News Articles
These essential questions should be answered within the first paragraph.
What are the 5 W's and H? Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
This is an Opinion article for the Newspaper.
What is an Editorial?
An article focusing on the "slice of life" of one particular individual, or an upcoming special event.
What is a Feature Story?
In the 1700's, "newspapers" in the American colonies were actually multi-page pamphlets, otherwise known as these.
What are leaflets?
This closed radio system is typically left on 24/7, and it broadcasts live communication between police officers and other first responders.
What is a police scanner (or police radio)?
This method states that the writer should start the article with the guts, move to the details, and end with extra information.
What is the Inverted Pyramid?
Editorials are articles that are often written by senior writers at the newspaper, but since they represent the entire Newspaper, they should not be written using this voice.
What is First Person?
A typed News Article is typically 1 and 1/4 pages. A typed Editorial is typically 1 full page. A typed Feature Story is typically this.
What is 1 and 1/2 pages?
Beginning in the late 1800's, newspapers began to take on two different sizes. When unfolded, one was longer, and contained more serious news, while the other type of newspaper was not only smaller, but tended to contain sensationalism, and lacked respect.
What are the broadsheet and tabloid newspapers?
Journalists will refer to these for upcoming sporting events, either at the professional, college, or high school levels.
What are local sports schedules?
This is the first paragraph in your news article, and where you find the juiciest information.
What is the Lead?
Since Editorials represent the opinion of the Newspaper, they should not include outside information, especially these.
What are quotes?
This is the paragraph that comes after the Lead in a Feature Story. It contains answers to some of the essential questions.
What is the Nut Graph?
Nellie Bly, a pioneer in Investigative Journalism, spent ten days in one of these in the late 1800s to get an inside scoop on how poorly things were operating.
What is a Mental Asylum, Mental Institution, or Psychiatric Ward/Hospital?
Journalists will refer to these for future local government/civic events.
What are civic calendars?
This is the expression or phrase used to signify that the juiciest information should be in your Lead.
What is, "If it bleeds, it leads"?
In an Editorial you should let the reader know this by the end of the second paragraph.
What is the side of the issue you are on?
If the Feature Story is about one individual person, then you must do this prior to writing the article.
What is, Interview that person?
The name of this type of journalism is found in the present-day tabloids. It got its name from two competing publishers in the late 1800s over a certain comic strip.
What is yellow journalism?
In the late 1800s and much of the 20th Century, this was a popular way of getting in-depth, large feature stories, often of governments, businesses or other organizations where there was suspicion of foul play.
What is investigative journalism?
This is the standard structural order of paragraphs when it comes to writing news articles.
What is L, AI, Q, T, Q, T, Q, T, Q?
An Editorial should present the counter-argument, but it should also do this to the counter-argument.
What is Refute it, or Rebuke it, or tear it down?
This is often the best type of Lead to use for a Feature Story. It is a mini story, often with humor or a moral tale.
What is an anecdote?
This is known as one of the most respected newspapers in America, winner of more than 130 Pulitzer Prizes, far more than any other newspaper.
What is the New York Times?
These are professional agencies who represent various clients trying to obtain publicity, without paying for advertising. Representatives will call journalists and pitch them story ideas that include their clients.
What is public relations?