News Basics (The Easy Stuff)
These are the "5 Ws" (and one H) every reporter needs to answer in their story.
What are Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?
This writing style puts the most important info at the top and the tiny details at the bottom
What is the Inverted Pyramid
This is the #1 rule of journalism: making sure all your facts are 100% correct
What is accuracy
This is the big, bold title at the top of a news story that grabs your attention.
What is a headline?
This is a short description under a photo that explains what’s happening in the picture
What is a caption (or cutline)?
This is the big "no-no" where you copy someone else's work and say you wrote it.
What is plagiarism
This is the name of the person who wrote the article, usually found right under the headline
What is a byline
This is a story that isn't just "hard news"—it's more like a human-interest story about a person or a hobby.
What is a feature story
When a reporter lets their personal opinions change how they report a story, they're showing this.
What is bias?
This is the first sentence or paragraph of a news story that summarizes the whole thing.
What is a lead (or lede)?
When you write down exactly what someone said and put it in your story, you're using one of these.
What is a quote?
This Amendment in the Bill of Rights protects the "freedom of the press."
What is the First Amendment?
This is the specific topic or area a reporter covers all the time, like "sports" or "school lunch."
What is a beat?
This is the time by which a reporter must turn in their story, or they’re in big trouble.
What is a deadline
This is the "fake stuff"—when a reporter just makes up facts or quotes that never happened
What is fabrication