Writing an Article

By AMANDA RITTER

STRUCTURE FOR FEATURES

  •  An anecdotal lead— this type of lead starts with a story about a person or people and a real-life experience that somehow relates to the topic of the story. This must set up the conflict and should hook the reader.
  • A nut graph—summarizes the essence of your story
  • Killer statistic to back up argument (depends on story)
  • Development of the story—chronological element generally, but doesn’t have to be
  • Resolution—A feature story often ends up back where it begins. If you introduced characters at the beginning, you need to reveal what happened to them. If you asked a question, you must answer it. If you described a controversy, you must explain how it was resolved.                              -Heat and Light

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NEILS HOPP’S “FIRST FIVE” FORMULA (HARD NEWS)

  • An effective lead – focused, short, memorable.
  • A paragraph that amplifies the lead.
  • A paragraph that continues to build details
  • A nut graph (subject to location change), which presents the larger concept illustrated by the story, to provide context or tell reader why this story is important.
  • A power quote – this is an interesting quote that propels the meaning, not just a fluffy quote that fills space or gets in the way.                                                       –Heat and Light

LEAD EDIT SAMPLE 

BEFORE: On February 1st, union protesters, holding signs to inform the public about the school’s decision to hire a non-union workforce, demonstrated outside the school grounds with an inflatable eighteen-foot-tall rat.

AFTER: Due to the school’s decision to hire non-union workers, on February 1st a union workforce protested  outside the school grounds with an inflatable eighteen-foot-tall rat .

write it downATTRIBUTIONS

  • Only quote if it’s meaningful, insightful, and you couldn’t say it any other way. The quote should move the article along.
  •  Don’t attribute at the end of a multi-sentence quote:

WRONG-“We’re doing our best to help out the community. We have a lot on our plate, but we’re trying hard to get policies back on track. These are tough times and we’d love volunteers,” James said.

 RIGHT- “We’re doing our best to help out the community,” James said. “We have a lot on our plate, but we’re trying hard to get policies back on track. These are tough times and we’d love volunteers.”

  • *Don’t attribute in the beginning.

WRONG- James said, “We’re doing our best to help out the community.”

RIGHT- “We’re doing our best to help out the community,” James said.

CHECK-LIST

  • Ask yourself: Who am I writing this for and why is it important?
  • Make sure all sources are credible.
  • Does your lead entice the reader? Does it convey the news?
  • Did you remember your audience?
  • Follow AP Style
  • All attributions are made with “said”

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GUIDELINES

  • Follow the ABCs of article writing — accuracy, brevity, clarity
  • Your lead is the most important part of the story.
  • Interview sources related to the topic. Cover all aspects of the story to remain fair.
  • No editorializing! Don’t insert your opinion. Don’t use adjectives or adverbs.
  • ALWAYS answer who, what, when, where, why and how.
  • Always use dates “Tuesday, October 1st,” not “yesterday, tomorrow…”
  • Do not write an article like you would an essay. There are no introductions or conclusions.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us.

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