News Writing

After you've written your article down, what's the first thing you should do?

• Give it straight to the editor.

• Read it aloud to make sure it is easy to read and hear.

• Move on to the next story.

• Find a picture to go with the story.

You're going to write an article about the new study into whether cell phones are harmful to children.

Which of these should go first in the story?

• An interview with one of the researchers.

• Pictures of children using mobile phones.

• Is there anything else you'd like to include?

• A lead explaining why this is an important issue.

Contacts are…

• People journalists talk to when they are researching stories.

• Notebooks which contain a journalist’s research.

• The big TV screens in the newsroom.

What word best describes a news report that only gives a one sided view of a story?

• biased

• balanced

• boring

A lead should be

• longer than 35 words

• short and to the point

• full of big vocabulary words

The style of writing we use for reporting or articles is called...

• The Great Circle

• The Inverted Pyramid

• The Upside Down Square

• The Holy Triangle

A lead should include...

• Who is involved and what the story is about including details when and where it occured.

• Detailed statistics from many sources.

• Why the person chose to write about this subject.

Which of these would NOT be an appropriate source to use for a news story with this headline? Doctors warn young children about mobile phone use.

• parents

• doctors

• a guy who works at Tmobile

• teachers

What is the primary purpose of a news lead?

• To provide detailed background information

• To capture the reader's attention and summarize the main point

• To include quotes from multiple sources

• To offer a personal opinion

Which of the following is a characteristic of objective news writing?

• Using emotional language

• Presenting facts without bias

• Including personal opinions

• Focusing on entertainment value