2. News Basics News is difficult to define because it has many variables. News must be factual, yet not all facts are news.

3. What is news? News is primarily about people, what they say/do. News is not necessarily a report of a recent event, as stated in most dictionaries. What is news for one school or community may not be news for another. What is news today may not be news tomorrow.

4. News? News should be of: – 1. interest – 2. importance The origin of the word “News”: North, East, West, and South. The word news is an acronym for the directions of the compass since news is global information.

5. Hard News = important to all/most people Ex: Wars, Government, Education, Politics, etc. Soft News = more entertainment/emotional news Ex: Sports, Miss America, puppy found, the Emmy’s

6. Three factors essential to news stories: Facts Interest Readers

7. News is... Look at the MAIN GOALS of a news article: Handout

8. Inverted Pyramid Most important facts Next most important Next Hard news stories almost always follow the inverted pyramid and are written concisely and clearly so that the meaning is clear to an average reader. Next Important

9. News Article... Look at the MAIN ELEMENTS of a news article: Handout

10. Summary Leads The first paragraph of a news story contains the most important information. This is called the summary lead, because it summarizes the most important facts gathered about the story. The lead tells the most important part of the story, and the body of the story gives the other facts in decreasing order of importance.

11. Characteristics of a good Summary Lead Briefest possible summary of a story, usually no more than 25 words. Includes the Ws and H that are important.

12. What are the Ws and H? Who What When Where Why How

13. The summary lead: Students who are chronically tardy to class may find themselves suspended if a policy being considered by the Troy City School Board is passed. Yikes! I’d better read further!

14. Should teachers and students be paid for passing? March 8, 2013 Whiteland High School junior Jacob Scott takes pride in being among the best students in his class. Next year, his hard work in the classroom could translate to real money — up to $200. All he has to do is pass national tests for the two Advanced Placement courses he would have taken anyway. "I think it encourages students that may be struggling in the course to make that extra effort," said Jacob, 17. "It's good motivation.“ Whiteland is one of 33 Indiana schools that will use grant money to pay students to succeed in college-level math, science and English courses. When a student scores a 3 or better on the 5-point AP test, they'll get a check for $100 and so will their teacher. But critics say paying students for school work doesn't lead to long-term gains. They often cite a Stanford University experiment from the 1970s that found preschoolers who were told in advance they would be rewarded with gold stars for drawing a picture became less likely to draw for fun later on.

15. ‘YELLOW CLUES’ GETS NEW HOST Youngsters Mourn Jim’s Departure By JOHN RODRIGUEZ Daily News Wire LOS ANGELES — Starting Monday, Mustafa Habib will take over as host of one of television’s most popular children’s shows, “Yellow Clues,” replacing Jim Crawford, the show’s host since it started eight years ago. Habib was selected from among hundreds of young actors who auditioned all over the country. Crawford said he was leaving the show to move onto other acting jobs. He has become a beloved television celebrity to preschoolers, some of whom have been known to cry at the news that he is leaving. “I hope kids know I won’t be replacing Jim,” said Habib. “Mustafa is a whole new person for them to get to know and love.”