HOW TO WRITE A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE 8 th ELA

THE “LEAD” THIS IS THE FIRST SENTENCE OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE ARTICLE. ANSWERS WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, AND HOW TYPICALLY A LONG SENTENCE

THE “LEAD” EXAMPLE: It didn’t take long for swine flu to show up at Vista del Lago High School in California’s Sacramento County: About 10 a.m. on Aug. 10, two hours into the first school day, administrators got a call with news that a freshman who had stayed home that morning had a confirmed case.

THE “PYRAMID” Place the most important facts at the beginning of the broadcast and additional information was mentioned in order of descending importance This is done because people often don’t read an entire article, and need the important information quickly

QUOTES “Quotes can be a wonderful tool for a news writer, when used appropriately,” explained longtime journalist Doug Wood- Boyle, who has worked in the field for over a quarter century. Quotes provide a real-life context to the information in an article.

REVIEW Have a “lead”  Who, what, where, when, why and how Use pyramid format  Move from most important information to less important information Include a quote  Eyewitness accounts and personal opinions add legitimacy to your journalism