22 July 2008

The perfect news story

  • The story should be summarised in the first sentence in the most direct way possible. The second sentence is also normally the start of the second paragraph.
  • That news intro (news lead if you are American) will normally start with the who? your readers will most closely identify with.
  • It is sometimes possible to leave out the when? or the where? but every story should contain a why? This is an important part of the story but also answers the readers question: why should I be interested in this?
  • The best news intros are usually 15 to 25 words long (shorter on the web) depending on the audience.
  • The reader should be able to get some idea of the story in the first six words of that intro.
  • Your story should quickly (before par 4) include a quote justifying the approach you have taken.
  • Your story should include quotes from two further sources so that you provide:
    • justification
    • balance
    • authority
    • the voice representing the ordinary reader.
  • You story should be written in order of significance to the reader. If it is cut one paragraph at a time from the bottom up, each version should read perfectly well.

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