Types of Media Writing

News Story
The general formal for a well written newspaper story is
that it tells who did what, when, where & why. These 5Ws
essential features of any good story along one H which
stands for flow.
In this context Rudyard Kipling rhyme outlines:
I keep six honest servicing men:
They taught me all I know:
Their names are,
What and why and when
And how ad where and who
The first paragraph of a news story is called lead.
Typically the first paragraph, should offer a clear and brief
overview of the main point(s)(Who, what, when, where,
how and why), thus conveying to the reader what he/she
will be learning about in the story.
In pyramid format the news reporters place the most
significant facts at the opening of the story and additional
information was mentioned in order of descending. Using
the pyramid style of reporting ensued that the most
important information would be read first.
The content of a news story should be impartial, and
entirely fact-based. Sources of the information should be
clarity mentioned and included into the story.

Sentences should be accurate, clear, and concise and

placed in an appropriate manner for the audience.
Some important points:
News stories give mostly factual information and not
the writers opinion.
News stories are written in third person voice, never
first or second.
It begin with a short, first paragraph, usually just one
sentence that gives the reader the most important,
most interesting, or most unusual of the 5ws 1 H:
who, what, when, where, why and how. This sentence
is called a lead.
Information in news articles is given in order of
importance. The most important information comes
first, the next most important goes next, and so on
until the least important at the end.
Paragraphs are short and they are not constructed
like typical essay paragraphs.
A news writer never finishes the news story with a
personal comment. A reporters opinion should not
be included in the news story. Articles that allow for
opinion should not be included in the news story.
Articles that allow for opinion are editorials, columns,
or even letters to the editor.
Headline of the news story sum up the main idea of
the story. A sub-headline could be given to more
details.

Editorial
A formal expression of opinion in the print on the part
of a newspaper or other periodical editor, often
representing the views of the owners or mangers of the
publication. Editorial appearing on a newspapers
editorial pages represent the view of the newspapers
editor and/or editorial board.
And editorial is conventionally written in a literary style.
It is well written that an editorial may make for a
literary piece in literature, aside and apart from its
factual or scientific content. However, having said that,
it must be noted that an editorial is not only a literary
piece. It must also express a firm and balanced opinion
on something, an opinion that clarifies the confusion
into which committed writers and researchers may lead
the reader. At no stage must the language overshadow
the thought, however. That is a subtle distinction to
maintain. The thought may be embellished by
language, not drowned in it.
A good editorial should articulate an opinion without
being prejudiced. It should teach without being
academic. It should overwhelm without sinking. It
should motivate to action without making you
authoritarian. It should enlighten without making you
rigid, biased and narcissistic. The last, and perhaps
most vital, a good editorial should be brief.

Article

Nonfiction work on a single subject, usually written for

a periodical such as newspaper or magazines can be
short as few thousand words, but many sometimes be
of book size, especially when run serially in the
periodical.
Articles can be divided into two main categories news
and features.
Straight news stories deal with the timeliness and
immediacy of breaking news, while feature articles are
news stories that deal with human interest topics or
which offer the opportunity for providing more breadth
or depth, context of history or other explanatory
background material.
A news articles is an article published in a print or
internet news medium such as a newspaper,
newsletter, news magazine, news oriented website, or
article directory that discusses current or recent news
of either general interest (i.e. daily newspaper) or on a
specific topic (i.e. political or trade news magazines,
club newsletters, or technology news website).
Feature articles are nonfiction articles that intend to
inform, teach or amuse the reader on a topic. The topic
centers around human interests. Feature stories may
include conventions found in fiction such as dialogue,
plot and character. A feature article is an umbrella term
that includes many literary structures: personality,

sketches,
others.

essays,

howtos,

interviews

and

many

How to write an article

Headline: heading is the most important part of
article. If the use is a bus then heading is a bus stop.
Reader stops at the article only be seeing the heading.
Article writer should pay special attention on heading.
Heading should be small and meaningful. Make sure
it should look like a heading not detail. But should
Conway what should be in the article.
Heading should be in bold and big font. Size depends
upon the space where you are publishing your
article.
Use font size at least one point more then the font
size in article.
Heading should be highlighted so it should look
different then the article.
Give space between the article and heading. Again
the space depends upon the space where the article
is going to be published.

First paragraph
After heading first paragraph is life of the article. If the
writer succeeds to write the first paragraph in the
proper manner then the article should be success.

First paragraph should be written in such a way that it

should force reader to read the complete article. Most
of the readers quit while reading the first paragraph.
Following are the points that should make first
paragraph interesting to reader.
It should be a brief summery of whole article.
Dont go in detail while writing first paragraph.
Keep start with elaborating the heading.
Dont make the first article so big.
Conclusion
At the end the writer should give conclusion and it
should be proper.

Feature
Collins cobuild English dictionary for advanced learner
say: a feature is a special article in a newspaper or
magazine, or a special programme on radio TV we are
delighted to see the Sunday Times running a long
feature on breast cancer.
In their book, news writing and reporting for todays
media, Itule and Anderson say feature is an umbrella
term for number of soft news stories that profile,
humanize, add colour, educate, entertain or illuminate.
A feature is news that was reported in a previous news
cycle. It can stand alones, Or it can be sidebar to the
main story.

Difference between an article and a feature

A feature is a product of a heart. Its subject matter is
specific, even narrow. It is based on feelings and
personal reactions of the writer to places, people and
happenings. Compared with an article, it adopts a
more informal style and uses a language which
embodies feeling and emotions. The basic purpose of
a feature is to provide entertainment. If there is any
instruction it is incidental. Photographs are
generally essential in a feature.
An article is an extended piece of writing on a broad
subject. It is formal serious and scholarly in tone and
style. A typical newspaper article, which may not be
heavily documented with facts and statistics, is still a
product of research and serious reflection. The
purpose of an article may be to present a social issue
in a broad perspective and to express its authors
viewpoint within the conversional framework of a
beginning, middle and an end.
The difference between an article and feature will
become clearer if you study both on the same subject.
For instance, in an article on the employment problem in
India, one may attempt a general survey of the entire
situation complete with facts, figure and even diagrams.
The plans and projections of the government by way of
generating and providing jobs to people would also find
mention in the article. The articles will analyses all
subjects will have to be attempted quite differently. The
feature will introduce you to the actual life of a jobless
individual and his family. It will tell a tale of human

suffering rather than present a factual account of the job

situation in the country. If there is any documentation in
the feature, it will be secondary to the human angle. The
feature will also portray the many hardships being
encountered by the family in its day to day living. Ideally,
it should be accompanied with a photograph of the
indigent family facing hardship due to unemployment of
its principal bread winner.