Journalistic Writing

ABEL 113
GROUP REPORT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Submitted to:

Dr. Merlita Q. Santos Ed.D

Director of Gender and Development (GAD)
Pangasinan State University
 UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES
Brief History of Campus Publication UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

Campus Publication Defined

• A media outlet such as newspapers, magazines, television show or radio station
produce by students at an educational institutions
• Typically covers local and school related news, but they may also report on
national and international news as well
• Serves as both a platform for community discussion and a place for those
interested in journalism to develop their skills
• Reports news, publish opinions of students and faculty, and may run
advertisements catered to the students body
• Serves as a watchdog to uncover problems at school
Brief History of Campus Publication UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

In the city of Manila, at least six issues a year, or one for every grading period, are
put out by selected staff members in both elementary and high schools.
High school student publications are almost as old as the Philippine public school
system itself. For instance, the first Manila High School, now the Araullo High
School, then under the editorship of Carlos P. Romulo, started putting out a
mimeographed student paper named The Coconut in the School Year 1911-1912.
As an extra-curricular activity in the early Philippine public high schools, student
publication was introduced in the country shortly after its wide adoption in the
American high schools and colleges. It is believed that the first high school paper
in the United States was published in 1851. However, it was not until the early
1920's that student journalism gained acceptance in the American high schools.
In the Philippines, the first regularly issued printed high school paper was the La
Union Tab of La Union High School. It was published in 1923. Since then, pioneer
high school papers came out one after the other.
Brief History of Campus Publication UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

Among those school organs were: The Pampangan, Pampanga High School, 1925;
The Leytean, Leyte High School, 1925; The Rizalian, Rizal High School, 1926; The
Coconut, Tayabas High School, 1927; The Volcano, Batangas High School, 1927;
The Toil, La Union Trade School, 1928; The Samarinian, Samar High School, 1928;
The Melting Pot, Tarlac High School, 1929; The Granary, Nueva Ecija High School,
1929; The Torres Torch, Torres High School, 1930; and the Cagayan Student
Chronicler, Cagayan High School, 1930.
By 1931, there were 106 high schools in the country. Since then, although there
had been no regulatory memorandums or circulars, urging high schools to put out
a school paper, newly organized high schools followed suit. They, too, had to put
out one for themselves.
Out of those 106 high schools, only 30 had school papers registered at the Bureau
of Public Schools. By 1950, this number increased to 169; by 1954, to 253; by
1975, to 500; and by 1986, to more than 900 school papers in English and Filipino.
Brief History of Campus Publication UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

The first significant regulation governing the putting out of high school papers
was Circular Letter No. 34, s. 1929 which set down certain requirements based on
the Service Manual. It was issued by the Bureau of Education signed by Director
Luther B. Bewley.
On October 22, 1945, Acting Executive Officer John H. McBride, Jr. of the
Department of Instruction and Information sent a letter to all division
superintendents quoting provisions from the Service Manual stating that the
school papers should consist chiefly of articles treating of school activities, that
they should be free from advertisements, from questionable jokes and cartoons
and from worthless poetry and prose. It stated further that articles purporting to
be written by pupils should be solely the product of their efforts, the assistance
of the teacher being limited only to criticisms.
Formal Introduction of Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

Although the school paper in the City Schools of Manila was published in School Year
1911-1912, formal classroom instruction in high school journalism began only in 1952.
That was the time that Mrs. Sarah England, an American teacher of Mapa High
School, experimented with the teaching of Journalism. Since it proved successful, the
other four existing high schools in the city followed suit. These were the Araullo,
Torres, Arellano and Abad Santos high schools in that order. They formally offered
journalism as a vocational subject holding classes on a daily double period throughout
the school year. Since then, journalism had been under the supervision of English
supervisors, but the grades were considered vocational subjects.
In 1964, Mrs. Clehenia C. San Juan, then department head of English in Araullo High
School was appointed journalism supervisor. When the 2-2 plan was implemented in
the high schools, journalism remained as a vocational subject in the second year,
optional subject in the third year and elective in the fourth year college preparatory
course.
Formal Introduction of Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

Under Mrs. San Juan, school paper advisers and journalism teachers who took
special graduate course in scholastic journalism at the Institute of Mass
Communication in the University of the Philippines, helped fashion out a bilingual
course of study for the second, third and fourth years. This course of study was
prepared and published under the joint sponsorship of the former Philippine Press
Institute and the ESSO Standard Eastern Incorporated.
In the journalism classes, the budding writers are trained to write various types
pf news, feature stories, interviews, speech reports, editorials and editorial
columns, sports stories, critical report, interpretative and depthnews,
development news and other forms of journalistic writing.
These are all preparatory to actual staff work where students learn to organize,
manage and improve the school paper. These include newspaper makeup and
school publicity.
The Meaning and Media of Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

There are many definitions of journalism, but the most familiar ones are those
given by Noah Webster, by Fraser F. Bond, and by the Encyclopedia.
The word journal comes from the Latin word diurna which means "daily". In
ancient Rome, short bulletins of battles, fires, and elections compiled by
government officials were posted up in public places. These were called acta
diurna which meant "daily events".
Webster defines journalism as the occupation of writing for publication in
newspapers and other periodicals.
On the other hand, Fraser F. Bond defines it as "something that embraces all
forms in which or through which the news and comments on the news reach the
public." According to him, all that happens in the world, if such happenings hold
interest for the public, and all the thoughts, actions and ideas which these
happenings stimulate, become basic materials for the journalist.
The Meaning and Media of Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

In encyclopedia, journalism is defined as the reporting, writing, editing,

photographing, or broadcasting of news. While under pressure to be first with
their stories, news media organizations usually edit and proofread their reports
prior to publication, adhering to each organization's standards of accuracy,
quality, and style.
In Collins dictionary, it is defined as the job of collecting news and writing about
it for newspapers, magazines, television or radio.
And according to Cambridge dictionary, it is the work of collecting, writing and
publishing new stories and articles in newspapers and magazines or broadcasting
them on the radio and television.
Scope of Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

Three areas of journalism:

1. WRITTEN JOURNALISM - periodicals such as newspapers and magazines fall
under this area.
• NEWSPAPER - prints more news, has no special cover, and is printed on a special
paper called newsprint.
• MAGAZINE - prints more features and human interest stories, has a special cover
usually with a big cut on it, and is often times printed on bookpaper.
2. ORAL JOURNALISM - radio falls under this area.
3. VISUAL JOURNALISM - Television, movies and documentaries fall under this
area.
Development Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

The term development journalism is used to refer to two different types of

journalism. The first is a new school journalism that began to appear in the
1960’s. The idea behind it is similar to investigate reporting, but it focuses on
conditions in developing nations and ways to improve them. The other type of
involves heavy influence from the government of the nation involved. While this
sort can be a powerful tool for local education and empowerment, it can also be
a means of suppressing information and restricting journalist.
FIRST TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT JOURNALISM
• Attempts to document the conditions within a country so that the larger world
can understand them.
• It looks at proposed government projects to improve conditions n the country,
and analyzes whether or not they will be effective.
Development Journalism UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

SECOND TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT JOURNALISM

• Government participation in mass media can help get important information
spread throughout the nation.
• Government can help to educate their citizens and enlist cooperation on major
development projects.
• Government can also use the idea of “development” to restrict freedom of
speech for journalists.
Development Journalism:
• As a tool for social justice
• As a tool for empowerment
• As a propaganda
Functions of the Campus Paper UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

A. Aids to the students (members)

• To provide an opportunity for interest writing
• To give the students the opportunity to learn how to read the newspapers
• To act as stimulus to better work
• To develop students power of observation and discrimination concerning
relative merits of news articles
• To serve as an outlet and motivation for journalistic writing
• To offer training in organization, business methods, commercial art,
salesmanship, bookkeeping, and business management
• To develop qualities of cooperation, tact accuracy, tolerance, responsibility
and leadership
Functions of the Campus Paper UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

B. Aids to the School and Community

• To inform the community as to the work of the school
• To publish school news
• To create and express school opinion
• To make known the achievements of the school
• To help unify the school
• To encourage and stimulate worthwhile activities
• To develop right standards of conduct
• To provide an outlet for students, suggestions for the betterment of the school
• To develop better interschool relationship
• To develop school spirit
• To develop cooperation between parents and the school
Functions of the Campus Paper UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

Modern functions of the campus paper were as follows:

• Information Function
• Opinion Function
• Educational Function
• Watchdog Function
• Laboratory Function
• Documentation Function
• Entertainment Function
• Development Function
National and Campus Newspapers UNIT I
Compared PRELIMINARIES

A newspaper is a printed publication which is published and sold at regular intervals.

MAIN PURPOSES
• To provide news for its readers
• To explain what the news means to its prints, comments and suggestions
• To entertain and teach with photographs, cartoons, and other interesting features
TYPES OF NEWSPAPER
• Daily: published everyday
• Weeklies: published every week
• National Paper: one that can be bought easily, anywhere in the country
TWO CATEGORIES
• Popular – easy to read articles and may photographs
• Heavy or Quality Papers – with serious subjects and longer articles about them
Parts or Sections of a Campus Paper UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

1. FRONT PAGE - appearing on the first page of a newspaper or

similar publication and containing important or remarkable
news.
a) Local News - news that takes place within the country
b) Foreign News - news that takes place outside the country
c) Dateline News - an out of town news story; introduced by a dateline which states
the date, the place from which the story reported (ex. Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 25)
d) Weather News - usually a boxed forecast of the area, sometimes a temperature,
wind directions and velocities; extremes on weather are reported as more
detailed news stories
e) Index - a slug line indicating an important inside page story and the page where it
is found
Parts or Sections of a Campus Paper UNIT I
PRELIMINARIES

1. EDITORIAL PAGE - a newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that

gives an opinion on a topical; the parts of a newspaper that are not advertising.
• Folio - it consists of the page number, date of publication, and name of the newspaper usually
written on top of the page
• Masthead - the editorial box containing the logo, names of the staff members and position of
the staff, subscription rate, the publisher and other pertinent data about the newspaper
• Editorial Proper - a commentary written by any of the editors who comments or gives the
opinion of the staff or of the whole paper on various subjects; it is the stand of the paper
• Editorial Column - a personal opinion written by the columnist himself; like the editorial
proper, it may attack, teach, entertain or appeal depending upon its purpose
• Editorial Cartoon - usually a caricature emphasizing a simple point; usually humorous, it has
the function of the editorial. Standing by itself, it is not a complement of the editorial proper
• Letter of the Editor - a letter sent in by the reader giving his personal views on certain aspects
• Sports Page - sports stories are classified as news stories, therefore, what may be found in the
news page may also be found in the sports section; other things that can be found in sports
section are the sports commentaries and sports features
 UNIT II
WRITING THE NEWS STORY
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News Defined
• A timely factual report of events, ideas, or situations interesting or significant to
the public (Basic Journalism; Eufemia Estrada and Rosario P. Nem)
• An oral or written report of a past, present or future event (Campus Journalism
for Students, Teachers, and Advisers; Ceciliano – Jose Cruz)
• An information that has a meaning for a set for readers (Mrs. Estelita Pangilinan)
• Material which is most likely to be looked to and accepted as the image of
reality (Raymond and Alice in America, Mass Society and Mass Media)
• A report of any event or situation
• A record of the most interesting, important and accurate information
• A reflection of reality.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News Defined
• More than just facts and information. It affects people.
• A piece of information about an event that would be a matter of interest for a
large number of readers.
• Accurate, based on facts and not fiction.
• A factual, unbiased and interesting.
• An information that is published in newspapers, broadcast in radio and
television about recent events in our country or world or in a particular area of
activity.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Characteristics of News
All news stories possess certain characteristics or news values. Traditionally,
journalist have said that newsworthy events are those that possess:
• Accuracy
 A media organization will be judged on the accuracy and reliability of its journalism,
which must be well-sourced, supported by strong evidence, examined and tested, clear
and unambiguous. Verified facts must form the basis of all news, not rumor and
speculation.
 We need to be totally transparent in declaring what we know and what we don’t know.
Those who trust you will be prepared to wait for your version. In fact, they might use
your coverage to check whether a hastily prepared item by a competitor has any truth
in it.
 Accuracy is at the heart of what we do. It is our job to get it first but it is above all our
job to get it right. Accuracy, as well as balance, always takes precedence over speed.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

 This is the first requirement of a good news report. You must get all your facts right,
starting from the name and designation of the subject to the statements made by
him or her. You cannot hide behind the excuse that there was not enough time to
cross check the facts.
 The facts that you need to check are:
 Names and their spelling
 Designations
 Incident details. In case it is an accident you must know the exact number of people who
were injured or killed.
 Statements: the quote reported in the news report must be accurate, and in context. It
should not be, misinterpreted to imply another meaning.
 If it is a science story you must make sure that all scientific names are correctly spelt,
and explained.
 If it is a sports story then you must make sure that the number of runs made or goals
scored are mentioned accurately.
 If it is a court story you must make sure that the court verdict is presented accurately.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Balance
 Balance in journalism is considered one of the most important characteristics of any news piece
 Balance means a lack of bias, and it is the ethical imperative of a journalist to transmit the
news in an impartial manner.
 This means that a reporter should, whenever possible, demonstrate opposing viewpoints at play
in a story dynamic; it is important to note that there are often more than two sides to any story.
• Objectivity
 Objectivity means that when covering hard news, reporters don’t convey their own feelings,
biases or prejudices in their stories, they accomplish this by writing stories using a language that
is neutral and avoids characterizing people or institutions in ways good or bad.
 Objectivity called for journalists to develop a consistent method of testing information – a
transparent approach to evidence – precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not
undermine the accuracy of their work.
 In the latter part of the 19th century, journalists talked about something called “realism” rather
than objectivity. This was the idea that if reporters simply dug out the facts and ordered them
together, truth would reveal itself rather naturally.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Clarity (Conciseness and Clearness)

 This is not easy to achieve. You are required to report an event in as few words as possible. You can
do this if you use short and simple words and keep out irrelevant facts. The intro of your report must
be short and crisp. The body must be made up of as few paragraphs as possible with each paragraph
devoted to one point.
 There should be no ambiguities. The facts must be sourced, and accurate.
 Writers need to keep their reader’s attention. Writing clearly and concisely is one way to capture
and retain interest. Rambling on, conversely, may lose your reader’s attention.
 Writing clearly and concisely means choosing your words deliberately, constructing your sentences
carefully, and using grammar properly. By writing clearly and concisely, you will get straight to your
point in a way your audience/readers can easily comprehend.
• Brevity
 The importance of this characteristic cannot be overstressed. You must learn to write short stories
without missing important facts. Please remember that today’s reader is in a hurry. He does not
have the patience to go through long news reports.
 Brevity does not mean writing a short story. It also means using short words, short sentences and
short paragraphs.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Attribution
 All news reports, with a few exceptions, must be sourced. The source can be identified as
follows:
 Individual. An individual, who witnessed an accident or survived an earthquake, can be quoted by
name as an eyewitness.
 Organization. A spokesperson authorized by an organization to brief the media on its behalf. The
spokesman can be referred to by:
 Name and designation (ex.: Mr. T. Greene, Police Commissioner, told the media…)
  Designation alone (ex.: The Police Commissioner told the media…)
 Anonymous sources. There are occasions when a news source, who happens to be a senior government
official or an important leader, does not want his or her name to be used. In such cases, the reporter
can attribute the story to informed sources or well – connected sources or official sources or sources
who don’t wish to be named. However, the reporter must know the source well and should trust that
the information provided is correct.
 Exceptions. The reporter need not worry about attribution in those cases that he has witnessed. For
instance, the reporter can report a cricket match or a rally stating what happened. This is because
these are statements of fact that have occurred in public domain, and have been witnessed by scores
of people. The same applies to the sweating in of a new government or historical facts.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Timeliness
 Journalists stress current information – stories occurring today or yesterday, not several days
or weeks ago – and try to report it ahead of their competitors. Remember what the first three
letters of “news” spell: NEW.
• Impact
 Reporters stress information that has an impact on their audience and stories that affect,
involve or interest thousands of readers or viewers.
• Prominence
 Even routine events can become newsworthy when they involve prominent individuals or
prominent places, locations
• Proximity / Landing
 The closer an event is to home, the newsworthy it becomes .
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Timeliness
 Journalists stress current information – stories occurring today or yesterday, not several days
or weeks ago – and try to report it ahead of their competitors. Remember what the first three
letters of “news” spell: NEW.
• Impact
 Reporters stress information that has an impact on their audience and stories that affect,
involve or interest thousands of readers or viewers.
• Prominence
 Even routine events can become newsworthy when they involve prominent individuals or
prominent places, locations
• Proximity / Landing
 The closer an event is to home, the newsworthy it becomes .
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Conflict or Controversy
 Two people arguing about their divergent philosophies on a social issue is more newsworthy
than two people who agree on everything. The tension between the subjects creates the
conflict that often makes a story dramatic and interesting to read, hear or watch
• Usualness / Singularity
 Deviations from normal – unique, unusual, unexpected events, conflict or controversy – are
more newsworthy than the commonplace.
• Currency
 When something unusual happens it can often focus attention on similar events and underlying
conditions. This “currency” is a direct tie to stories already in the news
• Affinity
 People are interested in other people who share characteristics or have an affinity with them,
based on religion, nationality race, etc
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Human Interest
 Stories that have strong emotional content are said to have human interest. These features
vary from stories that makes us laugh, to those that make us cry. Seek out uplifting stories
about people overcoming obstacles
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Importance of News
• News from local area is often important to advice people in a locality about activities that may
have on community. This allows the community to engage in decision making processes on their
place.
• News from one country to another is important in today’s global economy. Knowing what is
happening in other countries gives people a perspective of each other ways of life and cultural
differences.
• In a student’s life, news is a source of current information. It helps us learn communication
skills, by reading different articles in newspapers and students came to know what a society in
the world demands from educated person.
• Often news is for entertainment purposes too; to provide a distraction of information about
other places people are unable to get to or have little influence over and it can make people
connected too.
• So news is important for a number of people within our society. Mainly to inform the public
about the events that is around them and may affect them.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Elements of News or News Values

• Immediacy - The basic ingredients to be considered in the immediacy of the news are: the news
story must immediately tell the impact of the event, what just happened is happening, or is about
to happen. The value of the news depends upon the newness or immediacy of the happening. Thus,
immediacy as a news element is significant in news writing. The news reporter is duty bound to
report immediately the news happening or the expected event to happen in society.
• Proximity - The readers of newspapers are more interested to know what is happening around them.
In fact, the interest of the readers primarily depends upon the “closeness of their own personal
affairs, their homes, and their business” activities or enterprises. The immediate concerns of the
readers come first in a scale of values. Beyond the local affairs, the readers are also expected to
know the changing conditions in foreign country that usually affect their own lifestyle. On this
subject- matter, Warren Stated: “ to every human being, the most interesting thing in the world is
himself and after that the things nearest him in body and mind – his job, health and money, his
home and family, his friends and associates, his club and church, his hobbies, recreations and
amusements. Therefore, the news writer strives incessantly to link the lives of others to the lives of
his readers -to build the bridges to their own experiences, hope and ambitions”.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Prominence - Newspaper readers are always interested to read more about people, places celebrities,
stars, personalities and other things which are common and very familiar to them. Good examples are
events or affairs concerning the top officials in the national government, such as President Corazon C.
Aquino of the Republic of the Philippines, the members of the cabinet, the rebel commanders in
Muslim Mindanao, and other interesting personalities in the Philippines, Asians countries and the Third
World nations, the Americans and Communist countries.
Oddity - Is something that the readers of the newspapers are interested to come across in the pages of
their daily newspapers. The news reporter is always in the “nose for news” foe events which are
indeed rare, unusual and unique. These events always appeal to the interest of the reading public. 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”.
Conflict - In order to attain the interest of the readers, there must be a variety of news stories in the
different pages of the newspapers. This news element is essential in catching the attention of readers
like the intense conflict of different political groups in the Philippines, the conflict of Southern
Philippines between the military forces and the secessionist groups and other bloody combats, clashes
of interest, successes and triumphs of opposing camps from within and without. Conflict of love,
desires and wills are also interesting news materials.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Suspense - Is 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. The dramatic formula
with suspense as the key component may be applied directly by reporter or rewrite man to the format of a
news story. This will create suspended- interest on the part of the readers until the end of completed
story.
Consequence - Is related more or less to immediacy and nearness. It is one element of the news that
shows the progress of any group, or community. In the case of the student groups, the readers are
interested particularly on achievements and goals of the groups. From a wider angle, new developments in
communication industry, the print media, science and technology will be given special treatment in the
Pages of daily newspapers.
Significance - A news story is appealing to the readers, irrespective of its point of origin, such as local,
community, national and international. Significance includes background materials for a current event. As
news becomes more complex the need for backgrounder or interpretation becomes greater if the reader is
to have a complete, comprehensive, understanding of the news. Details provide the depth that the overt
news lacks. Background and explanations my help the readers have the whole truth about the news.
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” one in
a while.
Definitional, Concepts, Elements, and UNIT II
Nature of News WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Factors which may Modify News Elements in Actual Practice

• The policy of the paper
• The class of readers who dominate the circulation of the paper
• The amount of space available
• Timing
• Previous publications of a story
• Censorship
Bases of News
In order to fully understand and clearly evaluate any event in the community, the reporter must consider
the various elements of the news.
The different qualities of a good piece of news are the following:
1. Facts
2. Interest
3. Readers
Gathering News UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

The news writer or reporter must be a good interrogator as well as a good listener. He
should ask many questions knowing that the person who gets the most answers is the
person who asks the most questions (without of course sacrificing quality).
Before interview: Find out everything you can about your interviewee before you speak to
him: his full name, career, interests, hobbies, distinguishing features. Prepare your
questions. Make a list of specific questions to be asked to guide you during your interview.
During interview: Identify yourself. State your name, which you represent and your
purpose. Take interest in everything he says. Encourage him to talk. Be effective
persuasive without being tactless. Have a friendly, relaxed attitude and take notes the
important details. Do not forget to ask questions what, who, where, when and how. Be
sure to have the story complete with all the details. Verify. See than nothing has been
overlooked. Check your facts. Go over date, number, and spelling of all names.
• Be enthusiastic about each assignment no matter how unimportant it may seem to you.
• Observe closely.
• Get your facts about reliable sources
Gathering News UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Get all the facts. Don’t be satisfied with half a story and don’t jump to conclusions.
• Have many contacts with many students, faculty members, other school personnel, community members. Be friendly, a
go-getter. You will soon have promising sources of news.
• In talking with sources concentrate upon the thought rather than the words.
• Write your story as soon as the facts are gathered.

Sources of News
• Beats – the beat system is the backbone of news coverage. Beats for the school papers include: school and class
organizations, (especially presidents, advisers and PRO’s), offices (administration, guidance etc.) department
heads, athletic coaches, sponsors of activities, parents’ associations, alumni, school community activities,
bulletin boards, special rooms (cafeteria, library, chapel).
• Printed Material – school calendar (yearly, monthly), daily bulletin, students ‘handbook athletic schedule, honors,
subjects to be offered, financial statements.
• Tips from teachers and students.
• Publicity and press releases.
• Future book or dope book – a record of all coming activities, prepared by the staff, usually by the news editor
and the managing editor.
• An alert corps of reporters – who discover news stories as they go about their daily routine.
Academic Coverage UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Most school papers tend to neglect the academic side of school life. For adequate coverage, using a
checklist is advisable. This will offset the tendency of news sources (classroom teachers and
students) to tell the reporter that nothing newsworthy has happened. The reporter covering news
from classes should be on the lookout for:
• Visitors or speakers in the classrooms – The reporter should be aware of resource speakers
entering the campus and speaking to faculty members and/or students.
• Unusual goings-on – These are events that takes place outside of the status quo on campus and
can be anything from a new trend to a spate of pen thefts.
• Experiments – This is research that has been conducted and the results of the experiment affects
the educational methods and curriculums of the school.
• Panel discussions or special programs – It’s a panel of experts that debates on topics related to
their field and how certain developments can be applied.
• Special projects – These are activities aimed at helping the outside community.
• Field trips – It’s an activity that’s part of the curriculum that allows students to get a practical
understanding of what they’ve learned and also, allows students to represent the school off
campus.
Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

As the reader goes on reading his morning papers, he observes the different ways the news
stories have been written. This is so because there are different types of news, and each
type is treated differently. News stories may fall under any of the following types
according to:
News Stories according to Scope or Origin
• Local news – Report of events that take place within the immediate locality.
• National news - News that takes place within the country.
• Foreign news – News that takes place outside the country.
• Dateline news – News preceded by the date and place of origin or place where it was
written or filed: Tokyo, Jan. 20. (AP)
Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News Stories according to Chronology or Sequence

• Advance or anticipated news – News published before its occurrence, sometimes called
dope or prognostication. The reporter foretells events expected to occur at a definite
time in the future.
• Spot news – News that is gathered and reported on the spot. It deals with unscheduled
information demanding immediate publication. The reporter himself in an eyewitness to
the event that took place.
• Coverage news - News written from a given beat. Both spot news and coverage news are
good examples of first-hand reporting.
• Follow-up news – A sequel to a previous story. Having a new lead of its own, it is a
second, third, or subsequent chapter of a serial.
Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News Stories according to Structure

• Straight news – News that consists of facts given straight without embellishment. Its main
aim is to inform. It uses the summary lead and is written using the inverted pyramid
structure.
• News feature (featurized news distinguished from a feature article) – It is also based on
facts, but it entertains more than it informs. It uses the suspended interest structure like
the narrative; thus, it cannot meet the cut-off test. In writing a news-feature, the writer
may give his impression, may describe and narrate, but without resorting to biased
opinion; i.e., without editorializing. The reporter’s by-line usually appears with his story.
 Single-feature or one-incident story – The story deals with an isolated event. A single fact is featured in the
lead and is explained further in the succeeding paragraphs. The story breaks logically at every paragraph;
thus enabling the reporter to cut or lengthen it as space dictates.
 Several-feature, multiple-angled, or composite story – Several facts are included in the lead in their order of
importance. These facts are elaborated one after the other in the body. The several-feature story aims to
draw together two or more divergent aspects of related news items separately; the writer writes them in
one big story.
Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News Stories according to Treatment or Approach

• Fact story – This is a plain exposition setting forth a single situation or a series of closely
related facts that inform. It is written in the inverted pyramid design.
• Action story – A narrative of actions involving not mere simple facts but also of dramatic
events, description of persons and events, perhaps testimony of witnesses, as well as
explanatory data. Sports games, competitions, accidents, and war reports are examples
of action stories.
• Speech report – A news story usually written from a public address, talks, and speeches.
• Quote story – Speeches, statements, and letters, and to some extent, interviews when
reported, are regarded as quote stories. All are based on recorded information, either
written or spoken, and transcribed by the reporter in the form of news.
• Interview story – A news report written from an interview.
Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News Stories according to Minor Forms

• News brief – A short item of news interest, written like a brief telegraphic message,
giving mainly the result with details.
• News bulletin – It is similar to the lead of a straight news story. Its aim is just to give the
gist of the news.
• News Featurette – This is a short news feature usually used as filler, e.g., “Quirks in the
news.”
• Flash – A bulletin that conveys the first word of an event.
Special Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• News Brief – a news item, usually no more than 2 paragraphs; it may be grouped into a
news round-up.
• Bulletin – an important but last-minute news in a running story; it is printed on the first
page in boldfaced type and may be boxed.
• Flash – presents the basic facts of a fresh story that comes in too late to be run as a full
blown news item.
• Classroom Story – an interpretative news on the academic front; this type, neglected by
most school papers, is needed to give balance and to present a true picture of the
school.
• Meeting Story – includes purpose, time, and place (these should be specific for the
advance story), name of organization, participants, background, information about
speakers, kind of meeting, feature angle, what happened (for the coverage story).
Special Types of News Stories UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Box Story – a news story enclosed in a “box” (printed material in black lines usually
rectangular); used for emphasis as well as variety and attractiveness in make-up; must
present a strong, single idea in clear, simple language; the most common types of copy
for which a box is suitable are:
1. Short important news item
2. Summaries of large news items
3. Lists of related or similar events in connection with a news story
4. Short features stories, often connected with a news article
5. Special announcements
6. Game schedules or records of previous contests
7. Reports on fund-raising
• Personal News – has no real value but is a purely personal item of interest only to the
person, his friends, acquaintances, and admirers.
Tips for the Reporter UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Being the key man on the staff, the reporter should learn to dig deep for facts. To reach
for more than surface facts, he should:
1. Understand the story before covering it.
a. Know the background by reading, talking to people, taking notes.
b. Know the possible news sources and their relation to the news. Get the full names. Note
correct spelling, titles, etc.
c. Know the kind of story required – advance, spot, follow-up
d. Know the type of write-up expected – straight, interpretative, or feature
2. Make appointments sufficiently in advance of deadlines.
3. Know how to conduct an interview, either in person or by telephone.
a. Be tactful and courteous.
b. Try to make a good impression and be sincere.
c. Plan what to say. Explain at once that you are a reporter for the school paper.
Tips for the Reporter UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

4. Work as close to the event as possible.

a. Be at the place of the event well ahead of time.
b. Get a strategic position.
c. Keep a record of the event’s highlights.
d. Observe the unusual or the unexpected.
5. Know how to take notes.
a. Don’t trust your memory for figures, names, key notes, words of direct quotations.
b. Re-check spelling of names.
c. Identify names and positions. Check with files, directory, etc.
6. Be familiar with sources of information, such as the school files, encyclopedia, dictionary,
etc. The news office should build up and update its own morgue or library.
7. Gather more information after the event.
8. Get facts and check them.
9. Be thorough. Always have more facts than you expect to use.
Tips for the Reporter UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Other Do’s for the Reporter

1. Be reliable.
2. Be enthusiastic.
3. Mingle with students and teachers.
4. Be prompt.
5. Have the initiative to suggest or cover other news.
6. Develop a pleasing personality.
7. Develop your powers of observation.
8. Build up a stock of general information.
9. Develop clear ideas and the power of expression for these ideas.
[Link] hard at writing correctly.
[Link] habitually accurate in even the small things.
[Link] how to type neatly and fast.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

The Meaning, Nature, Functions, and Importance of the Lead

Nature and Definition of Lead
• Also known as slant or angle and alternatively spelled as lede
• The beginning or opening paragraph of a news story
• Contains the most important information, which attracts and sustains the reader’s attention and
interest to continue reading the news story
• The most important part of the entire account for it is the reporter’s way of selling his story
• Can be a single word, phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, or a series of paragraphs, depending on
what kind of lead as to form may be used
• The hardest part to write as it sets the tone of the story
• The most dramatic and arresting part of the story
• Specific, clear, concise, and appealing and is normally around 25-35 words
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Functions and Importance of the Lead

• Introduces the news story
• Establishes the focus and direction of the news story
• Tells the story in capsule form or in a nutshell
• Answers right away the questions the reader would naturally ask (who, what, when, where, why,
and how)
• Provides a quick identification of persons, places, or events necessary in the comprehension of the
news story
• Serves as the climax of the story
• Hooks or arouses the reader’s interest to the story
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Characteristics of a Good Lead

1. Includes only the 5W’s and the H which are important.
Example: A small contingent of U.S. developmental gymnasts travelled to the Soviet Union last
February to take a closer look at Soviet gymnasts.
What: travel
Who: U.S. developmental gymnasts
Where: Soviet Union
When: February
Why: to take a closer look
2. Starts with the feature of the story, which may either be the most important or the
most interesting fact or both.
3. Is short – usually 25-35 words if it is one paragraph.
4. Begins with specific, interesting-arousing words.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

5. Avoids when possible, beginning with such words and phrases as a, an, the; at a
meeting; yesterday; last night; last week; recently; days of the week – Monday,
Tuesday, etc.; according to; it is (will, was, will be); there is (are, will be).
6. Suggests the source of the news when necessary:
a. in stories which foretell something not generally known
b. about future events in order to protect the paper if the event does not occur
c. in stories about important events that the reporter failed to attend
d. to attribute an opinion and thereby avoid editorializing
7. Avoids citing the news source in stories which readers would expect to be eye-witness
accounts or in stories in which citing the source would be absolutely necessary.
8. Avoids overworking one method of citing authority by using a variety of ways.
9. Uses in citing authority, the past tense with a time word (as in: – announced today –)
or, present perfect tense without a time word (has announced).
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

[Link] overloading the first sentence of the lead.

[Link] slanted toward the readers’ interest – their activities and desires.
[Link] the persons mentioned.
[Link] written lightly or seriously, whichever manner is appropriate to the content of the
story.
[Link] the 5W’s and H and the authority in a clearly constructed, well-organized
sentence, often by the use of such words as “when, where, and as”.
[Link] written colorfully, when possible.
[Link] places in relation to better-known geographical names and/or their previous
identification with important news.
[Link] events as to their purpose, their relation to other contemporary or previous
events, and the auspices under which they occur.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Qualities of a Good Lead

1. Information – when the reader’s appetite promises delivery
2. Voice – when a human voice is talking to the reader; provides the music to support the
meaning of what is being read
3. Surprise – the promise of something new
4. Focus – makes a specific promise to the reader and then deliver.
5. Context – involves the reader and shows clear, immediate significance; it also answers
the question, “Why should I read this story?”
6. Form – implies a design, plan, structure, or pattern that will help understand the
meaning
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Classification of Leads
According to Purpose
1. Conventional Lead (sometimes called Summary Lead) – typically used in straight news stories; tells facts in a
natural, straight-forward manner; answers right away all or any of the 5W’s (Who, What, When, Where,
Why) and/or H (How)
2. Unconventional Lead (also called Unorthodox or Novelty Lead) – best used in writing news-features; written
in such a way that they attract attention or carry out a definite purpose; reveals an intentional effort on the
writer’s part to introduce his story in a novel way
According to Construction
3. Who-What-When-Where-Why-How Leads – answers the 5W1H (who, what, when, where, why, and how)
questions of the reader
4. Grammatical-Beginning Leads – introduces the lead by a kind of grammatical form which is usually a phrase
or clause used to emphasize the feature; the important W’s are found in the main clause, not the
introductory or subordinate clause which is just a modifying feature
5. Unorthodox Leads – uses different writing approaches to present different news situations to attract the
reader’s attention and arouse curiosity
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Kinds of Leads and Samples of Each

Conventional or Summary Lead (Who-What-When-Where-Why-How Leads)
This classification of leads is the oldest known to journalists, and has come to be known as the
5 W’s and an H. Into this first paragraph of the conventional lead, the reporter packs the
feature of his story, answering as he does, the reader’s natural question – Who? What? When?
and How? Whichever is answered first – and that depends entirely upon which one the reporter
considers the most important – determines the name of the lead. The who and the what are
usually the most important elements of the news happening, the when and the where are the
last. A lead does not necessarily answer all six of the questions. It may be one of the following:
1. WHO Lead (or name feature) – used when the person involved is more prominent than what
he does or what happens to him; names make news, especially prominent ones; a person
may be featured because he is famous or because the facts of the story distinguish him.
 President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday went to the Roman Catholic Cemetery to commemorate his
mother’s sixth death anniversary.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

2. WHAT Lead (or event feature) – used when the event or what took place is more
important than the person involved in the story; most straight news story play up what
the story is about.
 Piper Aztec cargo plane carrying a cargo of live fish made an emergency shore landing after
having engine trouble shortly after leaving the airport in San Vicente, Palawan Sunday morning.
3. WHERE Lead – used when the place is unique and no prominent person is involved; used
if an event takes place at an unusual location.
 Convalescent homes in Solano have been the sites for beauty contests to choose representatives
to the 5th Annual Mayfair Lady Pageant. Contestants are mostly in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.
4. WHEN Lead – rarely used as the reader presumes the story to be timely; this lead is
useful when speaking of deadlines, holidays, and important dates; used if an event takes
place at an unconventional hour or in making an announcement where the time is
important to the reader.
 Tomorrow, March 15, is the last day for filing individual tax returns.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

5. WHY Lead – used when the reason is more prominent or unique than what happens.
 To provide land to millions of landless peasants, President Corazon Aquino signed a sweeping
and controversial land reform program.
6. HOW Lead – used when the manner, mode, means, or method of achieving the story is
the unnatural way; 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 government stop dictating how they
cover the news.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Grammatical Beginning Leads

Although leads begin with the subject, they may start in some other way. Various
grammatical structures not only give variety but also make possible the most suitable
choice, achieve proper relationship between facts and add vigor to the sentence structure.
1. Subject Noun – beings with a noun and its modifier
 A mysterious gasoline leak in to the sewers in Sta. Cruz forced more than 200 residents
temporarily from their homes.
2. Causal Clause – consists of a dependent clause beginning with “because, due, or since”.
 Since the school board failed to raise the needed ₱200,000 during the fund drive, construction
of the new auditorium will be postponed.
3. Conditional Clause – consists of a dependent clause beginning with “if, unless,
provided”.
 Unless Congress decides on acreage limits on private landholdings, President Corazon Aquino
will mandate the limits in connection with the comprehensive agrarian reform program. (CARP).
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

4. Concessive Clause – consists of a dependent clause beginning with “though or

although”.
 Although the Christmas drive officially starts December 1, senior classes have already made
plans to raise funds right after All Saints Day.
5. Temporal Clause – consists of a dependent clause beginning with “when, while, before,
since, as soon as”.
 While police searched for suspects in the latest highway shooting, an anguishing grandmother
mourned the death of her 17-year old grandson.
6. Infinitive Phrase Lead – begins with the sign of the infinitive to plus the main verb.
 To meet the needs of an expanding population, the high school has recruited 28 new faculty
members.
7. Participial Phrase Lead – introduced by the present or past participle form of the verb.
 Fired two weeks ago after refusing to stop feeding stray cats at the aerospace plant where she
has worked for the last 45 years, the “Cat Lady of Lockheed” will go back to work today, her
lunch bag in one hand and a cartoon of cat food in the other.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

8. Prepositional Phrase Lead – introduced by a preposition

 In a landmark, bipartisan vote, the House narrowly approved legislation Monday night banning
smoking on all domestic airline flights lasting two hours or less.
9. Noun Clause – consists of a dependent clause which is used as the subject of the verb in
the independent clause and begins with “what,” how, why, whether, what, when.”
 Whether the students will participate in formulating school, policies will be decided at the
student council meeting with the principal this afternoon.
[Link] – introduced by a gerund (a verbal noun ending in –ing); a verb noun used as the
subject of the sentence.
 Raising the salaries of the teachers and staff was the main topic in the agenda of the school
board meeting last Saturday.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Unconventional Leads (Novelty Leads)

The unconventional lead (or novelty lead) uses any device that will attract attention,
arouse curiosity, or sustain interest. It adds vigor and color to writing. It does not contain
the gist of the story, but merely serves as an introduction. The novelty lead is used:

• When the facts are not entirely straight news.

• When the facts may be made much more interesting by a novel way of presenting them.
• When the use of a novelty lead seems natural, appropriate, and unrestrained.
• When the purpose is to arouse the reader’s interest, not to satisfy it.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Some examples of these unconventional leads are:

1. Punch (startler or astonisher) Lead – Consist usually of a short, snappy sentence, set off in a
paragraph by itself, followed by the summary lead in the second paragraph; used when one
fact is extremely important or startling.
 Yes, free speech will really hit the fan now!
 Now that the Federal Communications Commission has repealed the fairness doctrine, broadcasters
will finally have the opportunity to be fair.
2. Background Lead – consists of sentences describing an event in which the background
overshadows the individuals who participate in it; used often for stories about carnivals,
dances, gym exhibitions, music festivals, and homecoming events
 Maytime, fiesta time. And it’s pahiyas time in the towns of Lucban, Sariaya, and Tayabas in Quezon.
Although pahiyas generally means decking out the houses and street corners with a lavish display of
colorful kiping (translucent rice wafers shaped like leaves and tinted with food coloring) and harvest
products, the term has come to mean a colorful harvest festival. Lucban, a picturesque town nestled
at the foot of majestic Mt. Banahaw, is the place where hordes of out-of-town visitors and devotee-
farmers converge to take in the fiesta delights, the dazzling sights and the carnival atmosphere at
the town plaza. (from the “Pahiyas Time in Quezon” by Margot J. Baterina, Panorama, May 11, 1980.)
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

3. Direct Quotation Lead – consists of a speaker’s direct words; used when what id said is
more striking or important than the person who made the statement
“I’m here to bury P.W. Botha, not to praise him,” declared Elih Bayari, president of the South
Africa Trade Unions, to the shouts of approval from the 1,400 delegates at its national
conventional in Johannesburg last week.
4. Question Lead – consists of a question (or a series of questions) usually set off in a
paragraph by itself; used only when the question is the crux of the story
Is it livelier baseball or deader arms? Is it stronger athletes or lighter bats? Is it an earthquake or
simply a shock?
This much is certain: Be it a livelier ball, a deterioration of pitching or bigger and stronger
hitters, there haven’t been these many lightning strikes since Ray Hobbs.
5. Descriptive Lead – consists of a description of either a person, place or event; used
when comparatively few words can formulate a vivid image in the reader’s mind
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

A lumbering black rhinoceros and her calf ambled along in the glow of an African dawn. A
giraffe munched from the top of a thorn tree, and a herd of cape buffalo turned threatening
stares on a red Toyota.
In many ways, Nairobi is purest in Africa, a collision of poverty and plenty, ugliness and
beauty standing atop a mile-high plateau, 50 miles south of the Equator.
Most of the 1 million or so people here rise with the first light. The long rains have passed
now, leaving a broad green landscape and the beginning of a damp, chilly day.
6. Contrast Lead – should be sharp and vivid to be effective; used to point up opposites
and extremes.
Bright lights, tinsel and expensive toys are on display in the shop widows, but it will be a
bleak Christmas for hundreds of poor families in the re-located areas.
7. Literary, Historical, or Mythological Allusion Lead – consists most frequently of a
quotation or a reference to a literary, historical, or mythological character; used when
the reference is natural and appropriate.
Ferdinand Marcos crossed his Rubicon when he called for a snap election.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

8. Parody Lead – consists most frequently of a parody of a well-known song, poem,

quotation, book or motion picture title; used only when the parody is appropriate and
easily recognized and not trite.
WOMAN power. The hand that rocks the cradle stretches out to active leadership in lay
participation in church apostolate.
9. Atmosphere Lead – consists of a group of words or phrases that help to portray the
setting or mood for a reader; used only when the setting or mood of an event is
interesting or significant.
An oily gray smudge appears to hang menacingly over the metallic waters of the Gulf of
Oman, where a line of oil tankers rolling gently at anchor stretches from one end of the
horizon to the other.
The ships have come to Khawr Fakkan, a tiny but picturesque port in the emirate of Sharjah,
not to trade or even visit, but merely to wait…
It seems an unlikely spot for history to be in the making, but…
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

[Link] Interest Lead – consists usually of several sentences in which the reader’s
interest is intensified as he continues to read; used most frequently for news-feature or
feature stories which must be printed in their entirely to preserve their news interest
Nude a Hot Property That Left Them Cold, Orlando, Fla (AP) – Police here may not know
much about art, nut they know what they like, and they did not think highly of a print of a
nude woman posing for a bearded artist.
If fact, the confiscated print prompted derision in the evidence room and was headed for
incineration when an official who was admiring the frame finally noticed the signature.
Picasso, it said.
According to Alan DuBois, assistant director of the Orlando Museum of Art, the work appears
to be an original aquatint etching prepared in 1966 by the prolific Spanish-born artist, Pablo
Picasso.
Officials at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, who found the print listed in a Picasso
catalogue, said the work is titled “Modele Posant et Peintre,” or “Posting Model and Artist.”
The print, which could be worth up to $3,000, was turned over Friday to the city purchasing
department.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

[Link] Address Lead – addresses the reader.

Forget those onerous penalties for dipping into your certificate of deposit. More banks now
let you withdraw from a CD before maturity, without paying a penalty.
[Link] Lead – Consists of a succession of several short phrases.
Camels. Swift horses. Charging tribesmen. Rifle fire. There are times when “The Battle for
Afghanistan resembles an old-fashioned costume epic.”
[Link] the Facts Together – a coherent, smooth, easy-flowing lead may be achieved by
deciding on the feature, arranging the other W’s in the descending order of importance,
eliminating unnecessary details and using the right links.
a. When link. The when links is one of the sports writers’ favorites. It is used when some
action has taken place, or will take place, at a time when some other action has or will
have taken place.
• NASA’s last Atlas – Centaur rocket mission was placed in jeopardy Monday when a
launch pad accident raptured on empty fuel tank and slightly injured four
technicians.
Writing the Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

b) Where link. The lead begins with an action which is transported to a place where some other
pertinent action is put into motion.
• More than 170 people from India landed Sunday near a Nova Scotia village where they
sought to escape the violence and religious strife at home.
c) As link. This link connects two actions that occur at the same time.
• Brig. Gen. Alfredo Lim, superintended of the Western Police District (WPD), ordered
yesterday a crackdown on illegal strikes in the city as he mobilized his men for the
dismantling of all barricades in factories and firms in compliance with a directive by
President Aquino.
Some Errors to Avoid in Writing Summary UNIT II
Leads WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Playing up the wrong feature

a. False Place Feature
• At the school auditorium last March 21, the Seniors turned over student leadership to the
Juniors in symbolic candlelight ceremony.
b. False Time Feature
• During the campaign rally, for next year, student council, candidate Ricardo Santos of the
Youth Party, challenged his opponent Ramon Rellosa to a debate on vital school issues.
c. False Event Feature
• A meeting of the Parent-Teacher’s Association was held recently at the school auditorium.
Fund raising projects were discussed.
2. Dull beginning – using “there, it, last, a, an, the”; has no tension and
energy that drives the writing forward.
• There were 100 candidates for the title of Miss Philippines in a contest sponsored by
the Quezon City Carnival Committee.
Some Errors to Avoid in Writing Summary UNIT II
Leads WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

3. Overloaded lead – a long, overloaded lead sentence can be as

objectionable as one that misses the main point entirely; do not try to
answer all 5 W’s and the H in the first sentence of the news story;
determine which of the W’s and H is most important; emphasize one
element in your lead sentence.
• Having spent four months responding to some of the most ridiculous allegations
imaginable, all of which seem to have been retracted somewhere near the
obituaries, preacher Jimmy Swaggart, head of the Jimmy Swaggart Ministry,
declared that he was looking forward to explaining to Congress how the vast
majority of televangelist organizations run.
How to Write a Summary Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. First, study carefully the notes that you took for the story, selecting the essential 5W’s
and H. It is best for beginners to list the 5W’s and H on a sheet of paper and then
opposite each, write the appropriate fact.
2. Choose the feature on the basis of news values and your readers – what will interest
them.
3. Arrange the remaining 5W’s and H in the order of decreasing importance.
4. Determine the best way to start the lead sentence.
5. Keep in mind all of the other characteristics of a good summary lead.
6. Test your lead.
7. Rewrite the lead if you can improve it.
Pointers in Writing a Good Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Determine your hook – Look at the 5 Ws and 1 H. Why readers are on this content? What
problem are they trying to solve? What’s new or different? Determine which aspects are
most relevant and important, and lead with that.
2. Be clear and succinct – Simple language is best. Mark Twain said it best: “Don’t use a
five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”
3. Write in the active voice – Use strong verbs and decided language. Compare “Dog bites
man” to “A man was bitten by a dog” — the passive voice is timid and bland (for the
record, Stephen King feels the same way).
4. Address the reader as “you” – This is the writer’s equivalent to breaking the fourth
wall; people should know that you’re writing to them. Not only is it okay to address
them as such, it also helps create a personal connection with them.
5. Put attribution second – What’s the nugget, the little gem you’re trying to impart? Put
that information first, and then follow it up with who said it. The “according to” part is
almost always secondary to what he or she actually said.
Pointers in Writing a Good Lead UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

6. Go short and punchy – Short and sweet openings make the reader want to know where
you’re going with that.
7. If you’re stuck, find a relevant stat - If you’re trying to be clever or punchy or brilliant
and it’s just not happening, search for an interesting stat related to your topic and lead
with that.
8. Or, start with a story – If beginning with a stat or fact isn’t working for your lead, try
leading with an anecdote instead. People absorb data, but they feel stories. People want
to know what happens next, don’t you?
9. Borrow this literary tactic – Every good story has these three elements: a hero we relate
to, a challenge (or villain) we fear, and an ensuing struggle. Find these elements in the
story you’re writing and lead with one of those.
[Link] you’re staring at a blank screen, just start – Start writing anything. Start in the
middle of your story. Once you begin, you can usually find your lead buried a few
paragraphs down in this “get-going” copy. Your lead is in there — you just need to cut
away the other stuff first.
Writing the Body of the News Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

The Meaning, Nature, and Importance of News Writing

News Story Defined
• a news report of any length, usually presented in a straightforward style and without
editorial comment
• a factual, prose story for print or broadcast media about a person, place or event
answering these five questions: who, what, when, where, why and how
• written in the inverted-pyramid style, giving the most important information first and
additional details later
• A news story is a written or recorded (or, occasionally, live) article or interview that
informs the public about current events, concerns, or ideas
Writing the Body of the News Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Nature of News
• Long or short, depending on its newsworthiness (we’ll discuss this more later) or interest
to people who watch TV, listen to the radio, or read the paper
• Written, recorded, live, or taped, depending on the medium you use and the timeliness
of the story
• Hard, full of important facts and news items, or soft - focusing on the personal, more
human side of a news event or situation. An example of a hard news story is an article on
the alarming rise of HIV cases in heterosexual women. A soft news, or feature, article
would be a story about a man in a wheelchair overcoming architectural barriers in town
as he moves through his day
Writing the Body of the News Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Importance of News Writing

• to advice people in a locality about activities that may have on community
• gives people a perspective of each other ways of life and cultural differences
• helps us learn communication skills, by reading different articles in newspapers and
students came to know what a society in the world demands from educated person
• to provide a distraction of information about other places people are unable to get to or
have little influence over and it can make people connected too
• to inform the public about the events that is around them and may affect them
Basic Concepts and Purpose of the Body of UNIT II
the News Story WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News writing involves getting the facts and transmitting these to the reader. It undergoes a
3-part process before reading the reader: 1) coverage (refers to getting the news. It may
include actual witnessing of the event, interview, printed material, or a combination of
the three); 2) interpretation (involves explaining the news, filling the background,
forecasting, and sometimes, passing moral judgment. This is mainly the responsibility of
the editor and the columnists); and 3) play (assigning of value to the news. The evaluation
is done by the copy-reader, the news editor, and even the layout man).
Basic Patterns of the Story
• Summary Development
• Salient Feature Development
• Combination Development
• Tabulation
• Interpretation or Crucible Lead
• Separate Choices
Basic Concepts and Purpose of the Body of UNIT II
the News Story WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

The Purpose of the Body of the Story

Retell the story in detail by:
• Explaining or elaborating the feature or features in the lead
• Adding minor features not summarized in the lead
Tell enough information to give a clear, interesting, vivid account but should not be
cluttered with some boresome details
How to Write the Body of the Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Write the story right away.

2. Play up the dominant points.
3. Be accurate and truthful.
4. Avoid editorializing and writing libelous materials.
5. Give the source (attribution) of the news.
6. Write names in full when these are mentioned for the first time.
7. Identify the names mentioned.
8. Watch out for errors of fact and grammar.
9. Observe the guidelines of clear and effective writing.
[Link] a paper style sheet for consistency.
Qualities of News UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

News aims primarily to inform. Therefore, the news writer should strive for:
Accuracy
Factual accuracy – correctness of statements, names, dates, figures, quotations, etc.
Correctness of general impression – the arrangement of details and the points of emphasis; absence of
distortion, such as quoting out of context, presentation of the correct point of view and true atmosphere
Balance
Proper emphasis on each fact in relation to other facts
Completeness – inclusion of relevant features. Incompleteness is a kind of inaccuracy
Objectivity – The writer’s opinions and feelings should be kept out of the story. Only in the by-line story
is a reporter allowed a limited amount of comment.
Factual reporting
Impartiality – giving attention to both sides in a controversial issue
Conciseness – News is meant for the reader who is in a hurry
Clarity – The reader seldom can afford to backtrack in going over the news
Freshness of Information – Not necessarily newness of happening
Types of News as to Form and Structure UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Hard News
Hard news is a term most often used by journalist and others who work in the media
industry. Though you may hear other outside the industry use the term. Hard news is the
kind of fast-paced news that usually appears on the front page of newspapers. Stories that
fall under the umbrella of hard news often deal with the topics like business, politics and
international news. Up-to-the minute news and events that require immediate reporting
and considered hard. Subject matter that is usually considered hard news includes politics,
war, economics and crime. Traditionally so called hard news relates the circumstances of a
recent event or incident considered to be of general local, regional, national or
international significance. Hard news generally concerns issue, politics, economics,
international relations, welfare and scientific development.
Types of News as to Form and Structure UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Soft News
Also called market-centered journalism, journalistic style and genre that blurs the line
between information and entertainment. Although the term soft news was originally
synonymous with feature stories aced in newspapers or television newscast for human
interest; the concept expanded to include a wide range of media outlets that present more
personality centered stories. Soft news usually centers on the lives of individuals and has
little, if any perceive urgency, soft news focuses on human interest and celebrity, the arts
entertainment and lifestyle stories are considered to be soft news in nature.
Various Types of News Structures UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Straight News Story

• The summary lead answers the most important W’s depending on which of the W’s is the
most prominent among them.
• The body consists of the elaboration of the W’s and the H.
News Feature Story
• News feature should not be confused with feature articles (features) which are
sometimes called special features and printed in the features sections of the newspapers
or in magazines.
• Human interest and news-feature stories are classified as news since both are gathered
and written daily by reporters as their regular assignments. Furthermore, both
emphasize the element of timeliness or immediacy which distinguishes news from other
types of reading, although they differ in important respects from the straight news story.
Various Types of News Structures UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Fact Story
• This is plain exposition of a simple situation of a series of closely related events which conform to
the inverted pyramid design more closely than any other kinds of news.
• The component parts are the series of facts that may be likened to rectangles of diminishing length
arranged one after the other in order of their importance.
• The key to proper arrangement consists solely in judging the relative value of the data at hand and
in grouping them in their respective order.

Action Story
• This is a narrative involving not merely simple facts but dramatic actions – incidents, description of
persons, perhaps testimonies of witness, as well as explanatory data.
• In writing this kind of story, first write a summarizing lead in any appropriate form. Relate the most
important details in narrative or chronological form. Tell the story again, giving more details. But be
careful not to begin the chronological order just after beginning. Give sufficient attention to the
elaboration of important information, background and interpretation. Each unit must be closely
interlocked.
Various Types of News Structures UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Speech Report, Quote, and Interview Stories

• The arrangements of a speech report, a quote story and of an interview are to great
extent similar. The quote story may be charted as alternating large and small rectangles
of diminishing size: summary, quote, summary, quote, summary arrangement. The
quotations may be direct, indirect, or a combination of both.
• In writing this kind of story, the following suggestions may be helpful:
 Write a summarizing lead in any appropriate form.
 Write the body of the story in a summary-quote-summary arrangement.
• The lead may be a summarizing statement – the gist of the speech, statement, letter, or
interview; or it may be the most important quotation in the story written as direct
quote.
Various Types of News Structures UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Interpretative (Interpretive) Reporting

• It is reporting news in depth and with care, news refreshed with background materials to
make it comprehensive and meaningful.
• It is objective judgement based on background knowledge of a situation or appraisal of
an event which are essential part of news.
• It is telling the reader everything he needs to know about a given development, and all
the essential facts in a way that brings the story to the reader's environment.
• It is giving the reader public accurate information as fully as the importance of any story
dictates.
• It puts the facts in perspective, tells the reader why and how it occurred, and explains
and analyzes the facts.
Various Types of News Structures UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Depth News
• It is a kind of news- feature that contains, aside from the essential facts attendant to a
news story, background, interpretation and analyses.
• It is not a news story in the traditional sense since it is not based on a timely event that
answer the 5 W’s and the H, but rather on timely topics of interest to the readers.
• Certainly, like any other kind of news story, it is based on facts and may answer any or
all of the 5 W’s and the H. However, the emphasis is on the elaboration of one W, the
why.
Steps in Writing the News Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Relax. Write simple and naturally. Forget the rules for the time being and concentrate on
getting the story down.
1. Write a summary.
2. List the facts according to their descending importance.
3. Dig out the lead facts; put the best “W” forward.
4. Write several ideas for leads.
5. Write out the story according to sequence in step 2.
6. Review for clarity, coherence, thoroughness, etc. (This is the time to go over the rules).
7. Type copy according to the specified format of your staff.
8. Be prompt in submitting copy.
Pointers in Writing the News Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Write the story as soon as you have gathered the facts.

2. Play up a dominant point.
3. Be accurate.
4. Avoid editorializing.
5. Mention authority or source of news in order to strengthen the reader’s confidence in the accuracy of
the story and to protect the paper from libel suits. Citing authority is necessary when:
• It concerns opinion rather than facts.
• It is about a controversial issue.
• It announces a new regulation.
6. Present facts without bias.
7. Names should be given in full when first mentioned.
8. Identify names mentioned.
9. Avoid “coloring” by the use of words which have a tendency to prejudice the reader.
10. Write one idea, most one-sentence paragraphs.
Pointers in Writing the News Story UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

11. Begin every paragraph with a significant, interesting fact.

12. Avoid a series of very short paragraphs.
13. Write mostly short sentences.
14. Place direct and indirect quotations in separate paragraphs.
15. Reader interest determines the length of the story.
16. Avoid “padding”.
17. Use simple, specific words.
18. Write a good lead.
• Do not cram the 5W’s in the opening sentence.
• Avoid beginning the lead with figures with articles “a, an, the,” or with the expletives “there, it”.
19. Prefer the active to the passive voice.
20. Use the paper’s style sheet.
21. Give all facts needed to understand the story.
Some Errors to Avoid in Writing the News UNIT II
Story WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Biased, patronizing and outdated language. Write using inclusive language. Use gender-
neutral terms (chairperson, flight attendant, humankind, and actor). Don't mention race,
sexual orientation, nationality or ability unless it's relevant.
2. Using foot marks instead of smart quotes. Quote marks and apostrophes should be curly
(a.k.a. smart quotes). Straight marks are foot marks (") and are used only for feet and
inches.
3. Using wrong dash. There are 3 kinds of dashes. (Not all fonts have all types of dashes.)
• Hyphen - joining words (10-year-old; fifty-fifty; one-sided)
• En-dash - For ranges (May-June; The score was 10-5) and joining open compounds (New
Zealand-South Korea soccer match)
• Em-dash - Used for interruption, emphasis or interjection of info (Eating vegetables-the more
colorful, the better-is healthy; sign the contract-after you get the deposit.)
Some Errors to Avoid in Writing the News UNIT II
Story WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

4. Over use of Quotations. Take ownership of information and say things in your own words
-don't just fill articles with quote after quote, especially if the content is redundant. Here
are incorrect examples: (Note: Other words would not need to be dressed up in quotation
marks to suit the situation.)
• In "designing" this project, we considered everyone's input.
• I don't need to play "middleman" as long as I am "in the loop."
• I wonder if this book was "ghostwritten."
• We simply do not have the "bandwidth" to take on this responsibility.
5. Comma splices a.k.a. run-on sentences. This happens when you use a comma to join two
independent clauses (group of words with a subject + verb that expresses a complete
thought). Instead, use period, semicolon, colon or dash to separate, or join them with a
comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so,)
• Example: Instead of She called 911, and he started CPR, you could have She called 911. He
started CPR. or She called 911, and he started CPR.
Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

The Meaning, Purposes, Qualities, Classes, and Kinds of Headlines

Headlines Defined
1. Refers to the title of any news story
2. Known as the “show window” of the news
3. Refers to the text indicating the nature of the article below it
4. Words set at the head of a passage or page to introduce or categorize
5. A head of a newspaper story or article usually printed in large type and giving the gist of the story
or article that follows
Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Purposes or Functions of Headlines

1. To give the gist of the news
2. To present the news for rapid survey reading
3. To indicate the relative importance of the news by the amount of display
4. To give a pleasing appearance to the news pages
5. To summarize the news story lead
6. To tell in capsule form what the story is all about
7. To grade the news as to importance
8. To make the page look attractive
Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Qualities of a Good Headline

1. Shortness
2. Clearness
3. Rightness
4. Rhythm
5. Motivating
6. Choosiness
7. Memorability
Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Kinds of Headlines
1. Flush-left (no-count) heads – the most common and easiest style. It is made up of two or
more lines aligned only on the left side, leaving the right margin uneven. It is called no-
count because it may be any length provided it will go in the column. However, no line
should be less than half the width of the column or columns occupied by the head.
2. Strict-count heads
• Streamer (banner, flag) – striking boldface head extending across the top of the page. It
denotes news of major importance. It usually leads into a second deck which appears directly
under the banner in one or more columns, usually at the right of the page.
• Crossline – consists of a single line that usually occupies the full width of the column or
columns occupied by the article.
• Dropline (stepline) – consists of two or more lines with about same number of letters, the first
set flush with the left-column rule, each successive line set a little further to the right, until
the last line is flush against the right column rule. It is also commonly used in single-column
widths. It is seldom used alone but as a second deck.
Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Pyramid (inverted pyramid) – consists of 2 or more lines, each with a decreasing number of
letters, the longest line at the top and graduated down to the shortest line. It is always used in
combination with other head units.
• Flushline – consists of two or more equal lines reaching both the left and right column rule.
• Umbrella (skyline) – a special name for the streamer that appears at the very top of the page
above even the name of the paper.
• Binder – a streamer at the top of an inside page.
• Boxed Head – surrounded by borders (rules) on 4 sides to give it prominence. It is called
modified box head when there are less than 4 sides with rules.
3. Other Kinds
• Jump head (run-over head) – the title of a story that has been jumped. The jump head is
followed by the words “Continued from p___.” or the like.
• Subhead – a short title of a portion of a news story. It is set boldface and occupies more than
half the column width. It is used to facilitate reading a story of considerable length, to break
the monotony of continuous type and to give a digest of the paragraph or paragraphs which
follow.
Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

• Tagline – a short single line placed above the main head. It may be in much smaller type,
underlined, and set flush left or centered.
 Teaser (kicker) – serves to intrigue rather than to inform. Unlike the real headline, it may
not be a complete sentence.
 Speaker’s Name
 Classifier
• Folo Head – used on news related to the main story and run on the same column under the
main headline.
Characteristics of a Good Headline UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Simple to understand. Headlines should help your reader to immediately understand the
main point of your sales message. So, you want to be certain you introduce only one big
idea. That means, no competing ideas piggy backing on your main idea at all. Experts say
you have a winner when someone reading your headline can easily repeat it to a friend from
memory.
2. The right length. Meaning, not too short and not too long. In fact, headlines that are 80-
100 characters or 14-18 words long seem to perform best. At least, according to this
Outbrain study and this study by James Brausch. Feel you need more words to get your big
idea across? Consider putting them in the eyebrow or deck copy. Review my previous post
as I explained these two headline components in greater detail.
3. Emotionally compelling. If I had to pick one, this is probably the hallmark characteristic
of a winning headline. The headline must introduce an idea so compelling—so emotionally-
charged—that it stops the reader in his tracks. One way to do that is to join the
conversation already going on inside his head. The last thing your reader will expect from
you is to understand his current predicament. You can show him you do by relating to his
greatest emotion around the topic you are writing about.
Characteristics of a Good Headline UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

4. Targeted. Headlines should not try to sell to everyone. In other words, don’t
use your headline in an attempt to grab the attention of every reader. Focus only
on those readers who have a strong emotional tie to your big idea. Said another
way, use your headline to qualify your audience.
5. Vetted. Therefore, write as many headlines as you can. I suggest a minimum of
ten for any given promotion. And feel free to “steal” template winning headlines
and substitute copy specifically related to your product, service, or company as a
starting point.
Structures of Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

There are different kinds of headlines according to structure. However, for the sake of consistency, only one
kind should be adopted by a newspaper. Common among these are illustrated and briefly explained as
follows:
• Flush Left – both lines are flushed to the left margin; also true with a one-line headline.
• Dropline or Step Form – the first line is flushed left while the second is indented; may consist of two or
three, and sometimes four lines of types of the same length.
• Inverted Pyramid – this is self-explanatory; each of the three or four lines in this head is successively
shorter than the line about it.
• Hanging Indention – this first line is flushed left, followed by two indented parallel lines.
• Crossline or Barline – a one-line headline that runs across the column; the simplest form is a single line
across the allotted space.
• Boxed Headline – for emphasis or art’s sake, some headlines are boxed.
 Full box
 Half box
 Quarter box
• Jump Story Headline – a jump story (a story continued on another page) has a headline of its own; may be
the same as the original headline
How to Construct Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

Informative headlines are usually taken from the lead (usually a summary). If the
lead is properly written, the headline will literally write itself. The headline
writer should strive to flash accurately, in a short telegraphic sentence the major
message of the head. The headline should aim to “reflect”, not to “create”.
Steps in Writing the Headline
1. Underline the key words.
2. Using these key words, write a short telegraphic sentence summary of the
news.
3. Divide according to units of thought into the number of lines required.
4. Substitute simple, effective synonyms to reduce the width within the limits of
space allotted.
5. See if they follow the rules of construction.
Guidelines or Pointers in Writing the UNIT II
Headline WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Make your headline answer as many W’s as possible.

2. The headline should summarize the news story.
3. Positive heads are preferable to negative ones.
4. Put a verb expressed or implied in every deck.
5. Omit articles like a, an, and the and all forms of the verb to be (is, are, be, etc.) unless needed to
make the meaning clear.
6. Use the strongest word in the first line as much as possible.
7. The active verb is better than the passive verb in headlines.
8. Use the present tense for past stories and the infinitive form for future stories.
9. Write numbers in figures or spell them out depending upon your needs for your unit counts.
10. Use any of the following headline styles, but be consistent once you have adopted one.
• All caps
• Cap and lower case
• Down style
Rules in Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Write a headline that is easy to read.

2. Give the main idea in the first-line – the “who-what” angle.
3. In a head with 2 or more decks, make the top (in a head deck) tell the most significant
points of the story and no other.
4. Avoid heads that can have double meanings.
5. Write nothing in the headline that isn’t in the story.
6. Avoid repeating key words or ideas, in a headline with two or more decks.
7. Don’t use names unless persons are well-known.
8. Be specific. Avoid generalities.
9. Don’t editorialize. State facts. Avoid opinions.
10. Make a complete statement; don’t use labels.
Rules in Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

11. Reflect the tone of the story.

12. Avoiding using a negative verb.
13. Avoid obvious alliteration except in feature heads.
14. Use forceful, dynamic verbs.
15. Omit weak verb if clearly implied.
16. Use present tense for past events.
17. Use the infinitive group for future events.
18. Use short, familiar words.
19. Avoid splitting.
• A verb phrase
• Names that belong together
• A preposition and its object, especially in the top line
• An adjective and the noun it modifies
• Abbreviations
Rules in Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

20. Don’t begin a headline with a verb; it may sound imperative.

21. Use only commonly accepted abbreviations.
22. Don’t permit tense conflicts when using time words.
23. Don’t use the articles a, an, the.
24. Use numbers only if important; write numbers in figures.
25. Avoid tombstone heads. Two heads set in similar type could be mistakenly read as one.
26. Minimize punctuations.
• Never use a period; use a semicolon to separate sentences.
• Use single quotation marks.
• Use a comma for “and”.
What to Avoid in Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Avoid the following kinds of headlines:

• Fat head – a headline in which the letters or the words are so crowded that there are no more
spaces between them of that the spaces are so small that several words read as one.
• Thin head – the spaces between the letters of the words, or the space after the words in line
are wide that the effect is ugly.
• Label head – an incomplete headline, like the label of product.
• Wooden head – a very weak headline that is devoid of meaning, sometimes due to the absence
of a subject or the lack of a verb.
• Mandatory head – it gives a command because it begins with a verb.
• Screaming head – it is a big and bold headline of a short and unimportant story; a sensational
head is another kind of screaming headline.
2. Don’t tell the same thing even though you use a different word.
3. Don’t comment directly or indirectly.
What to Avoid in Writing Headlines UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

4. Unless the subject is implied or has been mentioned in the first deck, avoid beginning a
headline with a verb.
5. Don’t end a line with a preposition.
6. Don’t break off abbreviations, names, and hyphenated words.
7. Avoid repeating principal words regardless of the number of decks.
8. Avoid heads that carry a double meaning.
9. Don’t coin abbreviations of your own.
10. Don’t abbreviate days and months unless figures follow.
Qualities of Headline Writers UNIT II
WRITING THE
NEWS STORY

1. Possess a keen sense of news values.

2. Able to pick out significant thoughts.
3. Expert with words – expressive, active, short words.
4. Accurate in grammar.
5. Clever in expression.
 UNIT III
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
 UNIT
The Meaning and Purposes of DEVCOM III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

Development Communication Defined

• It is the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of
its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes people possible greater equality and the
greater fulfillment of human potentials.
• It is the art and science of communication to elevate the condition of the society and to attain total human
development for the ultimate benefit of the society.
• It engages stakeholders and policy makers, establishes conducive environments, assesses risks and opportunities and
promotes information exchanges to bring about positive social change via sustainable development.
• It is the practice of applying processes, strategies and principles of communication to achieve positive social change.
( [Link])
• It refers to the use of communication to facilitate social development.
• It is a discipline in development planning and implementation in which more adequate account is taken of human
behavioral factors in the design of development projects and their objectives
• It is an approach to communication which provides communities with information they can use in bettering their
lives, which aims at making public programs and policies real, meaningful and sustainable. Such information must be
applied in some way as part of community development but it must also address information needs which
communities themselves identified. The outcome of this approach, in short, is to make a difference in the quality of
life of communities.
• Development communication techniques include information dissemination and education, behavior change, social
marketing, social mobilization, media advocacy, communication for social change and community participation.
 UNIT
Purposes of Development Communication III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

• To advance development and progress

• To promote development in all aspects and in all levels
 UNIT
What to Write About III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

• Agriculture
• Government Plans, Budgets and housing
• Crime
• Weather
• Aid, Trade and Foreign Investments
• Banking and Finance
• Education
• Tourism
• Population
• Welfare
 UNIT
How to Write It III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

• The writer's first responsibility is transition and popularization.

• The writer must translate scientific, political, and other professional jargon and
technical terms into concepts that could be understood by the people.
• When the material is tortuously difficult, then the writer must use visual aids and
graphics to illustrate and explain what he means.
• The development writer must always write with his purpose in mind.
• The writer must be his own editor.
 UNIT
DEVCOM in Campus Papers III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

DevCom or DevJourn in campus paper means that the student journalist must equipped to
deal with larger and more serious issues on top legitimate school affairs such as:
• Junior-Senior Prom
• Inter-School Sports meet
• Inter-Classroom Spelling Competitions
• Fielding Attempts at Literary Competitions
 UNIT
Roles and Functions of School Publications III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

As a catalyst for national development, school publications are expected:

1. To act as media for development to foster a strong sense of national discipline, identity and
love of country and of things Filipino among the people.
2. To train budding writers in the communication process and serve as training ground for the
future responsible journalists and leaders of society.
3. To become dependable forums, communication links and feedbacks among schools, the
community and the government.
4. To disseminate and interpret the socio-economic development program of the government
and other agencies.
5. To advance the goals of education and culture by:
• developing moral values such as honesty, integrity, and respect for parents, elders and duly
constituted authorities
• promoting the commonly accepted social and ethical characteristics of Filipino life
• Redirecting the interest of the youth towards the work oriented curriculum; and
• Furthering knowledge in science and technology.
 UNIT
Roles and Functions of School Publications III
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION

6. To act as an accurate and fair vehicle of information of school policies, programs and
activities to the students and the lay community.
7. To encourage and develop good taste in artistic and literary writing among students.
8. To act as an information arm of the government by publishing excerpts of Presidential
decrees, letter of instructions, general orders, and the like pertaining to community and
national development.
9. To focus the interest of the readers on events of national and international significance.
10. To arouse the interest of the readers by printing entertaining activities.
 UNIT IV
WRITING THE EDITORIAL
The Meaning, Nature, and Purpose of UNIT
Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Editorial Defined
• The official stand of the paper on a relevant development or issue. It is personal
commentary written by the editor who comments or gives the newspapers or the staffs’
opinion on various aspects of an issue which is of interest and importance to the public. It is
critical interpretation of significant usually contemporary events so that the reader will be
informed, influenced or entertained. It is the stand of the paper, not of an individual editor.
• An editorial is an article in a newspaper giving the editors view or those of the person or
persons in control of the paper.
• The expression of the people’s conscience, cause and convictions.
• The modern editorial includes analyses and clarifications sometimes with no opinion given.
• The editorial should provide background in which the facts are seen in a new perspective
and should express its opinion.
• Bitterness, bias and fear have no place in an editorial they make for weakness no matter
how much they bluster.
The Meaning, Nature, and Purpose of UNIT
Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• A presentation of facts and opinion in concise logical manner, or of interesting

significant news in such a way that its importance to the average reader will be clear.
• The newspapers means of advising the reader of the significance of event. It helps the
reader to sift, digest and evaluate. Usually growing out of news events, it goes on to
inform, interpret, convince, persuade or entertain the reader.
• A dynamic piece of writing on a timely topic designed to inform, entertain, or involve
the readers.
• Usually called the “soul of the newspaper”, it is the newspaper’s means of making the
readers realize the significance of events.
 UNIT
Nature and Purpose of the Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Editorial subjects are by no means limited to crusades. By far the greatest number fall into
other classifications; the most common being the editorial of COMMENT. Comment
editorials fill out the skeleton of the straight news story by adding a background of
explanation and opinion, a liberty denied the writer of the straight news. Some editorials
may praise noteworthy deeds or achievements. Others may present glowing challenges.
Failure to comprehend the nature and purpose of the editorial frequently leads writers to
embark on unending series of crusades. If a worthy cause does not present itself, the
writer should not feel called upon to invert one. Editorials based on phony, manufactured
issues have an empty, hollow ring.
• To Persuade
• To Share Opinions / Comments
• To Inform / Explain
 UNIT
Characteristics of a Good Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Reddick gives three (3) qualities of a good editorial:

• Interest
• Brevity
• Force
Spears and Lawshe, on the other hand, characterize an editorial as one that:
• Must have clearness of style
• Moral purpose
• Sound reasoning
• The power to influence public opinion
It can be added further that a good editorial must:
• Lead logically to a conclusion
• Present only one idea
• Avoid wordiness
• Present facts not mere opinion
 UNIT
Sources of Editorial Topics IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

1. The News – An editorial that is pegged to a current happening will more likely to be read and have an
effect.
2. Research – Wide reading, gathering of factual data, mulling over the material must precede the writing.
3. Special Occasions – Care must be taken to avoid repetition of hackneyed ideas or similar occasions.
Normally, editorial are written based on news stories that have been published a day or two or earlier than
the Opinion Page piece.
But sometimes we push the envelope on this policy and actually write an editorial based on a direct
interview or discussion with a source.
• Industry News
• Current Events
• Customer Feedback
• Customer Questions
• Events
• Shareables
Content of the Editorial Pages of a Campus UNIT
Paper IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

In the beginning there were no particular editorial content in newspapers. The news was
written in such a form that it also served as an editorial. But, today, almost every
newspaper and magazine has a particular editorial page.
No doubt it has been given the name due to the presence of editorials, but other things are
also published on this page e.g. masthead. The strip which has the name of newspaper and
editor is called masthead. The editorial written under the masthead is called leader, other
editorials, (on different topics) are called editorial notes. Usually, the editorial page of
newspaper consists of five basic components:
• Editorial (leader, editorial notes)
• Special essays on current events
• Humorous column (for the entertainment of readers)
• Letter to editor (Consists of opinions of readers about any matter e.g. T.V. play. about
statements of politician etc.)
• Cartoon, religious column or a column on international affairs.
Content of the Editorial Pages of a Campus UNIT
Paper IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

The following observations must kept in mind while writing an editorial:

• Editorial Column
• Humorous Columns
• Letters from Readers
• Cartoons
• Articles
• Editorial Length
• Typography
The editorial page provide a platform for readers to give their opinion in order to:
• Provoke thought and discussion
• Influence the public officials
• Suggest action to be taken
• Provide background and analyses events
 UNIT
Types of Editorials and Examples of Each IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

The kind of editorial to be written depends upon the purpose of the writer – whether to
inform, interpret, criticize, commend, argue or entertain. These are explained as follows:
• Editorial of Information / Informative – Those which just give information, review, or
announce certain facts or events. They may also define terms and issues, identify and
factors, and provide historical and geographical background. Topics that lend to this type
are: graduation requirements, new library rules, changes in policy, curriculum and
regulations; It seeks to give information on facts of news stories or add other facts with
minimum explanation. It may define terms, identify persons or factors or provide a
background. (e.g., Freedom of the Press)
• Editorial of Interpretation / Interpretative – Those which explain or bring out the
significance of an event, situation, or idea. Topics for these types are: why pretest and
post-test are given, the new sport program, the employment of security guards, and the
significance of changes policy; It explains the significance or meaning of a news event,
current idea, condition, or situation, theory, or hypothesis. The writer doesn’t argue nor
criticize, but merely present both sides of an issue and leaves the judgmental to the
reader. It merely interprets. (e.g., Freedom of the Press: Two Schools of Thought)
 UNIT
Types of Editorials and Examples of Each IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• Editorial of Crusade and Reform – Those which criticize certain conditions, then suggest
a solution or change, or which just give a message reform without necessarily pointing
out a problem or a bad condition. There purposes are to influence or persuade, to
crusade and involve. Topics for these types are: the need for a more extensive reading
program, student’s misbehavior, vandalism, irresponsibility of leaders, and importance
of honesty, industry, and Personality development. (e.g., The Way of Most Desks)
• Editorials on Special Occasions – Those which are written to give meaning to such
occasions as Christmas, Labor Day, Heroes day, Birthday, and other significant events.
(e.g., The Significance of Christmas, Au Revoir)
• Editorials that Praise or Commend – It expresses the appreciation for a worthy. (e.g.,
Laurels to Barangay Dance Troupe)
• Editorial that Offer Entertainment – Those which written in a light vein primarily to
entertain readers; It evokes a smile, a chuckle, laughter, while suggesting the truth. Its
main aim is to entertain. It is usually short. (e.g., Miniskirt, Anyone?)
 UNIT
Types of Editorials and Examples of Each IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• Editorial Letters – It is short, witty paragraphs or statements, either serious or light.

(e.g., Love is…)
• Editorial of Tribute – It praises, commends, or pays tribute to a person or organization
that has performed some worthwhile projects or deeds, or accomplishments. (e.g., Dr.
Estrada)
• Editorial of Argumentation – This is oftentimes called editorial of persuasion. The editor
argues in order to convince or persuade the reader to accept his stand on the issue.
(e.g., Freedom of the Press Not Violated)
• Mood Editorial – It presents a philosophy rather than an argument an explanation.
Oftentimes, the subject matter is nature or emotion. (e.g., Those Wonderful People
Called Parents)
There is another kind of editorial known as a pooled editorial. This is written by two or
more editors belonging to different newspapers which they publish in their respective
papers at the same time. (e.g., Stop Tuition Fee Increase)
 UNIT
How to Write an Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• Select only one specific idea to develop.

• Be sure the topic is of interest to the reader.
• Organize your editorial in three parts: the introduction, the body, and the ending.
 UNIT
Structure of an Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• A beginning to introduce the topic.

• The building of the case through a logical sequence.
• The conclusion which either summarizes or drives home the point.
Parts of an Editorial
• Introduction – The introduction is composed of related sentences that carry the concept
of what is to be discussed. It includes the topic sentence.
• Body – The body which may be developed into two or three paragraphs that contain the
justification or rationale of the essence carried by the topic sentence.
• Ending – The ending summarizes the editorial official stand of the newspaper which shall
be emphasized by the clincher sentence.
How to Begin the Introduction of an UNIT
Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

The introduction of an editorial may be started with any of the following forms:
• Begin with a statement that closely borders on the issue, problem or topic to be
discussed.
• Begin with a striking statement which arouses the interest of the reader to continue
reading.
• Begin with a question which serves as the topic sentence.
• Begin with a quotation which shall be made the basis for discussion.
• Begin with an assertion. In most cases, the assertion motivates the reader to find out the
rationale of the statement.
 UNIT
How to End an Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• End an editorial with an epigram or a maxim.

• End an editorial with the quoted statement or comment of an authority.
• End an editorial with a logical suggestion.
• End an editorial with a question.
• End an editorial with a quotation which serves as conclusion or clincher statement.
• End an editorial with an assertion, an assertion that is clearly based on logic and truth.
 UNIT
Writing the Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Planning the Editorial

1. Make sure that it does not go against any fixed policy of the paper.
2. Be sure that the topic is of interest to the reader. Prefer current topics especially
controversial ones. However, do not manufacture issues.
3. Limit your article to only one aspect of your chosen subject.
4. Have a purpose well in mind.
5. Obtain sufficient data.
6. Think through your topic and develop fully.
7. Take a stand on controversial issues.
8. Use sound reasoning. Make each step lead logically to the conclusion.
 UNIT
Writing the Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Writing the Editorial

1. Be brief (rarely more than 300 words); however, you may use longer sentences and
paragraphs than in the news story.
2. Write simply and directly. You may use more formal language and a wider vocabulary
than in news writing.
3. Be impersonal. Use the third person or the impersonal “we”. Never use “I” except in
direct quotations.
4. Be sincere rather than “smart”.
5. Write clearly.
6. Write vigorously.
7. Present facts, rather than mere opinion.
 UNIT
Writing the Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Writing the Editorial

8. Be authoritative, but don’t preach.
9. Use various devices to catch and keep the reader’s interest, such as:
a. A striking title - which may arouse the reader's curiosity or suggest the topic.
b. A good lead.
c. Illustration in the form of a brief narrative.
d. Authority to support your facts or arguments.
e. Analogy.
f. Comparison and contrast.
10. End the editorial appropriately.
11. Relate the editorial to the lives of your readers.
12. Use catchy but not flippant titles.
 UNIT
Editorial Leads IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• A simple statement of the situation, problem or news event to be written about.

• A question challenging attention.
• A striking statement arousing reader interest.
• A narration.
• A vital question.
 UNIT
Other Editorial Beginnings IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• A striking statement about the topic.

• A quotation.
• Narration.
• An order.
• A question.
• Mixture of facts and opinions.
• A news peg.
 UNIT
Pointers on Writing an Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

1. Make the editorial interesting enough to read.

2. Develop it from one specific, limited idea, phrased in one sentence, and expand it into
the body of the editorial.
3. Have a purpose well in mind which should be accomplished with sufficient data.
4. Organize all data into well-reasoned arguments, with each argument leading up to the
conclusion.
5. Peg the lead sentence on recent relevant news for its impact value.
6. Present both sides of an issue and clarify tricky aspects with a widely understood
analogy or with an illustration that makes for easier understanding.
7. Direct the editorial towards the establishment of a consensus.
8. Is the writing simple, direct, clear, and forceful?
9. Does it not carry a double meaning?
 UNIT
Pointers on Writing an Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

10. Does it reflect clear, logical thinking?

11. Is the subject matter significant to the students, the school, the community, and the
country?
12. Are the sentences and paragraphs relatively short?
13. Is the form and style appropriate to its content and purpose?
14. Were you able to accomplish your purpose?
15. Is it sincere, such that it will make the reader think?
16. Is it short and direct to the point?
17. Does it hang from a real or an artificial news peg?
18. Was there no preaching?
19. Is it original and was it written skillfully?
 UNIT
How to Check your Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

1. Is the form and style appropriate to its content and purpose

2. Where you able to accomplish your purpose?
3. Is it sincere that it will make the reader think?
4. Is it short and direct to the point?
5. Does it hung from a real or an artificial news peg?
6. Was there no preaching?
7. Is it original and was it written skillfully?
8. Is the writing simple, direct, clear, and forceful?
9. Does it carry a double meaning?
10. Does it reflect clear, logical thinking?
11. Is the subject matter significant to the students, the school, the community, and the country?
12. Are the sentences and paragraphs comparatively short?
 UNIT
Do’s and Don’ts in Writing Editorial IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

1. Write on an interesting topic.

2. Speak out on public issues affecting the community.
3. Use positive approach. State the problem or need; analyze it objectively and fairly. Then
suggest a solution and urge action.
4. Make your editorial brief. Get to the point quickly, and then stop.
5. Do not preach. Present facts.
6. Make it thought-provoking, intriguing, challenging.
7. Use simple words. Write to express not to impress.
8. Your editorial must have freshness: fresh topics as well as fresh treatment.
9. Give your editorials a special type set-up: larger type, double-column width, or a one-and-half
column.
10. For emphasis, you may put an editorial on the front page. But label it as an editorial.
11. Again, feel free to use any form and write on any topic which you think needs attention.
 UNIT
Editorial Columns IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

It is the recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication, where a writer
expresses their own opinion. The most personal of all newspaper writing. They have a very
personal appeal, an authoritative influence, and very useful contribution to make in spreading
news and opinions. It is high in reader-interest for they stimulate public discussion of the day’s
affair.
Purpose of the Editorial Columns
• To inform, to interpret and to a large degree, to fiscalize.
• To provide keyhole through which the public can peep for intimate details of the news.
• To entertain the readers.
• To explain the news.
• To give background to an event
• To determine whether a certain event is an isolate case or part of the pattern.
• Pointing out how the event will affect or not affect his readers.
• Pooling together and assessing comments of readers from the different segments of the society.
 UNIT
Editorial Columns IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

Forms of Writing Used in Columns

• Essay or Story Form
• Verse Form
Kinds and Types of Columns
• Food-for-Thought – Rules of conduct, great men’s ideas, and sayings find their way to these columns.
• Humor – You may have jokes, humorous verses or parodies
• How-to-do-it Column – Articles that develop personality and provide instructions on how to make or do
things that are really interesting.
• Reviews – Contains review on an article, a book, a movie, a drama or a painting.
• Hodge-podge – Where the author lumps together odds and ends of information, a poem here, an
announcement there, a pointed paragraph, a modernized proverb, a joke, or an interesting question.
• Gossip Column – Caters to the interest of human beings.
 UNIT
Editorial Columns IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

• Dopesters – Written by the columnist who also has his eye to the keyhole but with a more serious purpose.
• Readers Column – Comments sent in by the readers.
• Business Column – Contains materials about economy, trade, commerce and industry.
• Sports Column – Deals exclusively about sports.
• Art Column – Deals mostly on painting, architecture, flower arrangement, papier-mâché, ikebana and the
like.
• Women’s Column – Concerns itself about the latest fashion, beauty tips and anything about homemaking.
• Entertainment Column – All about music, theater, cinema, and the people involved in them.
• New Products and Inventions – A column about latest products and inventions, and the researches being
conducted by some prominent scientists.
• Personality Column – Play up a famous person, his significant achievements, his activities, dreams and
ambitions.
• Opinion Column – Stamp of the writers own ideas.
• Essay Column – A legacy from a more leisurely age when writers could seat and scribble a muse in light or
purple prose.
 UNIT
Guidelines in Writing a Columns IV
WRITING THE
EDITORIAL

1. Get a clever name for the column. The column heading may be set in distinctive type and may use a
design or a cut-out picture of the columnist.
2. If the column is meant to entertain, be sure that it does entertain the paper’s typical readers.
3. Stay within the subject range of the column.
4. Unless it is against the format of the column, make most items short, separated by typographical
devices like long dashes (---), asterisks (***), mustache (--o--).
5. If the column gives serious suggestions, be sure it is reliable.
6. For variety, deal with different aspects of the main topic.
7. Have items set in various typographical styles, such as italics, bold type. Different points, caps,
short clever heads.
8. Avoid unkind references to people.
9. Write in good taste.
10. Deal only with timely material.
 UNIT V
WRITING FEATURES
What is a Feature Story? UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

• Key function is to humanize, to add color, to educate, to

entertain, to illuminate.
• As opposed to news stories, features are generally believed to be
more creative in orientation.
• If news stories typically follow the “5W’s and 1H format”, feature
stories are allowed—sometimes, even encouraged—to deviate from
this formula.
• Like news stories, feature stories are also underpinned by factual
detail and news sense—but features are longer, more expansive
and more personal than news stories.
What is a Feature Story? UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

• It may or may not be tied to a current event

• Feature writers have more freedom to use their own voice and
incorporate their own personal experiences.
• Feature writers can also include more sources, background and
context.
The Meaning, Nature, Characteristics, and UNIT V
Objectives of Features WRITING
FEATURES

The Definition and Nature of Features

• It is not about the news; it's about human interest.
• It is a newspaper or magazine article or report of a person, event, an aspect of
a major event, or the like, often having a personal slant and written in an
individual style.
• Recognized as features 'people stories,' or narratives for it is about the human
element of life.
• It is all about the details: painting a picture of a person, event, or place on the
written page so your topic becomes alive to the reader; it allows a writer to be
creative.
• It's not just about facts; feature stories are more about storytelling and weaving
an interesting narrative; considered as the “jewel” of features materials.
The Meaning, Nature, Characteristics, and UNIT V
Objectives of Features WRITING
FEATURES

Characteristics of Features
• Variety of subject matter.
• Variety of tone.
• Variety in form and style.
• Usually more entertaining more often than it informs, instructs, and
advises.
• Factual and requires reporting.
• Well-organized.
• Rarely begins with a summary lead; uses the novelty lead more often.
The Meaning, Nature, Characteristics, and UNIT V
Objectives of Features WRITING
FEATURES

Characteristics of Features Objectives of Features

• Rarely begins with a summary lead; uses the • To entertain
novelty lead more often.
• To instruct
• Usually strikes the keynote in the opening
sentence. • To advise
• The writer strives to give the reader a first- • To inform
hand sensation by constructing the original
as closely as possible.
• Length of the story.
• May or may not be timely.
• Literary.
Kinds of Feature Articles UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. Feature story (news feature)- usually based on a recent event

that is of interest to the public; takes its material from a subject
of current interest; less concerned with information than with the
deeper meaning of the incident; not meant to supplant the news
story but to add variety and contrast and to play up the substance
of the news.
2. Human Interest Story- deals with minor incidents that may
deserve attention because of dramatic, humorous, tragic,
sensational or odd angles of the story. - basically appeals to the
emotion -based on people, their (life) stories; not necessarily
famour personalities
Kinds of Feature Articles UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

3. Interview Article- involves the interviewer and interviewee;

may be further classified according to purpose and emphasis.
4. Interpretative Feature- instructs, informs and clarifies to the
reader the background and significance of social, economic,
political and other problems of everyday life.
5. Informative Article- usually based on interview or taken from
research materials Possible topics; deals with scientific facts
presented in non-technical language, or some interesting or
useful facts in other areas.
Kinds of Feature Articles UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

6. Practical Guidance Article (How-To-Do-It Article)– meant to

inform; written as a spoof and aims merely to entertain.
7. Seasonal or Holiday Article– presented from some new angle
on an old theme or with some fresh insight or information;
includes subjects such as events celebrated at least once a
year or during the season like New Year, Christmas,
Independence Day, Father’s Day, etc.
8. Entertainment Article– holds the attention and interest of an
audience, or gives pleasure and delight.
Kinds of Feature Articles UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

9. Travelogue– a piece of writing about travel; a lecture about

the places visited and experiences encountered by a traveler.
[Link] Feature – a piece of writing concerned with past
events or background.
[Link] Experience or Accomplishment Story – deals with
an unusual experience; unusual hobbies make good subjects
for the school paper.
[Link] Sketch (Profile)– brings out some distinctive trait
or traits of a well-known personality.
Sources of Feature Article Ideas UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. News [Link]
2. Magazine articles [Link] of old materials like bulletins
3. Books [Link]
4. File of ideas [Link] conversation
5. Scrapbooks [Link]
6. Experience [Link] places
7. Special events like anniversaries [Link]
8. Advertisements [Link]
9. Speeches [Link]
10.T.V. / Radio [Link]
How to Keep the Reader’s Interest UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. Choose an interesting subject

2. Decide on your purpose and keep it in mind as you
write. Features may aim to:
• Warn the readers
• Focus on an interesting subject
• Bolster the reader’s ego
• Share experience
• Interpret
• Portray personality
• • Predict
Change reader’s mind
• Tell an exciting story
• Point out a moral
• Bring smiles or tears
How to Keep the Reader’s Interest UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

3. Use special devices to pinpoint highlights.

4. Be specific.
5. Use specific, vivid words.
6. Get the reader involved. Use the “you” approach.
7. Use quotations.
1. To move the story along 3. To make the person come to life

2. To establish a mood 4. To bring the reader close

How to Keep the Reader’s Interest UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

8. Use analogies.
9. Use vivid, fresh figures of speech.
Feature and News Compared UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

It is hard to define a feature article because it can take many forms and can
cover many subjects. However, a reader may easily distinguish feature stories
from news stories through its different characteristics.
The main objective of News is to inform, while a feature article aims to
entertain. Feature articles may also instruct, advice, inform, and entertain at
the same time.
Unlike a straight news story, a feature article may be of any length ranging from
a rather long magazine article published, for example in the Panorama or
Reader’s Digest, to the short human interest story published in the feature page
of a campus publication. They may or may not be timely. Side by side with an
earthquakes news story may be a feature article on past earthquake that had
hit the country. This is called a sidebar.
Also, a feature article may be written in any form and style. It rarely has a
summary lead. Instead, it usually begins a novelty lead.
Feature and News Compared UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

It is important to stress here that a news feature sometimes referred to as

featurized news, it is not a feature article but a news story which is based on facts
but containing explanations, background, and impression of the writer. Its main aim
is to inform. It can start in almost any matter and it usually appears the author’s
by-line.
A feature article, on the other hand, aims to entertain, rather to inform, although
it may do both at the same feature.
Suppose a school celebrates its foundation day. a straight or featurized news story
about this will say how the occasion was celebrated, who the guest speaker was
and what his message was about, the highlight of the activities, and the different
contests held.
A brief history about the school may be punished as a side-bar to the banner news.
This is a feature article. Another feature article may be about the namesake of the
school, usually a national hero which may be published in the feature section.
Feature and News Compared UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

It is interesting to note, however, that not all feature articles are related to
the news event which inspired the article. Even if it were not foundation
day, the features editors may write about national heroes whose birthdays or
martyrdom fall on the month of publication.
If readers were surrounding you in person, listening, you’d see when they
responded when they leaned forward with interest or when they grew
restless with boredom. And you could adjust your story telling to fit their
responses. But since you can’t see the, you have to move them in ways you
will work, methods proven to entice readers.
Feature and News Compared UNIT V WRITING FEATURES

COMPARISON NEWS EDITORIAL FEATURE

1. Definition Report of an event Interpretation of an event An essay based of facts
2. Purpose To inform To interpret To entertain
3. Timeliness Timely Timely Timeless
[Link] Short Around 300 words Depends upon the needs
5. Use of words Simple, precise, concrete simple., forceful, direct May be descriptive, flowery

6. Use of sentences Short, simple, 15-25 words average May be longer May be longer

7. Paragraphs No topic sentence, one idea, one With topic sentence, longer With topic sentence, longer
paragraph

8. Use of literary devices Journalistic, direct, no figures of Journalistic, direct, may use Literary, can be journalistic,
speech figures of speech figures of speech are used freely

9. Use of adjectives/ opinions Uses adjectives sparingly; opinion, Adjectives used freely; primarily As much as desired
never opinion

10. Parts Lead, body Introduction (newspeg,reaction), Introduction, body, ending

body, conclusion

11. Style Follows style- sheet newspaper Follows style-sheet newspaper Composition style or newspaper
style style style

12. Structure Inverted pyramid Hypothesis, arguments/stand on Suspended interest or pyramid

issue, conclusion structure
Topics for Feature Stories UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

Personalities– This feature article, sometimes called a character

sketch, is usually short. It may be about a student leader, a successful
alumnus, a teacher, a school staff member, or even about an
industrious janitor. The student to be featured should not always be
the campus doll, nor the dashing Romeo of the class, but the
achiever, the builder, or the innovator.
Experience and Adventure– Suppose a group of science students
had attended a national science camp. Each one of them has an
interesting story to relate—the workshop seminar, the feasibility
studies, the field trips, the socials, and the putting out of the
newsletter.
These may be summarized as one big adventure story or may be
written as separate features. To make each story interesting, UNIT V
the student should be made to write his story himself in the first WRITING
person point of view. In such a case, the story should appear
FEATURES

with his by-line. If he can’t do this, a reporter writes the story

for him. The by-line would then be written this way.
Description – These are many significant events and special
festivities in the school and in the community worth writing
about. Also, there are interesting projects made by the students
in the laboratory and in their vocational and academic classes
and by the community members in their respective homes that
need playing up. But in his description, the writer should as
much as possible be factual and original. Aside from this, he
should use simple and concrete words that are understood by
the layman or by Mr. Average Reader.
Narratives – There are interesting stories to relate, especially
historical ones. Not all personal stories are on adventures and
UNIT V
experiences. An old person in the community may be asked to WRITING
narrate how the district got its name or how in the olden days FEATURES
people fished or washed clothes in a polluted estero nearby.
Backgrounders – There are feature article that explain the
history or the background of a certain event. Say for example,
that the model platoon of a certain school wins first place in a
district competition. A feature story about the organization of
the pioneer platoon is backgrounder.
Developmental Feature Articles – In a developing country
like the Philippines, student editors should keep in step the
developments that affect mankind and should steer away from
routine reporting. They should not limit their stories to student
politics, junior proms, and other school affairs.
They should help advance national, social, economic, and UNIT V
educational program such as this in social action, food WRITING FEATURES
production, fight against dope addiction, criminality and all
kinds of vices, and the implementation of the Green Revolution,
CLEAN and beautification drives, and other kinds of community
services.
What to Do and How to Do Articles – There are also
“What to” articles. There are those that tell what to do during
an earthquake, a typhoon, an emergency, or the like. Some of
these articles can develop the subject either by a series of rules
starting with “Do” or by having the writer describe the process
in his own words. Usually, these kinds of feature articles are
accompanied by pictures or illustrations.
Characteristics of a Good Feature Article UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. It may inform, instruct, or advice, but its primary purpose is to

entertain. It is usually read after the news in a leisure
moment.
2. It may be any length-from a short human interest story to a
rather long magazine article.
3. It may or may not be timely.
4. It may be written in any form or style.
5. It usually uses the novelty lead rather than the summary lead.
Characteristics of a Good Feature Article UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

6. The reporter may use any of the following devices-suspense,

dialog, description, narration, exposition, argumentation, climax
and the like in presenting his story.
7. Although the writer applies his imagination to the facts, the
feature story is not fiction. It is based on facts.
8. It uses specific nouns, adjectives, and verbs to create vivid
images, sound, and feeling for the readers.
9. It uses the principles of effective writing to achieve unity,
coherence, and emphasis which are essential to all good writing.
[Link] is written with friendly simplicity.
Structure of the Feature Article UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. The Lead – the feature, like the news story, should attract the attention of the
readers in the first few sentences. The lead for the feature article may be any one or
a combination of two or more of the following types:
• News summary lead – condensed version of the whole story; embodies the five W’s.
• Distinctive incident lead – snaps a word picture of the story in its most
characteristic moment when it has reached its summit of dramatic interest.
• Quotation lead – an apt familiar quotation indicates to the reader what the article
is about.
• Short sentence lead – consists of a single striking assertion which may be either a
summary of the whole story or a statement of the most significant fact in it.
• Question lead – similar to the short sentence lead but it is phrased as an
investigation, instead of an assertion, to challenge the knowledge and interest of
the reader.
Structure of the Feature Article UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

• Contrast lead – a statement of two obviously different facts with the purpose of
emphasizing the fact that will be the theme of the article.
• Analogy lead – similar to the contrast lead but it gains its effect by showing the
similarity between some well-known object or situation and the fact that will be
the theme of the story.
• Picture lead – a graphic description of the setting of the story told in the article
serves as an introduction to its action or the characteristics in it.
• Janus-faced lead – may look backward into the past or forward into the future for
the purpose for the purpose of comparison with the situation in the present
which is the theme of the story.
Structure of the Feature Article UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

2. The Body – the main body of the feature article is developed in the same way
as any other good writing. It should exemplify the 3 principles of writing: 1)
unity; 2) coherence; and 3) emphasis in separate paragraphs and in itself as a
whole. This may be accomplished by: 1) having a central theme or idea; 2)
eliminating extraneous material; and 3) bridging the transition from each
paragraph to the next one easily and smoothly and avoiding abrupt changes of
thought.
3. The Conclusion – resembles the conclusion of other forms or expository and
narrative writing. It may be: 1) a condensed summary of the whole article; 2)
the climax or highest point of interest in the article; and 3) a cutback or
flashback to the introduction (e.g. a restatement lead to emphasize the
important statements made at the beginning and to round-out the whole
article.
Writing the Feature UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

How to Introduce the Feature Article

1. Rhetorical question
2. Startling statement
3. Narrative opening
4. Quoted remarks
5. An old maxim, an aphorism, or a salawikain
6. History or background of the subject
7. Problems to be discussed in the article or fact to be established
Writing the Feature UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

Ending the Feature Article

1. A summary of the whole article
2. An announcement of the main point for the first time
3. A question left in the reader’s mind
4. Suggested results or significance
5. A forecast or prophecy
6. A repetition of the introduction
7. A repetition of a sentence or slogan, or a reference to the title
8. An appropriate quotation
Steps in Writing a Feature Article UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. Pick your subject.

2. Limit subject to specific ones.
3. Write a tentative title.
4. Spot the light the main things you aim to do in the feature.
5. Pinpoint highlights with specific details.
6. Use the device and situation which will hold the reader's interest.
7. Decide on your title.
8. Prepare a copy.
Characteristics of a Good Feature Writer UNIT V
WRITING
FEATURES

1. The ability to write.

• Professional writing know-how
• Devices and patterns

2. Creativity.
3. Keen interest in life.
4. A realization that in nearly every news event there are possible feature stories.
5. A willingness to probe for feature stories beneath the surface of everyday events.
6. An intellectual curiosity – a willingness to investigate the story from every angle before starting to
write.
7. Keen observation.
8. Cupboards of descriptive words and everyday idioms.
9. Skill to weave words into interesting sentences and paragraphs.
[Link] to write features interestingly.
[Link] varied interests.
Examples of Features Article usually Found UNIT V
in School Papers WRITING
FEATURES

HONORING A PANGASINAN HERO

“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into
battle.” A person who is in an army and wears its uniform, and especially someone who fights when
there is a war is a mere definition of the world soldier, but it contains a much deeper meaning. Soldier
doesn’t carry guns and kill enemies, but rather, they’re the ones who put their life on the line just to
maintain the peace of the country while their other countrymen sleeps peacefully.
The courageousness and bravery that flaunts in the midst of battle were shown by this Pangasinan
soldier who fearlessly fight his way to the war against terrorism. The Marawi crisis, is an ongoing
armed conflict in Marawi, Lanao del Sur, that started on May 23, 2017 between Philippine government
security forces and alleged terrorist group, Maute. The battle had led to multiple civilian and soldier
casualties which includes a noble Pangasinan Marine who became one of the Philippine's Heroes. His
name is Pcf. Eddie Cardona, a resident of Bolinao, Pangasinan happened to be one of the 13 marines
who were killed. Soldiers and Marines, including Cardona, had battled intensely to gain the place's
peace anew. They could even sacrifice their own lives just to maintain innocent fellow countrymen’s
safety and security.
 As what Andres Bonifacio said, “Aling pag-ibig pa ang higit kaya sa pagkadalisay at
pagkadakila gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuong lupa? Wala na nga.” Indeed, the love of Pcf. Eddie UNIT V
Cardona to the country rekindles the fire of the Filipinos to keep the peace in our country. WRITING
FEATURES

LIZA PARA SA MASA

A Filipina activist, an active member of the Gabriela Women's Party and former
representative of the women sector in Philippine House Representative, Maza is the newly
appointed lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in the Duterte
administration.
Maza obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Economics degree at the University of
the Philippines- Diliman. She was described by Pres. Duterte as “an activist advocating the
rights of the poor”. Being elected as Grabiela representative, Maza was able to authorize 53
bills and 120 resolutions in the 13th and 14th Congress.
Maza has served the Filipino people for so long in representing them in Congress and
formulating such laws which concern the social welfare of the majority and laws that are not
in favor of the interest of the few. These things are indication that Maza is capable of
rendering her service to the Filipino people and these are evidences which will justify Maza's
seat in the Cabinet.
 UNIT VI
WRITING THE INTERVIEW
The Meaning, Nature, Kinds, and Purpose of UNIT VI
Interview WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

Interview Defined

• It is an art of asking questions to obtain information.

• It is asking questions to obtain opinions, ideas, or special
information on topics of interest to the general public from a
prominent person or from a recognized authority.
The Meaning, Nature, Kinds, and Purpose of UNIT VI
Interview WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

Kinds of Interview

1. Informative- An interview conducted to obtain facts from a

person responsible for a news idea, one who has witnessed a
news event, or one who has participated in a news situation.
2. Opinion- An interview conducted to obtain comments and
opinions from prominent persons or recognized authorities.
3. Feature- An interview conducted with a celebrity or a colorful
person to obtain facts of personality that will be of interest to
the public.
The Meaning, Nature, Kinds, and Purpose of UNIT VI
Interview WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

Kinds of Interview

4. Group

• "Inquiring reporter" type in which a reporter asks the same

questions of interviewees whom he selects at random.

• "Symposium" type in which the reporter asks one question or

related questions of more or less specialists in a given field.
Do’s and Don’ts in Conducting an Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

A. Do’s
1. Know your subject thoroughly and jot down exactly what questions you
want clarified.
2. Know your interviewee - his habits, strengths, opinion on the topic,
achievements, even weaknesses.
3. Make an appointment and be there ahead of time. Be prepared to listen,
and take brief notes when advisable.
4. Introduce yourself again even if you have an appointment. Always be
courteous in requesting clarifications, and be friendly and grateful for
concessions like the repetition of an explanation you are getting down
verbatim, and for being allowed to tape his explanation, etc.
5. Offer to show him your write-up before its publication.
6. Respect "off the record" comment.
Do’s and Don’ts in Conducting an Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

B. Don’ts
1. Never demand. Request and say "Thank you".
2. Don't react unfavorably to whatever he is saying. Even he asked, be
neutral if you cannot honestly agree with him. Remember, you will write
his answers, not your ideas.
3. Don't hesitate to request repetition or clarification of anything that are
not fully understood.
4. Don't take down everything; abbreviate long words and use only key
words for main ideas.
5. Don't overstay.
6. Don't postpone writing your notes. Do so as soon as you get out of the
interview room.
Guidelines to Observe During the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

1. Be interested in what your subject has to say. Show it. Give him importance.
Don’t interrupt while he is talking.
2. Don’t’ talk too much yourself.
3. Positive questions are preferred to negative or rambling questions.
4. Take notes unobtrusively.
5. Get your subject’s name correctly spelled, his middle initial, his address age
(but don’t insist if refused), occupations, etc. Anything that is relevant in
your story. It would be very embarrassing to return for these after you have
left his office.
6. Show your quotes or even the whole report in proofs on a technical subject
but do not promise to.
Guidelines to Observe in Writing the UNIT VI
Interview WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

1. Correct all grammatical errors and awkward sentences made by

the interviewee unless they are necessary to reveal his
personality. In doing this, don't change the interview's meaning.
2. Make the quotes clear and compact.
3. Avoid any reference to yourself unless needed.
4. To avoid monotony, don't use "the speaker" many times. Use
synonyms of "said" like remarkable, stated, concluded, stressed,
etc.
5. Use noun, substitutes like "the speaker," "the principle," etc., to
avoid overworking the interviewee's name.
Arranging the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

1. Make an appointment in advance, if possible, either by

telephone or letter.
2. Arrange a time and place that are convenient for your
interviewee.
3. Use ingenuity and perseverance to obtain an interview if you fail
to make an appointment.
4. Don't use unethical and devious means to obtain an interview.
5. Learn to take in stride failures to obtain interviews.
6. Mention the general subject.
Preparing for the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

1. Be sure that you understand exactly the assignment that you have received or
that you have given yourself.
• Select a topic interesting to your readers.
• Select a definite and rather limited topic that can be adequately developed in a short time.

2. Learn as much as possible about the person to be interviewed: his position, his
accomplishments, his opinions, his likes and dislikes, his personality, etc.
• From the person's friends and acquaintances
• From previous publicity
• From references such as who's who
• From magazine articles and books that the person has written or that have been written about him

3. Learn as much as possible about the topic on which the interview is to be

conducted.
4. 4. Draw up a list of ten thought-provoking questions, the kind that will get the
interviewee to do most of the talking.
Writing for the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

1. Write the story immediately following the interview.

2. Determine the kind of interview to write: informative, opinion, feature or
combination.
• Informative interview plays up important facts.
• Opinion interview plays up significant comments.
• Feature interview plays up interviewee's personality, his interests, and activities.
• Combination interview combines feature interview characteristics with informative or
opinion interviews.
3. Select and evaluate notes carefully. Include only interesting, pertinent
material. Avoid the obvious. If the interview is of the feature type, let your
story reflect the personality of the interviewee. Avoid such stereotype
information as favorite foods, color, movie stars, and the like.
4. Organize facts and write the story.
5. Show quotes to the interviewee if possible.
Some Pointers in Writing the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

1. Follow the order of decreasing importance for informative

interviews, opinion, and most combination interviews.
2. Use your originality to determine the best order for a feature
interview. Usually the dominant impression the interviewee left
with you will help to determine how to write a feature
interview.
3. Begin with an appropriate lead. Usually a direct or indirect
quotation, a descriptive background, or some other novelty form
is effective.
4. Bridge the gap between the lead and the first paragraph of the
body.
5. Be sure that you can support your lead in the body of the story.
Some Pointers in Writing the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

6. Arrange body of most informative and opinion interviews into

alternating paragraphs of direct quotations and summarizing
statements. Feature interviews have no set pattern since they
depend upon the individuality of the interviewee and the
originality of the interviewer.
• Correct all grammatical errors made by the interviewee unless they are
necessary to reveal the personality of the interviewee.
• Make quotes more compact if possible.
• Be sure not to change the story questions asked during the interview.
7. Do not include in the story questions asked during the
interview.
8. Avoid any reference to yourself unless there is good reason to
do so.
Some Pointers in Writing the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

9. Weave characteristic expressions, mannerisms, gestures into the

story. Avoid paragraphs in which you describe personality.
[Link] synonyms for said to avoid monotony and to suggest the
attitude of personality of the interviewee. Synonyms like
laughed, smiled, chuckled, roared, help to convey a person's
good humor and to serve as transitional devices.
[Link] a "he said" or its equivalent often enough to keep the
reader informed as to whose opinions he is reading.
[Link] "he said" or its equivalent in quotations either before the
quote, at logical thought breaks, or at the end of the quote.
[Link] to avoid a "he said" or tits equivalent at the end of the
paragraph.
Some Pointers in Writing the Interview UNIT VI
WRITING THE
INTERVIEW

14. Use "running quotes" where desirable. If the direct quotation is long
enough to involve several paragraphs, use quotation marks at the
beginning of every paragraph but close only at the end of the last
paragraph.
15. Use partial quotations interspersed in your own sentences.
16. Use the ellipsis to eliminate "chaff" from the "wheat" of quotations. Three
dots indicate an omission within a sentence, four dots at the end of a
sentence. One dot is for the period.
17. Use a "he said" or its equivalent often enough in paragraphs of indirect
quotations to make clear that the ideas expressed are those of the
interviewees and not of the reporter.
18. Avoid overworking the interviewee's name by using noun substitutes that
apply such as "the noted foreign correspondent, the author, and the world
traveler".
 UNIT VII
WRITING THE SPORTS STORY
The Meaning, Nature, and Kinds of Sports UNIT
VII
Stories WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Sports Stories Defined

• A form of journalism or creative nonfiction in which a sporting event, individual
athlete, or sports- related issues serves as the dominant subject.
• It attracts the interest of the different sectors young and old alike.
• A form of writing that reports on sporting topic and competitions.
• One of the most interesting aspects of the noble profession- journalism.
• One of the most popular forms of modern journalistic writing.
• It appeals to all types of publics and the athletic events always appear in every
newspaper, large and small.
• It also has a great reader-interest.
The Meaning, Nature, and Kinds of Sports UNIT
VII
Stories WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Nature of Sports Stories

• Basically the same as general news and also requires accuracy,
organizations, brevity, good writing. The 5 Ws and the H of a news lead may
also be found in a sports leads.
• Primarily describes action. It is usually centered around a conflict.
• Uses a special vocabulary which the reader (presumably a sports fan) is
expected to know. However, the sports reporter should avoid both slang too
technical language.
• Uses a more colorful, vigorous style. Although he has a greater freedom, the
sports writer should not be carried away by over exuberance.
The Meaning, Nature, and Kinds of Sports UNIT
VII
Stories WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Kinds of Sports Stories

1. The advance story helps to create interest, to develop unity, and to generate
enthusiasm through the inside facts. It should be accurate and conservative.
2. The report of the event.
3. The analytical story accompanies the straight report and carries a review of
the game –the strategies, the key player, the outstanding performer.
4. The “off-the-court” story involves conflicts among sportsmen, particularly
the officials, as well as other side-lights.
The Meaning, Nature, and Kinds of Sports UNIT
VII
Stories WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Kinds of Sports Stories

5. The follow-up sports story is a summary of the activities of a team during a week or
season. It sometimes gives an opportunity to preview the public reaction if the sport is
very important, such as the Philippine Basketball team against Japan or Korea in the
Asia Basketball Championship.
6. The sports article does not report a definite news event. It is general in character and
expository in form. It may summarize past records and performances of a team, explain
new rules, publicize athletic tradition, sketch the career of a prominent player.
7. The sports feature is more a personality sketch of an athlete or coach, his
superstitions, hobbies, experiences off the athletic field, or it may deal with events in
the gymnasium.
The Meaning, Nature, and Kinds of Sports UNIT
VII
Stories WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Kinds of Sports Stories

8. The sports column consists of miscellaneous facts about prominent athletes
written in an informal easy-to-read style. It is a pleasing blend of facts and
personal opinions. Care must be taken not to hurt the feelings of any
individual player.
9. The advance-coverage story includes information of the coming event as the
first part of the story and information of the past event as the last part. It
devotes more space to the future and condenses the highlights of the past.
The advance- coverage does not include a running or chronological account.
 UNIT
Structure of the Sports Story VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

1. The lead may be summarized or analyzed; it may give the significance, the
winner, the hero, the score. The score is usually played up in the first
sentence or set in bold above the story proper.
2. The body plays up other elements not in the lead and gives details of those
already mentioned.
• Key play and outstanding performer.
• Quotations from players, trainers, coaches
• Play-by-play account (seldom found in the school paper for lack of space)
• Personalities
• Background on players
• Importance of the event
• Summaries of results and statistics (those may be compiled for future reference)
 UNIT
Qualities of a Good Sports Writer VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

1. Must know sports: rules, strategy, team and players’ records.

2. Must attend the games or meets as a reporter, not as a spectator or cheerer.
3. Must know coaches and players as intimately as possible.
4. Must observe accuracy.
5. Must be able to take notes quickly without losing the sequence of the play.
6. Must be fair and unbiased in reporting, even though he has a favorite team.
7. Must not make comments without supporting them with facts on which they are based,
although sports writers have more freedom than any other news writers.
8. Must use the specialized language of the particular sports that he is reporting.
9. Must avoid sports slang and trite expressions which hack writers use today. He should tell the
story in plain, factual terms that describe the action.
10. Must bear in mind that he writes for his readers and not for himself.
 UNIT
Gathering Information VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Before the Game

1. Read the rules.
2. Know key people. The athletic Director, coaches, the team’s business
manager, players, student managers, and others who figure in sports. Some
student sports reporter also play on athletic teams. This affords them inside
information and many contacts.
3. Get the name in full and check the spelling. Don’t depend on memory. Get a
game program or list of names before the event starts. This information
includes player’s numbers, classes, and heights if possible.
 UNIT
Gathering Information VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Before the Game

4. Attend sports event and practice sessions. If you aren’t covering and writing
news about the game, attend if you can. Learn more about the game from
the coach’s instructions. Observe what happened and how others reported it.
5. Make the notes on things that count. Jot down fact, quote, an anecdote, or
an idea that may help you someday in writing the sports story.
6. Read various newspapers and compare how sports writer cover a particular
game.
 UNIT
Gathering Information VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

During the Game

1. Organize your material. Clipboard and plenty of paper, notebook or
stenographers pad for note taking.
2. Be there well ahead of the event,
3. Secure a good working place. Work close to the action.
4. Note interesting events before the game.
5. Develop a system of note taking. Learn to use abbreviations and other short
cuts.
 UNIT
Gathering Information VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

During the Game

6. Make notes as complete as possible.
7. Observe
• Important plays
• The unexpected and the unusual
• Personal standouts on things other than point scoring.
• Touches thing or the light things.
• Collaborate with the reporter from the rival school.
8. Don’t get too involved as a cheering spectator.
 UNIT
Gathering Information VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

After the Game

1. Seek the coach, outstanding players as well as a less important participant.
2. Get quotes.
3. Check facts, especially scores, with the score book.
4. Gathering more information from:
• Special statistic
• Newspaper stories
• Game movies
• Box scores
• Standings
 UNIT
Writing the Sports Story VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

The sports writer combines the skills of the general reporter, the feature
writer, and the headline writer. In addition he should strive to:
1. Be accurate. Not only in the score but in the other highlights. If you aren’t sure of an
episode in the game, check personally with the players involved or their coaches.
2. Avoid clichés like, “splicing the hoop”, “walloped the pill” (made a hit in baseball),
“turned the tables on”, “lowered the boom”, “sank a twinnie”, etc.
3. Include human interest. The personal background of the performer can lend color and
depth to a story. Is he coming back from a slump, redeeming himself from a previously
poor performance, the oldest cyclist or the youngest rookie in the lineup?
4. Keep your sense of humor.
 UNIT
Writing the Sports Story VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

The Sports Lead

Like any other news story, sports story has a lead and a body. The sports lead is
the attention getter, the news in a nutshell. The classic “Five W’s” appear in the
sports lead as:
1. Who won?
2. Against whom?
3. By what score?
4. Where?
5. When?
 UNIT
Writing the Sports Story VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Writing the Sports Lead

Just like any straight news story, the sports story may use the conventional summary
lead. However, the presence of striking material may lend itself to a feature lead.
Besides, “who won” and “what’s the score”, a number of conditions in athletic contest
make good material for feature lead:
• Special Significance of a game.
• Cause of victory or defeat, also called analytical lead.
• Names of outstanding players or player.
• Names of competing team
• Name of the Coach
• Description of the crowd, such as the size, the unusual behavior
• A moment of intense interest
 UNIT
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WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

The lead can also dramatize other elements like:

• The key play
• The outstanding player
• Analytical approach
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The Body
After the lead, the other elements follow up descending. This will include:
Team and/or Individual Standing – If the event is part of a series of games, the story
must report how the teams or players stand in relation to their competitors.
1. Decisive Play – This is the most crucial part of the game that gives a certain team
the winning margin.
2. Best Scores for the Day – The scores usually appear in the headline and in the lead.
However, the writer must not neglect the top scorer of the day.
3. Play-by-Play – Due to limited space, play-by-play has to be condensed. In top
boxing events, a separate round-by-round account is provided, describing the
progress of the fight in detail.
4. Quotation – It is customary for the hero of the day to have his sentiments recorded
if the fight for posterity.
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1. The score or outcome – Who won? That of course is the point of the story. Even if the game
should end in a tie, with a riot, or be called off on account of rain, the outcome is still
important.
2. Significance of the outcome – Was a championship at stake? Do the standings of the teams
change? Who gets the cup? Is the grudge wiped out?
3. Highlights of the game – Find the turning point of the game. Describe spectacular plays. Tell
about the last-minute fumble or the last three-second basket from midcourt if it were a
basketball game.
4. Comparison of the teams – Which was the better team? Was the defending champion out-
jumped on the rebound? Who did better from the foul line? In what department were the
losers weak?
5. Individual stars – While present day sports stories on teamwork have greatly discouraged
individual stars and so-called “grandstand” players, there are still instances where some
players stand out from the rest.
6. Weather conditions – Mud, sunshine, heat, cold or wind may have a bearing on the game.
7. Crowd and celebration – Don’t forget the spectators. Was it is a record crowd? How did the
spectator behave? Were they particularly hostile to the referee?
 UNIT
Sports Lingo and Crutches/s Language VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

It is important that sportswriter master the language of sports because only when he has
complete command of lingo can he sounds authoritative and convincing to his readers. In
fact, there are sports terms that enable a sports writer to explain in only a few words
certain happenings in a game. Among these terms are:
1. Basketball – five, quintet, shot twinner, pivot, rally, rebound, technical foul, quarter
count, 15-foot line, hook shot, lay-up, ice-breaker, tip-in, press, one defense, man to
man, 30 second rule, full court, gun time, lemon time, keyhole area, long tom, tip-in,
follow-up, trey, rainbow country.
2. Baseball and Softball – diamond, pitcher, back-up, deep center, stuck out, lower fourth,
shut out, hitless inning, hit a homerun, one-bagger, two-baggers, force out, scorcher, fly
back, pitcher’s mound, upper third, lower fourth, flier, rolling ball, umpire, struck out,
bunt, slide, shortstop, fielder, southpaw, mo-hit run, fanned, out-pegged at third, deep
center, a scorcher to left outfield.
 UNIT
Sports Lingo and Crutches/s Language VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

3. Volleyball – Spikes, neat placing, change court, Chinese kill, wallop, block, scored off,
straight set, two out of three, spiker, blocked his kill, booming service, net ball, return
play, three out of five.
4. Soccer or Football – soccerites, goalie, full back, corner kick, centrada, penalty kick,
free kick, pigskin.
5. Sipa – fancy kick, dead ball, ball on play, single, double, etc.
6. Track:
• Dashes – 100-200-80-m;
• Runs – 200-400-800 and 1500 m;
• Hurdles – 110 m. high, 400 low and 80m low;
• Relay – 4 x 100 m and 4 x 400 m; breasted the tape, burned the cinders, clock a new record,
bore down on him, home stretch, photo finish, middle-distance runner, anchor man, passed on
the baton.
 UNIT
Sports Lingo and Crutches/s Language VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

7. Field – heaved the shot put, hurried the javelin, threw the discus, hop step and jump,
broad jump, high or long jump, pole vault, Grecian disc.
8. Tennis – best of three matches, surfeit services, straight set, singles, smash cut.
9. Swimming – tanker, naiads, aquabelle

There are aids (crutches) that may be useful in covering a game:

10. Basketball – FG (field goal) 2; Ft (free throw) x 1; PF (personal foul); TP (total points); js
(jump shot); di (drivein); lu (lay-up); LT (long tom), etc.
11. Baseball and softball – ab (at bat); h (hit); rbi (run or runs batted in); e (error) etc.
12. Volleyball – p (placing); bs (blooming service); s (spiker); bb (block ball); cp (change of
phase), etc.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Volleyball
LOCAL VOLLEYBELLES SPILL TORRES TOSSERS IN TWO SETS, 15-10, 15-8
A cool, ever cast sky, punctuated by intermitted showers spawned by Typhoon Iliang,
witnessed the conquest of the Torres High volleyball girls’ team, Goliath of District by
Osmena tossers, 15-10, 15-8. The occasion was an exhibition game held at the opponent’s
home court, August 16 in connection with the 16th anniversary of “Araw ng Osmea.” The
irony of it was that the daughter school whipped her mother on the date of the former’s
Independence Day.
Overconfident
Overconfident because of their superb showmanship in last year’s Palarong Pambansa,
the Torresians lapsed into many errors in fielding easy services and passes in the first set
that led to their easy defeat. At the opening game, Spiker Lourdes Libao sent a wallop,
scoring 1-0. However, Cruz paid the locals with three booming spikes, 3-1. At this point,
Libao, backed up by Tessie Quinto, didn’t let him making apoint lead of 4-3 in their favor.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Volleyball
Both camps then exchanged sharp spurs like angry fighting cocks. The bewildered
Torresians shifted portions trying to put off their errors. Tosser Kelsey walloped thrice,
scalping the locals 10-9.
Pulling Away
But after a time out was called by coach by coach Alma Garrovilla, the embarrassed
Osmenians went into a rampage that sent the shiverng spectators of around 500 into
hilarious cheers. Torres’ style of assault hel dup steam. The raging locals, banking on
Quinto’s devastating wallops and Libao’s deadly spikes, throttled the Torresians with a
volley of kills and wallops to end the first canto 15-10 in favor of the Osmenians. At long
last, the Goliath of District I had met its peers.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Volleyball
No Time to Retaliate
Their pride wounded, the courageous Torresians changed techniques. Throwing their last
card, they exerted strength is stop the vengeful daughter school from during further
damage. But the latter only tightened their defense and renewed their blitzkering attack.
Finally, Lourdes Libao, summoning strength, made a big leap to kill the ball that ended the
Osmena-Torres tussle, 15-8. With a 15-10, 15-8 score in their favor, the Osmenans left their
conquered territory- both sad and happy. Sad because they whipped their mother school,
and happy because they brought the bacon home.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Softball
MLQ SLUGGERS OUTPLAY OSMENA BATTERS, 12-7
The Quezonian sluggers bombed the Osmena batters with four runs in the fifth inning to
subdue a nerve fazzling Osmenan rally, 12-7, as the clinched the invitation game, Nov. 20 at
La Loma Playground in connection with the celebration of Osmena Day.
The cloudy overcast sky set a festive atmosphere for the hard hitting and base-stealing
MLQ players as they mercilessly pounded Osmenan pitcher, Hilarion Asilo with a barrage hits
on the last part of a five-inning game. A shaky start by the Osmenians enabled the
Quezonians to more ahead by two runs on the long hits of Selga and their second baseman,
Reyes. Osmena’s reliable Asilo on the mound had difficulty in finding his range as he allowed
two walks in succession during the initial inning.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Softball
The score box for the locals remained 3 up to the third inning as the aggressive citywide
softball champions fired four runs and 2 solid hits making the score 3-8. It was only in the
fourth inning that the Osmena batters came to life, blasting 4 runs in the studded inning after
laboring hard on winning MLQ pitcher Hernandez, and put a resemblance of a rally with 2
innings to go 7-8, as Asilo, Loto, Cruz and Bugaring, the so-called Murderers’ Row, swung their
booming bats with gusto to a 4-run Osmena harvest.
After catcher Abraham smashed a deep center for a 3-bagger, and Asistio, not to be
outdone divided a hog-grounder past-third, the cool calculating Asilo in a 1 and 1 all-hit before
the inning ended, making the locals earn 4 runs, and to catch up with MLQ sluggers, a zooming
hit sent Macatuno for a scoring position at the third base.
Before husky Aranzanse of MLQ served his bat, Reyes advanced to second base for a bat
with 1 strike and 2 balls for Aranzanse. Selga connected a hot rolled off third, sending
Macatuno home for their ninth run. Fourth batter Hernandez struck the ball hard sending three
players at home base to win the game, 12-7.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Baseball
CANLUBANG SWATTEERS SHADES MERALCO BATTERS, 5-4
The Canlubang Swateers Shades captures the Manila Bay baseball league championship
title by nosing out Meralco 5-4 during a thrilling encounter last night at the Rizal Memorial
ballpark.
The marginal run came in the sixth inning when a Romeo Galang win led to the left field,
propelling Florencio Ramos home from the second base. Ramos had previously scored
Edilberto de Guzman to even the score, 4-all. The victory ended the best-of-five series for
the title between Canlubang and Meralco, Canlubang previously bea Meralco, 6-3 and 7-5.
Edilberto Gamilla, 33, displayed his control and repertoire of fast moves, earned his
third victory over Meralco yielding a struck out and light hits. Both teams displayed powerful
pitches with Antero Cabahug storming in the round for the other side. Meralco broke the ice
in the first inning with an early 2-0 lead, a homer by Reynaldo Manzanares starting off
pitcher Roberto Antero and sending Pascual Focadella on board to the plate.
 UNIT
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WRITING THE
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Baseball
A walk by Abelardo Mogol and a single by Eduardo de Guzman pushed Canlubang ahead at 2
on runs by Mogol who reached third in a sacrifice, and Virgilio Gastalone and Rogelio Ramos
who were on board when de Guzman singled. Meralco caught fire in the fourth frame scoring
three hits off Gamilla, who relieved Centeno in the second, as Cabahug doubled home Simplicio
Castillo to turn the tide at 4-3. Meralco broke the ice in the first inning with an early 2-0 lead,
a homer by Reynaldo Manzanares starting off pitcher Robert oAntero and sending Pascual
Focadella on the board to the plate. A walk by Abelardo Mogol and a single by Eduardo de
Guzman pushed Canlubang ahead at 2 on runs by Mogol who reached third in a sacrifice, and
Virgillo Gastalone an Rogelio Ramos who were on board when de Guzman singled.
Meralco caught fire in the fourth frame scoring three hits off Gamilla, who relieved
Centeno in the second, as Cahabug doubled home Simplicio Castillo to turn the tide at 4-3.
Gamilla, who useto be a fastballer, was laid off for a yea he suffered a stroke. After the gae,
Canlubang Manager Rodolfo Tingson describe the victory as their birthday present to D.G. Mino,
American oldtimer who popularized baseball at Canlubang plantation.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Basketball
YELLOW HUMBLE BLACKS, 47-41
The fast-breaking Baguio City High School Yellows edged Baguio Optical Athletic Club
Blacks, 47-41, in an exhibition game held at the Teacher’s Camp basketball court this
afternoon.
R. Sable, breaking loose to score six points in the last minute after the Black defense
broke down, carried his team to victory. It was an exciting game all the way with both teams
trying it up, 19-19, in the first half.
Black guard J. Torres, fouled out in the last five minutes of play when he could not stop
the barrage of points by Sable.
 UNIT
Models VII
WRITING THE
SPORTS STORY

Athletic Meet
MINDANAO LEADS NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC MEET
Mindanao, sparked by Arsenio Jazmin’s victories in the 400 and 800-meter run, led in the
first day of the National Interscholastic Meet at the Rizal Track and Field Stadium yesterday.
Mindanao garnered 23 points against 2nd place Bicols’ 17. MPQCCAA scored 15 notchers
for 3rd place honors and with Southern Tagalog and East Visayas tying for 4th place with 12
points each. West Visayas settled for 6th place with 7 points. Central Luzon and Northern
Luzon had 4 and 2 points respectively.
 UNIT VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS OF THE PRESS
 UNIT
Ethics VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

A school paper, like all newspapers, should observe accuracy, fairness, and good
taste in reporting events. No story should be published which is based on rumor,
gossip, or unattributed opinion. Only statements of facts whose authority or source
is obvious will need no attribution. Obscenity should be absolutely taboo for school
paper.
Words which show bias in the handling of news stories or other stories concerning
race, color, religious beliefs, or class should be avoided. Stories concerning the
morale of individuals should be avoided; no innocent person(s) should be needlessly
involved in questionable or unpleasant incidents, or exposed to ridicule. A school
paper should not as a rule print pictures which offend the sensibility of the general
run of readers. Example: photos of dead persons or murder victims which
emphasizes brutality. Sex crimes are not the territory of the school paper.
 UNIT
Ethics VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

The persons that can be held accountable when a school paper reporter commits
a breach of ethics or laws on journalism are the advisers, the principal, the
school journalism supervisor of the division, and the division superintendent (in
the case of public high schools), heads of private schools or presidents of state
colleges, as the case may be, based on the principle of command responsibility.
Among the most common ethical questions related to journalism are:
confidentiality of information, objectivity, and fairness.
 UNIT
Ethics VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

Confidentiality
Off the record. Sometimes people will disclose information only if the reporter
agrees to keep it off the record. Tradition binds the journalist to honor this
confidentiality.
Objectivity
Objectivity vs. Subjectivity. “News, according to cynics, is what journalists say it
is”. News, according to hallowed tradition, is the objective reporting of events as
they take place, no more, no less.
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Ethics VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
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Fairness
The whole point in advocating objectivity is to be fair in presenting the news. Because the
reporter exercises the power to give or deny information, the public will see the subject
according to the way he presents it. If they trust him and his paper, they will accept his
story.
• Balanced news reporting
• Concepts opposed to balanced reporting
a) Advocacy journalism
b) New journalism
c) Stylistic journalism
d) Yellow journalism
• Editorial emphasis
a) Editorializing
b) Overwriting or underwriting
c) Omitting a news story from publication
d) Creating a news story
e) Publishing only facts which the paper wants the reader to know
f) Failing to select the right feature
 UNIT
Ethics VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

Fairness
The whole point in advocating objectivity is to be fair in presenting the news.
Because the reporter exercises the power to give or deny information, the public
will see the subject according to the way he presents it. If they trust him and his
paper, they will accept his story.
• Propaganda devices
a) Name calling
b) Glittering generalities
c) Transfer
d) Testimonial
e) Plain folks
f) Card stacking
g) Bandwagon
 UNIT
Code of Ethics VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

In order to guide its members along the right path of good journalism, the Philippine Secondary
Schools Press Association (PSSPA) during the national conference in 1948 at Torres High School,
Manila, adopted a code of Ethics modelled after that of the Indiana Secondary School Press
Association. This is their code:
Conscious of the honor of representing the student population of all public high schools in the Philippines and the great
responsibility that this honor entails, the Philippine Secondary School Press Association pledges to do and uphold the
following Code of Ethics:
1. To cooperate at all times with the faculty in the improvement and betterment of the school and to give only constructive
criticisms in regard to any school undertaking.
2. To reflect good sportsmanship in writing by disregarding personal grudge and enmity.
3. To avoid ironic personal jokes.
4. To exclude from publication articles about the school that may draw wrong and unpleasant conclusions from those unaware of
the real situation.
5. To extend full credit to the author of any borrowed article.
6. To be accurate and truthful in newspaper reporting.
7. To correct errors brought to the attention of the staff.
8. To strive hard for the best way of expression.
9. To practice teamwork and discard individualism.
10. To adopt new ideas and make changes whenever such will mean progress and advancement.
 UNIT
The Journalist’s Creed (Walter Williams) VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust, that all connected with it are to the full measure of their responsibility,
trustees for the public, that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.
I believe that clearer thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.
I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.
I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.
I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman, that bribery by one's own pocketbook is
as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading
another's instruction or another's dividends.
I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of
helpful truth and cleanliness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public
service.
I believe that the journalism which succeeds best - and best deserves success - fears God and honors man: is stoutly
independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant but never careless; self-controlled,
patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of
privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance, and as far as law and honest wage and recognition of
human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international goodwill
and cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity of and for today's world.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

Ethics of Mass Media

The Philippine press has always been considered a bulwark of our democratic and
individual human rights as protected by the New Constitution. As a protection of
our basic rights, the press must also consider accuracy, fairness, objectivity, and
good taste.
The members of the Fourth Estate must be governed by the code of Ethics of the
profession.
• The following is the Code of Ethics of the Philippine Press Council:
a) Accuracy, Truthfulness, Objectivity - The ethical journalist scrupulously reports and
interprets the news. He does not suppress essential facts nor distort the truth by omission,
or wrong or improper emphasis. He will omit rumors and statements like “it was learned”,
“informed sources”, and the like, and will not write a news story that he knows is not
truthful after carefully checking its source. Headlines in an ethical newspaper should be
fully warranted by the contents of their articles. If an error or an inaccuracy is brought to
the attention of a particular newspaper, the latter should immediately publish an adequate
rectification.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

b) Professional Secrecy - The ethical journalist will not reveal confidential information given to him
in the exercise of his profession. Even after leaving the profession of journalism, he may not reveal
confidential information given to him while he was a journalist.
c) Fairness and Honesty in Gathering the News - The ethical journalist resorts only to fair and honest
method in gathering the news. This includes the taking of pictures. He will refuse to employ such
means as fraud, blackmail, and intimidation. He will not conceal or falsity his identity to obtain
information which would otherwise be refuse him.
d) Protecting Juveniles and Women involved in Sex Offenses - The ethical journalist- and this applies
to editors, especially-will not publish the names of women involved in the sex crimes, whether
they are offenders or the offended, considering that a woman’s reputation, once sullied, places
her in a very distinct disadvantage and make a future normal like difficult. The names of person
below 18 of age who run afoul of the law, especially if it is the first time, should be suppressed, so
as to give such first offenders a chance to reform.
e) Respect for Privacy or for Private Reputation - The ethical journalist should exercise very great
restraint in publishing reports which would adversely affect a person’s privacy or its private
reputation. In any case, if a complaint is lodged with this council under this article, the burden of
showing that the publication complaint of is in the public interest on the respondent journalist.
Photographs of private grief should, as a rule, be not published unless the consent of the person so
photographed shall be first be obtained.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

f) Decency, Courtesy, and Good Taste - The ethical journal does not write in detail news stories
which only serve to arouse prurient interest in his readers, especially in cases involving sex.
Publication of photographs which exceed the limit of good taste and decency is prohibited. Editors
and copyreaders should cross out offensive words, bearing in mind always that their readers
include children and persons of great sensibility. Courtesy to the public is a guideline that must be
adhered to always.
g) Honorable and Honest Means of Livelihood - The ethical journalist will not accept a bribe to write
or suppress a news story. He will not write or use his profession to obtain favors for himself or
members of his family. He will not live beyond his honest means 80 that temptation to be
dishonest will not cause him to violent the norms of ethical conduct. Using the journalistic
profession as a stepping stone to more lucrative jobs should be eschewed as its gives the
profession a reputation and attracts self-seeking men and women. A journalist uses his power for
any selfish or otherwise unworthy purpose is faithless to a high trust.
h) Personal Behavior, Manners - Realizing that he wields great power which can be used for good or
for evil, the ethical journalist always comports himself with dignity, right manners and good
conduct. He knows that the whole profession of journalism is judged by the individual
performances of each journalist. He will at all times be respectful, dress decently, speak softly,
and keep within bounds of gentlemanly behavior. He does not mistake license freedom.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

The Code of Ethics of the members of the National Press Club is reprinted
below:
a) I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to
distort the truth by omission or by wrong or improper emphasis.
b) I shall not violate confidential information or material given in the exercise of my calling.
c) I shall resort only to fair and honest methods in my effort to obtain news, photographs and or
documents, and shall properly identity myself as a representative of the Press when obtaining any
personal interview intended for publication.
d) I shall refrain for writing the reports which will adversely affect a private reputation, unless the
private interest justifies it.
e) I shall not let personal motives or interests influence me in the performance of my duties, nor
shall I accept or offer any present, gift or other consideration of a nature which ay cast doubts on
my professional integrity.
f) I shall comport myself in public while performing my duties as journalist in such a manner as to
maintain the dignity of my profession. When in doubt decency should be my watchword.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

Below is the Code of Newspaper Ethics of the American Society of Newspaper Editors:
The American Society of Newspapers Editors has its own code which has been adopted by Philippine public
high school papers, to wit:
a) Responsibility – The right of newspapers to attract and hold readers is restricted by nothing but
consideration of public welfare. The use of newspaper makes the share of public attention it gained
serve to determine its sense of responsibility, which it share with every member of the staff. A
journalist who uses his power for any selfish or otherwise unworthy purpose is faithless to a high trust.
b) Freedom of the Press – Freedom of the Press is to be guarded as a vital right of mankind. It is
unquestionable right to discuss whatever is not explicitly forbidden by law, including the wisdom of any
restrictive statue.
c) Independence – Freedom from all obligations except that of fidelity to the public interest is vital.
• Promotion of any private interest contrary to the general welfare, for whatever reason, is not compatible with honest
journalism. So-called news communications from private sources should not be published without public notice of their source
or also substantiation of their claims to their value, both in form and substance.
• Partisanship in editorial comment which knowingly departs from truth does violence to the best spirit of American journalism;
in the news column it is subversive of a fundamental principle of the profession.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

d) Sincerity, Truthfulness, Accuracy – Good faith with the reader is a foundation of all journalism
worthy of the name.
• By every consideration of a good faith a newspaper is constrained to be truthful. It is not be excused for lack of
thoroughness or accuracy within its control or failure to obtain command of these essential qualities.
• Headline should be fully warranted by the contents of the articles which they surmount.

e) Impartiality – Sound practice makes a clear distinction between news reports and expressions of
opinion. News should be free from opinion or bias of any kind. This rule does not apply to so-called
special articles unmistakably devote to advocacy or characterized by a signature authorizing the
writer’s own conclusion and interpretation.
f) Fair Play – A newspaper should not publish unofficial charges affecting reputation or moral
character without opportunity given to the accused to be heard; right practice demands the giving
of such opportunity in all cases of a serious accusation outside judicial proceedings.
• A newspaper should not invade private rights or feelings without sure warrant of public rights as distinguished from
public curiosity.
• It is a privilege, as it is a duty of newspaper to make prompt and complete correction of its own serious mistakes of fact
or opinion, whatever their origin.
 UNIT
The Responsibility of the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

g) Decency – A newspaper cannot escape conviction of insincerity if, professing high moral purpose,
it supplies incentives to base conduct , such as are to be found in detail of crime and vice,
publication of which is not demonstrably for the general good. Lacking authority to enforce its
canons, the journalism here represented can but express the hope that deliberate pandering to
vicious instincts will encounter effective public disapproval or yield to the influence of a
preponderant professional condemnation.
 UNIT
Common Charges against the Press VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

• Libel – general defined as “defamation of character”; printing false information is libel; oral
defamation is slander; a legal defense against a libel suit is provable truth.
• Bribes – may be direct or indirect; more common are the indirect forms of bribery like gifts, free
meals, free hotel accommodations, and plane tickets.
• Sensationalism – means playing up the most sordid, disgusting aspect of a subject; an item or detail
offending public sensibilities must be omitted.
• Invasion of Privacy – refers to the improper or even illegal means of gaining information; some
examples were intercepting mails, peeking through windows, or poking through garbage.
• Obscenity – although many people use cuss words even in public, such words and other vulgarities
are still not accepted in news reporting.
• Superficiality – if an item is not of public interest, it is not newsworthy and should not be printed
as news.
• Obstruction of justice – Publishing pros and cons of a case under trial may be considered an
attempt to influence the court’s decision and therefore constitutes obstruction of justice.
 UNIT
Criteria of a Good Newspaper VIII
ETHICS AND LAWS
OF THE PRESS

The Associated Press Managing Editors Association (APMEA) conducted an in-depth study to assess the newspaper as
regards its responsibility in present day society. Lasting for 10 months, the study yielded the varied criteria of a good
newspaper.
A good newspaper prints the important news and provides the information, comment, and guidance most useful to its
readers. It report fully and explains the meaning of local, national and international events which are of major significance
in its own community. It editorial comments provide an informed opinion on matters of vital concern to its readers.
By reflecting a total image of its own community in its news coverage and by providing wise counsel in its editorials a good
newspaper becomes a public conscience. It must also be lively, imaginative, and original it must have a series of humor and
the power to arouse keen interest.
To implement these principles of good editing requires skilled staff, an attractive format, adequate space for news and
comments, and sound business foundation. The staff must process the professional pride and competence necessary to
breathe life and meaning into the daily record of history. Good writing must be combined with an effective typographical
display of copy and pictures to capture the full drama and excitement of the day’s news. Good printing is essential.
News and comment of most immediate interest and importance to the local community shall have priority for the available
space which will defend on the size and resources of the newspaper.
To assure a financially strong and independent publication and one that is competitive with other media, a good newspaper
must maintain effective circulation, advertising, and promotion departments. Finally, a good newspaper should be guided in
the publication of all materials by a concern for truth, the hallmark of freedom; by a concern for human decency and human
betterment; and by respect for the accepted standards of its own community.
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A good newspaper may judge its own performance – and be

judged – by the following criteria:

Accuracy
The newspaper shall:
• Exert maximum effort to print the truth in all news situations.
• Strive for completeness and objectivity.
• Guard against carelessness, bias or distortion by either emphasis or omission.
• Correct promptly errors of facts for which the newspaper is responsible.
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Responsibility
The newspaper shall:
• Use mature and considered judgement in the public interest at all times.
• Select, edit, and display news on the basis of its significance and its genuine
usefulness to the public.
• Edit news affecting public morals with candor and good taste and avoid and
imbalance of sensational, preponderantly negative, or merely trivial news.
• Accept when possible a reasonable amount of news which illustrates the values
of compassion, self-sacrifice, heroism, good citizenship, and patriotism.
• Clearly define sources of news and tell the readers when competent sources
cannot be identified.
• Respect rights of privacy.
• Instruct its staff members to conduct themselves with dignity and decorum.
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Leadership
The newspaper shall:
• Act with courage in serving the public.
• Stimulate and vigorously support public officials, private groups, and individuals
in crusades and campaigns to increase the good works and eliminate the bad in
the community.
• Help to protect all rights and privileges guaranteed by law.
• Serve as a constructive critic of government at all levels, providing leadership
for necessary reforms or innovation, and exposing any misfeasance in office or
any misuse of public power.
• Oppose demagogues and other selfish and unwholesome interests regardless of
their size.
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Integrity
The newspaper shall:
• Maintain vigorous standards of honesty and fair play in the selection and editing
of its content as well as in all its relation with news sources and the public.
• Deal dispassionately with controversial subjects and treat dispute issues with
impartiality.
• Provide a forum for the exchange of pertinent comment and criticism,
especially is it is in conflict with the newspaper’s point of view.
• Label its own editorial views of expression or opinion.
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Constitutional Provisions
THE RIGHT TO PUBLISH NEWS is not expressly granted by law, but is founded on
the general liberty of the people.
No provision of either the 1935 Constitution or the 1987 Constitution declares
that citizens have the right to publish. The bill of rights both Constitutions merely
state that the government has no power to enact laws abridging the freedom of
the press.
Sub-section of Sec. 1, Art. III of the 1935 Constitution states: “No law shall be
passed abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of
grievances”.
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This provision is repeated in the New Constitution. The provision prevents

censorship or the imposition of previous restraint upon a publication. The
reporter or publisher, however, may be held liable for printing or publishing any
of the following:
• Those injurious to the reputation or privacy of persons;
• Those injurious to the public order and national security;
• Those injurious to public morals; and
• Those injurious to the integrity and efficiency of public bodies, such as
Congress and the courts.
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The restraints on publications may be classified on the basis of the branch of law
affected:
• Criminal law – libel, obscenity, inciting to sedition, contempt, unlawful
publication of official papers, etc.
• Civil law – Libel, breach of privacy, violation of copyright, unfair competition.
• Administrative law – concerning postal law, mailing privileges, customs
regulations, advertising rules.
Of these restraints, the most pervasive and recurrent is the law on libel. Also on
these restraints, it is the libel law which campus editors may most likely violate.
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Libel – Definitions, Kinds, and Requisites

Libel Defined
Art. 353 of the Revised Penal Code (Act No. 3815, as amended) defines libel as “A
public and malicious imputation of crime, or a vice or defect, real or imaginary,
or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstances tending to cause the
dishonor, discredit, or contempt of a natural or judicial person, or to blacken the
memory of one who is dead”.
Libel is distinct from slander in that libel is the use of written or printed word, or
a picture, or an effigy. Slander, on the other hand, is an oral or spoken
defamation.
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Kinds of Libel

• Libel per se (libel in itself or by itself) – It is a defamatory statement which

speaks for itself and needs no further proof of its meaning or its intent. It is
falsely written accusation (such as labeling a person a “thief” or a “swindler”).
• Libel per qoud – It is written material that becomes libelous under certain
circumstances. Unlike in Libel per se in the libel per qoud there is a necessity
to look behind the face of the writing to determine whether the statement
actually does harm. Did the alleged defamatory article really cause inquiry?
This had to be proved.
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Requisites of Libel
In general, there are four requisites to make a publication libelous: 1) defamatory
imputation, 2) malice, either in law or in fact, 3) publication of the imputation
and 4) identity and certainty of the person libeled.
A statement is defamatory if it exposes a person to hatred, ridicule, or contempt,
or if it causes him to be avoided or shunned and has a tendency to injure him in
his office, profession, or trade. A publication is defamatory if it tends to harm
the reputation of another as to lower him in the estimation of the community or
to deter third persons from associating or dealing with him.
A statement is malicious if it may denote unprivileged publication of defamatory
matter without lawful excuse (malice in law) and if it may mean an evil motive or
ill-will in making the publication (malice in fact).
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To be libelous, the defamatory statement should be published. This means that the
communication of the libelous matter must be known and understood by a third person,
other than the plaintiff and the defendant. For editors and newsmen to be liable however, it
is not enough that the issue containing libelous matter be printed. It is required that it be
circulated in public, to give reasonable probability at least that the libelous matter be
exposed to be read by third persons. As to the author, mere sending of a libelous item to a
newspaper or mere delivery of such to a typesetter constitutes sufficient publication.
The last requisite for libel is that the victim of the defamation must clearly identified.
Identification need not be by name.
It could be shown against whom the defamation was directed by the testimony of friends of
the offended party or of the persons who know the parties of the circumstances. Nor is it
essential to show that the defendant meant to attack the person libeled. Generally, if the
public may understand the words used referred to the plaintiff, it is immaterial that the
defendant had no such intentions. If no person is specified by name or accurately described
in the alleged libel, it is not enough that the complainant recognized himself as the libeled.
At least, a third person must identify him as the subject of defamatory matter.
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Anti-Obscenity Law
An act prohibiting and penalizing the production, printing, publication,
importation, sale, distribution and exhibition of obscene and pornographic
materials and the exhibition of live sexual acts, amending for the purpose article
201 of the revised penal code as amended.
Right to Privacy
The right to privacy is enshrined in several provisions of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution. We quote Section 3(1) of the Bill of Rights as follows:
• Sec. 3. (1) The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be
inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order
requires otherwise as prescribed by law.
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The right to privacy is also heavily protected in various provisions of the Bill of
Rights in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, namely:
• Sec. 1. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due
process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.
• Sec. 2. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and
for any purpose shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest
shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the
judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the
witnesses he may produce, and particularly describing the place to be searched
and the persons or things to be seized.
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Contempt of Court
Contempt of court is disobedience to the court by acting in opposition to its
authority, justice and dignity. It signifies not only a willful disregard or
disobedience of the court’s orders but also conduct tending to bring the authority
of the court and the administration of law into disrepute or, in some manner, to
impede the due administration of justice. Under the Rules of Court, contempt is
classified into either direct or indirect contempt. Direct contempt is committed
in the presence of or so near a court or judge as to obstruct or interrupt the
proceedings before the same. Indirect contempt is one not committed in the
presence of a court. It is an act done at a distance which tends to belittle,
degrade, obstruct or embarrass the court and justice.
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Copyright Law
Philippine copyright law is enshrined in the Intellectual Property Code of the
Philippines, officially known as Republic Act No. 8293. The law is partly based on
United States copyright law and the principles of the Berne Convention for the
Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Unlike many other copyright laws,
Philippine copyright laws also protect patents, trademarks, and other forms of
intellectual property. There are also other laws that protect copyrights: the
Optical Media Act (which protects music, movies, computer programs, and video
games) is an example of such. The law is enforced through a body established by
the law: the Intellectual Property Office, or IPO, and its various branches.
Copyright implementation is done with the coordination of the IPO and the
Copyright Division of the National Library of the Philippines.
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