2. Elements of News
The characteristics of news are:
1. Immediacy or Timeless – This is the newest
angle or latest development in a story.
Readers are interested in what happened
today or yesterday, not in what happened
weeks ago.
2. Proximity or Nearness – This refers not only to
geographical nearness but also to affinity of
interest. Flooding in your community is news
while flooding in a foreign country in not
unless it is of such unusual scale as to cause
massive destruction of property or loss of lives.
3. 3. Consequence or Significance – is about the
impact of the story on people’s lives. Examples
are storm updates, suspension of classes, oil
price hike, and transport strike, new policies of
the school administration, programs and
projects.
4. Prominence – An ordinary event becomes
news if it happens to people who are well-
known to the public by reasons of wealth,
social position and achievement.
4. 5. Oddity or Unusualness – Items that
could qualify for Ripley’s “Believe it or
not.” A cow was born with two heads
and three legs.
6. Conflict – This involves competition and
struggle. Nearly all sports stories have
this element.
5. 7. Human interest – It appeals to the emotions.
Example: He was looking forward to marking
his 65th birthday with lavish evening bash but
the NBI director never got around to hosting
his party.
8. Drama – This refers to heart-rending stories
such as that of a student who finished college
by working at odd jobs only to die in an
accident after graduation.
6. 9. Progress – involves any significant
changes for the improvement of the
community.
10. Number – Example: Enrolment drops by
15%. This is news because enrolment
reduction by 15% is statistically
significant.
7. Essential Qualities of News
1. Accuracy – Factual accuracy means that
every statement, name, date, age,
address or quotation cited in the story is
true. To achieve accuracy, a reporter
must exert painstaking efforts.
2. Completeness and Balance – A news
story has these qualities if it contains the
important details of a news event.
8. 3. Objectivity – A news story must not carry the
personal opinions of the reporter. He must
report the event from a detached point of
view, with honesty and impartiality. To achieve
objectivity, a report should present both sides
of an issue.
a. When the story contains opinion or judgment.
Example: The cop was suspended because he
was caught extorting money from jeepney
drivers in his area,
9. b. When the story is about a controversial issue or
it contains a little known fact that might be
challenged by readers.
c. When the story announces a new policy or
regulation. Example: Starting Monday, and every
Monday thereafter, the one hour-period will be
cut to 45 minutes to accommodate the
homeroom period, according to the principal.
4. Simplicity and clarity – Since the purpose of the news
is to inform, the news writer must strive for simplicity
and clarity. Sentences should be short. Simple words
should be preferred over unfamiliar words.
10. The Lead
The lead contains the 5 W’s and 1 H
However, it must be stressed here that a
reporter doesn’t have to put all the 5 W’s
and 1 H in the lead if doing so would
make the lead crowded.
11. Crowded Lead
Two teenage boys, Roberto Cruz and
Cesar Aton, both of San Francisco High
School in Pasay City, were killed at 5 p.m.
today at the corner Shaw Boulevard and
Samat Street when a ten-wheeler truck
lost control an rammed the car where the
two boys were riding and crashed into a
waiting shed.
12. Simplified Lead
Two students of San Francisco High
School in Pasay City were killed this
afternoon when the car they were riding
in was hit by a ten-wheeler truck at the
corner of Shaw Boulevard and Samat
Street.
13. Guidelines in Lead Writing
1. A good news lead starts with the unusual
idea or feature of the news event. To
find this feature, the writer must apply
his knowledge of news value and know
who the readers are.
2. The lead packs the most important
information in one sentence. It is a one-
idea, on-sentence principle.
14. 3. Do not start you lead with words or
phrases like a, an, last week, according
to, there is, there was, etc. Go direct to
the point.
4. A good lead cites the source of the news
for the following reasons:
a. To lend credibility to the news.
b. To be able to carry an opinionated statement
without being guilty of editorializing.
15. Types of Lead
1. Summary Lead – The most common news lead
is the summary lead which states directly and
concisely the most important facts of the story.
2. Novelty Leads – Some events particularly those
strong on human interest and drama may be
written up in a featurized way. In this case,
novelty leads are used. Featurized treatment
of news, when skillfully done, jazzes up the
news page and makes it more interesting.
16. The novelty leads used for variety are:
1. Punch or astonisher lead – This is a short, snappy
sentence.
2. Direct quotation lead – This consists of a direct
quotation from somebody in the news.
3. Descriptive lead – Consists of sentences vividly
describing an event or situation.
4. Question lead – Example: Are you one of those
incorrigible romantics who believe that first love never
dies?
5. Parody lead – Consists of phrases or sentences taken
from a song, poem, quotation or movie title.
