News Writing

News Writing
Jonell S. Gregorio
Coach, News Writing
NSPC 2016, Koronadal City
What is News?
 News is defined as the process of gathering

information and making narrative reports-edited
by individuals for news organizations-that offer
selected frames of reference;
Elements of a News Story
Objectivity
Conciseness and Clearness
News Values
Timeliness
Nobody likes to read an
outdated story, even if it is
very important.
Proximity/Nearness
-Is it closer?
-Physical and psychological distance
*Prominence
-power, prestige, position, popularity
-incidental prominence
Consequence
-How many people are affected?
Oddity/Unusualness/ Human Interest

-The more the event is unusual, the
greater its value.
*A dog biting a man is not news; a man
biting a dog is.
Structure of a News Story
(Inverted Pyramid)
Lead
Supporting Details
Quotes/ Elaboration
Background Information
What is a Lead?
The lead, or opening paragraph, is the

most important part of a news story.
5W’s and 1H
 Summary Lead
-the most traditional lead in news writing. It is often used for
breaking news. Straight news leads tend to provide answers to the most
important three or four of the Five W’s and H.
Ex.
who what
Five people were killed in a traffic
collision in Barangay Laiya-Aplaya in the
where
town of San Juan, Batangas, at 3 am
Wednesday, June 19.
when
 Descriptive Lead
-this type of lead goes into great detail to describe
the scene or person. The idea is to create visual
impact.
Ex.
Cheers and applause erupted at the normally
silent Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Session Hall as Denny
B. Refol Jr., was formally proclaimed the newly-
elected mayor of Altavas, Aklan in the recently
concluded local and national elections, May 13,just
before midnight.
 Quotation Lead
-a direct quotation that stands out as an important
element of the story.
Ex.
“I'd be happy to see more of the pastor in the
coming days.”
This was what the President said after his first

meeting with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in three years
at the Malacanang Palace, yesterday, June 13.
 “I'dbe happy to see more of the pastor
in the coming days,”says President
Rodrigo Duterte after his first meeting
with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in three
years at Malacanang, yesterday, June
18.
 Question Lead
-As the name suggests, a question lead asks a question. It
is used to appeal to the readers and to pique their
interests.
Ex.
“Will Duterte ever speak up?”
This was the question thrown by critics as President
Rodrigo Duterte remains mum on the boat ramming issue
involving Filipino fishermen and a Chinese vessel at the
disputed West Philippine Sea, Friday last week, June 15.
How Lead
(How) used when the method/manner of an
event is unnatural
Ex.
By working at night and studying during the
day, a security guard was able to finish his
Education degree and graduated as cum laude
at Altavas College, Friday, June 7.
Why Lead
(Why) Used when the reason is more prominent than the
other elements
Ex.
Because of a viral photo online showing a comfort room
converted into an office, a teacher in Cavite is under fire
and may face charges from the Principal for damaging”
not only the image of the school but of the entire DepEd.
Novelty Lead entices the reader or listener
into the story by hinting at its content
Clash of clans.
Father-and-son tandem of Denny Refol Jr and

Denny Sr. defeated the brothers tandem of Rene and
Paul Refol for the mayoralty and vice mayoralty
posts of Altavas, Aklan in the recent National and
Local elections, May 13.
Who: Denny “Kano” Refol, Jr.
What: Proclaimed as newly-elected Mayor
of Altavas
Where: Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall
When: May 14, 2019 at 1:30AM
Why: Refol Jr. won over rival Butchoy
Refol in the mayoralty race
How: He received a total of 7, 429 votes
while Butchoy Refol got 5, 564 votes
 Quotes: “We will continue the progress in Altavas.
We can do this through transparent and honest
public service,” Kano Refol said.
 “I thank the Altavasnons for their trust. Although I
am young, they saw my sincerity and capability to
become Mayor of our town,” he said further.
 “ The people have spoken. I am thankful for the
support of my family and the people of Altavas,”
Butchoy Refol said.
 “Eventhough I lost in the mayoral bid, my
service remains for the Altavasnons,” he added.
Tips for Effective News
Writing
 1.
The lead should be a single sentence that does not
exceed 45 words.
 2. The lead should summarize the story.
 3.
Paragraphs in news stories should generally be no
more than 1-2 sentences.
 4.Sentences should be kept relatively short, and
whenever possible use the subject-verb-object
formula.
5. Always cut unnecessary words.
6. Don't use complicated-sounding words
when simpler ones will do.
7. Don't use the first-person "I" in news
stories.
 8. News stories are generally written in the
past tense.
 9. Avoid the use of too many adjectives.
There's no need to write "the white-hot
blaze" or "the brutal murder." We know fire is
hot and that killing someone is generally
pretty brutal. The adjectives are
unnecessary.
 10. Don't use phrases like "thankfully,
everyone escaped the fire unhurt." Your
readers can figure that out for themselves.
11. Never inject your opinions into a hard-
news story
12. When you first refer to someone who's
quoted in a story, use their full name and
job title if applicable. On the second and
all subsequent references, use just their
last name.
Exemplars qualify for NSPC 2018
by Jonell S. Gregorio
Two students of Echelon Development School qualified for the National Schools Press Conference after
placing in the Top 3 at the Regional Schools Press Conference held at Iloilo National High School, Iloilo City,
November 24-26, 2017.
Gian Paulo P. Sibolinao, Grade 6, emerged as champion in Editorial Writing English for Elementary while
Atasha Delle L. Sucgang, a Grade 7 student of Upper Echelon, the high school arm of Echelon Development
School, placed third in Feature Writing English.
Sibolinao and Sucgang will compete in their respective categories at the NSPC in Dumaguete City on
February 18-23, 2018. Jonell S. Gregorio serves as their adviser.
Other Exemplar writers also shone amidst stiff competition in other categories. Angel Dorothy Q.
Garcia, Grade 6, ranked 4th in Copyreading English. In Pagsulat ng Editoryal, Symon Peterneil F. Vacunawa,
Grade 6, placed 6th while Chrisann Lee V. Cawaling was awarded 7th Place in Sports Writing English.
“We have prepared for this. We trained hard and God has blessed the work of our hands. I’m very
happy that we have qualified for the NSPC for the third time. It’s a dream come true,” said Jonell S.
Gregorio, coach and adviser.
“I did not expect to qualify for the NSPC because I’m just in Grade 7. That’s why I was crying when I
was awarded 3rd Place. It’s unbelievable!” Sucgang said.
In 2015, Echelon also won first Place in Editorial Writing English and placed fourth in News Writing and
competed at the NSPC in Koronadal City. Last year, Echelon also qualified for the NSPC in Science and
Technology Writing in Pagadian City.
The NSPC is considered the Olympics of Campus Journalism in the country. Only the top 3 from each
region per category qualify for the national level.

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News Writing

 News is defined as the process of gathering

Oddity/Unusualness/ Human Interest

The lead, or opening paragraph, is the

This was what the President said after his first

Father-and-son tandem of Denny Refol Jr and

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