How do I begin to write a news story?

1. How do I begin to write a news story?

2. First of all, you’re going to need some sources • So what, exactly, is a source?

3. A ‘source’ is one of three things: • a person you’ve personally interviewed • a book or periodical properly introduced within the article • a website properly introduced

4. How do you refer to a source in a news article? • When quoting an adult, state their first and last name in the first reference • From that point forward in the article, you use only the last name • Never use courtesy titles (Mr. or Mrs.)

5. How many sources do I need? • Because readers trust stories that are well sourced, your grade for each article will largely depend on the quality and quantity of your sources. • The number of sources will vary depending on the article, but each article must have a minimum of three sources.

6. Clarify how you contacted the source • Did you get the info from a telephone interview, a meeting, a website? • Remember: An e-mail interview solicits different responses than a face-to-face interview. Tell your readers which it was.

7. Never use anonymous sources • You don’t trust these when you see them, so there’s no reason to expect your readers to trust you if you don’t tell them who you’re quoting. • If the source isn’t named, how does the reader know you didn’t just make it up? • Just remember it this way: There’s no such thing as an anonymous source.

8. News articles are written in the third person • The reader doesn’t care about your experience as a reporter; he/she wants to read about the person in the story. • In a news article, you don’t talk about yourself (the first-person “I”) or directly to the reader (the second-person “you”)

9. Don’t editorialize • News articles should be free of commentary and analysis; that’s for editorials. • Always keep yourself out of the article • “Show” the reader the story, don’t “tell” them. This is good advice for any type of writing.

10. Any article you write for this class might be published in the Communicator, so make sure it’s accurate. • Check, double check and triple check your facts. • You are responsible for all of the reporting in your article

11. Provide contact info • You might think of questions after the interview is over, so you should always get contact info for a quick, follow-up interview • If you can’t provide an e-mail address or phone number for a source, your editor will get suspicious • So will your teacher

12. Deadlines count • Deadlines are a fact of life for journalists, and for journalism classes. • Once you get used to writing on deadline, it becomes liberating, because you have a finish line in sight. • Your grade will be docked if your article isn’t finished on time • Don’t forget to save your work three different ways. A computer crash should never keep you from finishing your work on time.

13. All articles are written in AP style • Keep your AP Stylebook handy • Check dates, times, addresses, etc. • Don’t be shy about asking for help • Ask an editor if you don’t know the way to do something in AP style • If the editor doesn’t know the answer, the adviser will

14. Don’t forget peer review • Each article must be peer reviewed by at least two of your classmates • Fill out the cover sheet after you finish each article • Follow the chain of command if you have a question or concern

15. Have fun! • The rules of journalism have been developed over decades in order to keep you from having to think about all this stuff every time you want to write an article • Once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature