How to Write a News Story
A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Panama!
Before cars and airplanes, cross-country railroads, and semi trucks, people traveled and sent goods by sea. Huge ships would travel long distances to take people and things where they needed to go. If you wanted to sail from New York to California in the year 1850, you would be on a boat for months. Your ship would have to go to south form New York, all the way around the southern tip of South America, before heading north to California! This was a hard way to travel. But one man had a plan for a better way.
His name was George Goethals, and his plan was to build a canal, or human-made water passage, through the country of Panama. This canal would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. By cutting across Central America, people traveling or shipping by boat would save time and money. The two-month journey from San Francisco to New York City could be done in just a few weeks. It was a great plan, but actually building the canal was a different story. There were many seroius problems during the ten-year construction of the Panama Canal.
In the early 1900s, newspapers carried many stories about the building of the Panama Canal. A news story is a report on a current event. News stories are important sources of information for people all over the world.
STEPS IN Writing a News Story
A news story has these five parts: The headline is the title. It tells the reader what the story is about. It should capture the reader's interest. The byline gives th name of the person who wrote the story. The lead paragraph introduces the most important facts. It often answers the questions Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
The body, or copy, gives more detailed information about what happened. Sometimes people's ideas, opinions, and quotes are included in the body text.
The ending often tells the outcome of an event, how a problem was solved, or what could happen next.
Follow these steps to learn how to write a news story.
1. Gather Information
Find answers to questions Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. If you are at the event, watch and listen carefully. Take notes on what is happening. if you are not at the event, read about it and do research. Interview people who were or are involved in the event or who may have information about it.
2. Write a First Draft
Write a headline. You can write it before or after you write the rest of the draft. It should tell the reader what the story is about in a few words. The headline does not have to be a complete sentence.
U.S. Signs Treaty to Build Canal Through Panama
Write a lead. The lead should state the most important facts, and tell the reader what the article is about. The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How information should be given in the lead or right after it.
Yesterday the United States signed a treaty with Panama. The treaty will allow the United States to build a canal through Panama between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Write the body. Give thorough facts and details about the event you are covering. Tell the reader the Why, and more about the Who, What, Where, When, and How. Use direct quotes to make the article more interesting. For example, an article about the treaty with Panama might include this fact:
The treaty comes two weeks after Panama declared its independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903.
Write the ending. Your ending might state why the event is important. You could explain how a problem was solved, or what could happen next. Some stories end with a quotation predicting what will change because of the event.
Building the canal will be a long, difficult, and expensive project. The effort will be worth it, because the trip between the Atlantic and the Pacific will be so much shorter.
3. Revise and Edit
Read your draft. Did you include all the important facts and details? Does your story answer the questions Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How? If not, add the missing information. Are your facts correct? Are they presented clearly? Have a classmate, teacher, or family member read your first draft. Ask them to suggest ways you could improve your news story. Make any needed changes.
When you have made the other changes, check your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
4. Write the Final Copy
Write a clean final copy, including all the changes you made to your first draft. Add your byline by writing "By" and then your first and last names. Put the byline under the headline.
TIPS: Give the full name of each person quoted in your news story. Names should appear directly before or after each quotation.
Be sure to give your article an interesting headline that will get the reader's attention.