Week 2: What is news?
Kevin Voigt

• Is journalism a science, or is journalism an art?

Traditional newspaper model
General Assignment
Beat
Specialty
Emerging model
Super-specialist, blogger, commentator, etc.

Is it “ new ” ? Recent?
Does it affect many people?
Does it affect many people in my intended audience?
Does it involve well-known people, places or institutions?
Does it involve conflict or struggle?
Is it unique or rare?
Do you think it ’ s important?

Who
What
When
Where
Why
How

• News stories ( “ straight ” news or “ hard ” news)
• Focusing usually on WHAT happened, WHEN and
WHO was affected and WHERE
• WHO can make it more news worthy (public official/celebrity – people you have a reasonable expectation the readers know)

• Feature stories ( “ color ” stories, “ soft ” newsalthough I dislike both the “ hard ” and “ soft ” )
• Best typically bring to surface information the reader didn ’ t know about, or makes the common seem uncommon
• The best of both types of stories are “ new ” to the reader, hence “ news ”
• Contrary to expectations – “ counterintuitive ”

• Although most new non-fiction writers prefer to write feature stories, actually these are the most difficult to do well
• Skills of newsgathering for hard news stories of fast breaking events (fires, accidents, natural disasters) help you to write feature stories. Why?
• Eye for details
• Accuracy – double-checking facts
• Anticipating the questions readers will want answered in the story, and answering them

• Therefore a key skill to becoming a good journalist is…

• Understanding your sources
• Understanding your readers
• This understanding, however, brings conflict – empathizing with your sources versus empathizing with your readers
• In the final analysis, great writing ALWAYS empathizes with readers

• 1. The lead. What is the most important news? How can you write it in the clearest way — and make it interesting too?
• 2. Elaborate on the lead.
Two, three, four or five paragraphs that explain, support and amplify lead.
• 3. Key background and context of event, if needed; information that helps readers understand more about the news they are reading.
• 4. More elaboration of the news, in descending order of importance.

Hard news lede
Gives readers the basic facts of what happened and where it happened
Entices readers to keep reading to find out the
“ how ” and the “ why ”
Soft news lede
Gives readers a small, intriguing taste of the story

What happened or what was said
When the event occurred
Where the event occurred
Who (or what) was the source

Subject
Verb
Object
Example: “ I love you.
”
Not: “ You are the person that I love.
”