Journalistic writing isn’t as easy as it seems. Very often students have no idea where to start and how to phrase their sentences even, not to mention conducting interviews.
Below, you will find top tips on how to create a qualitative news story.
The topic or event you pick has to be recent and newsworthy
The first thing you should learn to do is to define what is newsworthy and what is not. Any events happening in a society that might capture your reader’s attention and is unique and effective is considered to be a newsworthy story. If you decided to tell readers about a business which is not new or doesn’t offer any changes, it won’t be a newsworthy story. However, telling about a new business in a particular area is pretty newsworthy.
Make sure to tell your readers about the latest events only, not the ones happening a week ago or so. Society is discussing something else already and your news has to be up to date and write about something happening right now.
Also, make sure to be “local”, i.e. writing for the right community. Mentioning the worldwide events is also acceptable; however, the events going on in your area are your priority. Address the worldwide events only if they somehow affect the audience you write for.
Interview the witnesses
The interviews have to be conducted with the correct people, and it is crucial. If you write about the bank robbery, you have to talk to the manager of the bank, a cashier, or any employee involved in the event. Unless the bank clients were witnesses of the robbery, you should not interview them. Make sure to ask everyone as soon as possible. Remember that you have to tell about the newest events.
Who? What? When? Where?
Those main four Ws have to be established within the first paragraph of your writing, while “why” and “how” can be disclosed in the following paragraphs already. You are creating a sort of a pyramid, on the top of which you write the most important information.
Put your piece together
Once you have all the necessary materials, start constructing your piece. Remember that the most important information is on the top, i.e. in the very beginning.
Add quotations
You can add quotations when writing or at specific points in your story. Make sure to state the full name, occupation, age of key people in your story.
Search for some additional figures or facts
Once you have completed your story, google additional facts and figures which will be interesting and will help your story stand out. Your job will be to compete with other news sources, and you will use the same information and deliver your information to the same readers, so you will surely need some extra information.
Reread your article loud
Before giving your article to your professor (or editor), read your article aloud to understand the general flow of your story.
Writing a news story is not that difficult, and you will gain some skills after completing such task a couple of times.