how to write news articles, feature stories, editorial and column for beginners

1. “WHAT TO DO?”--
NEOPHYTE JOURNALIST
BY: CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

2. EXAMINE AND IDENTIFY THE
BASIC PARTS AND STYLE OF THE
NEWS ARTICLE SAMPLE
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

3. HARD NEWS
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4. DECK
HEADLINE
BYLINE
CAPTION
BODY
PICTURE
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5. HOW TO DO IT
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

6. Come up with a good story idea. This can be as simple as covering a local
event, or as complex as an in-depth investigation of a political scandal.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

7. Gather a notebook, pen, and a voice recorder if possible. Venture to the
location where you will be gathering your facts or conducting your
interview.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

8. Begin your research for the story. Write down
possible questions. Then attend the event, or
schedule and perform your interview.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

9. Come up with a good introduction of one or two sentences that will
interest the reader and give them an idea of what the article will be about.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

10. Begin writing the meat of your story. Be sure to cover the who, what,
when, where, why, and how of the subject. Most news articles are
between 200 and 500 words.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

11. Edit your article and come up with a suggested headline. Send these
to the editor for review.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

12. FEATURE
STORY
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13. Come up with a catchy short headline. It
should communicate the essence of your story
and build the curiosity of targeted readers
Developing the Feature Story
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

14. Catchy headlines???!
Use numbers
Use interesting adjectives
Use unique rationale
Use what, why, how, or when
Make an audacious promise
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

15. NUMBER OR TRIGGER WORD +
ADJECTIVE + KEYWORD + PROMISE
Try this formula:
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16. Developing the Feature Story
Write an impressive introduction. It can be contain
a thought-provoking question or an idea. Use an
exclamation point or quotation marks wherever
needed.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

17. Give a human touch to the feature story as deemed
fit to make it more interesting. The plot should build
up tension and not be boring.
Developing the Feature Story
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

18.  Insert facts or apparent facts depending on
whether your feature story is based on real-life
events or is fictitious.
Developing the Feature Story
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

19. Developing the Feature Story
Use striking illustrations and anecdotes relevant
to the topic.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

20. Conclude with a powerful message. Good wrap-up
is a crucial aspect of any powerful feature story.
Otherwise, it will fail to make the desired impact
Developing the Feature Story
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

21. Developing the Feature Story
Evaluate it as neutral reader as it can help improve the
overall presentation of the feature story. Get a second opinion
from your friends or colleagues and encourage constructive
criticism of your write-up.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

22. EDITORIAL
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

23. PREPARING TO WRITE YOUR EDITORIAL
Compose a simple, strong
statement of the point you
intend to make.
EXAMPLE:
“If the SSG does not change its
dysfunctional communication style, students
will suffer."
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

24. Beginning Your Editorial
The rest of your introductory paragraph should be
straight news reporting, as if you were writing an
article lead: Tell the reader who, what, when, where
and why.
HOW?
Start with your summary
sentence, stated as if it were
objective fact.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

25. Skewering Your Opponents
You can't just call them short-sighted or ignorant and
expect to change anyone's mind. Present their point of
view and then demolish it with facts
HOW?
Make sure you fully understand
the point of view of people who
disagree with your argument.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

26. Making Your Point
State a strong point and back
it up with objective evidence.
Continue with an even stronger
point and do the same, saving your
strongest argument for last
HOW?
Let solid research, revealing anecdotes and sound logic speak
directly to the reader. Keep your tone authoritative and reasonable;
avoid sounding arrogant or shrill.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

27. Wrapping It Up
Conclude your editorial by
restating your main premise,
using an especially powerful
quote or anecdote that
supports your point of view.
HOW?
Tell the reader how your suggestion solves the problem, and urge
her to take or support action that will make it happen.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

28. COLUMN
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

29. Begin with a bang. The
best way to draw a
reader in when you write
a newspaper column is to
wow them from the
start. You will want to
put your most powerful
sentence in front.
HOW TO WRITEB A NEWS COLUMN
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

30. Summarize up front. The
inverted pyramid is used in
newspapers because the reader
tends to stop reading before the
article is done. Put the most
important information in the
beginning, and then leave the
lesser information for the end.
HOW TO WRITEB A NEWS COLUMN
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

31. HOW TO WRITEB A NEWS COLUMN
Be opinionated. Write a
newspaper column for the
editorial section. The Op-Ed
pages are full of editorials
and cultural critiques that
bring your voice and opinion
out. Keep them short,
between 250 and 400 words,
and give some facts to bolster
your view.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

32. HOW TO WRITEB A NEWS COLUMN
Become a part of your
community and it can help
you find stories in the
nooks that will give you
news subjects to write a
newspaper column on.
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

33. Learn legalities.
Research the
rights to your
work as a writer
HOW TO WRITEB A NEWS COLUMN
CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA;LlB

34. THANK YOU FOR READING!
CHELDHAYE