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Newswriting for newspapers

Newswriting for newspapers. Wallace Chuma. Newswriting cont…. News reports or stories recount actions of individuals , institutions or natural events, e.g., disasters News stories should include necessary information to place action into context Newswriting is formulaic.

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Newswriting for newspapers

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  1. Newswriting for newspapers Wallace Chuma

  2. Newswriting cont… • News reports or stories recount actions of individuals, institutions or natural events, e.g., disasters • News stories should include necessary information to place action into context • Newswriting is formulaic

  3. Newswriting cont… • A news story should address the following questions: • Who? • What? • Where? • When? • Why? • How? • News stories should have a relevant intro or lead/lede

  4. Newswriting cont… • Normally, a good lead is no more than 50 words for a broadsheet and no more than 35 for a tabloid • There are at least four types of leads, namely: • Immediate identification lead • Delayed Identification lead • Summary lead • Multiple element lead

  5. Newswriting cont… • Most news stories are written using the inverted pyramid style. This foregrounds the most important details (ie 5Ws and H). Details are placed in the story according to their value or importance. • The inverted pyramid is preferred for reasons of space. • Rule is to Keep It Short and Simple (KISS)

  6. Newswriting cont… • The process of writing a news story starts with identifying a topic. Most topics are about activities/actions of either individuals or institutions. • The next step is to gather information. This is where sources come into play • The actual process of writing follows the gathering process. • It is important to revise a news story several times before routing it to the next gatekeeper.

  7. Cont… • Avoid, as much as possible, beginning story with direct quote, e.g.,Jacob Zuma has described the assault of women wearing miniskirts as “disgusting”. • Instead, summarise opinions being expreessed and use them as indirect speech.

  8. Cont… • Remember to keep it LOCAL • Identify a PEG [date, location, etc] • Identify the ANGLE [interpretive slant] • QUOTES are necessary in stories, but not all quotes are good quotes. • Quotes are introduced with a colon (:), or comma (,), quotation marks are either single or double.

  9. Cont… • Consistency is necessary when quoting. • 4 Ways to deal with quotes include: • A) direct quotes • B) Indirect quotes • C) Partial quotes • D) as statement of fact

  10. Cont… • Remember age is important when quoting some people • Check and double check age, names, middle names, etc. • Check that story is balanced. • News story should contain the following: • -Angle • Peg • People

  11. Cont… • Active voice, succint intro, topicality, facts and quotes, relevant location, • Short, simple words, phrases and sentences, correct spelling and grammar, well-sourced information, background • Avoid: reference to ‘me’, ‘I’, your opinion, assumption, speculation, hype, obscurity, embellishment.

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