HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

1
HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
2
THE LEAD

• THIS IS THE FIRST SENTENCE OF A NEWSPAPER
  ARTICLE, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE
  ARTICLE.
• ANSWERS WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, AND HOW
• TYPICALLY A LONG SENTENCE

3
THE LEAD

• EXAMPLE It didnt take long for swine flu to
  show up at Vista del Lago High School in
  Californias Sacramento County About 10 a.m. on
  Aug. 10, two hours into the first school day,
  administrators got a call with news that a
  freshman who had stayed home that morning had a
  confirmed case.

4
THE PYRAMID

• Place the most important facts at the beginning
  of the broadcast and additional information was
  mentioned in order of descending importance
• This is done because people often dont read an
  entire article, and need the important
  information quickly

5
QUOTES

• Quotes can be a wonderful tool for a news
  writer, when used appropriately, explained
  longtime journalist Doug Wood-Boyle, who has
  worked in the field for over a quarter century.
• Quotes provide a real-life context to the
  information in an article.

6
REVIEW

• Have a lead
• Who, what, where, when, why and how
• Use pyramid format
• Move from most important information to less
  important information
• Include a quote
• Eyewitness accounts and personal opinions add
  legitimacy to your journalism