1. Newspaper Writing
This isn’t English class.
Adapted/excerpted from:
Brooks, Brian S., et al. News Reporting and Writing. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. Print.

2. The Basics
• Short, clear sentences
• Short paragraphs
• Active voice
• Attribute info to sources
• Use quotes that really add to the story
• Use precise, strong words without sounding
like a thesaurus

3. The Lead (or Lede)
• First paragraph or two
• Grab the reader’s attention. So what?
• 25 words or less (unless using multiple sentences)
• Think: Who? What? Where? When? Why?
How?
• Avoid too many numbers in your lead
• Sample: “A smoker who fell asleep in bed ignited
a fire that caused minor damage to his home on
W. Haven Street Tuesday.”

4. Lead With Whatever’s Most
Interesting
• A convicted arsonist awoke Tuesday to find
that his bedroom was filled with smoke.
• Mayor Henry Smyth escaped injury Tuesday
when he awoke to find his bedroom filled with
smoke.

5. “You” Lead
• What’s in it for the reader?
• Example: “You’ll have to pay $50 more to buy
season tickets to the Eagles’ games next year.”

6. Immediate ID Lead
• Name is recognizable and important, so
emphasize it
• Example: “Betty Shabazz, who died last
month, was honored Tuesday at the NAACP
convention in Pittsburgh.”

7. Delayed ID Lead
• Name isn’t well-known or important to most
readers
• Example:
A 39-year-old carpenter was killed today in a
two-car collision two blocks from his home.
William Domonske was on his way to work when
he was killed.

8. Inverted Pyramid
most important
least
important
Good for hard news

9. Inverted Pyramid
After the lead:
• Elaborate on the lead
• Introduce additional info in the order of
importance
• One new idea per paragraph

10. Sample Inverted Pyramid Article

11. Alternatives to the Inverted Pyramid
• Narrative (Better for features/soft news)
• Vivid scenes
• Dialogue
• Foreshadowing
• Anecdotes
• Still start with a strong hook
• Chronology
• Focus on one person and extend outward
• Blend styles

12. Write the first 2 paragraphs of the story:
Who: 7-year-old boy missing for three years
What: found
Where: in Brick Township, NJ
When: Monday night
Why: n/a
How: A neighbor recognized the child’s picture
when it was shown after the NBC movie Adam: The
Song Continues and called police
Other info: Police arrested the boy’s mother, Ellen
Lynn Conner, 27; she faces Alabama charges of
kidnapping and interference with a custody warrant

13. Write the first 2 paragraphs of the story:
Who: 40 passengers
What: evacuated from a Southwest Airlines jet, Flight
428
Where: LaCrosse, Wis., Municipal Airport
When: Monday following a flight from Minneapolis to
LaCrosse
Why: A landing tower employee spotted smoke near the
wheels.
How: n/a
Other info: There was no fire or injuries; the smoke was
caused by hydraulic fluids leaking onto hot landing
brakes, according to Bob Gibbons, a Southwest
spokesperson