Writing a News Story
Write a straight news story (about some kind of science preferably). The formula for writing a straight news story is a simple one to follow. Once you decide on the 5
W’s and the H.
Writing the Lead
Write no more than two sentences or 35 words, with the first sentence no longer than 10 words.
Answer the five journalistic questions ( who, what, when, where, how ).
Use an active verb as the main verb; use passive voice only if necessary.
Start with the answer for “what” and then the answer for “who.”
Place the when answer near the verb for past events.
Place the when answer at the end of the lead paragraph for future events.
Writing the Body
You may answer the why / how questions in the body if there was not room in the lead.
Order the information from the most IMPORTANT to the least
( inverted pyramid organization ).
Write paragraphs that focus only on one idea and areno longer than 60 words and/or 1-3 sentences.
Writing the Conclusion
Have the least IMPORTANT information at end to allow for cutting the length of story if necessary.
Reread for clarity and correctness; run Style and Grammar Check.
Submit each story in a separate Word document.
