09/08/2013

How To Write A Good Newspaper Article with Step by Step Guidelines

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How To Write A Good Newspaper Article

Writing a newspaper article is different from writing a story. Newspaper articles require a different
writing style. The most obvious difference is that in a newspaper article, all the important
information is written in the opening paragraph. This includes answers to the questions: who,
what, when, where, why and how. Newspaper articles are written in this particular and unique
structure because for the major part, most people dont bother reading a newspaper article in its
entirety. They will not read the article all the way through so whatever important information or
message you want to communicate, you have to fit it at the very beginning.

So whats the purpose of a newspaper article?

Newspaper articles are articles on newsworthy topics, maybe an event or issue that will interest
the mass. News articles about an event or issue aim to provide the reader of the article with all
the facts pertaining to the news including answers to the questions who, what, where, when, why
and how. Newspaper articles also commonly include statements, comments and opinions from
experts or people involved in the news.

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The different types of newspaper articles

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Newsworthy topics vary in genre according to the target audience of the different newspapers.
Therefore, while a national newspaper will normally aim to cover and report on national issues
including finance, war and politics, newsworthy topics for a local community newspaper would
usually be events that took place or will take place in the area. Local newspapers, in general, tend
to favor emotional stories as newsworthy topics.
With that said, in addition to the different types of newsworthy topics, newspaper articles also
differ in terms of how big the stories are. A major news article is likely to make it to the front
page complete with a big headline and a very descriptive and moving visual component. These
major stories often span several pages in addition to the front page with smaller related
background stories. Newspaper articles about lesser stories are placed based on their
importance or under different categories (world news, sports, finance).

Format and structure of a newspaper article

The format and structure of a newspaper article should take the shape of an inverted triangle. The
important details are placed at the top of the article, the least important information at the
bottom. Equally important, each paragraph in a news article should be kept as independent as
possible. This is because paragraphs are often cut to fit in pictures and advertisements.
In general, a typical news article has 5 parts:
1. The headline

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09/08/2013

How To Write A Good Newspaper Article with Step by Step Guidelines

This is a relatively short but attention-grabbing statement about the news. Here you are going to
have to be witty.
2. The Byline
This establishes who is reporting the news. So basically this covers who the author is.
3. The lead paragraph
The lead paragraph is going to contain all the most important pieces of data and information
including crystal clear answers to the questions who, what, when, where, why and how. It is
important to find answers to all of these questions and write them in the lead paragraph.
4. The explanation
Following the lead paragraph, the next paragraph will describe the news in a little more detail.
Here, you will need to decide what other facts and information your reader would like to read
about. Basically, you should have enough data about your story to be able to answer all possible
questions that your readers might have about your news after reading the headline of the article
and the lead paragraph. This section of the news article is also going to contain any quotes you
may want to include in the article.
5. Additional information
This section is going to contain all the least important pieces of information. Basically, when
writing this part, remember that if it happens that this section is omitted or shortened because
say the news article is too long, it should not compromise any information you wrote in the
above paragraphs. This section could for instance discuss a similar event.

Language features of a news article

The headline
The headline of a news article should serve the dual purpose of being informative and attentiongrabbing. For this purpose, you can use any of the following:
Short phrases
Incomplete sentences
Figurative language
Stereotypes
Exaggeration
The article
Aim for a clear and concise writing style.
A news article is always written in 3rd person.
You can use either an active or passive voice. This will depend on the focus of the article.
Stay factual. Your writing should be accurate.
A news article should include quotes, opinions, statements and observations from
experts on the topic and people involved in the story.
People in the story should be given labels, for example, the Minister, Mr. Brown so
readers can identify them straight away.
Avoid things such as racist, sexist or religious jargons.
A news article should be balanced. Dont be biased. Support both sides of the story.

The visuals of the news article

In a news article, the headline should use a size, font and color suitable to attract the readers
attention. In general, the size of the headline is chosen relative to how big the news is with more
important stories and events having bigger and bolder headlines.
In addition to the headline, a newspaper article should have the appropriate supporting pictures,
graphs, graphics, maps and illustrations. These add interest and color for the readers.
Writing a newspaper article is no walk in the garden. It requires a set of skills that not many of us
possess. Its one thing to write a story and another to write about a story in the form of a news
article. This guide should largely help you get started with writing news article but in addition to

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How To Write A Good Newspaper Article with Step by Step Guidelines

theoretical information and guidelines, you are also going to have to study a few newspaper
article samples. These samples will serve to consolidate the theory youve just gone through.
Hint: In the sample news articles you study identify the different components that should be
present in a good newspaper article so the headline, byline, lead paragraph and explanation. Also
pay attention to the language specifics.

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