Technical Brochure: 2014

Basic Principles of News Article Writing

For Scientific Staff of KVKs

A. K. Bhalerao
S. paul
A. K. Singha
P.C. Jat
R. Bordoloi
A. K. Gogoi

Zonal Project Directorate, Zone-III

Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Umiam, Meghalaya – 793 103
Introduction:

Extension work is uses communication for its leverage and may be therefore
communication is regarded as heart of entire extension process. Communication is a
process of sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings information etc. which results into
common understanding. This common understanding and clarity of meaning is very
crucial for conveying scientific information of public utility. This job becomes bit
harder when scientific personnel writes something for farmers. This publication
aims at improving farmer friendly writing style of KVK personnel. It will also help
to communicate activities of KVKs among masses. In rural areas, print media plays
crucial role in creating awareness and dissemination information. Therefore, change
agents must write and communicate science for the benefit of all.

What is news article?

News is the communication of selected information on current events or may be a

story linked with past events. It is shared in various ways such as discussion among
individuals, newsletters, publishing, broadcasting on television, radio or social
media etc. Any article which communicates news may be through Print media (Ex.
News paper, Newsletter, farm magazines etc.) or via online media (Ex. e-news
paper, e-news letter, blogs, websites etc.) is called news article. News articles are
mainly of informative nature written for larger audiences.

Newness- Unusual-
Newness makes news unusualness appeals
interesting reader

PROPERTIES
of NEWS

Peoples News- news Significant- readers

must be about people won’t read insignificant

Fig. 1.1: Properties of news

News must have property of newness. Any routine activity like “I can swim” cannot
become news. But if “I can swim faster than Dolphin” then definitely it becomes
news because it is interesting for readers. Moreover if news is unusual then it
catches attention of reader and appeals him/her to read. For example “farmer
purchased tractor” it is usual story for us but if “farmer in sohra village brought an
aircraft” it becomes unusual news.

Third essential property of news is about its significance. “Farmers are growing
rice” may seem less significant to read but “farmers are growing diabetes resistance
rice” holds attention. One more property of news is it should be about people. The
news must cater the needs of masses, may be of immediate or future use. For
instance “scientists found meteoroid at Antarctica” is not so catchy or compelling
because reader searches for his benefit. However “scientists found EBOLLA killer
property in meteoroid at Antarctica” becomes breaking news as it can save life of
lots of people. Thus, for the appealing and catchy reporting we must ensure all four
properties in news articles.

How to write news article?

Experts say that writing a good news article is a skill that can be acquired and
developed overtime. The good news article is a mixture of all four properties of
news blended with right words at right time to cater the real time purpose.
Understanding some tricks and techniques about news reporting can enable us for
writing good news article and popular articles in news papers.

A. structure of news article: Inverted pyramid style of writing the news articles is
strongly recommended Journalism specialists.
The Lead: covers What, Whom, Where,
Why, When and How of news. MOST
IMPORTANT information written in 30
(approx) words. May include „HOOK‟ i.e.
proactive question or quote

The Body: provides additional information

through relevant details, quotes, evidence, logic,
photos, controversy, argument, experiences etc.

The Tail: offers information of less importance, mostly

for readers interested in extra details.

Fig. 1.2: Inverted pyramid style of writing the news articles

B. Writing news headline: The headline is an abstract sentence generally

consists of five to ten words. It is an imitation of compete thought of reporter
which mainly includes subject and verb. The precision is the prerequisite for
writing headlines. The words in a headline must represent accurately and
exactly what is in the story. The ABC formula is guiding principle in the
field of journalism, i.e. Accuracy, Clarity and Brevity. Some tips for writing
good headline are;

 Headline should be a meaningful statement

 Writer/reporter must comprehend story completely
 The headline must be a crux of leads‟ idea
 Don‟t write anything in headline which is irrelevant to article
 Repetition of exact wording/phrases from article should not come
into headline
 Headline should be unambiguous,
 Thoughts, implications and double meanings must be kept away

KEY PRINCIPLES FOR WRITING NEWS ARTICLE

ACCURACY CLARITY BREVITY

Fig. 1.3: Key principles for writing News article

C. Essentials of Writing Lead:

The lead or opening paragraph is the most important part of any news story.
Lead is the primary concern for all news writers.

 It should be straight, simple and attention-grabbing.

 Lead must answer 5 Ws and 1 H of news story.
 Use active sentences and strong verbs for lively and interesting lead.
 It should establish the voice and direction of an article.
 Lead must focus the all vital elements in the story.
 Lead must catch the mind of the reader by arousing an interest.
 The lead should cover the newsworthy facet of story.
 The lead sentences should be short i.e. not more than 12-15 words.
 Sentence arrangement must be orderly and relevant to theme.
 Use simple and lucid grammar in lead paragraphs.
 Lead should compel the reader to read the remaining article.
Lead can be generally divided into two categories i.e.

a. Hard Lead: It is direct and suited for an urgent, breaking event.

b. Soft Lead: It is more indirect and suited to feature writing.

Sr. No. Type of News Description and Details

Lead
1. Quick burst A series of terse, direct statements, much like a how-to
lead article opening
2. Punch lead It uses strong verbs and short sentences that are meant
to create an impact, to give jolt to readers
3. Surprise lead Includes an element of surprise in beginning
4. Contrast lead Makes a point by opening with differences or opposites
5. Figurative lead Use a figure of speech when opening with this lead
6. Allusion lead Opens story with a reference to classic literature
7. Expert lead Opens lead with a quote from an expert
8. Suspense lead Uses an open-ended beginning to create suspense
9. Question lead Opens lead by asking question
10. Summary lead Just states the facts which include who, where, what,
when, why and how about event or happening
Table 1.1: Types of popular lead writing styles in journalism

D. Body of news article: The rest of a news story is called the body. Body
supports the lead and gives all important information in inverted pyramid
style. Facts and quotes are arranged form most important to least important
sequence. Body have a theme paragraph that spells out the sub-themes of
article in greater detail. Each sub-theme is backed up with background facts
and relevant quotations. Body written in sequential order is easier to write
and understand.

 Write body of news article after writing lead

 Prepare an outline for the body
 Proceed in a natural way of logical writing and chronological order
 Keep paragraphs short and simple one idea at a time
 Use simple and lucid language, small sentences.
 Connect all paragraphs with logical and relevant transitions.
E. Add the Tail:

Inverted pyramids stories don't need a strong ending since those hard news
stories simply end when there is nothing more to say. In case of scientifically
oriented news articles writer can end with catchy quote which recapitulates
the entire story. Some time story could be end by writing future implication
which relates the story back to the main theme and leaves the reader thinking
about the essence of the story. At the end of the story, writers must avoid
preaching or lecturing.

Precautions to be taken before reporting News article:

i. Check the accuracy of information from all sources to avoid

error.
ii. When mistakes are made, they must be corrected - fully and
quickly.
iii. Identify sources whenever possible so that the public has as much
information possible to determine the sources‟ reliability.
iv. Strive to quote sources accurately and in the proper context.
v. Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting.
vi. Examine your own cultural values and avoid imposing those
values on others.
vii. Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity,
geography, disability, physical appearance or social status.
viii. Support the open exchange of views.
ix. Never knowingly introduce false information into material
intended for publication or broadcast.
x. Never alter photo, video, or image content.
xi. Use of any non-traditional methods of gathering information
should be explained as part of the story.
xii. Rely on the most up-to-date and accurate research when gathering
facts for a story.
xiii. Never plagiarize.
xiv. Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of
those affected by tragedy or grief.
xv. Understand the importance of ensuring privacy
xvi. Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
xvii. Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise
integrity or damage credibility of writer.
 Essential habits of Essential Virtues of Virtues of Good
Good Writer Good Researcher Scientist
Proactiveness Articulate a vision Open minded
Begin with the end in Passionate about science Keen observer
mind Works hard at Resourceful
Put first things first communication Perseverance
Think win-win situation Generous and think Inquisitive
to support others Brave - bold
Seek first to understand,
then to be understood Risk takers – accept failure Unbiased
Synergize the energy Resilient to keep on going Curious of
Self-examining and everything
Always look for ways to
adaptive. Zeal for learning
learn new skills
Seek solutions Habit of multi
Write daily
Sense of humour - fun or angle analysis
Focus fully on your draft some kind of charisma Never frustrated
Write quickly and with Very persistent
intensity Acknowledges
Self-motivated and work of others
Set ambitious but independent people
achievable goals Honest in the
Don‟t believe in short-cuts collection and
Finish what you start and
Whole world is like an open analysis of data
submit what you finish
library for researchers Humanitarian
Believe you can do it
Patience - endurance Imagination
Writes for well being

Table 1.2: Qualities and traits to be developed among researchers

KVK functionaries are engaged in various activities like Extension, research,

coordination, reporting, training manpower for which they need qualities of
researcher. The above listed traits are just guidelines and may vary person to
person. From the above table, it is obvious that habits required for becoming
good writer are different from habits and virtues of research professionals. In
lieu of above discussion, one should develop mix of set of mentioned
qualities to become researcher as well as good writer.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News
http://www.freelancewritingdreams.com/eight-effective-feature-story-leads-
journalist-juice/
http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism
http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Manuals Volume 1/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/735/05/