1. News Article Just the FACTS 5W-H Questions (who, what, when, where, why, how) Organize by importance Dont use first person pronoun I Be objective Dont be Bias

2. Format of News Article Headlineuse action verbs and important nouns and adjs. Bylineby your name Leadfirst sentence/ paragraphinclude 5W-H Qs put most important firstattract the readers attention Bodyexplanation, details, info., quotes, facts, etc. Background informationbrief info leading up to or supporting story (this info may be cut from article when printed)

3. News writing Values… Impactwill it make a difference in readers lives? TimelinessIs it current? (Consider paper will be out 1 wk after deadline). ProximityIs it valuable? Is it interesting? Prominencestatus of people, event? Human Interesttouching, stirring, interesting, emotional, etc.

4. Newswriting Style Sentences and Paragraphsshort & simple Clarity Accuracy Details Objectivitynone of your opinion Brevity Quotesmust have in all articles Attributionby your name Namesspelled correctly Titlesgive if person has one Abbreviationsuse only if clear

5. Finding the NEWS School –Clubs –Activities –Curriculum –Codes of Conduct –Sports –Student Council –Awards, Scholarships –Policy Changes –Education Standards –Counseling –Improvement of facilities –Noteworthy Individuals Community –Laws/curfews affecting students –Community concerns and large events –Entertainment –Local youth programs –Job opportunities –Volunteer possibilities National and World Issues –Close-up coverage of wider concerns as they directly relate to student in your school

6. Finding the NEWS Hard news –Events, stories, Once-a-year activity –Prom, homecoming, play, blood drive, etc. Human Interest –Stories that appeal to softer side of human nature –Emotional Participatory Journalism (P84)

7. AS A JOURNALIST, YOU INFORM, EDUCATE, AND PERSUADE BUT DO NOT ALIENATE

8. BEATS Your assigned area to cover –Who is sponsor? –List of members of club, sports, event, etc. –Make contact once a week for NEWS

9. Sources for the News Make list of sources to contact Write interview questions for each source Interview all sources Take excellent notes Double check all info for accuracy Ask if you can quote the source Get correct spelling of source name

10. Procedures for news writing 1. Topic and Type of articlenews, feature, sports, editorialwrite on story board (must be approved by Editor-in-Chief and Mrs. Childers) 2. Write interview questions 3. Have questions approved by Editor-in-Chief 4. Conduct interview and research 5. Draft article immediately after interview & research 6. Revise article 7. Have Editor-in-Chief to revise and approve of article 8. Edit article 9. E-mail article to club sponsor for revisions and approval 10. Edit article 11. E-mail article to Mrs. Childers for approval and publication (at this point article should be PERFECT and ready for publication in county newspaper)

11. Active vs. Passive Voice School Newspaper Advisers Survival Guide (P 96-103 for info and exercises)