Elements of
News
Publications
1& 2
Newsworthy Elements
Timeliness: Is the news current or new?
 Human interest/Emotions: Is it about
other people’s lives and emotions?
 Proximity: Is it happening nearby?
 Prominence: Is it well known to your
readers?
 Consequence: Will it affect your readers
in an important way?
 Conflict: Does it involve tension,
surprise, or suspense?
 Unusualness: Is the event uncommon?

What is News?

News: Information about events, people,
or issues that the public wants or needs
to know
– What kind of story do you look for in the
newspaper?

Newsworthiness: The criteria used to
determine what will appeal to readers in
the news
– What elements make a story newsworthy?
A JOURNALIST’S
RESPONSIBILITIES
REPORT ACCURATELY!!!
 Verify facts- check in with sources
 Double-check spelling of names, grades,
and titles
 BE OBJECTIVE!!!
 Observe and take notes, but do not put
yourself in your story
 BE FAIR AND BALANCED!!!
 Always present both sides of the story

The First Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution
 Congress
shall make no law
respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably
to assembly, and to petition the
government for a redress of
grievances.
Who Cares?
When in doubt about a newsworthy
story, ask yourself “WHO CARES?”
 If readers may want or need to know
info, the story is probably newsworthy!!!
 HINT: Most students will care about a
story if it’s about someone they know,
about themselves, or something that
affects them personally!
 WARNING: Avoid sensationalismstories in bad taste that cause an intense
but brief emotional reaction

News Article Activity
Read the article provided
 List THREE facts found in the article
 Put a star by the strongest argument/fact
 Indicate whether or not the author seems
to be objective (unbiased) or opinionated.
 What audience would be interested in this
article?
 Label the paragraph number containing a
quote that was memorable. Why was it so
memorable/effective?

Where to Find Your
Story
School: classroom, hallway, cafeteria,
gym, auditorium, library, coaches’
offices, school calendar, administrators,
guidance counselors
 Local Community: local media,
newspapers, magazines, TV, community
organizations, businesses, etc.
 Global Community: national and
international media, the internet, books

Find Your BEAT
Academic beat: academic departments,
clubs, and extracurricular activities
 Sports beat: official school teams,
intramural teams, sports clubs, coaches
 Club beat: school clubs that are not
academic or sports related
 Staff beat: guidance counselors,
librarians, teachers
 Administration beat: principals,
superintendents, deans
 Community beat: community events

Hard News vs. Soft News

Hard News (straight news): Strictly
factual reporting of news that’s current
and important
– Ex: Story covering the new principal, a
change in school requirements, an athletic
championship event
Soft News: Entertains and informs
 Is less current than hard news and
appeals to the emotions

– Ex: A movie review, an interview with a
student musician
Types of Sources
Primary Source: Offers the best and
most reliable information on a topic
 An expert or leading authority on a topic
 Person with firsthand info on a topic
 An original document or official report
 Secondary Source: Offers reliable
second-hand info on a topic
 Ex: Reference books, internet, person
with informed opinion on topic
 AVOID ANONYMOUS SOURCES!!!

Objective Reporting
Report facts without bias
 Don’t allow your opinion to slant your
reporting
 Differentiate between fact and opinion
 Report what you saw and heard- not
what you think or feel
 Eliminate the words “I, me, my, mine, we,
us, our, you, your” to avoid editorializing

A Journalist’s list of
Don’ts
DO NOT:
 Print material that is obscene or libelous
 Publish false material
 Use a person’s name or picture without
permission
 Defame a person’s character or harm
one’s reputation

Quoting like a Pro
Direct Quote: printed exactly, word for
word with attribution outside them
 Ex: “Journalism is my favorite class,” said
junior John Smith.
 Indirect Quote: information from a
source that is not quoted directly.
 Ex: Freshman Bill Owens said The New
York Times is his favorite newspaper, but
he enjoys The Bergen Record too.

…Quoting
Partial Quote: uses a phrase or part of a
quote
 Ex: Ms. Kohmuench said that she is
excited to work with “an intelligent young
group of journalists.”
 Anonymous Quote: Avoid quotes with
sources who wish to remain unknown!

Quoting Tips
Try to dig for unusual, meaningful quotes
 LAME QUOTE: “I think the prom was a
lot of fun,” said Jenny Smith.
 Avoid quotes with one word answers
 Refuse “off-the-record” comments
 Keep attributions in the middle or at the
end of quotes
 Ex: “Change will not come if we wait for
some other person or some other time,”
said President Obama. “We are the ones
we've been waiting for.”

Clear, Concise, Colorful Writing
Journalistic writing is always clear and
concise
 Hint: Fast paced readers want fast paced
news!!!
 Simple writing is key- avoid extraneous
words
 Be precise in your word choice! Did the
coach scream, or shout?
 Avoid jargon (technical words or slang)
 Avoid cliches- “raining cats and dogs”

5W’s & H
Leads answer the 5W’s
&H
 Who, what, when,
where, why, how
 Hard news stories use
INVERTED PYRAMID
 Most important info
comes first
 In each successive
paragraph, info is less
important

Inverted Pyramid
Newspaper Activity
Take a copy of a newspaper.
 With a partner, find a news story in the
front page section.
 Read the lead and discuss it.
 Determine what kind of lead it was. If it
was a summary lead, state the 5Ws.

Writing Leads
Lead: beginning of your story
(typically one paragraph or several
lines)
 Your lead is the reader’s first impression!
 Make your lead introduce your slant
 Types of leads:

– Summary Lead
– Creative Lead
– Anecdotal Lead
– Personal Level Lead
Summary Lead
Gives the reader a quick summary of the
story in as few words as possible
 Often focus on the who and what of the
story, then examine the when and where
 To write a good summary lead:

– Use few words
– Summarize the most newsworthy fact in the
first 10 words
– Identify any key people
– Set the appropriate tone- light or serious