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CARESSA LYNN A. SIGLOS

CAMPUS JOURNALISM 101: NEWS WRITING

CAMPUS JOURNALISM 101: NEWS WRITING

OBJECTIVES: Define the role of journalism in society Outline the process involved in our practice of campus journalism Define NEWS Enumerate and explain elements that make a ‘news’ Differentiate kinds of news stories Learn tips in writing good news stories Write good news stories

JOURNALISMWhat is it for?

Authoritarian Theory(Unity)

Libertarian Theory(Freedom)

Theory of Social Responsibility

The Principle of Media and Morality (Silverstone, 2007)

“formation of social, civic, and moral space—a mediapolis where media can be a desig-nated place for civility, hu-manity, and responsi-bility.”

“higher form of social consciousness—one that looks out for society’s common good.”

ADVOCACY JOURNALISM “Articles that provide “context, analysis, evidence, and testimony that frame and drive public debate” (Kirkman, 2011)

1. Is fact-based2. Approaches a story from a specific standpoint3. Presents arguments4. Addresses counter-arguments5. Makes a call for action

Traditional News Journalism

Present the facts

Interpret what the facts

mean

Contemporary Model

Present a social concern and why

it matters

Present the facts

Interpret what the facts mean

Enable empower-ment

NEWS WRITING: THE BASICS

News is any event, idea, or reaction that is presented factually and simply in written form to give the reader an idea of what is cur-rently happening, particularly on matters of interest to the community.

So what’s newsworthy NEWS?

Proximity or nearness • (Is it close to the community?)

Revelation • (Is there significant, formerly unknown information to

the readers?)Immediacy or timeliness

• (Did it happen recently?)Consequence or Impact

• (How many people have been, are and will be affected?)

Entertainment • (Will it make a fun story?)

Prominence• (Is anyone famous involved?)

Oddity • (Is it something highly unusual?)

Inverted Pyramid

Lead/Lede & other main points

Body (Details of the initial

information provided)

Addi-tional in-for-ma-tion

Kinds of News Stories

According to Time Relations

According to Treatment

According to Topic/Scope

Advance Story Straight News Country/Province-Wide

Coverage Story News Feature/ Interpretative News

School-wide

Box Story Policy news

Student/social issues newsEvent news

Community news

Achievements news

LEAD / LEDEthe beginning of a news story which contains the most important information, helping the reader decide whether or not to read the rest of the story

• Who-what-when-where-why-how leads• Grammatical beginning leads• Unorthodox leads

5Ws lead• After getting all the information to

answer the 5 Ws an H, decide which one is most important and begin your lead with that.

• Avoid stressing the wrong things or persons in the lead.

• Avoid using “Last, The, There, An, A” as much as possible as these could sound like dull openings.

• Avoid overloading your lead.

Grammatical beginning lead

• Gerund– Garnering a passing percentage of

95%, 65 BSCE graduates are now licensed Civil Engineers.

• Temporal Clause– While classrooms at the Mechanical

Ed campus are being repainted, Engineering and Maritime Transportation students attend classes under a large mango tree beside the college gym.

Grammatical beginning lead

• Infinitive Phrase Lead– To raise enough funds for the GK

Build this summer, members of The Artians will be performing in front of the city hall.

• Conditional Clause– Unless the admin decides to increase

the salary of its employees, the UNION will pursue their planned rally outside the gates of the university.

Unorthodox leads• Direct quotation lead

– “I am no savior,” says Dr. Camacho after having saved 1,200 lives after Yoleng hit the province two days ago.

• Question lead– Would you spend P10,000 for your child’s

Senior High education? This was the central issue discussed during the Parents’ Assembly yesterday.

• Contrast lead– From 48th to 71st, AGC lost its status as the

premier center of educational excellence in Northern territory after accreditors denied granting autonomous status to the institution.

HOW TO DO IT (Data Gathering)

Understand what the story is about Understand why the story is important Learn how to interview effectively Contact key individuals for interview Respect people, their time, and privacy Be present during the event you are covering Take down notes, and strive for accuracy Use a recorder if possible especially when you plan to include di-

rect quotes. Cross-check data given by your sources to ensure consistency Gather as much information as you can before, during, and after

the event.

HOW TO DO IT (Writing & Editing)

Think about the most interesting and important part of the news, and create a good lead out of it.

Add the rest of the details into the body, according to de-gree of importance of the information

In news tackling policies/concerns, make sure to include all available sides of the story

Do not fake your data Use simple language and avoid jargon unless necessary Edit your work and have others edit it too When in doubt, consult the experts

The NOSE for NEWS is what matters most

in a news writer.If you don’t have it, you have to learn to grow it.

After learning it, you have to hone it.