Lecture on

News Writing
N ort
h
E ast News worthy
W est materials can
be found from
S out any direction
h
 News
N otabl worthy
e
E vent materials
are those
s
W eather & that are
significant,
S ports new,
interesting.
 Basis of News
Based on actual
FACTS events, thoughts,
happenings
Must have a high
Interes degree of interest
to readers
t News are meant
Reader to be read not
archived
s
 Elements of News
Latest events or
Timelines happenings or fresh
angle of a news story
s The nearness of
Proximit events (geographical)
to the readers.
y
 Elements of News
Well known or
Prominenc significant personalities,
places, things or
e happenings

Arouses curiosity by a
Oddity news material which
is unusual or that
deviates from norms
 Elements of News
The most common. The
Conflict disagreement between
man and others (man,
nature, himself)

Those that will have

Significance an impact on the lives
of the readers
 How to Start ???

Choosing
and Writing
the Lead
 Writing the Lead
Lead is the opening
part and the most
important part of a
news story.
All good journalists are good at
writing composition…

But not all good composition

students are good at journalism.
 Writing the Lead

Summary (Hard
Leads)

Novelty (Soft
Leads)
 Summary Lead
o The most common and
traditional form of lead.
o It answers the 5Ws and
one H.
o A single sentence with at
least 25 but should not
be beyond 30 words.
 Summary Lead
o Think of the essence of
your article.
Imagine that you are a witness to
something that had just happened. You
wanted to tell it to a friend of yours but
your cellphone is running out of battery
and you only have 10 seconds left. You will
surely resort to providing only the most
important facts. That’s your summary
lead.
 Summary Lead

Do not include all the

answers of the 5Ws and H
in the lead.
 Summary Lead
WHO LEAD
Is used if the most
important among the
facts is a person. (not
limited to known
personality)
 Summary Lead
WHO LEAD

A pedicab driver was

shot dead by
unidentified riding in
tandem along LRT
Pasay Rotonda.
 Summary Lead
The Blind Lead
A scrap collector earned
praises from Pangasinan
policemen and netizens for
returning a Philippine flag found
on a highway.
According to PCR Pozorrubio,
scrap collector Nino Imbalbalatong,
went to the police station to return
the Philippine flag
 Summary Lead
WHAT LEAD

It is used if the
circumstances or event
is the most important
angle.
 Summary Lead
WHAT LEAD

Water shortage brought

by El Niño affected a
number of barangays in
Metro Manila
yesterday.
 Summary Lead
WHERE LEAD

It is used of the most

important angle of the
story points at a
location.
 Summary Lead
WHERE LEAD

Jerusalem, one of the

most religious places
among many religions,
will house the new US
embassy in Israel.
 Summary Lead
WHEN LEAD

Used occasionally. Used

only if the time is the
most important
element in the story.
 Summary Lead
WHEN LEAD

September 20
marks the deadline
given to all local
executives to
reclaim public
roads from private
use.
 Summary Lead
WHY LEAD

Used if the cause

of the event plays
the most
important role in
the news story
 Summary Lead
WHY LEAD
To instill the
culture of reading
among learners,
San Jose del
Monte Heights
High School
constructed
Reading and
Learning Area.
 Summary Lead
HOW LEAD
Used if the process
or manner of how
the event
happened is the
most important
angle of a news
material.
 Summary Lead
HOW LEAD
By strengthening
its Public-Private
Partnership
program, the
Faculty and
Employees
Association was
able to reach
100% of its
Built.Built.Built
Projects.
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
For English Composition
On July 22, the faculty met
in the Audio-Visual Room to
discuss some agenda at their
regular monthly meeting.

For News Writing

 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
On July 22, the faculty met
in the Audio-Visual Room to
discuss some agenda at their
regular monthly meeting.

This is a good English

composition…THEN
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
The school will implement
the 6-hour workday starting
the first week of August, St.
National High School Principal
Claire Balmores announced
during the faculty meeting.
 Summary Lead
ANGLING
Process of deciding the type of
lead to be used by placing the
most important data at the
beginning of the lead.

From: Campus Journalism in

the New Generation, 2017
Edition
 Summary Lead
What Hanging to death
Who An old man
Inside her sister’s house in Quezon
Where City
Yesterday
When
Unable to find work and could not go
Why home to his family in Sultan Kudarat
By hanging himself using an iron cord
How
From: Campus Journalism in the New
Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
What
Hanging himself, an old man
was found dead yesterday inside
his sister’s house in Quezon
City.

From: Campus Journalism in the New

Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
Who
An old man hung himself to
death yesterday inside his
sister’s house in Quezon City.

From: Campus Journalism in the New

Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
Where
Inside his sister’s house in
Quezon City, an old man hung
himself to death yesterday.

From: Campus Journalism in the New

Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
When
Yesterday, an old man hung
himself to death inside his
sister’s house in Quezon City.

From: Campus Journalism in the New

Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
Why
Unable to find work and
could not go home to his family
in Sultan Kudarat, an old man
hung himself to death yesterday
inside his sister’s house in
Quezon City.
From: Campus Journalism in the New
Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Let’s Give It a Try
How
Using an iron cord, an old man hung
himself to death yesterday inside his
sister’s house in Quezon City after
he failed to find work and could not
go home to his family in Sultan
Kudarat.
From: Campus Journalism in the New
Generation, 2017 Edition
 Summary Lead
Which is the best???

What When
Who Why
Where How

From: Campus Journalism in the New

Generation, 2017 Edition
 Novelty Lead
o Adds color in writing.

o Makes news story more

interesting.
 Novelty Lead
Descriptive LEAD
Creates mental images of the subject to
the reader (used in personality sketch)
Garbed in maong pants and
black t-shirt with the word
“Metrian” printed vertically on its
left side, alumni trooped to Ireneo
L. Santiago National High School of
Metro Dadiangas for their first
grand homecoming.
From: Campus Journalism in
the New Generation, 2017
Edition
 Novelty Lead
Quotation LEAD
Statement uttered directly by a person
(normally a known personality)
“You stole the presidency, not only
once but twice.”
Shouted Susan Roces, widow of
Fernando Poe Jr., during a gathering of the
opposition, denouncing President Golria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s alleged vote-rigging
during the 2004 elections.
From: Campus Journalism in
the New Generation, 2017
Edition
 Novelty Lead
Question LEAD
A though provoking question to catch
interest of readers
How would you know that your
money is fake?
Central Bank of the Philippines cautioned
the public yesterday of the proliferation of
fake peso bills and gave tips on how to avoid
them.

From: Campus Journalism in

the New Generation, 2017
Edition
 Novelty Lead
Parody LEAD
A well-known song, poem, quotation,
book or movie title
Money, money, everywhere and
every cent well-spent.
This is the tune of the Department of
Budget and Management (DBM) as it
prepared this year’s financial statement.

From: Compilations in Campus

Journalism DepEd RO III 2005
 Novelty Lead
Contrast LEAD
Points out opposite and extremes

The United States is the richest

nation on earth, but some 25 million
Americans live in poverty.

From: Compilations in Campus

Journalism DepEd RO III 2005
 Novelty Lead
Exclamatory LEAD
Used for striking information

A Filipino Pope has been elected.

Bells pealed for more than an hour

throughout the country to announce that a
native son was recently chosen as the 268th
successor to the throne of St. Peter in the
Vatican.
From: Compilations in Campus
Journalism DepEd RO III 2005
 Novelty Lead
Background LEAD
The background of an event over shadows
the individuals who participated in it.
Cackling witches, screaming
apparitions and violent drumbeats are
just a few of the spine-tingling sounds
echoing through the halls after school
hours these days as the cast and crew
members of “Macbeth” go through their
rehearsal routines.
From: Compilations in Campus
Journalism DepEd RO III 2005
Novelty Lead

Do not take it too long for

readers to get to the
nutgraph, the paragraph
that contains the basic
core (some of the Ws and
H) of the news story)
 What’s Next???

Writing the
Body of the
News
Article
The Inverted Pyramid
LEAD (Ws and/or H)
Amplificatio
n in
of lead
greate
r
detai
l
The Facts
 Construct the Lead
Three security guards were arrested by
police after they held two women at
gunpoint, carting away their personal
belongings in Las Pinas City on Wednesday.
Examine the lead used (the arrangement of facts)
 What is the first information mentioned?
 What is the second information provided?
 The third?
Use the lead as guide in writing the body of the news article.

by: (Dhel Nazario)

The Facts
 Support the Lead
Three security guards were arrested by
police after they held two women at
gunpoint, carting away their personal
belongings in Las Pinas City on Wednesday.
The suspects were identified by police
as Christopher Omotoy, 29; Jayson Rodriguez,
33; and Bernie Apple, 30; all security guards.
Their arrest stemmed from the
complaints of Esperanza Sierra, 49; and Jean
Ignacio, 60; both residents of Antipolo City.
The News Story
The Multiple Incident
News
The Speech News
The Dominant points
Ws
made
Direct Quotation
Indirect Quotation
Direct Quotation
The Speech News
 Investigative Report
What makes it
different
Scenario:
The journalist attends a press
conference and write about it.

This is Daily News Reporting

 Investigative Report
What makes it
different
Scenario:
The journalist interviews a
wounded person in a police
operation and report what he has
been told.

This is Daily News Reporting

 Investigative Report
What makes it
different
Scenario:
The journalist makes a news
story out from a transcript or the
official statements.

This is Daily News Reporting

 Investigative Report
What makes it
different
Scenario:
The journalist makes a news
story from incidents he witnessed
(rallies, vehicular collisions, arrest,
etch.)

This is Daily News Reporting

 Investigative Report
What makes it
different
Scenario:
The journalist does not just
report information given to them
but unearth more facts to provide
something new and previously
known.
That is Investigative Report
 Investigative Report
What makes it
different
Leak Journalism is not investigative
reporting.

Reporting based on multiple

sources.

It is not a paparazzi journalism. It

does not concern itself from private
lives but for public good.
 Investigative Report

From: The Republic, 2015

 In-Depth Report
The subject: Those that are
important to the readers (those that
will affect their lives directly)

Look for significant changes from

one period to another.

Base conclusion from data provided.

 In-Depth Report

From: The Republic, 2015

Few reminders
1. Avoid wordy paragraphs (75
words maximum).
2. Do not put both the direct
and indirect quotations in the
same paragraph.
3. One-sentence paragraph is
preferred, but if it cannot be
avoided, a paragraph must
not go beyond 3 sentences.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s and Don’ts
THANKS 
Workshop
From the Workbook in
Journalism created by
select School Paper
Advisers
The earthquake is recorded to have 6.1 magnitude.

Pampanga and nearby provinces were affected by the earthquake.

The country still has no available equipment to detect possible earthquake in the country.

Santa Catalina de Alexandria Parish church which is located in Porac sustained damage according to
the Archdiocesan Committee on Church Heritage in Pampanga.

4 people died while more than 40 people were believed to have been trapped in Chuzon
Supermarket after it collapsed due to the earthquake.

Chuzon is one of the known malls in the province.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda stated that several towns experienced electricity cut off because of
the earthquake.

At least 9 people were killed in Pampanga due to an earthquake.

Governor Lilia Pineda said that 5 people were killed in Porac and Lubao when their houses collapsed.

This happened on Monday.

On Tuesday, Central Luzon Police Chief Joel Coronel said that some 30 people are still missing.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda seeks help from the Department of Public Works and Highways to
check damaged roads in Pampanga.

Her call for DPWH is to prevent accidents that may take place because of the possible damages the
road may have sustained from the earthquake