NEWS WRITING

((PAGSULAT
NG BALITA))
 NEWS DEFINED

NEWS is a result of a report, information, gossip, rumor or hearsay listing down what
happened, where it happened, when it happened, why it happened, who are involved,
and how it happened.

News is an oral or written report of a past, present or future event which is of interest to
the public.

Example:

AROUND 500,000 people who take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) every day should
brace themselves for a fare increase.

“There’s no stopping a fare hike,” Transportation Undersecretary Dante Velasco said in an

interview Thursday.

What is NEWS WRITING

NEWS WRITING is the systematical writing of an event that happened, has happened,
and will happen using a formula of structure called the inverted pyramid.

Example:

Youth leaders from across the country will gather for the Global Youth Summit
with its theme “3D: Design, Develop, Deliver.”at the SM North Edsa Skydome in Quezon
City, May, 11.

Global Youth Summit seeks to harness the potential of the youth towards
addressing issues.

College students, student councils, and youth organizations are invited to design
ideas, develop innovation, and ultimately deliver positive societal impact through their
own fresh ideas.

The best ideas produced will be featured online and awarded with prizes and
grants to implement their projects.
Example 2:

Cavite highlights Caviteno Kids’ Congress

Vice Governor Ramon “Jolo” Revilla and the Cavite Provincial Committee for the

Protection of Children (PCPC), the provincial government sponsored the Caviteno Kids’

Congress in celebration of the 21st National Children’s Month held at Gen. Trias

Convention Center, October 25.

Kahirapan Wakasan, Karapatan ng Bata Ipaglaban was the year’s theme highlighted

with the State of the Children’s Address delivered by Revilla focusing on the four basics of

a child on survival, development, protection and participation.

SCOPES AND KINDS OF NEWS

What are the scopes and kinds of News?

Scopes & Kinds of News

1. School News 2. Local News

3. Provincial News 4. National News

5. International News

News are classified as:

 Straight News

 Fact News

 Action News

 Speech News

 News Feature
CHARACTERISTICS OF NEWS
 Factual
 Truthful
 Accurate
 Unbiased
 Objective
 interesting

PARTS OF A NEWS STORY

A. CONVENTIONAL LEAD

LEAD (pronounced /lid/

-composed of the Five W’s and H that summarize the most important facts of a news.

1. The common lead starts with a Who Lead to highlight prominence.

Example:
Jesse Robredo, Interior and Local Government Secretary disclosed that the
department is now looking into a multi-million peso scam involving fake pensioners in the
Philippine National Police (PNP), today.
 2. What Lead is used to highlight drama or human interest.

Example:
Three or four fierce and destructive cyclones are expected to brace to public, the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) warned yesterday.
The least used leads which are considered weak for a starter but strong inside news story
are:

3. When Lead – talks about when the news happened (usually, yesterday and today)

4. Why Lead – the reason for having the news.

5. Where Lead – the place is played as prominent.

6. How lead – explanation of the event.

GRAMMATICAL LEAD
1. Causal Clause
2. Conditional Clause
3. Prepositional phrase
4. Gerundial phrase

B. NOVELTY LEAD

1. Question Lead

Example:
How much does the trouble in Syria cost the Philippine government? At least US$600,000
(roughly P25 million) to repatriate just an initial batch of 582 Overseas Filipinos Workers
(OFWs), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

2. Direct Quotation

Example:
“We have differences but these differences should not deter us from moving forward.
This is what the President emphasized on issue Syria’s repatriation.
3. Punch Lead

Example:
“Tourism is the people’s business.”
Acting Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. underscored this after he took his oath to
take over the helm of the Department of Tourism (DoT) Thursday in Malacañang.

NEWS WRITING RULES

1. Write up the story right away.

2. Play up the dominants points.
3. Be accurate and truthful.
4. Avoid editorializing and writing libelous materials.
5. Give source of the news and details.
6. Watch out for errors and grammatical incorrectness.

STEPS IN WRITING THE NEWS DURING THE CONTEST WRITING

1. Read the factsheet at least three times. Understand each word and each sentence
very well. Do not be in a hurry.
2. Separate the facts according to Five W’s and H.
3. Decide which is the most important among the facts, which is the second most
important, the third, until the last.
4. 4. Write your Lead and decide what to use: is What appropriate or is it Who?
5. 5. Consider the formula: Who + What + Where + Why. The sentence after the
immediate lead is the How. (This is the conventional lead).
6. 6. If there is a need to team up conventional lead with a non-conventional lead, the
formula is Non-Conventional Lead + Conventional Lead.
 WORKSHOPS

Fact Sheet in News Writing

INSTRUCTIONS Copy the news article written in Associated Press Style by James
Konstantin Galvez.

‘Palay’ production seen higher in first half

Despite the dry spell that hit several major rice producing provinces, the country’s
palay (unmilled rice) production is still expected to increase slightly in the first half of the
year, theDepartment of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.
DA Assistant Secretary Dante Delima, who is also the National Rice Program
coordinator, said that palay harvest may increase by 2 percent in January to June 2013,
from 7.892 million metric tons a year ago.
“Despite impacts of the El Niño in Regions 2 [Cagayan Valley] and 7 [Central
Visayas], we were still able to post minimal increase in our palay production,” Delima
said, citing latest assessment from DA regional field units.
The DA official, however, said that because of low water supply in key production
areas, the agency was not able to achieve the potential increase in production.
Delima attributed the increase to the use of hybrid rice seeds, which enabled
farmers to post higher yield despite longer dry spells.
In May 2013, the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics projected lower palay
production in the first half of this year because of movement of cropping to the first
quarter, inadequate water supply, intense heat and shifting to other crops.

Fact Sheet in News Writing

INSTRUCTIONS Copy the news article written in Associated Press Style.

Gov’t hopes to finish ‘Yolanda’ rehab by 2016

The government is hoping to complete the rehabilitation efforts in places

devastated by super typhoon Yolanda before the end of President Aquino’s term.
Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
acknowledged that the administration will be defined by its ability to rebuild the disaster-
stricken communities.
 “We are determined to do what is needed to get the job done,” Coloma said in a
recent Palace press briefing when asked if the rebuilding plans could be achieved by 2016.
“What will define this administration is its ability to inspire our people to do what
is needed, to rebuild our communities, and to manifest the legendary ‘bayanihan’ spirit of
the Filipino people,” he added.
Coloma acknowledged that there is room for improvement in the government’s
disaster management and response following criticisms it has dealt with the aftermath of
Yolanda.
“We accept observations regarding shortcomings, and we had been most willing to
accept suggestions for improvement,” he said.

Pagsulat ng Balita

Panuto: Kopyahin ang balita hango sa Associated Press Style ng pagsusulat. Pansinin
kung paano isinulat ang 5W’s at iba pa.

DOH: Walang travel ban sa Hong Kong dahil sa bird flu

Hindi pa maglalabas ng travel ban sa Hong Kong ang Department of

Health kasunod ng balitang mayroon nang kumpirmadong kaso ng H7N9 bird flu strain
sa naturang bansa.
Sa kanyang Twitter account, sinabi ni Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag na
maging ang World Health Organization ay hindi pa naglalabas ng anumang
rekomendasyon hinggil sa pagkakadiskubre ng bagong strain ng bird flu sa Hong Kong.
Kinumpirma ni Chinese Health Secretary Ko Wing-man na isang 36-anyos na
Indonesian ang nasa kritikal na kondisyon matapos dapuan ng bagong bird flu strain.
Ayon kay Ko, may mga nakalap silang impormasyon na ang naturang pasyente na
nagtatrabaho bilang kasambahay sa Hong Kong ay malimit nagbiyahe patungong
Shenzhen City upang bumili, magkatay at kumain ng manok.
Nauna nang naiulat na nagsimulang kumalat ang H7N9 nitong buwan ng Abril at
hinihinalang dahilan ng pagkatamay ng may 45 tao sa China at Taiwan.
Sinabi ni Tayag na base pinakahuling talaan, may 141 kaso at 47 dito ay namatay
dahil sa naturang sakit.
Aniya, matinding kasong ng pulmonya at multi-organ failure ang kalimitang sanhi
ng pagkamatay ng mga taong dinapuan ng H7N9 strain.
Tiniyak ni Tayag na hindi pa napapasok ng naturang sakit ang Pilipinas.
Binanggit din niya na nananatiling epektibo ang poultry ban na ipinapatupad ng
Pilipinas sa mga poultry imports galing China upang maiwasang kumalat sa bansa ang
bird flu.

]
 Pagsulat ng Balita

Panuto: Kopyahin ang balita hango sa Associated Press Style ng pagsusulat. Pansinin
kung paano isinulat ang 5W’s at iba pa.

Myanmar president nasa bansa

Nasa bansa ngayon ang Pangulo ng Republic of the Union of Myanmar na si Thein
Sein para sa tatlong araw na state visit matapos imbitahan ni Pangulong Benigno
‘Noynoy’ Aquino III na bumisita sa bansa.
Dakong alas-3:20 ng kahapon kahapon nang dumating si Sein kasama ang kanyang
misis na si Madamme Daw Khin Khin Win sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)
Terminal 2.
Ayon kay Presidential Communications Operation Office (PCOO) Secretary
Herminio ‘Sonny’ Coloma Jr., magkakaroon ng bilateral talks sina Aquino at Sein ngayong
araw na ito.
Kasabay nito, magkakaroon din ng signing of agreement ang dalawang bansa
sa larangan ng cooperation on trade and investment, food and security, renewal energy,
information cooperation lalo na sa larangan ng media kasama na ang pelikula at visa
exemption of ordinary passport holders.
 FACTSHEETS

ACTIVITY 1

NEWS WRITING

INSTRUCTION Write straight news based on the following information.

______________________
______________________
______________________

Zagala said that in a brief firefight Sunday.

A rebel was also slain by troops in a clash Saturday in a nearby community.
Philippine officials declared the standoff over Saturday.
It was declared after 95 people held hostage by the rebels.
More than 200 people died in the standoff.
The Philippine military says army troops and police have killed seven more Muslim
rebels.
The killings happened in the outskirts of a southern city they were clearing of bodies,
bombs and weapons following a three-week standoff with hundreds of insurgents
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala says that government forces killed six Moro
National Liberation Front rebels who were hiding in a house in Zamboanga city and
refused to surrender.

ACTIVITY 2

Fact Sheet in News Writing

INSTRUCTIONS Write straight news based on the following information.

Use summary lead.
____________________
____________________
____________________

4 persons were injured when a landslide hit several homes in Catbalogan City, Samar.
Superintendent Avelino Doncillo Jr, Catbalogan City police chief, said that the four
persons were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Those hurt included 40-year-old Guinsorongan village watchman Danilo Roque, who was
injured after being hit by rocks during the landslide, said Cruz.

Members of the Samar Provincial Police Office have been deployed to the village for
search and rescue operations, added the PNP chief.

Cruz earlier said that two of the victims were killed.

The landslide happened Tuesday noon, said Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr.,
spokesperson of the Philippine National Police.

ACTIVITY 3

Fact Sheet in News Writing

INSTRUCTIONS Write straight news based on the following information.

Use summary lead.
____________________
____________________
____________________

4 persons were injured when a landslide hit several homes in Catbalogan City, Samar.
Superintendent Avelino Doncillo Jr, Catbalogan City police chief, said that the four
persons were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Those hurt included 40-year-old Guinsorongan village watchman Danilo Roque, who was
injured after being hit by rocks during the landslide, said Cruz.

Members of the Samar Provincial Police Office have been deployed to the village for
search and rescue operations, added the PNP chief.

Cruz earlier said that two of the victims were killed.

The landslide happened Tuesday noon, said Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr.,
spokesperson of the Philippine National Police.
ACTIVITY 4

Write straight news using summary lead with the following information.

This Friday the Supreme Court will push through with its special en banc (full court)
session.
This is to discuss the disbarment complaint against acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio.
The deliberation and voting of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for the shortlist of
candidates to be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III will precede.
Carpio was slapped with a disbarment complaint by anti-crime crusader Lauro Vizconde.
Vizconde accused him of allegedly using his influence to secure appointments to essential
government posts.
He also accused of allegedly lobbying for the Supreme Court’s reversal of a lower court
decision to convict Hubert Webb.
The high court’s special en banc session and JBC deliberation were originally scheduled
last Wednesday.
It was reset due to heavy rains and floods that hit Metro Manila.

ACTIVITY 5

Write feature news on the following facts.

Via Twitter Malacañang is asking the public to report any damage sustained by national
roads in the aftermath flooding.
From Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO)
has linked with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
This is to promote public engagement to speed up rehabilitation of roads.
The good news was according to Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
Public can submit information on damaged roads by tagging the official Twitter account
of the PCDSPO (@PCDSPO), said Lacierda.
Lacierda said the information provided by the public will be placed in the database
handled by the DPWH for immediate action.

ACTIVITY 6

Write straight news using summary lead based on the following information.

Yesterday the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said that a total of 129,000 customers or
2.54 percent of its total customers remain without power.
This happens after torrential rains pounded Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon over the
week.
10 a.m. Friday, Meralco power linesmen and workers are conducting round the clock
operation to restore power in areas where there is still no electricity, said Joe Zaldarriaga,
Meralco spokesman
“Our workers are doing everything they can to restore power back in areas still without
electricity,” said Zaldarriaga.
Among the areas still without power are Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, and Laguna.
Meralco is also conducting line-to-line inspection to guarantee public safety prior to the
restoration of power, said Zaldarriaga.

ACTIVITY 7

Write straight news using summary lead based on the following information.

Prices of goods have remained generally stable behaving well within their suggested retail
price range.
Supply is adequate amidst the implementation of price control in areas under the state of
calamity.
DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo said this after visiting Mega Q-Mart in Quezon City
Thursday morning.
Except for price increase in vegetables and galunggong which slightly rose from P110 to
P120 per kilo due to the bad weather conditions.
Prices of basic necessities and prime commodities continued to be stable.
There is no panic buying in the supermarkets and the supply shortage of instant noodles
and canned sardines in market is due to bulk buying for relief operations, said Domingo.
"Owners of supermarkets, wet markets, and major manufacturers assured us that there is
enough supply and there is no panic buying happening." he said.

ACTIVITY 8

Write dateline news using the following information.

Board Member Ramon "Jolo" Revilla III Cavite 2nd District is rallying the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan (SP) to a concerted action this wek.
This is in response to the emergency needs of residents in areas worst-hit by the so-called
"Bahagat."
Revilla called for additional funding to rehabilitate the affected areas and help the needy
get out of their misery, in his speech.
"With unity and action, everyone can help the affected areas and the people in many
ways," he said.
Coastal towns of Naic, Ternate, Tanza, Rosario, Noveleta, Kawit and Bacoor City and
Cavite City were among those worst by the monsoon surges and floods from two weeks of
rains.

ACTIVITY 9

Write straight news using summary lead based on the following information.

Youth leaders from across the country will gather for the Global Youth Summit.
This is on Aug. 11, at the SM North Edsa Skydome in Quezon City.
Thousand of youth leaders will go.
The theme is “3D: Design, Develop, Deliver.”
Global Youth Summit seeks to harness the potential of the youth towards addressing
issues.
College students, student councils, and youth organizations are invited to design ideas,
develop innovation, and ultimately deliver positive societal impact through their own
fresh ideas.
The best ideas produced will be featured online and awarded with prizes and grants to
implement their projects.
The AIESEC Philippines in partnership with SM Cares, Global Peace Festival Foundation,
and Global Peace Youth Corps organized this.