1. WRITING
ABOUT
SPEECHES
AND
NEWS
CONFERENCES
What to look for
and how to write the story for print

2. THE PRINT LEDE
• First, find a theme.
• Think news: What
did the speaker say
that readers will find
interesting? Look
For news values.
• Concentrate on the
most exciting or provocative things the speaker said
-- not just that the speech happened.
• Make it a summary lede (include who, what, when
and where; save how and why for the second or
third graphs). Use the speaker's name in the
lead ONLY if he/she is well known

3. THE QUOTE GRAPH
• Pick a strong quote that amplifies the lede. Make this either
the second or third graph.
• Remember, you are writing about what someone said -- a
great quote seals the deal for the reader and injects the
person’s voice and personality into the story.

4. THE NUT GRAPH(S)
Include some basic information here:
• Size of the audience and audience members’ reactions
• The location of the speech, if you haven’t mentioned that
already
• The reason for the speech

5. A SECOND NUT GRAPH
• You can write a second nut graph that offers
a quick summary of what the speaker said, if
that is different from the lede and if it belongs
in the story.
• Use that summary to organize the rest of the
story (introduce new topics in the order you
outlined in the nut graph).

6. THE REST OF THE STORY
• Outline the rest of what the speaker said using the nut
graph as your outline.
• It’s usually best to use quotes from audience
members (gather those after the speech) toward the
bottom of the story