Writing News Articles – The Framework A Window to the World - News

Objectives Writing a news article using the correct framework

There’s been a devastating accident…

The local news team are on the case, and have gathered some essential information…

What are the facts? WHO? Two women, both 24, from London WHAT? A fatal car crash. Two lorries collide and crush a small car WHEN? Monday night, 8pm WHERE? On the M6 northbound near Knutsford WHY? High winds pushed one lorry onto another, and the car was in between them

What else do we know? Parents were shocked and very upset Ambulance and police arrived quickly but the girls were already dead Police are trying to avoid these accidents happening again Women are called Julie Jones and Rachel Roberts; they were driving to Manchester Drivers of both lorries had minor injuries

Before writing a newspaper report… we need to organise our information! The inverted pyramid will help us…

Fatal car crash, 2 lorries collide Two women, 24, from London Fatal car crash, 2 lorries collide Monday night, 8pm Happened on the M6 High winds caused the lorries to topple Ambulance and police arrived quickly but the girls were dead Drivers of both lorries had minor injuries; shock only Girls’ names, driving to cinema. Parents’ were upset Police are working to prevent these happening again

Two women from London were killed when their Seat car was crushed under the weight of two lorries. The accident happened at 8pm on Monday as they travelled Northbound on the M6 near Knutsford. It is thought that high winds were responsible for the accident which killed the two young women. Ambulance and police crews arrived on the scene straight away but the two young women were pronounced dead. The drivers of both lorries escaped the crash with minor injuries, and both were treated for shock. The victims, Julie Jones and Rachel Roberts, both 24, were driving to the cinema in Llandudno when the accident happened. Julie’s parents said they were devastated when they heard the news. Julie’s mother, Ann, was in total shock. “I still can’t believe that my beautiful daughter has been killed,” she said last night. “It’s like my world’s come to an end”. Police say that high winds are often responsible for crashes along the coast. Chief constable Paul Peters said “we’re working with council officials to try and prevent these tragic accidents, perhaps by reducing the speed limit on that stretch of road.” The girls’ funerals will take place early next week.

A Terrifying Robbery…

What are the facts? WHO? Two armed robbers. WHAT? A bank robbery where £100,000 was stolen. WHEN? Wednesday, 10am. WHERE? HSBC in Little Whinging. WHY? Reason for the robbery unknown.

What else do we know? There are descriptions; e-fits coming soon. Thieves threw people to the ground and demanded cash. Staff were frightened and gave them what they wanted. Police have no suspects. Thieves had a getaway car to help them escape.

Two armed robbers Bank Robbery, £100,000 stolen Wednesday, 10am HSBC Little Whinging Thieves threw people to the ground and demanded cash Thieves had a getaway car to help them escape Description of thieves and police e-fits Staff were frightened, gave them what they wanted Police have no suspects

Thieves stole over £100,000 in cash during a robbery at a local bank on Wednesday. At 10am, staff at the Little Whinging branch of HSBC were held at gunpoint in a frightening ordeal which left staff shaken and scared. The thieves pounded down the door of the bank just as the branch was being opened. After throwing people to the ground, they held the chief cashier at gunpoint, demanding money. Within ten minutes, they escaped in a waiting getaway car with over £100,000 in £20 notes. The thieves, both male, were described as being tall, light skinned, and very heavily built. Police are hoping to release e-fit images as soon as possible in an attempt to identify the perpetrators. Branch manager Rob Green said he was shocked and saddened by the incident. “We were terrified when we realised what was happening and gave the robbers what they wanted as we feared for our lives. I can’t believe that people are capable of carrying out these crimes”. Local police are following a few leads but so far, no suspects have been identified. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact crime stoppers on 0800 010101.

Framework for Article Writing Find out what you know about the story. Order the information on an inverted pyramid – most important to least important. Write the 5 Ws first, and then give more information. Make sure you include some direct speech to back up your evidence. Try and make the article grabbing and interesting. Consider language choice. This can be used for news, entertainment, and sports stories.

Woman killed by intruder during burglary at her house. Task Woman killed by intruder during burglary at her house. Write a newsworthy article about this incident. Make up any other information you need to write it. Draw an inverted pyramid in your books first to help you order your ideas, and then write the article on another page. Your article should be at least two thirds of a page. Try and include some speech from an interview to help back up your story.