NEWS WRITING THE FIVE 'W's'

Every news story must cover the "Five

The ABCs of news writing are Accuracy, W's:" Who, What, When, Where, Why and
Brevity and Clarity. The first and most sometimes How and So What? You don't
important is accuracy -- a story can be have to cover all these in the lead,
creative and compelling, but if it obviously, but usually you will address
contains errors, it is worthless. one or two in the first graph. The rest
Always check numbers, spellings of should come soon. Make sure they are all
names, who said what, and the other covered somewhere in your story.
basic facts of any story. A reporter's job is NEWS VALUES
to find out what is going on, then write a
story that's interesting and informative. What is news? The cliché is, when dog
Accuracy always comes first, bites man, it's not news. When man bites
dog, that's news. Critics say, why is the
Second is brevity. Each word in your story newspaper always full of bad news?
should do a job. If not, take it out. Get to Because bad news is unusual, and no
the point. Say it just once. Don't be one wants to read about ordinary
redundant. Don't say "8 a.m. in the events. "The Monitor adviser arrived on
morning," since 8 a.m. is in the morning. campus this morning and found things
Just say 8 a.m. Or say 8 in the morning. much as he left them the night before."
Remember the inverted pyramid style of Who cares? If the adviser finds a
writing. Put the most important fact in the mountain lion waiting for the elevator in
lead. Hook the reader's attention. Explain Building 5, then there's a story. With
the lead and then go on to the next most photos.
important fact in the second inverted News usually has at least one of these
pyramid. And then the next. Lead up to elements:
an interesting finish.
• Impact. Impact is determined by the
Clarity starts before you write. Clarity number of people affected, the
starts with complete, competent number of boats that sink, the number
reporting. You should understand your of cars wrecked, etc. The more
subject so completely that your story people affected, the more boats sunk,
leaves it crystal-clear in the reader's the bigger the impact of the story.
mind. Your story should leave no • Proximity. The closer your audience is
questions unanswered. Avoid jargon. to the event, the greater its news
Explain anything that wouldn't be value. If a train hits a bus in
obvious to the average person. The more Bangladesh, it may receive three
information you gather, the more you column inches behind the sports
have to sift through to determine what section. If a train hits a bus on Niles
belongs in the lead. The more you know, Canyon Road, the Argus will play it on
the harder it is to tell it quick and make it page one.
simple. It's only easy if you don't know • Timeliness. "New" is a big part of news.
what you're talking about. No one said If it happened just before deadline, it's
good reporting is easy.
 bigger news than if it happened last Sometimes it can be two or three
week. Even "big" stories last only a paragraphs.
week or so. News, like fish, is better
Whatever its length, the lead has several
fresh.
important jobs to do. First, it must interest
• Prominence. If it happens to the
the reader in the rest of the story. Imagine
mayor, it is bigger news than if it
the reader as impatient, with lots of other
happens to the Monitor adviser. The
things he or she could be doing instead
public cares more about celebrities
of reading your story. Imagine the reader
than they do about people they don't
saying, "Get to the POINT! Don't waste my
know. If President Clinton goes
time! Tell me the STORY!"
jogging, reporters take pictures. If the
Monitor adviser goes jogging, dogs Your job is to write a short, punchy,
bark, but no one else notices. (This is informative lead to attract readers who
fine with the adviser.) have grown accustomed to TV's "sound
• Novelty. If an event is unusual, bizarre, bite" journalism. But then you must supply
the first, the last, or once-in-a-lifetime, the details, the insights, the context that
it is has more news value than if it is TV doesn't have time for.
something that happens all the time. •
Conflict. War, politics and crime are WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR A GOOD LEAD?
the most common news events of all. • Keep it short and simple. News writing
If everyone got along, there wouldn't is always tight, but the lead calls for
be much news. special care. Condense your story
• Relevance. How does the story affect into one sentence, then one phrase,
the reader? If there's no effect at all, then one word. Make sure that word
maybe there's no news. is near the beginning of the lead. As
• Usefulness. How can I use this a general rule, no lead sentence
information? Home, business and should be longer than 10 words.
leisure news sections have sprouted in • Get to the point. What is the story
newspapers in an attempt to give about? Tell the reader in the lead.
readers news they can really use. Don't say, "The city council met last
• Human interest. A story may be weak night." Tell the reader what the city
on the other news values, but be council did. "Business taxes were
interesting anyway. It can be as simple raised a whopping 30 percent on a 6-
as an interview with a fascinating 1 vote of the city council last night."
person who does unusual things. If What's the story about? Taxes. So get
people are talking about it, it's news, taxes in the lead.
even if it doesn't meet the criteria of • Focus on the action. Use the "active
our other news values. voice." Instead of saying something
THE LEAD happened, say who did what to who.
Use the action word. If nobody did
The lead is usually the toughest part of anything, it may not be a news story.
writing a story. The lead is the first word, • Hook the reader. Put the most
sentence or paragraph of the story. important, the most interesting, the
most exciting thing in the lead. A
 novel may take 100 pages to lead up quotation marks must be the source's
to the climax of the story; a news story exact words. But another step is needed
puts the climax first and then explains to achieve accuracy: The words inside
what led up to it. the quotation marks must also convey
the intent of the speaker. To use the
These rules are sometimes thrown out for
speaker's exact words to say something
feature leads, or "anecdotal leads" that
he or she did not mean is to take the
start with a little story that sets the scene
quote out of context. It is a serious
for the point you are trying to make. But
complaint often made by sources. At the
the lean, punchy news lead will work best
end of the interview, always check
on most stories.
quotes that you intend to use, and if you
THE NUT GRAPH are unsure what the speaker meant, ask.

Every story needs a "nut graph" that The proper form for using a direct quote
answers the question: Why am I writing is: "I won't run for president," Dan Quayle
this, and why do I think the reader should said Thursday. "But I may walk a little."
read it? The best way to make sure your
Notice that punctuation is inside the
story has a point is to state it, simply,
quote marks. The quote is attributed after
somewhere near the top of the story. It
the first sentence.
doesn't have to say, "The point of this
story is..." Try to minimize the use of partial quotes:
When asked about his presidential plans,
But if the story is about a budget shortfall,
Quayle said he "won't run."
a good nut graph might quote a district
official on whether the shortfall would The first example, using the full quote, is
force an increase in tuition. How does the both more interesting and more
story affect the reader? That's what accurate. The partial quote leaves a
should be in the nut graph. If it doesn't false impression.
affect the reader, maybe it shouldn't be
Indirect quotes don't have to use the
a news story.
speaker's exact words, but they must
QUOTES convey what the speaker meant. For
example:
Quotes bring a story to life. Let your
sources tell the story. The reporter's voice Brett Favre Thursday denied reports that
in the story should outline the main points he would retire from football at the end of
and set the stage for the quotes. Quotes the season, but he said he is feeling his
let your sources "talk" to the reader, age.
giving a personal impact that you can't
Indirect quotes can be used to introduce
get any other way in print.
direct quotes. For instance, the next
But quotes should be special. Don't use sentence in the Favre story could be:
quotes for information that can be more
"I feel every tackle of my career when I
clearly explained in your own words.
wake up in the morning," he said.
Only direct quotes are contained inside
of quotation marks. Information inside
Make sure that the reader knows who is happened, then this happened. For the
talking. If you've quoted one person for sake of variety, you want to use the word
several paragraphs, and then plan to "then" no more than once.
quote someone else, use a graph of
• Use introductions as transitions
transition between the two quotes. For
between speakers. For example:
instance:
Ed Smith, professor of biology at Ohlone,
Meanwhile, another city councilman
disagrees with the idea that frozen yogurt
had opposite views. "I think the planned
causes split ends.
development stinks," said Councilman
Joe Smith. "That's the craziest idea I've ever heard,"
he said.
If you end one quote and start another
without tipping off the reader, confusion • Set the scene for a new area of
will result. Remember, you may discussion. Don't just start in a new
accurately report what a person said, direction without notifying the reader. For
but that person may be wrong. Verify example:
any questionable statement by calling
other sources. It's not enough to say later, Meanwhile, a group of Ohlone instructors
"But that's what he said." have been developing another theory,
one based on experiments with
Keep in mind that your goal is to inform bananas.
your readers. Never rely on only one
source. If you find that one of your "We think we're on to something," said
sources doesn't have the information you Professor Harold Foote.
need, switch sources. ENDINGS
TRANSITIONS A good ending gives a "rounded out"
Each paragraph in your story should flow feeling to a story, especially if the end
naturally from the one before it. If you makes reference to information in the
have gathered enough information, and lead. For instance, in a story by a Monitor
if your lead is strong enough, you may staff member about a young man trying
find that your story seems to "write itself," to quit gang crime and turn his life
flowing naturally from beginning to end. around, the ending was:

But other stories seem "choppy," with the Valle gave a convincing "yes" when
narrative taking jags and loops that asked if he is going to graduate from
could lose or confuse the reader. college.

Transitions smooth out those jags and This means that he will have to see his
make the story easier to read. Here are mother cry again, although this time he
some guidelines: will see her from a stage while he is
wearing a cap and gown, holding a
• Make sure your story elements are diploma in his hand.
presented in a logical order. The most
common order is the chronological The lead had talked about how his
order. This happened, then this mother cried when he received a
scholarship to attend college, shortly the beginning of the first sentence as
after he had been released from jail. The possible without destroying the flow
ending made a smooth reference to the of the lead sentence.
lead, tying the story together. 2. Keep leads short — 20 to 30 words for
the first sentence. Or fewer.
OTHER STUFF
3. The news lead should tell the reader
Avoid one-source stories. Talk to as many what the story is about and be
people as possible in the time you have interesting enough to draw the
for reporting. Make sure you leave reader into the rest of the story.
enough time for the writing portion of the Remember that the readers won’t
story. How do you know when you've know what the story is about until
done "enough" reporting, talked to you tell them.
enough sources, read enough reports? 4. Find the action in the story. Put the
Experience will teach you the answer, action in the lead.
and it will be a lot more than you thought 5. Always double-check names and
at the beginning. numbers. Check spelling, style and
grammar. Put everything in order.
The news reporter's job has three parts: 6. Attribute opinions. Stick with the
Reporting, writing and meeting facts.
deadlines. All three are important, but 7. Details, description. Report first, then
news reporting couldn't exist without write. Learn all, tell 10 percent.
deadlines. The deadline is your discipline. 8. Decide which of the news values
Learn to meet deadlines, learn how to best applies to the lead of the story.
gather information, and the writing style Write a lead that emphasizes that
will come eventually. news value.
There is a broad, clear distinction 9. Write in the active voice.
between news writing and advertising. 10. Don’t lead with a name, time or
Use your normal objectivity and fairness place unless that is the most
when writing about advertisers, even if interesting/important thing in the
they push you for a "positive" story, and story.
threaten to pull their advertising if they WHAT NOT TO DO IN LEADS
don't get it. Our focus is on the reader.
Our job is to write truthful, fair stories, and 1. Don't make the lead too
sensible advertisers will respect that. complicated. Don't load it down
with too many names, figures or
Make sense out of numbers. A number is details. Keep the lead sentence
meaningless without a comparison. If short -- never more than 35 words.
enrollment grew 5 percent this fall, how 2. Don't begin with the time, day or
does that compare to last fall? How does date, or place. Better to focus on the
it compare to the average fall semester? action, the who or what.
HOW TO WRITE A NEWS LEAD 3. Don't begin with an empty, say-
nothing expression or a generality
1. Condense story into one or two that fails to distinguish this news from
words. Put those words as close to
 other news: There were... In a report Did the person speak slowly and
released today... According to... carefully, or rapidly, with
4. Don't begin with a question if the confidence?
question is answered in the story. 6. Using analogies. Describe it as being
Question leads are cliché leads. “like” or “as” something that is
5. Don't begin with a direct quote if it is familiar to readers.
a full sentence. Don't start with a
ACTIVE VOICE, PASSIVE VOICE
quote unless it is an exceptional
quote. Voice is that inflection of a verb that
6. Don't use a form of the verb to be in shows whether its subject is the doer of
the lead, if you can avoid it. Use an the action indicated or is acted upon.
action verb.
7. Don't overstate the news in the lead, If the subject performs the action, the
making it more dramatic than it verb is in the active voice. If the subject
really is. Watch "disaster" words. is acted upon, the verb is in the passive
voice.
ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING
Active voice is dynamic. Passive voice is
1. Precision. Use the right word. Say static. Active voice is vigorous and
exactly what you mean. Be specific. emphasizes the actor. Passive voice is
Avoid sexism in your writing. Use evasive about naming the actor.
generic terms: firefighters instead of
firemen, letter carriers instead of News writing should almost always be in
mailmen. the active voice because news is about
2. Clarity. Use simple sentences. Noun, action and actors.
verb. Think clearly, then write. Watch To test for the active voice, find the
grammar and punctuation. subject and verb in the sentence. Put the
3. Pacing. Movement of sentences subject before the verb so that the
create a tone, mood for the story. subject takes action: Jill hit the ball, not:
Long sentences convey relaxed, The ball was hit by Jill.
slow mood. Short declarative
sentences convey action, tension,
movement. Use variety of sentence
lengths. Use shorter sentences when
writing about the more active, tense
part of the story.
4. Transitions. Progress logically from
point to point. Put everything in
order.
5. Sensory appeal. Appeal to one or
more of our five senses: sight,
hearing, smell, taste and touch.
What does it sound like? Was the
room too hot? Could you smell the
cooking outside on the walkway?