1. Types of News Stories
It is important to distinguish the
various types of news stories
because the term “news” is very
broad. In categorizing news, we
have to consider news value and
standards of conduct.
2. News story
attempts to answer all the basic questions
about any particular event in the first two or
three paragraphs
Who? What? When? Where? and Why? and
occasionally How? ("5 W's").
Lead and body
Ends when the writer runs out of material
3. Inverted Pyramid
top-loading the essential and most interesting
elements of a story, with supporting information
following in order of lesser importance.
Developed during the civil war to insure the
main facts of the story would not be lost during
communication by telegraph.
Lead and body
5. Hard News
Hard News includes two concepts:
Seriousness: Politics, economics, crime, war,
and disasters are considered serious topics, as
are certain aspects of law, science, and
technology.
Timeliness: Stories that cover current events—
the progress of a war, the results of a vote, the
breaking out of a fire, a significant public
statement, the freeing of a prisoner, an economic
report of note, etc.
6. Soft News
soft news is sometimes referred to in a
derogatory fashion as infotainment and
includes two concepts:
The least serious subjects: Arts and
entertainment, sports, lifestyles, "human interest",
and celebrities.
Not timely: There is no precipitating event
triggering the story, other than a reporter's
curiosity.
Timely events happen in less serious subjects—sporting
matches, celebrity misadventures, movie releases, art
exhibits, and so on.
7. Hard or Soft?
Gardening tips and hobby "news"
Warnings about natural disasters
domestic security threats
A medical story about a new treatment for
breast cancer
Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt
Sports statistics and game results
Investigative reporting (muckrakers)?
8. Feature Story
article in a newspaper, a magazine, or a news
website that is not meant to report breaking
news, but to take an in-depth look at a
subject.
Less urgent, attempts to engage reader
Narrative structure (beginning, middle,
end),expands on details
Longer in length, includes personal
perspective
Entertaining, often include pictures
Hard or Soft?
10. Editorial
Short, persuasive essay which usually
contains the writer’s opinion or reaction to a
timely news story or event.
Influence readers to think or act a certain way
Written to either inform, promote, praise, or
entertain
11. Column
Personal observations by the writer
about a certain subject
Includes facts and states a conclusion
Written on almost anything