News is any current event that interests and concerns the general public. It must be reported quickly and accurately. News also needs to be interesting and engaging to readers. A good way to determine if something is newsworthy is to ask yourself the five W’s: who, what, where, when and why.
The first step in writing a news article is finding out who you’re writing for. This will help dictate the tone and voice of your piece. It will also inform you on what kind of information your audience wants to hear about.
Another important factor to consider is what kind of time frame you’re covering. If you’re writing a news story about a local sporting event, for example, it won’t do anyone any good to talk about an event that happened last week – the community has already moved on. You want to be able to break up your stories into “buckets” or categories of importance. This will allow you to keep the most important things at the top of the article and the less important things further down.
Once you’ve determined your subject matter, it’s a good idea to take the time to do some research on the topic and gather as much relevant information as possible. Once you’ve gathered all of this information, it’s time to start writing your article. Start with the main points and be sure to cite any quotes from people who are knowledgeable on the subject matter. It’s always helpful to include a variety of different quotes from different perspectives: the coach, the quarterback, a fan in the stands and maybe even the player’s mother. This will add a human element to your story and keep the reader engaged.
A well written news article is clear and concise. It’s also accurate and unbiased. It is also a good idea to let someone else read your work before you submit it for publication. This will help catch any grammatical or spelling errors that you may have overlooked.
If you’re having trouble coming up with a topic for your news article, try asking yourself the questions ‘what’s new, unusual, significant or about people’. These are the elements that make a story newsworthy and will help you find an interesting angle to your article.
Lastly, it’s important to write above the fold. This term comes from newspapers where the most important information is placed on the front page to catch the reader’s attention. When you’re writing an online news article, this means that the most important information should be at the top of the page, so it will be seen by as many people as possible. If you follow these tips, your next news article will be sure to grab the attention of your readers and keep them reading. Best of luck!