Don’t Do It! How To Improve Your News Writing

My first news story came back with red pen scribbled all over it. The editor told me to go away and start again. I blinked back the tears, held my tongue and rewrote the story. Over next few months of my career in journalism, my work was red-penned again and again, though slightly less each time. It wasn’t that I couldn’t write, but I hadn’t yet learned to write a news story. About six months in, I handed a story to the editor and waited for the inevitable rewriting advice. To my surprise, it came back to me with a grunt, but with no red marks on it. I’d finally learned how I should craft a news story. Here are 12 points which may improve your news writing.

Headline

1 The headline should say what the story is about and should be short. It usually encapsulates the information in the lead. If it doesn’t, start again.

Intro and structure

2 Remember the 6Ws.
3 Lead with the most important information.
4 Pay attention to structure. Make it logical, so that readers can follow events easily.

Style, tone and content

5 Make sure the style and content are appropriate for your target publication.
6 Keep sentences short, clear and simple wherever possible.
7 Avoid passive constructions – active sentences bring the news to life.
8 Check spelling of names you’re not sure about
9 Don’t editorialize – news should be about facts, not opinion.
10 Try to avoid repetition – one mention is usually enough for each fact.

General

11 Don’t believe the hype – are you being sceptical enough?
12 Proofread your work for inconsistencies in spelling, grammar and tenses