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CARESSA LYNN A. SIGLOS
CAMPUS JOURNALISM 101:
NEWS WRITING

2. CAMPUS JOURNALISM 101:
NEWS WRITING
OBJECTIVES:
 Define the role of journalism in society
 Outline the process involved in our practice of campus journalism
 Define NEWS
 Enumerate and explain elements that make a ‘news’
 Differentiate kinds of news stories
 Learn tips in writing good news stories
 Write good news stories

3. JOURNALISM
What is it for?
Authoritarian Theory
(Unity)
Libertarian Theory
(Freedom)
Theory of Social
Responsibility

4. The Principle of Media and Morality
(Silverstone, 2007)
“formation of social, civic, and
moral space—a mediapolis where
media can be a designated place
for civility, humanity, and
responsibility.”
“higher form of
social consciousness—one that
looks out for society’s
common good.”

5. ADVOCACY JOURNALISM
“Articles that provide “context, analysis, evidence, and
testimony that frame and drive public debate”
(Kirkman, 2011)
1. Is fact-based
2. Approaches a story from a specific standpoint
3. Presents arguments
4. Addresses counter-arguments
5. Makes a call for action

6. Traditional News Journalism
Present the
facts
Interpret what
the facts mean

7. Contemporary Model
Present a social
concern and why it
matters
Present the facts
Interpret what the
facts mean
Enable
empowerment

8. NEWS WRITING: THE BASICS

9. News is any event, idea, or reaction that is
presented factually and simply in written form
to give the reader an idea of what is currently
happening, particularly on matters of interest
to the community.

10. So what’s newsworthy NEWS?
Proximity or nearness
• (Is it close to the community?)
Revelation
• (Is there significant, formerly unknown
information to the readers?)
Immediacy or timeliness
• (Did it happen recently?)
Consequence or Impact
• (How many people have been, are and will
be affected?)
Entertainment
• (Will it make a fun story?)
Prominence
• (Is anyone famous involved?)
Oddity
• (Is it something highly unusual?)

11. Inverted Pyramid
Lead/Lede
& other main points
Body
(Details of the initial
information provided)
Additional
information

12. Kinds of News Stories
According to
Time Relations
According to
Treatment
According to
Topic/Scope
Advance Story Straight News Country/Province-Wide
Coverage Story News Feature/
Interpretative News
School-wide
Box Story Policy news
Student/social issues news
Event news
Community news
Achievements news

13. LEAD / LEDE
the beginning of a news story which contains the most
important information, helping the reader decide
whether or not to read the rest of the story
• Who-what-when-where-why-how leads
• Grammatical beginning leads
• Unorthodox leads

14. 5Ws lead
• After getting all the information to
answer the 5 Ws an H, decide which
one is most important and begin your
lead with that.
• Avoid stressing the wrong things or
persons in the lead.
• Avoid using “Last, The, There, An, A”
as much as possible as these could
sound like dull openings.
• Avoid overloading your lead.

15. Grammatical beginning
lead
• Gerund
– Garnering a passing percentage
of 95%, 65 BSCE graduates are
now licensed Civil Engineers.
• Temporal Clause
– While classrooms at the
Mechanical Ed campus are being
repainted, Engineering and
Maritime Transportation
students attend classes under a
large mango tree beside the
college gym.

16. Grammatical beginning
lead
• Infinitive Phrase Lead
– To raise enough funds for the GK
Build this summer, members of
The Artians will be performing in
front of the city hall.
• Conditional Clause
– Unless the admin decides to
increase the salary of its
employees, the UNION will pursue
their planned rally outside the
gates of the university.

17. Unorthodox leads
• Direct quotation lead
– “I am no savior,” says Dr. Camacho after
having saved 1,200 lives after Yoleng hit the
province two days ago.
• Question lead
– Would you spend P10,000 for your child’s
Senior High education? This was the central
issue discussed during the Parents’ Assembly
yesterday.
• Contrast lead
– From 48th to 71st, AGC lost its status as
the premier center of educational
excellence in Northern territory after
accreditors denied granting autonomous
status to the institution.

18. HOW TO DO IT (Data Gathering)
 Understand what the story is about
 Understand why the story is important
 Learn how to interview effectively
 Contact key individuals for interview
 Respect people, their time, and privacy
 Be present during the event you are covering
 Take down notes, and strive for accuracy
 Use a recorder if possible especially when you plan to include direct
quotes.
 Cross-check data given by your sources to ensure consistency
 Gather as much information as you can before, during, and after the
event.

19. HOW TO DO IT (Writing & Editing)
 Think about the most interesting and important part of the
news, and create a good lead out of it.
 Add the rest of the details into the body, according to degree
of importance of the information
 In news tackling policies/concerns, make sure to include all
available sides of the story
 Do not fake your data
 Use simple language and avoid jargon unless necessary
 Edit your work and have others edit it too
 When in doubt, consult the experts

20. The NOSE for NEWS
is what matters most
in a news writer.
If you don’t have it, you have to learn to grow it.
After learning it, you have to hone it.