WELCOME TO JOURNALISM!

Journalism or news writing is a prose style used for reporting in newspapers, radio, and television. When writing journalistically, one has to take
into account not only one’s audience, but also the tone in which the piece is delivered, as well as the ABCs of news writing: Accuracy, Brevity,
and Clarity. 

Accuracy
If a story isn’t accurate, it firstly betrays public trust. Public trust is of the utmost importance because the public relies on unbiased news in order
to make intelligent choices in the voting booth.

Secondly, inaccurate information could be potentially libelous. Libel is defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any other form
besides spoken words or gestures. It is a serious offense and could severely affect your career as a journalist.

To make sure you stay accurate, always check and double check any numbers, spellings of names, who said what, and other basic facts of your
story. In order to have a good story and in order to be a good reporter, accuracy is key.

Brevity
Get straight to the point. If you can do without words, then cut them out. Your lead should draw your reader in and you should end with an
interesting finish. Don’t just finish when you run out of information.

Clarity
Clarity means that you should have all of your facts and have them organized before you start writing. Your story should leave no question
unanswered and should avoid jargon (in other words, make the topic accessible for readers of all levels, not just experts).
News Writing Fundamentals
Reporting

One of the most fundamental differences between journalism and The six news values are:
other forms of writing is the way journalists obtain the information
they write about. Journalists obtain information through a variety of 1. Timeliness- Recent events have a higher news
reporting techniques, which can include interviewing sources, value than less recent ones.
looking through government documents, researching old articles, 2. Proximity- Stories taking place in one’s hometown
and observing events firsthand. or community are more newsworthy than those
taking place far away.
Good news writing begins with good, accurate reporting. Journalists 3. Prominence- Famous people and those in the
perform a public service for citizens by presenting truthful facts in public eye have a higher news value than ordinary
honest, straight-forward articles. citizens.
4. Uniqueness/oddity- A story with a bizarre twist or
News Values strange occurrences. “Man bites dog” instead of
“dog bites man.”
Journalists commonly use six values to determine how newsworthy 5. Impact- Stories that impact a large number of
a story or elements of a story are. Knowing the news values can help people may be more newsworthy than those
a journalist make many decisions, including: impacting a smaller number of people.
6. Conflict- “If it bleeds, it leads.” Stories with strife,
 What information to give first in a news article, and in
whether it’s actual violence or not, are more
the lede
interesting.
 Which articles to display on a newspaper’s front page
 What questions to ask in an interview The newsworthiness of a story is determined by a balance of these
six values. There is no set formula to decide how newsworthy a
story is, but in general, the more of these six values a story meets,
the more newsworthy it is.

Libel Libel is defined as the published defamation of a person’s character

based on misleading or inaccurate facts. Newspaper reporters can
often run into issues of libel because it is their job to write truthful WHEN: Wednesday
articles about people that might not always be flattering. WHERE: Holy Christ Church in Buckhead
WHY: for fallen officer Lt. James Montgomery
Even though we live in a country with a free press, journalists cannot
write anything they want. Reporters do not have the right to state Other Examples:
something about a person that could damage their reputation and
that is untruthful. Gwinnett County Public Schools was awarded $250,000 early
Wednesday as a finalist for what’s considered the Nobel Prize of
One of the easiest ways to protect oneself from libel is to make sure public education.
to always do accurate reporting and to attribute all information in
an article. If you write something about someone that you’re unsure A man beat an Army reservist in front of a Morrow Cracker Barrel,
about, just ask yourself if it’s true, and how you know it’s true. yelling racial slurs at her as he kicked her in the head, Morrow police
Rumors, gossip, and information you received from an anonymous said.
or unreliable source are all dangerous to report, and they could run
you the risk of a libel case. Examples courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Lede Inverted Pyramid

The lede (or lead) of a news article is the first sentence, usually News articles are written in a structure known as the “inverted
written as one paragraph, that tells the most important information pyramid.” In the inverted pyramid format, the most newsworthy
of the story. When writing a lede, it is helpful to use the “tell a friend” information goes at the beginning of the story and the least
strategy. Imagine you had to sum up to a friend, in one sentence, newsworthy information goes at the end.
what your story is about. How would you sum up quickly what
happened? A story’s lede answers the “Five W’s” in a specific order:
Who? What? When? Where? Why?

For example:

The Atlanta Police Department will hold a memorial service

Wednesday at Holy Christ Church in Buckhead for fallen officer Lt.
James Montgomery.

WHO: The Atlanta Police Department

WHAT: will hold a memorial service
 In a 500-page government report, investigators reported evidence
that the army had committed crimes against humanity.

Integrating quotes

The first time a source is introduced in an article, you should use

that source’s full name and title. After this initial reference, use the
last name only.

For example:

“The swine flu vaccine is an incredible advance in modern medicine,”

said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

When attributing a direct quote, always use the verb “said” and
After you have written your story’s lede, order the information that never any other verbs such as “explained,” “whispered,” etc. It is also
follows in terms of most important to least important. There is NO more common to use the format “XXX said” instead of “said XXX.”
formal conclusion in a journalism article the way there is in an essay
or analysis paper. For example:

Attributing information “The housing crisis is growing out of control,” Bernanke said.

ALL information in a news article MUST be attributed to the source Even when information from a source is not used in a direct quote
where the reporter got his/her information. The reporter must and is paraphrased instead, it still must be attributed to that source.
indicate in his/her article where material was obtained from – from
For example:
an interview, court documents, the Census, a Web site, etc. Direct
quotes and paraphrasing can be used to attribute information
Bernanke said the recession is probably over.
obtained in an interview with a source.
The recession will most likely begin to recede in six to eight months,
Bernanke said.
For example:

According to a police report, the suspect threatened the cashier with

a gun before running away with the money.
The 10 essentials of news writing
of your quotations should add value. The story should move
1. Truth briskly. Every sentence should enrich the reader's experience.
Journalism is nothing without a solid bedrock of truth. Your
writing must be accurate. But accuracy is not enough: Your
stories must be true. If you accurately report an untrue or 5. Tight writing
misleading statement, you are doing a disservice to your As Strunk and White wrote more than a century ago, "Omit
audience. needless words." Be concise. Keep your sentences short. Keep
your first paragraph short (usually under 35 words). Avoid
2. Clarity superfluous adverbs and adjectives. When in doubt, leave it
Make sure your audience understands clearly what you are out. But remember this: Tight writing does not mean leaving
saying. The words you use should convey the meaning you out important details or analytical points. It means trimming
intend. Be specific. Use active voice. Put numbers into context the merely ordinary to leave more room for the extraordinary.
– particularly large numbers. Avoid long, disjointed sentences
shackled with confusing dependent clauses. 6. Precision

3. Completeness Use the right word to convey the right meaning. Avoid vague
Make sure you have included all of the most important and verbs such as "to have," "to be," "to do" or "to get" when you
relevant details. Make sure you placed the main facts of the can be more specific. Avoid over-general words such as "some"
story into context. Don't just report on "what's new" – mention or "many" or "a lot." If you have trouble with precise word
"what's next" or "why." Don't include irrelevant and choice, you need to expand your English vocabulary.
unimportant details. But make sure you have not misled you 7. Timeliness
audience through omission. You always want a time peg for your news story. On breaking
4. Compelling storytelling news, that's easy: News is happening now and I am writing
You are competing for your audience's attention in a cluttered about it. But news features and enterprise projects should be
information world. Readers are easily distracted, especially timely now. You might "peg" your story to an anniversary
when they are consuming your story on a mobile device. To date, an upcoming event or the release of a book or movie.
keep their attention, your story must be better than good. Always be able to answer this question: "Why is this story of
There is no substitute for compelling storytelling. Hook the interest to my audience right now?"
reader from the first sentence. Demonstrate quickly why the
story is interesting and important. Make sure that fresh 8. Fairness, balance and responsibility
information and strong details are at the top of the story. All Ethics are a core value of journalism. Your stories, even
opinion pieces, should be fair. You should provide context for
breaking news. Multiple points of view should be considered, How do you write a column?
although you have no obligation to give equal space to
everyone. The "target" of a critical story should be given an Before writing a column, think about and decide on the purpose,
audience, content and structure.
opportunity to respond before publication. Fairness
sometimes includes truth-telling and fact-checking. It is your
responsibility to report the truth, not to repeat the assertions Purpose
of powerful people. Why are you writing? Is it to inform the community about an event?
9. Transparency and honesty Does the paper's editor, the community or co-workers want it? Are
You must be straight with your audience if you expect them to you entertaining, informing or educating? Do you seek an identity or
trust you. Don't steal material from others. Properly attribute exposure?
all material (facts and quotations) that you found on other
platforms. Avoid conflicts of interest. Never take money or Audience
gifts in exchange for writing a story (or not writing a story).
Whom are you trying to reach? Who are you reaching? Decide on
10. Real reporting your audience. Write in their language, at their level, about things the
audience needs to know or wants to know.
Don't expect to write a complete report if you have not done
some first-hand reporting. A pandemic is not an excuse: You
owe it to your readers to gather facts yourself. Don't just Content
repeat what you saw in a report or a press release. Don't What will your column discuss? How will you discuss it? Answering
"curate" the best work of other journalists. In the old days, why and how will help determine what. Remember, columns should
engaged in what old-timers called "shoe-leather reporting." be based on facts and should be accurate.
Today, you might be wearing slippers in your home office. But
get to work and do some real reporting! Names are crucial in a personal column. Personal columns may be
informal; yet accuracy and sourcing material counts.

WRITING COLUMNS
Structure
How will your message get to your audience? There are other types
of columns besides the personal column, too. Some of these cover
What is a column? A column is not a news article, but it is news. It specific topics or types of information. They can be "question and
generally answers why and how. It often is personal, using the first answer," "new ideas," "how-to-do-it" pieces or "calendars" and
and second person (I and you). A column often states an opinion. It "coming events."
is said to be like writing an open letter. A column also has a standard
Personal columns should have many local names. They also use
head, called a title, and a by-line (name) at the top. These identify
words like: "I," "we" or "you."
you and your column for the reader.
When writing a column, do  Be timely. Keep up with the effect of weather conditions,
seasons, etc., pointing out the significance of these conditions
 Give the reader timely, helpful information. locally.
 Develop a structure and keep it. Write on a regular schedule.  Remember the people you're talking to and give them
 Write simple and short sentences and paragraphs. information that will benefit them in a way they can
 In personal columns, use local names and places. understand.
 Let others speak for you by use of quotes and references.  Always get your column to the editor or publication on
 Learn the difference between a column and a news story. schedule.
When writing a column, don't
 Use technical or complex words, unless required; then explain
simply.
 Talk in jargon or unfamiliar terms.
 Talk about one topic constantly.
 Include too much detail or material. You should be stimulating
interest, not exhausting a subject.
 Refer to yourself as a third person (this author, your reporter)
or quote yourself (Jimmy Jones said). Instead use mine.

Tips on column writing

 Write the way you talk. But don't discard good English usage
and grammar.
 Try to uncover a "lead" or opening that will catch the interest
of your readers.
 Use a variety of material, not just one subject.
 Write about people. When using subject matter, try to tell the
story through the experiences of local people.
 Write simply. Avoid technical or difficult words, long
sentences, long paragraphs.
 Don't weigh your column down with too much detail. Try to
stimulate interest in a subject, but don't exhaust the subject.
 Jot down ideas, names, figures, impressions, etc., in a note
pad while visiting farms and homes. This provides the very
best column material.