What is a news story? In the wake of the information age, everybody wants to know the latest local, regional, and international arena. That is why news exists – to provide noteworthy information, especially about recent happenings to the public. Have you been struggling with how to write a news story that will spark the hearts of many? Then scroll down.
News stories can come from:
- Radios
- TVs
- Newspapers
Now, what should a top-notch news story carry?
- Accuracy
- Balance
- Conciseness and clarity
- Currency
- Objectivity
Unlike other telling stories, the news story relays facts, events, and information to society in a straightforward, accurate, and unbiased manner. Let us look at the critical characteristics of a news story and how to write one effectively.
Keep your eyes peeled.
How to Write a News Story: Hot Tips
From the news story definition above, it is clear that it is an article or interview that informs the society on the current ideas, events, or concerns. The journalists get the story ideas from the people and flesh them out to develop an inspiring story. Therefore when writing a news story, one should bear in mind that it can be:
- Long or short
- Hard or soft
- Written, recorded, or live
News Story Format
Coming up with a tip-top news story can be hectic, especially for starters. You will have endless questions like:
- Where do I begin?
- What is the structure of the sentences?
- How do I come up with the news story?
- What are some of the sins to avoid like a plague in a news story?
To achieve all these, you have to be aware that there are different news story formats:
- The inverted pyramid
- The nut graph
- The narrative
- The five boxes story
Each of these has their style of writing as we are going to see below:
- The Inverted Pyramid
It is the best option for hard news stories. The readers will gain abundantly with this style of writing a news story.
Here is a step by step guide on this style:
- Start with the most attention-grabbing and essential elements
- Follow with supporting or explanatory information
- Finish off with least important information
With these at hand, how to write a news story becomes a question of the past.
- The Nut Graph
Here, you will start with a catchy anecdotal lead. You will then have an explainer paragraph that creates a broader context for the story. It determines the direction of your news story.
A nut graph enables you to explore underlying issues behind an incident.
- The Narrative
Just like a story, it has the following:
- Introduction
- Body
- Ending
However, the narrative news story should be short and precise. Use it only when a personal ordeal helps tell the story.
- The Five Boxes Story
It is a combination of the styles discussed above. It is essential in the case of a story with many details to cover. Here is a look at the five boxes:
Box 1: The lead
Box 2: The nut graph
Box 3: Build on the lead
Box 4: Contains supporting facts and figures such as statistics
Box 5: It contains the “knockout punch.”
After looking at a news story in general, let us explore another exciting bit, a newspaper article.
How to Write a Newspaper Article Like a Pro
Newspaper articles can either be in the form of News articles, book or movie reviews, Feature articles, and other editorials. In this segment, our lenses will focus on writing a newspaper article.
So, how do you write it?
- Start with a hook lead sentence
- An introduction which frames the direction of the article
- An opening quotation which gives the reader a sense of human life in the piece
- The main body which is the core of your story
- A closing quote that sums up the article briefly
- You can opt to have a conclusion or not
And just like that, you will have a world-class newspaper article that even Obama would kill to read.
How Do You Write a News Feature Story?
It is a kind of story whose focus is on a hard news topic. It consists of a well-researched plethora of facts and statistics to hold the reader’s attention.
Follow these expert guidelines to come up with an unbeatable news feature:
- Map out your story (decide the ‘what’)
- Choose a specific angle
- Come up with sub-themes
- Conduct your research
- Narrate the story using quotes to add color and drama to it
- Sign out with a remarkable punch line
The professional tips above help you produce nothing short of grade A. Also, if you feel your writing skills are strong enough, feel free to join our team at WritingJobz and start earning today!