Online news tips

The structure:
Put the most significant thing (for the reader) first
Put the background last

The intro:
Sum up the main point in a single sentence paragraph of about 20 words
Keep the intro simple (don't use multi-strand intros)
Focus on who, what, why (the where and when can come later)
Start with the who
Make the who individual, personal
Make the who someone the reader will identify with
Make the what visual, dramatic
Never miss out the why
The why should tell the reader why the story is of value to them

The body:
Use quotes and stats for authority
Use quotes or vox pops to include the voice of the reader
Link to related archive material
Link to tables, graphs, maps
Link to blogs and wikis
Link to relevant external sites

Keeping it fresh:
Add bullet intros to longer stories
Use pull-quotes to pick out interest points from within the story
Use relevant, interesting pics
Always caption pics
Use cross-heads (sub-headings)