Writing a News Article

Writing a News Article

News is information about important events that has recently happened or that is happening right now. It can be broadcast on television or radio, printed in a newspaper or magazine, posted on the internet or even shouted across a classroom. News is a source of information that helps us make decisions and understand our world. It is often referred to as “the oxygen of democracy”, because a free press is considered to be one of the fundamental ingredients of a democracy.

It is the duty of journalists to tell the public what is going on in their communities, in their countries and around the world. The public is then able to make informed choices about their government and their future. It is the role of the journalist to present the facts without bias, so that the public can form their own opinions.

What makes a good news story? There are many criteria that a story must meet in order to be classified as newsworthy. Some of the main ones are: it must be new, unusual, interesting and significant. However, it is also important to consider the intended audience; what might be interesting for a general readership may not necessarily be of interest to other readers. For example, a coup d’etat in your own country would be a big news story but it might not have the same impact as a coup in the neighbouring country that affects the people who live there.

In addition to the above, a good news story must have some kind of drama or excitement in it. Otherwise, it will not hold the attention of the reader. It can be in the form of conflict, a battle, an accident or a natural disaster. It could also be a celebrity death or the launch of a new product or service.

Finally, a good news story must be factual; it must be something that is really happening or something that has actually occurred. It must be based on evidence and not just speculation.

Writing a News article

The first thing that must be done is to research the subject. It is best to interview the key people in a news story in order to get quotes that can be included in the final piece. The use of quotations adds authenticity and allows the writer to avoid personal opinion which is not appropriate in a news article.

Once the research is done, the key points must be collated into what is known as a pyramid structure. This is a list of the most important facts arranged in order of importance with the most important ones at the top. This will help to ensure that the most important information is at the top of the article and will be seen by the majority of the audience. After the article has been written, it must be proofread carefully to check for accuracy and to make sure that all sources are cited.