News-writing-materials-for-students-1

UNIT 2.2:

JOURNALISTIC ETHICS

As a writer, editor or publisher you have a reputation to keep. Not only for your own
publication, but for all journalists. Part of your job as a reporter is to ensure that your actions
are both responsible and ethical. Your motivation for being an ethical journalist should be the
same motivation you have for writing in the first place. In the end, it is about a need to expose
information in such a way that it engages readers and earns their respect.
Journalistic codes of ethics frequently share a number of common elements including
truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability (Rich, 2015;
Ryan, 2001)
1. OBJECTIVITY

Objectivity implies a standard. But if a standard exists, then why don’t two newspapers ever
have the same angle on a breaking story? If they’re all writing objective stories, how can they
all present the same story differently?
From the very moment a story is assigned, there exists bias. An editor wants one story over
another story because they think it’s a better story. They then run with a particular angle
because they think that it’s more interesting.
The writer decides who to interview and, equally importantly, who not to interview. They
decide what to ask and what not to ask, what research needs to be done and what doesn’t. They
then decide what the lede should be, what the angle should be (unless it’s already been decided
from above), who should be quoted first and who should be quoted longer.
Editors then decide what to change, what to cut, what to add and what headline should go at
the top. More editors decide where the story should be placed and which pictures should
should appear alongside it.
If you’re writing a story with conflict, there will be decisions made by a number of people that
will affect the way the story is written. Those decisions will affect the way the story is
perceived by the reader.

This ability to influence perception is very powerful. It’s your job to find out everything you
can from all sides of any issue you write about. Always find out what different sides have to
say (there are always more than two). If the research shows that your stand on an issue is
wrong, then it’s wrong. If the facts don’t back up your opinion, your opinion needs to change.
(Rich, 2015; Ryan, 2001; Whitaker et al., 2013)
2. BALANCE
While objectivity might be a fanciful flight, balance is not. Balance is the devil’s advocate and
the lynchpin of credibility for your story. Without a balanced representation of all viewpoints,
your story ends up serving the goals of those people you chose to interview rather than
representing an accurate spectrum of opinion and dissent.
One of the more difficult, and hotly debated, aspects of balance is that it’s necessities change
story by story. Balancing one story may be as simple as asking a few students what they think
of dining hall food. But often it’s more difficult than that.
Balance means fair representation. If there is a voice of dissent or assent, they deserve to be
represented in your story. There is an element of judgment to balance, though. Representing
racist or homophobic views that are poorly informed on the topic of your article doesn’t serve
to inform anyone. Your responsibility as a journalist extends to interviewing people who are
knowledgeable in the field you are investigating; who are not reactionary message pushers; and
who can legitimately debate issues at hand.
To balance this story, we also need to interview other users of the food bank. Do they feel that
the students are legitimate users? Have long-term users of the food bank noticed an increase in
the number of students using the service? Has it changed the way they use the service? A
reporter might also nationalize the story by contacting researchers at the Canadian Association
of Food Banks as well as students in other provinces who are facing similar problems.
Balancing the story does not include interviewing someone who argues, without research and
facts to back up their claims, that the only people who use food banks are lazy. Since research
and survey work has shown that welfare recipients and the working poor are the highest sector
of food bank users in Canada (Canadian Association of Food Banks). Balancing a story
involves asking the hard questions about who you are interviewing and the quality of their

responses. Remember that when you interview someone, you are under no obligation to use
that interview in your story. If your source clearly has no idea what they’re talking about,
discount them and move on. Inform your readers through informed sources with a variety of
backgrounds and concerns.
(Ryan, 2001; Sloan & Parcell, 2002)
1. ACCURACY

Accuracy can have a huge effect on the credibility of your paper, your article and you as a
journalist. It is imperative that you fact-check and ensure that what you’ve written is, in fact,
true. Before, during, and after you have finished writing a piece, you should go back and check
everything that is considered a fact. This includes:
- Nouns (names and places)
- Dates and times
- Job titles, duties
- Literary quotations
- Interview quotations
- Statistics
- Sequence of actions
- Contact information
A reporter must judge what is important or unimportant. The news must give an accurate
portrayal of an event or situation, and poor selection of details or improper emphasis of details
can distort the truth. In general, accuracy is difficult because reporters are dealing with many
facts; they must gather information and write quickly, and many people are involved, from
source to reporter to editor.
(Sloan & Parcell, 2002; Study Lecture Note, 2015)
Truthfulness
Journalists need to make a commitment to telling the truth. This includes not giving false or
made-up reports, and telling truthful stories that are not intended to deceive the audience. This

may require reporters to provide not only the facts but also the context surrounding them.


Truthfulness requires a commitment not only from the journalist but also from the organization
he or she works for (Ethical Journalism Network, n.d)
Accountability
A sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves
accountable. When we commit errors we must correct them and our expressions of regret must
be sincere not cynical. We listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what
readers write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.

PRACTICAL EXERCISES
Exercise 1: News Judgment
1. If a 15-year-old boy in your community was charged with killing his mother and
stepfather, which of these details would you include in your story and which would you
discard?
A.
B.
C.

The boy was an Eagle Scout.
The boy had twice run away from home and twice been arrested by police.
The boy never knew his father, a construction worker who disappeared shortly after his

D.
E.
F.

birth.
The boy told friends that he hated his stepfather.

Friends said the boy shoplifted, usually beer, and was sometimes drunk.
Friends said they thought, but were not certain, the stepfather beat the boy, since while

G.
H.

swimming they noticed bruises the boy refused to explain.
The boy was 60 to 80 pounds overweight and a poor athlete.
Psychoanalyzing him, an English teacher who knew the boy said he seemed to be full

I.

of hostility he tried to repress.
Social workers investigated—but were unable to substantiate—suspicions that the boy

was sexually molested by an uncle.
2. Patricia Richards, a 52-year-old business woman in your city, today announced that she is
running for mayor. You know and can prove all the following facts, but have never reported
them because she was a private citizen. Mark the facts you would report today.
A.
Richards has been divorced three times.
B.
At the age of 17, Richards and two friends were charged with stealing a car. The
charges were dropped because the car was recovered undamaged and the car's owner, a
C.

neighbor, declined to prosecute.
Richards has diabetes.

D.
E.
F.

Richards has had two abortions.
Richards is a recovered alcoholic; she has not had a drink in 20 years.
Before going into business for herself, she was fired from two other jobs because of her

G.

drinking.
Her campaign literature says she attended the University of Iowa, yet she never

H.
I.
J.
K.

graduated.
She established, owns and manages the city's largest chain of furniture stores.
Various tax and other public records reveal that her chain of furniture stores is
valued at $20 million and, last year, earned a profit of $2.3 million.
Each year, Richards donates more than $1 million to local charities that help troubled
young women, but always avoids publicity, insisting that the charities never mention her
donations

Exercise 2: Avoiding Unnecessary words
The following sentences do not have to be rewritten; simply cross off the unnecessary words.
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

The city council voted to go ahead and sue the builders.
The accident occurred when a pickup truck collided with a car.
There is a possibility that the sign may be installed sometime later this month.
When police arrived at the scene, they found only an empty box, not a bomb.
Police responding to the call found that the assailants had kicked him in the face, head
and neck.

Exercise 3: Remaining Objective
The following sentences do not have to be rewritten; simply cross off the opinionated words
and phrases.
1. Lucky to be alive today, the 20-year-old man walked away uninjured from a car accident

that could have been fatal.
2. What began as a routine day ended tragically for Albert Wei when he was shot in the face

during a daring daylight robbery.
3. The mayor's speech was well received, as he was interrupted more than 20 times by hearty
applause.
4. When they got home, the young couple had a big surprise. They found that burglars had
taken all their lovely wedding presents, leaving only the wrapping paper and ribbon behind.
5. Forty-five people miraculously escaped injury when the bus they were riding in overturned

on a perilous stretch of interstate highway near Philadelphia.


Exercise 4: Simplifying Sentences

Rewrite the following sentences more simply and clearly.
1. Gladys Ann Higginbotham said she is not alone in her beliefs since other people also think

the children are currently in danger.
2. As far as the safety is concerned, Thomas Haskell said he is not concerned about the
airline's safetybecause it has a good record.
3. The driver of the vehicle then sped away, driving north through the parking lot at a speed

estimated to be in the vicinity of 60 mph.
4. An ambulance then rushed the girl to Mercy Hospital for treatment of her injuries by
doctors who said she is now in critical condition.
5. The plans have not been finalized, but tentatively it is possible that at this time the program
could begin to serve a total of approximately 20 schools in the nearby vicinity.
Exercise 5: Identifying the news features
Take some news from any English newspaper and remark the features of news writing
appeared in them.

Unit 2.3:
TECHNIQUES

NEWS WRITING

1. IDEAL LENGTH


PARAGRAPH LENGTH

The newspaper paragraph does not have the same form as the paragraph used in traditional
essay-style writing, or composition. Classical composition form will be reviewed briefly here
merely to provide a contrast. The traditional essay has three parts-the introduction, the body

and the conclusion. The introduction is one or two paragraphs that establish the thesis, the
main idea of the essay. The body of the essay is a series of paragraphs that break the thesis into


parts, each paragraph beginning with a topic sentence that identified the main point of the
paragraph. The conclusion is usually a one-paragraph summary.
Here is an example of a body paragraph beginning with a topic sentence:
Built on the Acropolis overlooking the city of Athens in the fifth century B.C., the Parthenon is an
excellent example of Greek architecture. It was a temple of the gods and was very important to the
people. Although at first glance its structure seems to be perfect, on closer examination it becomes
clear that it is a static, tow-dimensional object. As long as you stand in the center of any of its four
sides to look at it, its form will appear to be perfect. The strong Doric columns seem to be equally
spaced, one next to another, along all four of its sides. But if you take a step to the right or left, the
Parthenon’s symmetry is destroyed.

Notice that this paragraph is six sentences long and is highly unified. In sharp contrast to this,
however, the newspaper paragraph has no topic sentence, it is usually only one or two
sentences long, and it infrequently exceeds three sentences. This is much different than the
writing you have done for your composition and English classes, which emphasizes four or
five sentences per paragraph.
Here is an example of newspaper paragraph style:
Depressed people who display "risky behaviour", agitation and impulsivity are at least 50% more
likely to attempt suicide, a study has found.
Research by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) concluded that the
behaviour patterns "precede many suicide attempts".
The study said effective prevention measures were "urgently needed".
The World Health Organisation estimates that there were more than 800,000 suicides worldwide in
2012.
The ECNP study evaluated 2,811 patients suffering from depression, of whom 628 had previously
attempted suicide.

Researchers "looked especially at the characteristics and behaviours of those who had attempted
suicide", and found that "certain patterns recur" before attempts.

RULE: Strive for a paragraph length of 1 to 1.5 sentences.
(McIntyre, 1996; McKane, 2013; The Associated Press, 2012)
 SENTENCE LENGTH

Writers tend to be more intellectual than the populace as a whole. This lets them craft long,
compound- complex sentences that may be brilliantly executed, but are as tough as walnuts.


The average length of sentences in English has shrunk dramatically over the centuries. In
Elizabethan writing, the average sentence length was 45 words. The Victorian sentence was 29;
the contemporary sentence is less than 20. According to research done by Prof. Wayne
Danielson at the University of Texas, the average sentence length of contemporary American
novels is slightly less than 15 words.
Research by United Press International and the Associated Press has clearly established that
shorter sentences are easier to understand than longer ones. UPI distributed a table to remind
writers of the value of short sentences.
Sentence Length and Readability
8 words or less
Very easy to read
11 words
Easy to read
14 words
Fairly easy to read
17 words
Standard
21 words
Fairy difficult to read

25 words
Difficult to read
29 words
Very difficult to read
RULE: Strive for a sentence length of 17 words or less.
Do not string together, with commas and conjunctions, several sentences into one long
sentence. The best way to shorten sentences is to use periods, not commas and conjunctions.
(McIntyre, 1996)
2. IMPERSONAL REPORTER
Another aspect of journalistic writing is the impersonal reporter. Now, because everyone can
communicate with their target audiences, anyone can be a “reporter.” To be a good reporter,
though, you should follow these guidelines.
Reporters should be transparent in their writing. They should avoid using first-person
pronouns (I, me, we, our, my, us) or second-person pronouns (you, your) outside of a source’s
direct quote.
Examples:
1st person: I walked to school this morning and because I was hungry I stopped at the
local dairy to buy a peanut slab.


3rd person: Auckland secondary school student John Marsters, travelled to school on foot
early Tuesday morning. He was seen purchasing a peanut slab at the local
dairy.
Reporters also should set aside their own views and opinions. Allowing the writer’s opinions,
prejudices, and biases to enter a story is called editorializing. News reporters should report
only what they see and hear. How a reporter feels about that information is not relevant to the
news story.
To avoid editorializing, a writer should present only facts and limit or eliminate most
adjectives, except in direct quotes. For example, instead of writing, “He was sad,” describe
what the person did that made you think he was sad. Instead of writing, “He was sad,” you

could write, “He placed his head in his hands and wept.” Present what you see and hear; let
the reader make the connection that the person was sad. How do you know something is
“interesting,” “impressive,” “tragic,” or “avoidable”? That is your opinion. Just present the
facts. Leave the value judgment to your readers.
(University of Florida, 2015)

3. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMARTICAL STYLES
 Active and Passive Voice:

Voice is that inflection of a verb that shows whether its subject is the doer of the action
indicated or is acted upon.
If the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice. If the subject is acted upon,
the verb is in the passive voice.
Active voice is dynamic. Passive voice is static. Active voice is vigorous and emphasizes the
actor. Passive voice is evasive about naming the actor.
News writing should almost always be in the active voice because news is about action and
actors.
To test for the active voice, find the subject and verb in the sentence. Put the subject before
the verb so that the subject takes action: Jill hit the ball, not: The ball was hit by Jill.
 Nouns and verbs:

Place emphasis more on nouns and verbs than on adjectives and

adverbs. Overusing adjectives and adverbs will cause you to editorialize. Action verbs keep


a story moving and grab the reader more than “to be” verbs (be, is, are, am, was, were),
which show little action. Use action verbs to describe what you observe.
 Simple writing: Use simple words and simple sentences. Not every sentence should be in

the simple-sentence format (subject−verb−object), but the simple sentence is a good tool
for clearing up muddy writing.
 Precision: Use the right word. Say exactly what you mean. Be specific. Avoid sexism in

your writing. Use generic terms: firefighters instead of firemen, letter carriers instead of
mailmen.
 Transitions: Transitions tie together what you have written. Each sentence in a story

should logically follow the previous sentence or should relate to it in some way. New
information in a story should be connected to information already introduced. Transitions
include the following:
• Connectors help unify the writing. For the most part, they are conjunctions such as and,

but, or, for, thus, however, therefore, meanwhile, and others. They do not have great value
in terms of the content of the writing, but they are necessary for its flow.
• Hooks are words or phrases that are repeated throughout an article to give the reader a

sense of unity. For example, in a story about the city council, the word “council” used
throughout the story would be a hook.
• Pronouns are one of the best transitional devices for writing about people. Instead of

using a person’s name each time, use a pronoun about every other time the person is
mentioned in the story.
 Jargon and clichés: Avoid jargon and clichés. Jargon is technical language used in

specialized fields or in specific groups. Clichés are overused words and phrases, such as “it
cost an arm and a leg,” “a drop in the bucket,” and “on the cutting edge.”
(Mencher, 1983; University of Florida, 2015)

4. ABBRIVIATIONS

 Titles


Some titles are abbreviated, but only in front of someone’s name. The abbreviated titles are
“Dr.,” “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Rev.” (reverend), “Sen.” (senator), “Rep.” (representative), “Gov.”
(governor), “Lt. Gov.” (lieutenant governor), and military ranks. For example, “Gov. Adams
said he liked the presentation.” Titles are spelled out if they are not in front of a person’s name.
(“Adams, the governor of Georgia, said he liked the presentation.”)

 Street Addresses

The words “street,” “avenue,” and “boulevard” are spelled out unless they are part of a full
street address. “Road,” “alley,” “circle,” and “drive” are not abbreviated.
He lives on Main Street. He lives at 1245 Main St.
1 She lives on Bamboo Avenue. She lives at 405 Bamboo Ave.
2 They live on Citrus Boulevard. They live at 80 Citrus Blvd.
3 The box was delivered to Boone Road. The box was delivered to 890 Boone Road.
(University of Florida, 2015)
1

5. NUMNBERS
 Months and Dates

Months are spelled out unless they come before a date. Months that are five letters or shorter
are never abbreviated (March, April, May, June, and July).
She moved last February.
2 She moved in February 2014.
3 She moved on Feb. 6, 2014.
4 She moved on March 15, 2014.
1

(University of Florida, 2015)
 Numbers
• In general, spell out whole numbers nine and below. (The nine boys)
• Use figures for 10 and above. (The 25 boys)
• “Million” and “billion” are used with round numbers. (2.3 million. 250 billion)
• “Thousands” are numbers. (186,540)
• Ages are always numbers. (The 2-year-old girl. John is 21 years old.)
• Measurements and dimensions are always numbers. (25 percent. 3 yards. He is 5 feet tall.)
• Years are always numbers. (He was born in 1990.)


• However, spell out any number—except for a year—that begins a sentence.

(Four-year-old Tom Adams won an award. 2007 was a good year.)
(University of Florida, 2015)

6. CONCISE AND CLEAR
News must follow the news form developed over a period of many years. It must be unite,
concise, clear and simple. A story that is diffused, disorganized and ambiguous in meaning
does not have the characteristic quality of news. It should be well-paced, unified and abuse all
written so clearly that the meaning of the story is also absolutely plain.
Also think in terms of eliminating any unnecessary words, any words not absolutely essential
to the meaning. Students sometimes complain that if they write too concisely, the take away
creativity and interest. It will be boring, the protest. However, concise writing is more crisp,
immediate and interesting. Think about your textbooks. Nothing is worse than reading book,
say students, because they are usually long winded and overwritten (Study Lecture Note,
2015).

PRACTICAL EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Sentence Building
1. Use the provided words and phrases to write the news. You may add words and change
forms of the verbs given.
1. figure - the difference/ number/ enter/ country/ those leaving/ is more/ three times/ higher/
government's target.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
2. 2014, 13% /people /UK/ born abroad/ taking the foreign-born population/ 8.3m.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………


3. fifth consecutive quarterly/ rise/ net migration figure/ ONS say/caused by/ increase/ number/
EU citizens migrating/UK.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
4. Net migration/EU citizens/ 183,000/ 53,000/year end/ March 2014.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
5. number/those arriving/countries outside/ EU/larger/ net migration/ measured/ 196,000/But/
year-on-year/ increase/ smaller/ 39,000.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
6. 2011/ Prime Minister David Cameron/ say/ speech/ he/ give/"no ifs, no buts"/ promise/ he
would/ bring/ immigration numbers down/ "levels our country can manage"
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
7. After/ latest set/ figures/ government/ insist/ it/ acting/ control immigration/ but/ say/EU/
need/ do more/ help/ ease/current migrant crisis/Europe.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

2. Rewrite the news using provided words and phrases. You may add words and change
forms of the verbs.
1. social experiment /show/ many local residents/very kind
………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Residents/Da Nang/ ancient town/ Hoi An/show/ their kindness and integrity/ “wallet drop”
social experiment.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
3. experiment conduct/ youth group Black or White/ crowded places/ including supermarkets/
cinema/ parks/ August.


……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
4. young man/ pretend/ drop/ wallet/ see how people around him/ react.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
5. total 40 wallets/dropp/ which 34 ones/ return immediately/ man.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
6. remaining wallets /take / some residents/ only returne/ wallets/ checking what's inside.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
7. group conclude / honesty rate /residents / 85 percent.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. It/the first experiment / Da Nang/ carryout/ Black or White/ form/ group / Vietnamese
students/ say/ the/ interested/ transparency and life values.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 2: Active and Passive
In the sentences that follow, mark each sentence as either active or passive. If the sentence
is passive, rewrite to make active.
1. ____ The strawberries were picked at their peak of ripeness.

…………………………………………………………………………………
2. ____ Prince Evan will lead the procession.
…………………………………………………………………………………
3. ____ A peck of peppers were eaten by Peter Piper.
…………………………………………………………………………………
4.

5.

____ Using his battle axe, Clyde smote the approaching goblins.
…………………………………………………………………………………
____ Jenny wrinkled her nose when she ate the soup.
…………………………………………………………………………………


6.

____ I was flustered by my seeming inability to get a good grade in her class.
………………………………………………………………………………

7.____ The ball whooshed by the goalie’s outstretched fingers.
…………………………………………………………………………………
____ The salad dressing was comprised of oil, vinegar, mustard and honey.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Exercise 3: Take some news from newspapers, find and correct any mistakes basing on

news writing style.

UNIT 2.4: STRUTURE OF NEWS & INVERTED

PYRAMID FORMAT

News stories in all media share some common elements. Every news story is based on one
main media-the focus. The basic news story structure includes a headline and three general
parts: a beginning, called the “lead”; a middle, called the “body” and an ending.
1. PARTS OF A NEWS REPORT

Headline
Byline
Placeline
Lead

US to Investigate Deadly Strike in Somalia
October 01, 2016 2:11 AM
Carla Babb

KO OLINA, HAWAII — The U.S. military will investigate conflicting reports
on Wednesday’s deadly U.S. airstrike in Somalia, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash
Carter said.


“In this instance as in all instances, when questions are raised about the actions
of U.S. airstrikes, we pursue them,” Carter told reporters during a news
conference in Hawaii.
Carter said the U.S. had not yet looked into this particular airstrike, but would
share the results once an investigation is complete.

He added that there was no other military more committed to the “principles of
openness and transparency and accountability” than the United States.

Body
quotation

“That also acknowledges the fact that there have been mistakes made over time
and we try to stick to, stand up and hold ourselves accountable when that
happens,” he said.
Somalia's government has demanded an explanation from the United States for
the strike, which Somali officials said killed 13 members of local government
forces in Galmudug, a Somali federal state.

The structure of a news report follows a specific structure. The parts of this structure are
identified and defined below:
Headline: It catches your eyes and sums up the story. It is usually in larger font and often
bolded.
Byline: This tells you who wrote the article and sometimes gives you the journalist’s specialty.
Placeline: It tells you where the story originated.
Lead: This gives the most important information very briefly (usually who, what, when and
where).
Body: It supplies additional information. Tells the rest of 5W’s if they were not included in the
lead, elaborate on the lead, expands on information introduced in the lead. It is
divided into small paragraphs.
Facts: Every news article includes simple, true statements about what happened, such as “The
flooding set the building’s security system off at 5:15 a.m.”
Quotations: These retell, word for word, what someone actually said. Usually these quotations
come from witnesses at the scene, or experts on a subject.

Photograph and caption – sometimes articles have a photograph, and a sentence explaining
the photograph.
2. THE INVERTED PYRAMID

Most of the stories we will consider will be written in the inverted pyramid structure, although
three kinds of stories follow a slightly different formula. As you learn to write these basic
newspaper stories, keep in mind the news values, those criteria of news worthiness that always
guide journalists in choosing what readers want and need to know, and help reporters select
what information to include in their stories and how to put that information into an inverted
pyramid order.
Advantages of Inverted Pyramid
1. Offers quick reading
2. Features less repetition
3. Offers easier editing (easier to cut and paste)
4. Offers faster headline preparation
5. Easier to add to a story (as well as cut it)
6. Allows for faster writing of a story (can do it in your head, from a phone booth even)


7. Offers a quick organizing tool
(Hicks et al., 2016; Sloan & Parcell, 2002; Whitaker et al., 2013)

PRACTICAL EXERCISES
Exercise 1: Writing a news report
Writing the news story from the information below. Remember put your key points in order
of priority then write in the system of the inverted pyramid. Assume that all these events
happened within the area served by your newspaper, radio or television station.
A school bus ran off City Road in Suva, narrowly missed an electricity pole and came to rest in
a garden. Most of the bus windows were smashed. There were more than 30 children on the
bus. They were going to Martyr School. It was a 36-seater bus. All the children escaped serious

injury. Some of them jumped out of the bus and grazed themselves. Eye-witnesses said the
children were helped from the bus screaming and shouting and in a state of panic. This
happened this morning.

Exercise 2: Writing a news report
Writing the news story from the information below. Remember to write the headline, lead
and put your key points in order of priority then write in the system of the inverted pyramid.
Assume that all these events happened within the area served by your newspaper, radio or
television station.
In July last year, Mr Sione Tuanuku went to work for the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in Nuku`alofa, cleaning out the dog pound and caring for the
dogs. Yesterday he was sacked by the manager of the dog pound, Mrs Anita Chan. She said
that he had mistreated one of the dogs.
Mr Tuanuku said: "The dogs always barked at me and sometimes they tried to bite me. I didn't
like it. Yesterday I got fed up with one dog that tried to bite me, so I bit the dog in the leg to
teach it a lesson. Now I have been dismissed from my job."