This document provides an overview of different types of news stories, editorials, columns, and interviews. It discusses the key elements and purposes of news stories, editorials, features, columns, sports writing, and interviews. The main types of news stories covered are the basic news story, inverted pyramid style, hard news, and soft news. It also outlines the characteristics and types of editorials, columns, editorials cartoons, and sports writing. Finally, it discusses the different kinds and purposes of interviews, as well as tips for conducting and writing interviews.

1. CJ – MIDTERMS
TYPES OF NEWS STORIES
It is important to distinguish the various types of news stories because
the term “news” isvery broad.In categorizingnews,wehavetoconsider
news value and standards of conduct.
News Story
 attempts to answer all the basic questions about any particular
event in the first two or three paragraphs
o Who? What? When? Where? and Why? and occasionally
How? ("5 W's").
 Lead and body
 Ends when the writer runs out of material
Inverted Pyramid
 top-loading the essential and most interesting elements of a
story, with supporting information following in order of lesser
importance.
 Developed during the civil war to insure the main facts of the
story would not be lost during communication by telegraph.
 Lead and body
Hard News
Hard News includes two concepts:
o Seriousness: Politics, economics, crime, war, and disasters are
considered serious topics, as are certain aspects of law, science,
and technology.
o Timeliness: Stories that cover current events— the progress of
a war,the results of a vote, the breakingout of a fire,a significant
public statement, the freeing of a prisoner, an economic report
of note, etc.
Soft News
Soft news is sometimes referred to in a derogatory fashion as
infotainment and includes two concepts:
o The least serious subjects: Arts and entertainment, sports,
lifestyles, "human interest", and celebrities.
o Not timely: There is no precipitating event triggering the story,
other than a reporter's curiosity.  Timely events happen in less
serious subjects—sporting matches, celebrity misadventures,
movie releases, art exhibits, and so on.

2. Feature Story
 article in a newspaper, a magazine, or a news website that is not
meant to report breaking news, but to take an in-depth look at
a subject.
 Less urgent, attempts to engage reader
 Narrative structure (beginning, middle, end), expands on details
 Longer in length, includes personal perspective
 Entertaining, often include pictures
 Hard or Soft?
 Needs a neat ending that wraps up the story (conclusion)
Editorial
 Short, persuasive essay which usually contains the writer’s
opinion or reaction to a timely news story or event.
 Influence readers to think or act a certain way
 Written to either inform, promote, praise, or entertain
Column
 Personal observations by the writer about a certain subject
 Includes facts and states a conclusion
 Written on almost anything
EDITORIAL WRITING
EDITORIAL
 An editorial is the official stand of the paper on a relevant
development or issue. It is a personal commentary written by
the editor who comments or gives the news written by the
editor who comments or gives the newspaper's or the staffs
opinion about various aspects on an issue which is of interest
and importance to the public.
 It is a critical interpretation of significant, usually contemporary
events so that the readers will be informed, influenced, or
entertained.
 It is the stand of the paper, not of an individual editor.
Characteristics of a Good Editorial
Reddick gives three (3) qualities of a good editorial: interest, brevity,
and force.
Spears and Lawshe, on the other hand, characterize an editorial as one
that:
1) must have clearness of style,
2) has moral purpose,
3) has sound reasoning, and
4) has the power to influence public opinion.
It can be added further that a good editorial must:
1) lead logically to a conclusion,
2) present only one idea,
3) avoid wordiness, and
4) present facts and not mere opinion.
Types of Editorials
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:

3. 1) Editorial of Information - It seeks to give information on facts of
news storiesor addother factswithminimumexplanation.Itmaydefine
terms, identify persons or factors or provide a background.
2) Editorial of Interpretation - 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 judgment to the reader. It merely
interprets, say for example, the content of a new memorandum issued
by the principal.
3) Editorial of Criticism - It points out the good or the bad features of
a problem or situation mentioned in the news. Its purpose is to
influence the reader. It suggests a solution at the end.
4) Editorial of Commendation, Appreciation, or Tribute - It praises,
commends, or pays tribute to a person or organization that has
performed some worthwhile projects or deeds, or accomplishments.

4. 5) 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.
6) Editorial of Entertainment - It evokes a smile, a chuckle, laughter
while suggesting truth. Its main aim is to entertain. It is usually short
7) Mood Editorial - It presents a philosophy rather than an argument
or an explanation. Oftentimes, the subject matter is nature or emotion.
8) Special Occasion - it explains the significance of a special day or
occasion.
How to Write an Editorial

5.  In 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:
o the introduction,
o the body, and
o the ending
 The first containsthe newspegwith the reaction.It is usually one
short paragraph.
 The body may take two or three short paragraphs that support
or justify the reaction. The ending, sometimes called the
clincher, summarizes the editorial's stand.
Purpose of Editorial Writing
 Editorial makes any serious and uninteresting topics debatable.
 They are thought-provoking and raise questions in the mind of
those who read them.
 It is the heart and soul of the newspapers. Editorials can be also
considered inspiring and motivational meaning many times if
an individual readsan articlegetsinspired to replyback or leave
feedbackonthat specificarticlethismighthelphimin the future
write for himself in editorial sections.
 It displays the values and policies of a newspaper. Therefore, it
is important to keep in mind the importance of objectivity of
these articles. If any mistake is made by the editor the entire
newspaper will be questioned.
EDITORIAL CARTOONING
 An editorial cartoon is an editorial page illustration expressing
opinion and interpretation.
 The word cartoon is derived from two words: caricature and
lampoon. The caricature is an exaggerated description,
generallybysketching. It is a pictorial representationof a person
or thing in which a defect or peculiarity is exaggerated to
produce a ludicrous effect.
 A lampoon, on the other hand, is a piece of malicious writing, a
personal written satire that attacks and ridicules.
 An editorial cartoon also performs any of the three functions of
the newspress: to inform, influence, or entertain.
 A good cartoon appeals to the reader’s sense of humor in order
to persuade him to accept an opinion; an effective social force.
 A cartoonlike the top editorial,dealswithonly a singleidea and
is about political and social conditions and problems. Some
cartoons are good-natured and humorous; others are serious
and sophisticated.
Cartoon ideas cover a wide range or subjects. Some may be:

6. Suggestion for Cartooning:
o Should say something
o Should deal with only one topic
o Should limit the use of words and labels
o Should use universal symbols (easily understood by an ordinary
reader)
o Should be original
o Should not defame nor expose a person or object to hatred,
ridicule, or contempt
Purpose of Editorial Cartooning
o Editorial cartoons are an entertaining way to spark student interest
in current social and political issues.
o Editorial cartoons are ideal for introducing current events to
children and for allowing children to express their opinions.
o Editorial cartoons are in a way similar to history books in that they
highlight topical issues of the day. They are just like the rock
paintings found within primitive environments, they reflect the way
of life and cultures of people in their geographical location.
o Cartoons are a unique form of journalism that contrast with
conventional forms of communication. The images can cast a
powerful interpretation of the day’s news. They explain and explore
stories in manners that articles cannot. More effective than writing
or video, they capture the imitable human nature of their subjects
in order to humanize the topic they depict.
COLUMN SPORTS WRITING
SPORTS WRITING
- is one of the most interesting aspects of the noble profession in
journalism.
- it covers news like a basketball or volleyball story, sports editorial, and
sports features.
SPORTS STORIES
- According to study, 95% of male readers read the sports page.

7. - The readers are interested to read human interest stories and write
ups about their favorite sports personalities.
TYPES OF SPORTS REPORTING
1. Play-by-Play Account - demands close observation and ability to
work at top speed, knowledge of the game is necessary.
2. Lead Stories - centering on the highlights and more important plays
such as scoring, plays, the crucial games and star performers of both
teams.
3. Sports Features - have a broader range of subject matter and the
writers can use the creative approach.
4. Advance Sports Stories – give backgrounders, some unusual and
before games. May touch also on lineups, playing styles, crowd
situations, statements by coaches, odds, other interest, and angles.
5. Follow-upStories-they maydiscuss the conditionof playersinjured
or the psychological aspects of the game.
6. The Sports Column – written from the angle of the reporters.
WRITING THE SPORTS COVERAGE
- The sportswriter must always be punctual in covering sports events.
- The reporters need to gather the reaction of the crowds and the
cheers of many competing teams or groups.
- The reporter must get the following facts:
1. The score of outcome
2. Significance of the outcome
3. Spectacular plays
4. Weather conditions
5. Size of spectators
6. Individual stars
7. Comparison of the team
8. Coincidences
- The sports writer must be guided by the 5 W’s and the inverted
pyramid style in the writing the sports story.
PARTS OF NEWS STORY
1. Headline - use the appropriate sports lingo. Don’t forget the total
score.
Example: UNC beats Louisville, 72- 71 on late paige basket.
2. Lead - a sports story has a lead and a body or text.
The sports lead may be one of the ff:
a. The Classic “5 Ws” – who won? Against whom? By what score?
Where? When?
Example:SKSU,poured10 baskets in the last three minutes to edgeout
the SMIT, 65-63 at the opponents homeground yesterday afternoon.
b. The Key Play Lead – it starts with the most exciting parts of the
game.

8. Example: The Aquino NHS sluggers bombed the Marcos NHS batters
with six runs in the third inning to subdue a nerve-fuzzling Marcos rally
12 -14 as they cliched the invitation games here in connection with the
celebration of Sports week.
c. The Outstanding Player lead - It features a favorite, outstanding
player. It is sometimes called the hero of the game lead.
Example: Warner Cruz of SKU, after almost four hours of battle over the
chessboard copped the most coverted YMCA trophy after outwitting
SKEI chesser Christian Manuel in 27 moves of a Sicilian defense.
d. The Analytical Approach Lead - the result of a particular key plan
in action analyze the game.
Example: Pumped-up Purefoods played solid defense to frustrate Diet
Sarsi, 115-105 last night and arrange a winner take all, Sunday for the
PBA all Filipino Conference crown at the Ultra.
3. Body - the body composed of the other elements arranged in
descending order or decreasing importance.
QUALITIES OF THE SPORTS WRITER
- A sports writer must be a natural descriptive writer.
- It is important that the writer must have feeling and genuine love for
the sports.
- The sports writer must always be in the struggle in finding new words
and ways to describe for stories.
- The sports writer must be endowed with a keen memory.
THE SPORT WRITER’S DUTY
1. The sports writer is to serve the readers by writing stories, either
amateur or professional.
2. A sports writer is duty bound to write a complete play by play report
of a major event.
3. The goal of the sports writer as the purveyor and disseminator of
factual, blow- by-blow accounts of any sports event.
4. The role of the sports writer is to give the information objectively for
the readers of the sport section.
TIPS FOR SPORTS WRITERS
o Be sports enthusiasts.
o Write for the average reader.
o Use the active voice.
o Write with vigor.
o Be fair.
o Be constantly on the lookout for unusual incidents and angles.
o Describe the players.
o Get additional facts.

10. INTERVIEW
 It is the process of communication in which the subject gives
the needed information being asked.
 Interviewer & interviewee
 The term “interview” has been derived from the French word
‘entre voir’ which means to glimpse or see each other
 According to Oxford dictionary, it is a formal meeting at which
somebody is asked to see if they are suitable for a particular job
or course of study of a college/university.
Purpose of an Interview
o To find if the subject has the right attitude and fits the
requirement and working place culture.
o To find the best candidate to fill a vacancy.
Reminder: An interview has two purposes.
Kinds of Interview
I. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO STRUCTURE
II. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE
III. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO INTERVIEW'S CONTENT
IV. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO ADMINISTERING THE INTERVIEW
I. According to Structure
1. Structured or Direct Interview (standardized interviews)
 Questions and acceptable responses are specified in advance
 Responses are rated for appropriateness of content
2. Unstructured or Indirect Interview
 Not directed by questions as to what the candidate should be
asked.
 Candidateisencouragedtoexpress himself/herself onany topic
of his/her interest, expectations, background etc.
3. Semi-Structured Interview
 specific topic areas
 a general set of questions
 the flow of an interview is like a conversation and topics are
covered as they come up
II. According to Purpose
1. Stress Interview - being asked more than one question at a time;
asked further questions without being allowed adequate time to
respond. The interviewer adopts a hostile behavior and deliberately
puts the candidate on defensive by trying to annoy, embarrass, or

11. frustrate him/her by asking questions rapidly and having candidate's
feelings provoked.
2. Appraisal/ Assessment Interview - a discussion following a
performance appraisal in which the supervisor and employee discuss
the employee’s rating and possible remedial to be taken.
Example:
"What was the biggest challenge you've faced?"
"Which goals you didn't meet, and why?"
3. Exit Interview– When an employeeorany subject leavesa company
or a career for any reason, this type of interview is conducted.
Example:
"What made you decide to leave ABS-CBN?"
"Did you find your environment healthy for your career?"
III. According to Interview's Content
1. Situational Interview - Focus on the individual's ability to project
what his behavior will be in
Example:
"Tell me about yourself 10 years from now."
2. Job Related Interview - The interviewer tries to deduce what the
applicant's on-the-job performance would be, based on his answers
about his/her past behaviors.
Example:
"How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?"
3. Behavioural Interview - The situation is described and candidates
are asked how they have behaved in the past in such situation.
Example:
"How do you handle a challenge? Give an example."
4. PsychologicalInterview -Questionsare intendedtoassess personal
traits such as reliability or dependability etc.
Example:
"Are there any behaviours that irritates you?
IV. According to Administering Interview
1. One to One Interview
 Single interviewer who takes interview one by one
 May be structured, unstructured, or sequential
 Easier to handle, generally more informal
2. Sequential/ Serial Interview
 These interviews are those in which the applicant is interviewed
sequentially by several interviewers.
 Each one rates the interviewee on a standard evaluation form
and ratings are then compared before the hiring decision is
taken
3. Group Interview - The main purpose of interview is to see how the
interviewee interacts with other and how he/she influences others with
his/her knowledge and reason.
4. Panel Interview
 It comprises more than two members interviewing a person
 The intervieweeshould try to connect with each interviewerand
the best way to do this is to read the personality of each
interviewer
Rules in Conducting & Writing an Interview
1. Occasionally verify the tape recorder (if used) is working.
2. Ask one question at a time.
3. Attempt to remain as neutral as possible.
4. Encourage responses
5. Be careful about the appearance when note taking
6. Provide transition between major topics

12. 7. Don't lose control of the interview
COPYREADING
It means editing written copy for publication.
It requires serious and comprehensive revision of an article using
Copyreading marks based on the standards of publication.
WHAT DOES A COPYREADER DO?
He takes the story as it comes from the reporter and puts it through a
refining process.
He uses a heavy black or blue pencil for corrections.
He does not erase the original writing when he edits.
WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF A COPYREADER?
He has good command of a language and comprehensive knowledge
of rules of grammar.
He must be wide reader and always updated on current information.
As watchman of newspaper he must know well the policies of
newspaper.
C’s of Copy reading
 Correct
 Check
 Condense
 Clarify
WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A COPYREADER?
A. Errors in form
 To correct errors in grammar
 To correct errors in spelling
 To correct errors in punctuation
 To correct errors in usage
B. Errors in content
 To correct errors in fact
 To improve news value
 To guard against criticism
 To expand copy
 To reduce copy
 To write headlines of news and check heads or titles of
editorials, features and literary articles
WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A COPYREADER?
To delete unnecessary adjectives and opinion in news
To delete libelous, seditious, and rebellious matter and all those
contrary to laws, and good taste
To correct redundancy and rewrite sentences with verbal deadwood.
To rewrite sentences or paragraphs that violate the principles of unity,
coherence, and emphasis
To correct errors in style and structure
Mechanical Editing
o 1st
reading
o Having a general understanding of the story
o Correcting obvious errors
o Checking vague information
Content Editing
o 2nd
reading
o Checking the appropriateness of words
o Find the lead (news)
o Arranging the paragraphs

13. Ten Rules of Proofreading
1. Never proofread your own copy.
2. Read everything in the copy straight through from the beginning to
end.
3. Read copy backward to catch spelling errors.
4. Read pages out of order.
5. Have proofreaders initial the copy they check.
6. Have someone read numbers while you check hardcopy.
7. Take short breaks so you can concentrate more clearly.
8. List errors you spot over a month.
9. Alter your routine.
10. Make your marks legible and understandable.