Basic

1. Newswriting Basic Ms. Meden F. Fadriquela School Paper Adviser New Era University- High School Department No. 9, Central Avenue, New Era, Quezon City

2. What is news? News is difficult to define because it has many variables. News must be factual, yet not all facts are news.

3. What is news? • News is primarily about people, what they say and do.

4. News...News...News • A report of any event or situation. • A record of the most interesting, important and accurate information obtained about the things man think and says, sees and describes, plans and does.

5. News...News...News “It is anything published in a newspaper which interests a large number of people”

6. News is “any event, idea or opinion that is timely, that interests or affects a large number of persons in a community, and that is capable of being understood by them.” - Dean M. Lyle Spencer Former Dean, School of Journalism Syracuse University

7. According to Carl Warren, Former Radio News Editor of New York Times, “ all news is intended to interest, inform or entertain somebody somewhere – large sections of the public.

8. The News Elements Timeliness / Immediacy

9. If something is happening NOW, it is more newsworthy than if it happened yesterday or last week or two weeks ago. Oftentimes the most newsworthy element in the story is the most recent happening, the latest thing in a series of happenings.

10. The news story must immediately tell the impact of the event. b. The value of the news depends upon the newness of the happening. c. It concerns not only of the recency (time of occurrence) but also primacy (you gasp with surprise when you first hear or see it is news to you, regardless of age)

11. The News Elements Proximity

12. Proximity How close to your readers is this event taking place? All other things being equal, something that is happening in or near their location is much more meaningful to them than something taking place across town or across the world.

13. Proximity • Interests of the readers primarily depends upon the closeness of their own personal affairs. • Closeness not only place but interest.

14. The News Elements Prominence

15. Prominence Is a well-known person part of the story? Readers like to read about people they know. If a person is well-known, more readers will be interested than if a person who is mentioned is not known.

16. The News Elements Oddity

17. Oddity A good example is the newsworthiness of the classic remark made by Charles A. Dana,in 1882: “When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.”

18. The News Elements Consequence

19. Consequence How will this event impact your readers? How important is it? Something that is more important will be more newsworthy than something that is of little importance, all other things being equal.

20. The News Elements Conflict

21. Conflict Is there a conflict between persons in the story? A rivalry? A misunderstanding? People are naturally drawn to conflict and find it fascinating. This element is essential in catching the attention of the readers like the intense conflicts of the different political groups in the Philippines.

22. The News Elements Human Interest

23. Human Interest Anything that appeals to the reader’s emotions…makes him laugh, cry, get angry, feel sympathy, etc….has the potential for human interest.

24. The News Elements Suspense

25. Suspense Another factor in stimulating the appeal and interest of the readers. The continuing suspense of day-to-day news events will always attract the attention of the reading public.

26. The News Elements Significance

27. Significance News story that is appealing to the readers, irrespective of its point of origin, such as local, community, national and international.

28. The News Elements Humor

29. Humor In order to avoid boredom on the part of the readers, it is important that the news writer must “pounce with delight upon news that usually titillates their bump of credulity or make them smile” once in a while.

30. The News Elements Numbers Suggest the breadth and extension of the news.

31. The News Elements Drama It adds color and vitality to the story.

32. Drama • Mystery, suspense, comedy, the unusual, the bizarre are chief elements of drama

33. The News Elements Amusement

34. The News Elements Sex It is present in stories of romance, marriage, divorce and other relationships.

35. The News Elements Progress Involves any significant change for the betterment of mankind.

36. The News Elements Impact How will a particular event affect the readers? Similar to consequence but stronger and more personal.

37. Special Types of News Stories A. According to style of presentation 1. Straight News- the data are presented in direct fashion using the summary lead. 2. News Features – the data are presented indirectly through the use of novelty lead.

38. B. According to place of occurrence 1. Local News – the event that happens within the locality of the reader. 2. Foreign News – the events takes place outside the country.

39. C. According to content 1. Science and Technology News 2. Developmental Communication 3. Sports News

40. D. According to sources 1. Action Story – the reporter himself is an eyewitness of the event that happened. 2. Based on the record news The information are gathered from the records like the police stations, hospitals and other agencies. 3. Based on interview - Interviewing the persons who know the event.

41. E. According to page makeup 1. Single incident story – one event only. 2. Composite Feature – more than one event that happened at the same time. 3. News Brief– news item usually not more than two paragraphs. 4. Bulletin – important last minute news of a running story printed on the front page in boldfaced type and maybe boxed.

42. 5. Flash It presents only the basic facts of a fresh story that comes in too late to be printed in full news item. 6. Side bar story Brief news item on some lighter aspects of an event placed side by side to a related significant news.

43. F. According to the sequence of occurrence 1.Advance News A report of expected event 2.Spot News A report of event which the writer has actually witnessed. 3.Coverage –based on given assignment or beat like news gathered from hospitals police stations, and other agencies. 4. Follow-up News – recent development of reported event.

44. THE LEAD • In writing the story, we are interested to know the LEAD which is the introductory sentence of the news story. Classification of Leads ♦ According to purpose: 1. Conventional or Summary lead 2. Unconventional, unorthodox or novelty lead

45. ♦ According to construction, leads maybeclassified into 3 groups: 1. Who-What-When-Where-Why-How leads This is the oldest type known to journalists and has come to be known as the 5W’s and an H I have six honest serving men (They taught me all I know) Their names are Whatand Why and Whenand Howand Where andWho

46. The Who lead Names make news, especially prominent ones. It maybe one person, several persons, or an organization. However, the lead should avoid featuring more than 3 personal names.

47. The What lead (or event feature) Most straight news leads play up what the story is all about. A struggle to protect or increase respective numbers of congressmen on opposing sides of the impeachment fence began yesterday at the House of Representatives.

48. The Why lead To further streamline emergency hotline services and strengthen anti crime efforts, the Philippine National Police conferred with respondents of emergency hotline ‘117’ in a top-level meeting at the Crown Plaza Galleria.

49. The How lead – often used for unusual happenings and action stories. Staging a 48-hour walkout beginning today, nearly 100 South Korean journalists at a government controlled television station demanded that the government stop dictating how they cover the news.

50. The When lead It is used when an event takes place at unconventional hour, or in making an announcement where the time is important to the reader. Tomorrow, May 15,is the last day for filing individual tax returns.