIES. • INTERPRET - BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND A

SUMMARY TO HELP READERS UNDERSTAND EVENTS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS

4 ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF NEWS

1. ACCURACY 2. COMPLETENESS and BALANCE  3. OBJECTIVITY  4. SIMPLICITY and CLARITY

ELEMENTS OF NEWS• THESE ELEMENTS OF NEWS WOLD MAKE EVENTS OR

SITUATION INTERESTING.1. IMMEDIACY or TIMELINESS 2. PROXIMITY OR NEARNESS 3. CONSEQUENCE OR SIGNIFICANCE4. PROMINENCE5. ODDITY OR UNSUALNESS6. CONFLICT7. DRAMA8. PROGRESS9. NUMBER

STRUCTURE OF THE NEWSINVERTED PYRAMID

allows busy people read the summary of your news, you can cut the least important, busy headline writer can prepare the headline by just reading the lead.

PARTS OF THE NEWS1. HEADLINE – catchy

2. LEAD – contains 5 W’s and 1 H

3. BODY - details

• LEAD - the first paragraph, but it is written to provide a detailed preview of the entire story. It summarizes the story and includes all of the basic facts. the 5 W’s and 1H. However, you do not put all the W’s otherwise it will become crowded lead. The lead will help readers decide if they want to read the rest of the story, or if they are satisfied knowing these details. For this reason, the lead may contain a hook.

• CROWDED LEADA grade school boy, Ali Sahid, of Talayan National High School (TNHS) in Talayan, Maguindanao was killed yesterday along national high way fronting TNHS when a single motorcycle struck another passenger vehicle where the boy was riding.

• SIMPLIFIED LEADA grade school boy of Talayan National High School was killed yesterday when a passenger vehicle he was riding was hit by a single motorcycle along national high way fronting TNHS.

BODY OF THE NEWS• The body contains the details from LEAD to

the next important facts, less important, and least important.

• In writing a news story, you do not need to write every single and little details of the activity like color of the dress, manner of talking, weather condition unless it’s a great factor why such event had been postponed (TYPHOON)

• EXAMPLE Our activity today . . . you do not need to say:

The program started yesterday with an opening program, Schools Division Superintendent Bai Meriam Kawit attended but she did not stay longer for she needed to attain a previous commitment.

• Tell something what was the event, when and where it was conducted, why there is a need to do so, who chaired the program…and quote some lines from high profile individual involved in the event.

Maguindanao 1 conducted Back-to-Back Festival of Talents at Kauran Elementary School, Kauran, Maguindanao, January 16-18, 2014. (CONTAINS IMPORTANT FACTS)The 3-day affair was a mixed of English Festival and Division School Press Conference. (Contains single idea constructed in simple sentence)The said festival aimed to select students to represent Maguindano 1 Division in the upcoming Regional School Press Conference which date and venue are still undetermined.“This activity is a sort of evaluation of your performance as English language teachers.” Schools Division Superintendent Bai Meriam Kawit, Al-haja said during the opening program.

• After the lead has been written, and even the whole body of the news, YOU ARE NOW READY TO CONSTRUCT your headline. Headline is extracted from the lead.

Schools Division Superintendent Bai Meriam A. Kawit,Al-haja ordered yesterday Maguindanao 1 teachers to hold summer class for slow learners for grades 7 and 8.

• HEADLINE:Kawit pushes summer class

Note that you may use other verb in the HEADLINE synonymous to the one you use in the lead (to avoid redundancy, sounds good)

SPECIAL HEADLINE VOCAB• approved – ok’d • arrested - nabbed• teacher - tutor• student – stude• investigation - prove • executive - exec• toddlers - tots s• schedule - sked

• police officer - cop• senator - solon• slice small part - scrap • wash out - lash• Increase - Hike • Decrease - Dip • Examination - Quiz • Announced – Bared

• Highlight – Cap• Disapprove- Buck• Contest/competition – Tilt• Against - Vs • Volleyball players- Spikers/netters• Syndicate - Gang • Investigation – probe• Prohibition – Ban • Participate – Attend

• Celebrate- Mark• Conflagration – Fire• Inundated-Flooded• Arrests – Nabs• Emphasize – Stress

• Avoid the use of the articles a, an and• The headline should not state something that

is not included in the story. • Positive heads are preferable than negative

ones.• The active verb is preferred to passive verb,

except in the instance that the event is more important than the doer.

• Use the present tense even for past stories, and the infinite form for future events.

• Write numbers in figures or spell them out depending upon the allotted space for headlines.

• Use the comma (,)instead of the conjunction and in headlines.

• Keep leads short. Those with 35 words or less are preferred.

• Leads limited to one or two sentences are preferred.

• Avoid starting leads with "when" or "where" unless the time or place is unusual. Most leads start with "who" or "what."

• Avoid beginning leads with "there" or "this."

• In leads about future events, the time, day (date) and place usually go at the end of the paragraph.

• In leads about past events, the day (date) of the event usually appears before or after the verb. Sometimes the day (date) comes at the end of the first sentence or the paragraph if it is a one-sentence lead. EXAMPLE: CIVIL SERVICE COMMISION (CSC)-AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO (ARMM) YESTERDAY ORDERED LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT (LGU) TO CONDUCT FLAG CEREMONY EVERY MONDAY.

• Use quote and question leads sparingly/ cautiously.

• Lastly, leads can exclude certain readers if they are full of JARGON. Make sure the news report is suitable for everyone to read.

Tips in making body of the news• Keep paragraphs short. Those limited to 60 words

or less or no longer than 10 typeset lines are preferred.

• Make sure your sentences are under 25 words and contain only one idea. Use a simple subject verb object form and don’t use too many commas.

• Paragraphs limited to one to three sentences are preferred.

• Each paragraph should contain only one idea.

• Remember short paragraphs encourage readers to continue reading.

• For past events, report it happened "Friday," NOT "last Friday." Eliminate the word "last." For future events, report it will happen "Monday," NOT "next Monday." Eliminate the word "next.“

• Eliminate the "be" verb. Write "she will resign" instead of "she will be resigning. "Write in future tense (will) instead of future progressive tense (will be "ing").

• Eliminate words such as "when asked" and "concluded." These are weak transitions. Just report what was said.

• A long title should follow the name. A title that follows the name should be lowercased and set off in commas. Shorter titles that precede names should be capitalized.

• Always double-check the spelling of names.

• DO NOT USE ADJECTIVE. IT MAKES YOUR REPORT OPINIONATED UNLESS QUOTED FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE.

• WRONG:THE PROGRAM SUCCESSFULLY ENDED.

• CORRECT: THE PROGRAM ENDED SUCCESSFULLY,

MRS. RIVERO SAID.

• Use active voice vs. passive voice. The passive voice is formed by using some form of the verb "be" with the past participle of an action verb: is shot, was shot, has been shot, had been shot, may be shot, will be shot. The word "by" may also signal the sentence is written in passive voice. Rewrite sentences to eliminate the word "by."

• Passive voice : The city was ordered by the judge to make the payment.

• Active voice : The judge ordered the city to make the payment.

• WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT. This has to do with questionable information that may be libelous, incomplete information and information the writer does not have a clear understanding of.

• End your news with number sign #.

• Sometimes information cannot be verified. If doubt exists regarding a person's name, report the person "was listed by police as John Smith" or he "gave his name as John Smith." If a person is dead or unconscious and there is no identification, he or she is "unidentified," NOT unnamed. If there are questions about where a person lives, report "address not given" or "address unknown."

• Use simple words. Never send the reader to the dictionary. Odds are the reader won't bother looking up the definition.

• Words such as "thing" and "a lot" annoy some readers, bosses and executives. Avoid using them. (Note the correct spelling of "a lot.")

• Be careful how the word "held" is used. Make sure the object can be "held" physically.

Example: • Weak : The meeting will be held at noon

Monday in RTTC.

• Better : The meeting will be at noon Monday in ...

• Avoid using the same word twice in a sentence.

• The optimum number of words to use in a sentence is 14 to 16. The average reader cannot comprehend a sentence with more than 40 words.

• When writing becomes cumbersome, turn one long sentence into two or three shorter ones.

• If a long sentence must be used, place a short sentence before and after it.

• Spell out one-ten; 11 and up you can use numerals.

• Don’t start a sentence with a numeral.• Spell small numbers out. Small numbers, such

as whole numbers smaller than 10, should be spelled out.

• Two numbers next to each other. It can be confusing if you write “7 13-year-olds”, so write: “seven 13-year-olds”. Pick the number that has the fewest letters.

• UNANG SALITA NG PANGUNGUSAP SA PAMATNUBAY O LEAD GUMAMIT NG PANDIWA

• . 1. Hinirang 31. nakiramay2. Pinili 32. Sinimulan3. Kinondena 33. Nanalo4. Nakamit 34. Binuksan5. Binalaan 35. Napili6. Nanumpa 36. Naragdagan7. Nagwagi 37. Nahalal8. Nanawagan 38. Isinasaayos9. Pinangunahan 39. Natamo10. Tinutugis 40. Hindi nasiyahan11. Muling nagkaisa 41. Bumisita12. Inilunsad 42. Itinanghal13. Ipinagdiwang 43. Sisikapin14. Nanguna 44. Inihayag15. Itinaguyod 45. Nangako16. Kinoronahan 46. Pinamahalaan17. Idinaos 47. Tinaguyod18. Pinarangalan 48. Inalayan19. Tumanggap 49. Napili20. Hiniling 50. Naisakatuparan21. Napagwagian 51. Nagbigay22. Sinimulan 52. Inaasahan23. Ginawaran 53. Ipinahayag24. Nasakote 54. Nagkaroon25. Nasabat 55. Naglaan26. Isiniwalat 56. Itinatag27. Nag-uwi 57. Binatikos28. Naghandog 58. Napag-alaman29. Namahagi 59. Nagtapos30. Binigyang-diin . pinasinaan

• Ang ASSaKaBa ay laging nasa pamatnubay ng balita.

• Ano, Sino, Saan, Kailan at Bakit.• HALIMBAWA:

Tinanghal na kampeon ang Mataas na Paaralan ng Rizal, Pasig City laban sa 49 napangkat mula sa 25 na paaralang pribado at publiko sa Tagisan ng kaalaman sa Kalikasan.

You may write in this way.

• Ayon sa ulat, dakong alas- 12:30 ng madaling araw

• mahigit 10,000 adults naisinailalim sa pag-aaral

• ano ang nagtulak sa 12-anyos na bata

THE END

Thank you for listening!!!

-saga