Journalism I Final Exam Writing Review Headlines, News Writing, and Editorials

Headline Writing Rules Use specific phrasing—choose your words carefully Each must contain a subject and a verb Emphasis should be on ACTION verbs No articles—a, an or the Use a comma to replace and Use present or future tense Avoid bad splits—subject and verb, adjective and noun, adverb and verb, parts of a verb, prepositional phrases Don’t repeat words Avoid names (unless well known) and weird abbreviations

News Writing Use the inverted pyramid—most important to least important. DO NOT write news stories in chronological order! Leads should include the 5 Ws—possibly the H—don’t use creativity. Get straight to the point! Avoid editorializing—NO OPINION! Use AP style Attribute and identify sources properly Omit extraneous information Use tight writing with active verbs

Editorials Intro presents the problem and the staff’s stance Lead/intro grabs reader’s attention Staff stance is supported with evidence Avoid direct quotes unless absolutely necessary Present other viewpoints in addition to staff viewpoints Solution(s) is provided when necessary Conclusion recaps staff’s position and includes call to action when appropriate Tone is fair and mature Avoid preachiness