ALLIED 1: Campus Journalism

WEEKS 11-12

Learning Outcome : At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Strengthen moral character through campus news.

2. Determine the qualities of a good news.

Topic:
VI. In Focus: Writing the Whole News Story
 More concepts on news writing
 Qualities of the News
 The Do’s and Don’t’s of News Writing Style
 Winning Tips in News Writing Contest
 Mental Gymnastics
 Synapse Strengtheners

Qualities and Characteristics of News are Accuracy,

Balance, Concise, Clear & Current
Just as cotton can be used in making heavy clothes and high explosives to the raw material of human activity
can be used for rendering poems, writing short stories or friends or the news. A journalist here to decide as to
what use he is going to make of the raw material available. A newscaster, news reporter  can use his material for
sociological expositions, propaganda and highlight even the human activities. The factual materials from which
news stories are made are extremely delicate. They find immediate response from the readers, audience and
viewers. News conforms to set news style and pattern which has been developed over a period of years.

5 Characteristics of News
The major characteristics of news are:

1. Accuracy              
2. Balance
3. Objectivity
4. Concise and clear
5. Current
Accuracy of News
The accuracy of news is in fact taken for granted by the news consumers. Though it is very difficult to be
accurate in news. Readers should have a feeling that whatever they are being presented is the overcome of an
honest and dedicated effort of the writer. The readers should never be given an opportunity to say that they
never believed what appeared in the papers. All facts given in the news item should be accepted by readers
without questions. What factual accuracy really means is that every statement in news items every name and
date and age, quotation every definite word or expression or sentence must be precise and presentation of the
true facts. Accuracy means correctness not merely in general impression but also in details, hastily accuracy is
to a newspaper what virtue is to a lady.

News should be Balanced

News is to be balanced though it is not an easy task to write news which is balanced in every respects, a severe
effort must be made by a reporter to render the account of any event in the best possible manners. The reporter
has to write all the specific facts correctly, fairly and accurately and objectively. He has to put all the facts
together in a manner that his report conveys the correct and factual impression. He has to give a fair picture of
the event as it takes place. In order to be fair both to the audience and about the gentleman about whom news is
given it is necessary that the news is balanced in content and meaning. News should be balanced in the matter
 ALLIED 1: Campus Journalism
of emphasis and complements. As a reporter he must constantly strive to give each fact its proper emphasis and
to put it in proper relation to every other fact and to give those facts the relative importance to the meaning of
the story as a whole. A reporter has to narrate every last circumstance of the story in pause taking details. A
reporter has to select and arrange facts in a manner so as to give a balanced view of the whole situation.

Objectives
News is a factual report of an event as it occurred. It is not the event as a prejudiced eye might see it or as the
reporter might wish it to be or have thought it to be on those concerned in the event might like to present it.
Facts must be reported impartially as they occurred. Objectivity in the news is one of the most important
principles of modern journalism. It means that the news covers to the consumer intimated without any personal
bias or any outside influence that would make it appear anything but what it is. News is unavoidable. News
should be presented without a shade. A reporter should not look at events through glosses either raised colored
or smote. News is to be presented in full light of impartial .and scrupulously honest observation. Objectivity is
essential because only pure news can give the consumer confidence since people form their opinions on the
basis of news items it is all the more necessary that it should be objective in all manners.

News should be Concise and Clear

News must follow the news form developed over a period of many years. It must be unite, concise, clear and
simple. A story that is diffused, disorganized and ambiguous in meaning does not have the characteristic quality
of news. It should be well-paced, unified and abuse all written so clearly that the meaning of the story is also
absolutely plain.

Current (Elements of Time in News)

The definition of news remains incomplete if element of time is not given major consideration. Time is the
essence of the news. Emphasis is on the time element of news story, this is necessary because of the changes
which may occur in the transitory period. Things are always changing and the news consumers want the most
recent information on subjects of concerns or interest to them. In the present circumstances the news
development might undergo a rapid change. The events occurring in the morning may completely outdate or
upset east might facts. Most news are labelled “todays” or at the most distant, last night. The news media are
specific about time. They tell the readers that the news is not only recent but truly the last word on the subject.
The news media has developed great speed in news media has developed great speed in news handling in order
to able to report events while they are still new. The reader is interested in current and new things. A newsman
wins consumers and readers by rendering.

DO’s and DON’T’s of NEWS WRITING

Do’s of News Article Writing

While preparing yourself for an article to be published in a newspaper, take care of the following steps:

 Do read a lot in order to prepare yourself to write a well-read article for the newspaper. You should be
able to deliver your precious opinions and thoughts about a topic.
 Do take care of spellings, word choice and vocabulary. Make sure the piece of work is flawless and free
from grammar errors.
 Do try to focus on the headline of the newspaper article. It is the portion which gets most read by the
majority of people.
 Also pay attention to the introduction of the newspaper article. Try to add all the main point of the
article in it.
 Make your writing piece catchy and use dictionary throughout.
 Try to write in a way which can bring the attention of masses to some significant issue.

Don’ts of News Article Writing

 ALLIED 1: Campus Journalism
Try to avoid these things while you write an article for the newspaper:

 Do not neglect any sect of society while writing a newspaper article. You have to take care of each and
every segment of the society.
 Don’t attempt to give prejudiced opinions on social issues. Be neutral in your approach toward writing.
 Don’t try to exaggerate while presenting any issue. Be in control and do full justice to any topic that you
have encountered.
 Try to avoid writing anything that is ridiculous or silly. Always be sensible and try to write which can be
accepted by a mature audience.
 Don’t make your writing a way to provoke some segments of the society. Rather pay attention to the
sensitive things of the society and write about them.
 Do not just write something about which you do not know much about.

These points can help in better news article writing.

https://www.contentcreatorz.com/dos-and-donts-of-news-article-writing/

Transitional Devices
Transitional devices are like bridges between parts of your paper. They are cues that help the reader to interpret
ideas a paper develops. Transitional devices are words or phrases that help carry a thought from one sentence to
another, from one idea to another, or from one paragraph to another. And finally, transitional devices link
sentences and paragraphs together smoothly so that there are no abrupt jumps or breaks between ideas.
There are several types of transitional devices, and each category leads readers to make certain connections or
assumptions. Some lead readers forward and imply the building of an idea or thought, while others make
readers compare ideas or draw conclusions from the preceding thoughts.
Here is a list of some common transitional devices that can be used to cue readers in a given way.
TO ADD:
and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, furthermore, nor, too, next, lastly, what's more,
moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.)
TO COMPARE:
whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the contrary, by comparison, where, compared
to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in contrast, although
this may be true
TO PROVE:
because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in fact, in
addition, in any case, that is
TO SHOW EXCEPTION:
yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes
TO SHOW TIME:
immediately, thereafter, soon, after a few hours, finally, then, later, previously, formerly, first (second, etc.),
next, and then
TO REPEAT:
in brief, as I have said, as I have noted, as has been noted
TO EMPHASIZE:
definitely, extremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly,
always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly,
undeniably, without reservation
 ALLIED 1: Campus Journalism
TO SHOW SEQUENCE:
first, second, third, and so forth. A, B, C, and so forth. next, then, following this, at this time, now, at this point,
after, afterward, subsequently, finally, consequently, previously, before this, simultaneously, concurrently, thus,
therefore, hence, next, and then, soon
TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE:
for example, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the case of, to
demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate
TO SUMMARIZE OR CONCLUDE:
in brief, on the whole, summing up, to conclude, in conclusion, as I have shown, as I have said, hence,
therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result, consequently

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/transitions_and_transitional_devices/transitional_devices.html

Six Tips for Writing News Stories That Will Grab a

Reader

So you've done a ton of reporting, conducted in-depth interviews, and dug up a great story. All your hard work
will be wasted if you write a boring article that no one will read. Think of it this way: Journalists write to be
read, not to have their stories ignored.

Follow these tips and you'll be on your way to writing news stories that will grab plenty of eyeballs:

Write a Great Lead

The lead  is your best shot to get readers' attention. Write a great introduction and they're likely to read on; write
a boring one and they'll turn the page. The lede must convey the main points of the story in 35 to 40 words and
be interesting enough to make readers want more.
Write Tight

You've probably heard an editor say that when it comes to news writing, keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
Some editors call this "writing tight." It means conveying as much information as possible in as few words as
possible. It sounds easy, but if you've spent years writing research papers, where the emphasis is often on being
long-winded, it can be difficult. How do you do it? Find your focus, avoid too many clauses, and use a model
called S-V-O, or subject-verb-object.

Structure It Right
The inverted pyramid is the basic structure for news writing. It simply means that the most important
information should be at the top of your story, and the least important information should go at the bottom. As
you move from top to bottom, the information should gradually become less important, mostly supporting what
came before. The format might seem odd at first, but it's easy to pick up, and there are practical reasons why
reporters have used it for decades. For one, if your story has to be cut quickly, the editor will go first to the
bottom, so that's where your least vital information should be.
Use the Best Quotes

You’ve done a long interview with a great source and have pages of notes, but chances are you’ll only be able
to fit a few quotes into your article. Which ones should you use? Reporters often talk about using only “good”
quotes for their stories. Basically, a good quote is one in which someone says something interesting in an
interesting way. If it's not interesting in both aspects, paraphrase it.

Use Verbs and Adjectives Well

There's an old rule in the writing business: show, don't tell. The problem with adjectives is that they don't
always show us anything worthwhile. Ordinary adjectives rarely evoke visual images in readers' minds and are
often a lazy substitute for writing compelling, effective description. While editors like verbs—they convey
action and give a story momentum—too often writers use tired, overused verbs. Use words that count: Instead
 ALLIED 1: Campus Journalism
of writing that "the fleeing bank robbers drove quickly through town," write that they "raced down deserted
streets."
Practice, Practice, Practice

News writing is like anything else: The more you practice, the better you'll get. While there's no substitute for
having a real story to report and then bang out on a real deadline, you can use news writing exercises to hone
your skills. You can improve your writing speed by forcing yourself to pound out these stories in an hour or
less.

https://www.thoughtco.com/writing-stories-to-grab-readers-attention-2074352