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| Library > Editorial Policy & Submissions > News Articles |
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News Articles Submissions
News writing traditionally uses the inverted pyramid -- the practice of presenting the most important information in the opening paragraph (lede) -- to tell the story.
1st paragraph: Combined with the headline, the lede is designed to capture readers by presenting the Who, What, Where and When elements of the story first.
2nd paragraph: Known as the "bridge," this graph provides the How and or Why of the story. Sometimes, writers use direct attribution (a quote) from one of the article's important characters here.
Middle paragraphs: Are used to introduce and explain important (but secondary) details of the story. Other sources of attribution (experts, people directly affected, witnesses) are introduced here directly or indirectly.
Closing paragraphs: Are used to provide general background and historical information.
NEWS WRITING TIPS
1. Place the most important details in your lede.
2. Avoid cliché historical quote and question ledes.
3. Use imagery, but never tell readers what to do (e.g. Imagine you're...).
4. Introduce major elements of the story early -- no surprises!
5. Throughout the story, emphasize details most likely to interest or affect readers.
6. Do not jump around. Order your details from most to least important.
7. Make sentences clear, concise and to the point. Shorter is better.
8. Very sentence length and structure.
9. Avoid passive voice and clichés.
10. Do not overload sentences by trying to fit in too much detail.
11. Avoid jargon and big words.
12. Use transitional words and sentences to move the reader logically through the story.
13. Resist the temptation to end the story with a summary or fluff "thank you" quote.
Remember: Editors edit stories from the bottom up. The least important detail goes at the end of the story and the "bottom line" belongs at the beginning.
Submit a news story or a news story idea.
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