Categories: Education

How to Write a News Article 101

So, you want to write a newspaper article. You want to be a journalist. Almost daily, new places for information pop up. This means there is constantly a need for more writers. The field is wide open. This is a great time to start a journalism career.

Today, I will write briefly on writing a news article. This how-to article is for the person who has never written a news article or any type of article for a newspaper.

So here we go. Get your pencils ready and take some notes.

When speaking about newspaper articles there are two kinds (other than opinion). There is the news article and the feature. Today we are talking about a news article.

A news article tells you about recent news. It is straightforward. Brevity, clear concise language and objectivity are necessary for a good news article. If it gets too long you lose readers. If it not written in a clear simple manner you lose readers. If it is obviously slanted to the right or left you lose readers. People read a news article to get news not your opinion.

A news article should answer five questions: who, what, why, when and how. For example:

Who is this about?

What does it involve?

Why is it important (or why is it happening)?

When it did it happen?

Where did it happen?

How did it happen?

Let’s look at a typical small-town scenerio:

Let’s say your local firefighters are hosting a dinner to raise money to buy a new fire engine. Chief Rob O’Brian is your contact.

You call Chief O’Brian and set up an interview. Interviews can be done over the phone or via email but face-to-face is ideal because you can a lot about someone in person. How the interviewee answers questions and his facial expressions can lead you to ask questions you wouldn’t think about asking when you are just listening to his voice over the phone or reading his typed response via email.

Prior to meeting with Chief O’Brian think of questions that will get answers for the five Ws and the H question.

Make an appointment. Be on time. Ask your questions. Ask additional questions. Take really good notes. If you aren’t a good note taker (I have my own form of shorthand) take a tape recorder. Accurate quotes are very important.

Get a second source. You should have at least two different people as information sources. If you settle for just one your article won’t be as strong. The second source should be part of the story in some way. Don’t just ask your neighbor her opinion about the matter.

Now, take your notes and write your story. News articles don’t have to have catchy first-liners. Just start the story. The fire engine story could look like this:
FIREFIGHTERS TO HOST DINNER
BLUNT, S.D. –The Blunt Firefighters’ will be hosting a fundraising dinner Friday at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

“We hope to raise half the cost of a new fire engine,” said Rob O’Brian, firefighter chief. “Our current fire engine is out of date and has many repair issues. A new one would benefit the entire county.”

Chief O’Brian met with the county board last month about purchasing a new fire engine. O’Brian said the board told him the county is short on funds.

“Blunt needs a new fire engine but we just don’t have the money,” said Molly Smith, county commissioner. “We told Chief O’Brian we can pay for half of the engine. We’ve had to make a lot of budget cuts this year.”

When asked about the fundraising supper, Smith smiled.

“I hope they have a great turn-out. I might even take my own family,” she said.

“Everyone is welcome,” O’Brian said. “It costs just $5 a plate.”

The firefighters are serving pork sandwiches, lemonade, chips and chocolate cake. Serving will begin at 4 p.m. and go till 9.

See how easy that is? Not a big deal at all! It tells you exactly what you need to know. The quotes that were chosen are simple and backs up the information.

Don’t include too many quotes. They can slow down the story. You have to find a good balance between quotes and paraphrases and information.

So, try it. You can write a news story about anything. For practice write a news story about your family’s evening events. Interview your children. They’ll love it and it will get your skills sharp.

Jane Hinrichs has been a professional writer since 1992. She has a B.A. from SIU-C and was a military journalist for four years. She currently lives in South Dakota and is a weekly columnist for South Dakota’ Capital Journal and Montana’s Sidney Herald. Find out more about Jane at http://JaneHinrichs.weebly.com.

-30-