how to write an article to a national newspaper

How to Write an Article for a Newspaper: A Step-by-Step Guide

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on June 15, 2023

Categories Writing

Newspaper articles are essential to journalism, providing readers with the latest news and information on various topics. Writing a newspaper article is not like writing any other informative article. It requires a specific format, style, and tone of voice.

If you are interested in writing a newspaper article, this article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write an article for a newspaper.

Understanding Newspaper Articles:

Before you start writing a newspaper article, it is essential to understand the basic structure of a newspaper article. A newspaper article has a headline, byline, lead paragraph, body, and conclusion. Each section of a newspaper article serves a specific purpose, and knowing how to write each section effectively is essential. In addition, it is essential to understand the difference between a news article and an opinion piece, as they require different writing styles.

Preparing to Write:

Once you understand the structure and purpose of a newspaper article, it is time to prepare to write. This involves researching the topic, gathering information, and interviewing sources. It is essential to have at least two to three primary sources for your article and to contact them as far in advance as possible. This will make arranging interviews with them easier.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the basic structure of a newspaper article is essential before writing one.
• Preparation is key when writing a newspaper article, including researching the topic and gathering information.
• Writing a newspaper article requires a specific format, style, and tone of voice; knowing the difference between a news article and an opinion piece is essential.

Understanding Newspaper Articles

Definition of newspaper articles.

Newspaper articles are written pieces of information reporting current events or issues. They are published in newspapers and are meant to inform readers about what is happening in the world around them.

The purpose of a newspaper article is to provide factual information in an objective and unbiased manner.

Newspaper articles are typically organized in a specific format, with a headline, a lead paragraph, and the body of the article. The headline is a short, attention-grabbing statement summarizing the article’s main point.

The lead paragraph, or lede, is the article’s opening paragraph, which provides the most important information and sets the tone for the rest of the article.

Types of Newspaper Articles

There are several newspaper articles, each with its purpose and style. Some common types of newspaper articles include:

• News articles: These articles report on current events and are meant to inform readers about what is happening around them. News articles are typically written in a straightforward, objective style.
• Feature articles: These articles are longer and more in-depth than news articles. They focus on a specific topic or issue and provide more background information and analysis. Feature articles are often written in a more narrative style and may include quotes from experts or people involved in the story.
• Opinion articles express the author’s opinion on a specific topic or issue. Columnists or editorial writers often write opinion articles to provide a perspective on the news.
• Reviews: These articles critically evaluate a book, movie, or other cultural product. Reviews are often written by critics and are meant to inform readers about the quality of the product.

In conclusion, understanding the different types of newspaper articles and their purpose is essential for writing a good article. By following a newspaper article’s basic structure and style, writers can effectively inform and engage readers with their stories.

Preparing to Write

Before starting to write a news article, one needs to prepare themselves. This section will cover the three essential sub-sections of preparing to write: researching the topic, identifying the target audience, and outlining the article.

Researching the Topic

The first step in preparing to write a news article is researching the topic. Journalists must gather information from primary and secondary sources to write a credible, well-structured article.

Primary sources are documents or objects created during the event or by someone with direct knowledge, such as interviews, letters, or audio recordings. Secondary sources analyze, interpret, or comment on primary sources, such as books, articles, and reviews.

When researching the topic, it is essential to identify the main points and background information. Journalists must present facts and avoid expressing personal opinions. They should also cite their sources and verify the accuracy of the information.

Identifying the Target Audience

The next step is identifying the target audience. Journalists need to know who their readers are to write an article that is relevant and interesting to them. They should consider the reader’s age, gender, education level, and interests.

For example, if the target audience is teenagers, the article should use simple words, short sentences, and examples that are relevant to their lives. If the target audience is professionals, the article should use technical terms and provide relevant details to their field.

Outlining the Article

The final step is outlining the article. The outline should include a headline, a lead paragraph, and subheadings. The headline should be catchy and summarize the article’s main point. The lead paragraph should provide background information and answer the story’s 5Ws and 1H (who, what, when, where, why, and how).

Subheadings should be used to break up the article into sections and make it easier to read. Each section should have a topic sentence that summarizes the section’s main point. Journalists should use complete sentences and avoid using jargon or technical terms that the reader may not understand.

In conclusion, preparing a news article is essential to writing a well-structured and credible article. Journalists should research the topic, identify the target audience, and outline the article to make it relevant and interesting to their readers.

Writing the Article

Crafting a news article for a newspaper requires a structured approach that ensures the article is informative, engaging, and easy to read. Writing involves crafting a lead paragraph, developing the body, and writing the conclusion.

Crafting the Lead Paragraph

The lead paragraph is the most critical part of a news story. It should grab the reader’s attention and summarize the article’s main points. A good lead paragraph should be concise, engaging, and informative. It should answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Journalists should start with a topic sentence summarizing the article’s main point to craft a good lead paragraph. They should then provide background information, using secondary sources to support their claims. The lead paragraph should be written in short, complete sentences that are easy to understand.

Developing the Body

The body of a news article should provide details, examples, and personal opinions that support the article’s main point. Journalists should use English effectively, choosing strong verbs and avoiding passive voice. They should also use citations to support their claims and avoid plagiarism.

To develop the body of a news article, journalists should start with a clear topic sentence that introduces the paragraph’s main point. They should then provide details and examples that support the topic sentence. Journalists should use short sentences and avoid using complex words that may confuse the reader.

Writing the Conclusion

The conclusion of a news article should summarize the article’s main points and provide a personal opinion or call to action. Journalists should use the conclusion to tie together the article’s main points and give the reader a clear understanding of the topic.

Journalists should start with a topic sentence summarizing the article’s main points to write a good conclusion. They should then provide a personal opinion or call to action that encourages the reader to take action or further research the topic. The conclusion should be written in short, complete sentences that are easy to understand.

In conclusion, writing a news article for a newspaper requires a structured approach that ensures the article is informative, engaging, and easy to read. Journalists can create articles that inform and engage readers by crafting a lead paragraph, developing the body, and writing the conclusion.

Polishing the Article

Editing and revising.

After completing the article’s first draft, editing and revising it to make it more polished is essential. Editing involves checking the article for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The writer should also ensure that the article flows smoothly and that the sentences are clear and concise.

On the other hand, revising involves changing the article’s content. The writer should evaluate the article’s structure and organization and ensure it is easy to read and understand. They should also remove any repetitive or irrelevant information and focus on the essential points.

Fact-Checking and Citations

Fact-checking is an essential part of writing an article for a newspaper. The writer should ensure that all the information in the article is accurate and factual. They should also verify the sources of information to ensure that they are reliable and trustworthy.

Citations are also crucial in article writing. The writer should give credit to their sources of information by citing them appropriately. This adds credibility to the article and helps readers find the sources to read more about the topic.

When citing sources, the writer should follow the guidelines provided by the newspaper or publication. They should also use the correct citation style, such as APA or MLA.

In conclusion, polishing an article involves editing, revising, fact-checking, and citing sources. By following these steps, the writer can ensure that their article is well-written, accurate, and credible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you grab the reader’s attention in the first paragraph of a newspaper article.

The first paragraph of a news article is crucial because it sets the tone for the entire piece and determines whether the reader will continue reading.

To grab the reader’s attention, start with a strong lead summarizing the most important information engagingly. Use vivid language and descriptive details to create a sense of urgency and intrigue.

What are the essential elements of a news story?

A news story should include the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. It should also answer the H question: how. In addition, a news story should be objective, accurate, and timely. It should provide context and background information to help readers understand the significance of the events being reported.

How do you write a compelling headline for a newspaper article?

A good headline should be concise, informative, and attention-grabbing. It should accurately reflect the article’s content and entice the reader to want to learn more. Use active verbs and strong language to create a sense of urgency and importance. Avoid using puns or wordplay that might confuse or distract the reader.

What are some tips for conducting effective research for a newspaper article?

To conduct effective research for a news article, start by identifying reliable sources of information. These might include government websites, academic journals, and interviews with experts or eyewitnesses.

Be sure to fact-check all information and verify the credibility of your sources. Organize your notes and keep track of your sources to make it easier to write the article later.

How do you structure the body of a newspaper article?

The body of a newspaper article should be organized in a logical and easy-to-follow way. Start with the most important information and work down to the details.

Use short paragraphs and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to read. Include quotes from sources to provide additional perspectives and insights.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a newspaper article?

Some common mistakes to avoid when writing a news article include using biased language, making assumptions, and including irrelevant or inaccurate information. It’s important to remain objective and stick to the facts.

Avoid sensationalizing the story or injecting your opinions or biases into the article. Finally, proofread your work carefully for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

15 News Writing Rules for Beginning Journalism Students

The goal is to provide information clearly in common language

• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• M.S., Journalism, Columbia University
• B.A., Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Gathering information for a news article is vitally important, of course, but so is writing the story. The best information, put together in an overly intricate construction using SAT words and dense writing, can be difficult to digest for readers looking for a quick news fix.

There are rules for news writing that result in a clear, direct presentation, providing information efficiently and accessibly to a variety of readers. Some of these rules conflict with what you might have learned in English Lit.

Here's a list of 15 rules for beginning news writers, based on the problems that crop most frequently:

Tips for News Writing

• Generally speaking, the lede , or introduction to the story, should be a single sentence of 35 to 45 words that summarizes the main points of the story, not a seven-sentence monstrosity that looks like it's out of a Jane Austen novel.
• The lede should summarize the story from start to finish. So if you're writing about a fire that destroyed a building and left 18 people homeless, that must be in the lede. Writing something like "A fire started in a building last night" doesn't have enough vital information.
• Paragraphs in news stories should generally be no more than one or two sentences each, not the seven or eight sentences you probably wrote for freshman English. Short paragraphs are easier to cut when editors are working on a tight deadline, and they look less imposing on the page.
• Sentences should be kept relatively short, and whenever possible use the subject-verb-object formula. Backward constructions are harder to read.
• Always cut unnecessary words. For example, "Firefighters arrived at the blaze and were able to put it out within about 30 minutes" can be shortened to "Firefighters doused the blaze in 30 minutes."
• Don't use complicated-sounding words when simpler ones will do. A laceration is a cut; a contusion is a bruise; an abrasion is a scrape. A news story should be understandable to everyone.
• Don't use the first-person "I" in news stories. 
• In Associated Press style, punctuation almost always goes inside quotation marks. Example: "We arrested the suspect," Detective John Jones said. (Note the placement of the comma.)
• News stories are generally written in the past tense.
• Avoid the use of too many adjectives. There's no need to write "the white-hot blaze" or "the brutal murder." We know fire is hot and that killing someone is generally pretty brutal. Those adjectives are unnecessary.
• Don't use phrases such as "thankfully, everyone escaped the fire unhurt." Obviously, it's good that people weren't hurt. Your readers can figure that out for themselves.
• Never inject your opinions into a hard-news story. Save your thoughts for a review or editorial.
• When you first refer to someone in a story, use the full name and job title if applicable. On all subsequent references, use just the last name. So it would be "Lt. Jane Jones" when you first mention her in your story, but after that, it would simply be "Jones." The only exception is if two people with the same last name are in your story, in which case you could use their full names. Reporters generally don't use honorifics such as "Mr." or "Mrs." in AP style. (A notable exception is The New York Times .)
• Don't repeat information.
• Don't summarize the story at the end by repeating what's already been said. Try to find information for the conclusion that advances the story. 
• How to Find the Main Idea
• Avoid the Common Mistakes That Beginning Reporters Make
• Constructing News Stories with the Inverted Pyramid
• Learn to Write News Stories
• Six Tips for Writing News Stories That Will Grab a Reader
• How Reporters Can Write Great Follow-up News Stories
• Writing News Stories for the Web
• 5 Key Ingredients for Great Feature Stories
• 10 News Writing Exercises for Journalism Students
• How to Avoid Burying the Lede of Your News Story
• The Secret to Writing Great Headlines for Your News Stories
• 10 Important Steps for Producing a Quality News Story
• How Feature Writers Use Delayed Ledes
• Learning to Edit News Stories Quickly
• Sportswriter Resources: Writing the Short Game Story
• How to Write Feature Stories

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Expert Commentary

Basic newswriting: Learn how to originate, research and write breaking-news stories

Syllabus for semester-long course on the fundamentals of covering and writing the news, including how identify a story, gather information efficiently and place it in a meaningful context.

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

by The Journalist's Resource, The Journalist's Resource January 22, 2010

This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/home/syllabus-covering-the-news/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">

This course introduces tomorrow’s journalists to the fundamentals of covering and writing news. Mastering these skills is no simple task. In an Internet age of instantaneous access, demand for high-quality accounts of fast-breaking news has never been greater. Nor has the temptation to cut corners and deliver something less.

To resist this temptation, reporters must acquire skills to identify a story and its essential elements, gather information efficiently, place it in a meaningful context, and write concise and compelling accounts, sometimes at breathtaking speed. The readings, discussions, exercises and assignments of this course are designed to help students acquire such skills and understand how to exercise them wisely.

Photo: Memorial to four slain Lakewood, Wash., police officers. The Seattle Times earned the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for their coverage of the crime.

Course objective

To give students the background and skills needed to originate, research, focus and craft clear, compelling and contextual accounts of breaking news in a deadline environment.

Learning objectives

• Build an understanding of the role news plays in American democracy.
• Discuss basic journalistic principles such as accuracy, integrity and fairness.
• Evaluate how practices such as rooting and stereotyping can undermine them.
• Analyze what kinds of information make news and why.
• Evaluate the elements of news by deconstructing award-winning stories.
• Evaluate the sources and resources from which news content is drawn.
• Analyze how information is attributed, quoted and paraphrased in news.
• Gain competence in focusing a story’s dominant theme in a single sentence.
• Introduce the structure, style and language of basic news writing.
• Gain competence in building basic news stories, from lead through their close.
• Gain confidence and competence in writing under deadline pressure.
• Practice how to identify, background and contact appropriate sources.
• Discuss and apply the skills needed to interview effectively.
• Analyze data and how it is used and abused in news coverage.
• Review basic math skills needed to evaluate and use statistics in news.
• Report and write basic stories about news events on deadline.

Suggested reading

• A standard textbook of the instructor’s choosing.
• America ‘s Best Newspaper Writing , Roy Peter Clark and Christopher Scanlan, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006
• The Elements of Journalism , Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, Three Rivers Press, 2001.
• Talk Straight, Listen Carefully: The Art of Interviewing , M.L. Stein and Susan E. Paterno, Iowa State University Press, 2001
• Math Tools for Journalists , Kathleen Woodruff Wickham, Marion Street Press, Inc., 2002
• On Writing Well: 30th Anniversary Edition , William Zinsser, Collins, 2006
• Associated Press Stylebook 2009 , Associated Press, Basic Books, 2009

Weekly schedule and exercises (13-week course)

We encourage faculty to assign students to read on their own Kovach and Rosentiel’s The Elements of Journalism in its entirety during the early phase of the course. Only a few chapters of their book are explicitly assigned for the class sessions listed below.

The assumption for this syllabus is that the class meets twice weekly.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Weeks 13/14

Week 1: Why journalism matters

Previous week | Next week | Back to top

Class 1: The role of journalism in society

The word journalism elicits considerable confusion in contemporary American society. Citizens often confuse the role of reporting with that of advocacy. They mistake those who promote opinions or push their personal agendas on cable news or in the blogosphere for those who report. But reporters play a different role: that of gatherer of evidence, unbiased and unvarnished, placed in a context of past events that gives current events weight beyond the ways opinion leaders or propagandists might misinterpret or exploit them.

This session’s discussion will focus on the traditional role of journalism eloquently summarized by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in The Elements of Journalism . The class will then examine whether they believe that the journalist’s role has changed or needs to change in today’s news environment. What is the reporter’s role in contemporary society? Is objectivity, sometimes called fairness, an antiquated concept or an essential one, as the authors argue, for maintaining a democratic society? How has the term been subverted? What are the reporter’s fundamental responsibilities? This discussion will touch on such fundamental issues as journalists’ obligation to the truth, their loyalty to the citizens who are their audience and the demands of their discipline to verify information, act independently, provide a forum for public discourse and seek not only competing viewpoints but carefully vetted facts that help establish which viewpoints are grounded in evidence.

Reading: Kovach and Rosenstiel, Chapter 1, and relevant pages of the course text

Assignments:

• Students should compare the news reporting on a breaking political story in The Wall Street Journal , considered editorially conservative, and The New York Times , considered editorially liberal. They should write a two-page memo that considers the following questions: Do the stories emphasize the same information? Does either story appear to slant the news toward a particular perspective? How? Do the stories support the notion of fact-based journalism and unbiased reporting or do they appear to infuse opinion into news? Students should provide specific examples that support their conclusions.
• Students should look for an example of reporting in any medium in which reporters appear have compromised the notion of fairness to intentionally or inadvertently espouse a point of view. What impact did the incorporation of such material have on the story? Did its inclusion have any effect on the reader’s perception of the story?

Class 2: Objectivity, fairness and contemporary confusion about both

In his book Discovering the News , Michael Schudson traced the roots of objectivity to the era following World War I and a desire by journalists to guard against the rapid growth of public relations practitioners intent on spinning the news. Objectivity was, and remains, an ideal, a method for guarding against spin and personal bias by examining all sides of a story and testing claims through a process of evidentiary verification. Practiced well, it attempts to find where something approaching truth lies in a sea of conflicting views. Today, objectivity often is mistaken for tit-for-tat journalism, in which the reporters only responsibility is to give equal weight to the conflicting views of different parties without regard for which, if any, are saying something approximating truth. This definition cedes the journalist’s responsibility to seek and verify evidence that informs the citizenry.

Focusing on the “Journalism of Verification” chapter in The Elements of Journalism , this class will review the evolution and transformation of concepts of objectivity and fairness and, using the homework assignment, consider how objectivity is being practiced and sometimes skewed in the contemporary new media.

Reading: Kovach and Rosenstiel, Chapter 4, and relevant pages of the course text.

Assignment: Students should evaluate stories on the front page and metro front of their daily newspaper. In a two-page memo, they should describe what elements of news judgment made the stories worthy of significant coverage and play. Finally, they should analyze whether, based on what else is in the paper, they believe the editors reached the right decision.

Week 2: Where news comes from

Class 1: News judgment

When editors sit down together to choose the top stories, they use experience and intuition. The beginner journalist, however, can acquire a sense of news judgment by evaluating news decisions through the filter of a variety of factors that influence news play. These factors range from traditional measures such as when the story took place and how close it was to the local readership area to more contemporary ones, such as the story’s educational value.

Using the assignment and the reading, students should evaluate what kinds of information make for interesting news stories and why.

In this session, instructors might consider discussing the layers of news from the simplest breaking news event to the purely enterprise investigative story.

Assignment: Students should read and deconstruct coverage of a major news event. One excellent source for quality examples is the site of the Pulitzer Prizes , which has a category for breaking news reporting. All students should read the same article (assigned by the instructor), and write a two- or three-page memo that describes how the story is organized, what information it contains and what sources of information it uses, both human and digital. Among the questions they should ask are:

• Does the first (or lead) paragraph summarize the dominant point?
• What specific information does the lead include?
• What does it leave out?
• How do the second and third paragraphs relate to the first paragraph and the information it contains? Do they give unrelated information, information that provides further details about what’s established in the lead paragraph or both?
• Does the story at any time place the news into a broader context of similar events or past events? If so, when and how?
• What information in the story is attributed , specifically tied to an individual or to documentary information from which it was taken? What information is not attributed? Where does the information appear in the sentence? Give examples of some of the ways the sources of information are identified? Give examples of the verbs of attribution that are chosen.
• Where and how often in the story are people quoted, their exact words placed in quotation marks? What kind of information tends to be quoted — basic facts or more colorful commentary? What information that’s attributed is paraphrased , summing up what someone said but not in their exact words.
• How is the story organized — by theme, by geography, by chronology (time) or by some other means?
• What human sources are used in the story? Are some authorities? Are some experts? Are some ordinary people affected by the event? Who are some of the people in each category? What do they contribute to the story? Does the reporter (or reporters) rely on a single source or a wide range? Why do you think that’s the case?
• What specific facts and details make the story more vivid to you? How do you think the reporter was able to gather those details?
• What documents (paper or digital) are detailed in the story? Do they lend authority to the story? Why or why not?
• Is any specific data (numbers, statistics) used in the story? What does it lend to the story? Would you be satisfied substituting words such as “many” or “few” for the specific numbers and statistics used? Why or why not?

Class 2: Deconstructing the story

By carefully deconstructing major news stories, students will begin to internalize some of the major principles of this course, from crafting and supporting the lead of a story to spreading a wide and authoritative net for information. This class will focus on the lessons of a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Reading: Clark/Scanlan, Pages 287-294

Assignment: Writers typically draft a focus statement after conceiving an idea and conducting preliminary research or reporting. This focus statement helps to set the direction of reporting and writing. Sometimes reporting dictates a change of direction. But the statement itself keeps the reporter from getting off course. Focus statements typically are 50 words or less and summarize the story’s central point. They work best when driven by a strong, active verb and written after preliminary reporting.

• Students should write a focus statement that encapsulates the news of the Pulitzer Prize winning reporting the class critiqued.

Week 3: Finding the focus, building the lead

Class 1: News writing as a process

Student reporters often conceive of writing as something that begins only after all their reporting is finished. Such an approach often leaves gaps in information and leads the reporter to search broadly instead of with targeted depth. The best reporters begin thinking about story the minute they get an assignment. The approach they envision for telling the story informs their choice of whom they seek interviews with and what information they gather. This class will introduce students to writing as a process that begins with story concept and continues through initial research, focus, reporting, organizing and outlining, drafting and revising.

During this session, the class will review the focus statements written for homework in small breakout groups and then as a class. Professors are encouraged to draft and hand out a mock or real press release or hold a mock press conference from which students can draft a focus statement.

Reading: Zinsser, pages 1-45, Clark/Scanlan, pages 294-302, and relevant pages of the course text

Class 2: The language of news

Newswriting has its own sentence structure and syntax. Most sentences branch rightward, following a pattern of subject/active verb/object. Reporters choose simple, familiar words. They write spare, concise sentences. They try to make a single point in each. But journalistic writing is specific and concrete. While reporters generally avoid formal or fancy word choices and complex sentence structures, they do not write in generalities. They convey information. Each sentence builds on what came before. This class will center on the language of news, evaluating the language in selections from America’s Best Newspaper Writing , local newspapers or the Pulitzers.

Reading: Relevant pages of the course text

Assignment: Students should choose a traditional news lead they like and one they do not like from a local or national newspaper. In a one- or two-page memo, they should print the leads, summarize the stories and evaluate why they believe the leads were effective or not.

Week 4: Crafting the first sentence

Class 1: The lead

No sentence counts more than a story’s first sentence. In most direct news stories, it stands alone as the story’s lead. It must summarize the news, establish the storyline, convey specific information and do all this simply and succinctly. Readers confused or bored by the lead read no further. It takes practice to craft clear, concise and conversational leads. This week will be devoted to that practice.

Students should discuss the assigned leads in groups of three or four, with each group choosing one lead to read to the entire class. The class should then discuss the elements of effective leads (active voice; active verb; single, dominant theme; simple sentences) and write leads in practice exercises.

Assignment: Have students revise the leads they wrote in class and craft a second lead from fact patterns.

Class 2: The lead continued

Some leads snap or entice instead of summarize. When the news is neither urgent nor earnest, these can work well. Though this class will introduce students to other kinds of leads, instructors should continue to emphasize traditional leads, typically found atop breaking news stories.

Class time should largely be devoted to writing traditional news leads under a 15-minute deadline pressure. Students should then be encouraged to read their own leads aloud and critique classmates’ leads. At least one such exercise might focus on students writing a traditional lead and a less traditional lead from the same information.

Assignment: Students should find a political or international story that includes various types (direct and indirect) and levels (on-the-record, not for attribution and deep background) of attribution. They should write a one- or two-page memo describing and evaluating the attribution. Did the reporter make clear the affiliation of those who expressed opinions? Is information attributed to specific people by name? Are anonymous figures given the opportunity to criticize others by name? Is that fair?

Week 5: Establishing the credibility of news

Class 1: Attribution

All news is based on information, painstakingly gathered, verified and checked again. Even so, “truth” is an elusive concept. What reporters cobble together instead are facts and assertions drawn from interviews and documentary evidence.

To lend authority to this information and tell readers from where it comes, reporters attribute all information that is not established fact. It is neither necessary, for example, to attribute that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was first elected president in 1932 nor that he was elected four times. On the other hand, it would be necessary to attribute, at least indirectly, the claim that he was one of America’s best presidents. Why? Because that assertion is a matter of opinion.

In this session, students should learn about different levels of attribution, where attribution is best placed in a sentence, and why it can be crucial for the protection of the accused, the credibility of reporters and the authoritativeness of the story.

Assignment: Working from a fact pattern, students should write a lead that demands attribution.

Class 2: Quoting and paraphrasing

“Great quote,” ranks closely behind “great lead” in the pecking order of journalistic praise. Reporters listen for great quotes as intensely as piano tuners listen for the perfect pitch of middle C. But what makes a great quote? And when should reporters paraphrase instead?

This class should cover a range of issues surrounding the quoted word from what it is used to convey (color and emotion, not basic information) to how frequently quotes should be used and how long they should run on. Other issues include the use and abuse of partial quotes, when a quote is not a quote, and how to deal with rambling and ungrammatical subjects.

As an exercise, students might either interview the instructor or a classmate about an exciting personal experience. After their interviews, they should review their notes choose what they consider the three best quotes to include a story on the subject. They should then discuss why they chose them.

Assignment: After completing the reading, students should analyze a summary news story no more than 15 paragraphs long. In a two- or three-page memo, they should reprint the story and then evaluate whether the lead summarizes the news, whether the subsequent paragraphs elaborate on or “support” the lead, whether the story has a lead quote, whether it attributes effectively, whether it provides any context for the news and whether and how it incorporates secondary themes.

Week 6: The building blocks of basic stories

Class 1: Supporting the lead

Unlike stories told around a campfire or dinner table, news stories front load information. Such a structure delivers the most important information first and the least important last. If a news lead summarizes, the subsequent few paragraphs support or elaborate by providing details the lead may have merely suggested. So, for example, a story might lead with news that a 27-year-old unemployed chef has been arrested on charges of robbing the desk clerk of an upscale hotel near closing time. The second paragraph would “support” this lead with detail. It would name the arrested chef, identify the hotel and its address, elaborate on the charges and, perhaps, say exactly when the robbery took place and how. (It would not immediately name the desk clerk; too many specifics at once clutter the story.)

Wire service stories use a standard structure in building their stories. First comes the lead sentence. Then comes a sentence or two of lead support. Then comes a lead quote — spoken words that reinforce the story’s direction, emphasize the main theme and add color. During this class students should practice writing the lead through the lead quote on deadline. They should then read assignments aloud for critique by classmates and the professor.

Assignment: Using a fact pattern assigned by the instructor or taken from a text, students should write a story from the lead through the lead quote. They should determine whether the story needs context to support the lead and, if so, include it.

Class 2: When context matters

Sometimes a story’s importance rests on what came before. If one fancy restaurant closes its doors in the face of the faltering economy, it may warrant a few paragraphs mention. If it’s the fourth restaurant to close on the same block in the last two weeks, that’s likely front-page news. If two other restaurants closed last year, that might be worth noting in the story’s last sentence. It is far less important. Patterns provide context and, when significant, generally are mentioned either as part of the lead or in the support paragraph that immediately follows. This class will look at the difference between context — information needed near the top of a story to establish its significance as part of a broader pattern, and background — information that gives historical perspective but doesn’t define the news at hand.

Assignment: The course to this point has focused on writing the news. But reporters, of course, usually can’t write until they’ve reported. This typically starts with background research to establish what has come before, what hasn’t been covered well and who speaks with authority on an issue. Using databases such as Lexis/Nexis, students should background or read specific articles about an issue in science or policy that either is highlighted in the Policy Areas section of Journalist’s Resource website or is currently being researched on your campus. They should engage in this assignment knowing that a new development on the topic will be brought to light when they arrive at the next class.

Week 7: The reporter at work

Class 1: Research

Discuss the homework assignment. Where do reporters look to background an issue? How do they find documents, sources and resources that enable them to gather good information or identify key people who can help provide it? After the discussion, students should be given a study from the Policy Areas section of Journalist’s Resource website related to the subject they’ve been asked to explore.

The instructor should use this study to evaluate the nature structure of government/scientific reports. After giving students 15 minutes to scan the report, ask students to identify its most newsworthy point. Discuss what context might be needed to write a story about the study or report. Discuss what concepts or language students are having difficulty understanding.

Reading: Clark, Scanlan, pages 305-313, and relevant pages of the course text

Assignment: Students should (a) write a lead for a story based exclusively on the report (b) do additional background work related to the study in preparation for writing a full story on deadline. (c) translate at least one term used in the study that is not familiar to a lay audience.

Class 2: Writing the basic story on deadline

This class should begin with a discussion of the challenges of translating jargon and the importance of such translation in news reporting. Reporters translate by substituting a simple definition or, generally with the help of experts, comparing the unfamiliar to the familiar through use of analogy.

The remainder of the class should be devoted to writing a 15- to 20-line news report, based on the study, background research and, if one is available, a press release.

Reading: Pages 1-47 of Stein/Paterno, and relevant pages of the course text

Assignment: Prepare a list of questions that you would ask either the lead author of the study you wrote about on deadline or an expert who might offer an outside perspective.

Week 8: Effective interviewing

Class 1: Preparing and getting the interview

Successful interviews build from strong preparation. Reporters need to identify the right interview subjects, know what they’ve said before, interview them in a setting that makes them comfortable and ask questions that elicit interesting answers. Each step requires thought.

The professor should begin this class by critiquing some of the questions students drew up for homework. Are they open-ended or close-ended? Do they push beyond the obvious? Do they seek specific examples that explain the importance of the research or its applications? Do they probe the study’s potential weaknesses? Do they explore what directions the researcher might take next?

Discuss the readings and what steps reporters can take to background for an interview, track down a subject and prepare and rehearse questions in advance.

Reading: Stein/Paterno, pages 47-146, and relevant pages of the course text

Assignment: Students should prepare to interview their professor about his or her approach to and philosophy of teaching. Before crafting their questions, the students should background the instructor’s syllabi, public course evaluations and any pertinent writings.

Class 2: The interview and its aftermath

The interview, says Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jacqui Banaszynski, is a dance which the reporter leads but does so to music the interview subject chooses. Though reporters prepare and rehearse their interviews, they should never read the questions they’ve considered in advance and always be prepared to change directions. To hear the subject’s music, reporters must be more focused on the answers than their next question. Good listeners make good interviewers — good listeners, that is, who don’t forget that it is also their responsibility to also lead.

Divide the class. As a team, five students should interview the professor about his/her approach to teaching. Each of these five should build on the focus and question of the previous questioner. The rest of the class should critique the questions, their clarity and their focus. Are the questioners listening? Are they maintaining control? Are they following up? The class also should discuss the reading, paying particularly close attention to the dynamics of an interview, the pace of questions, the nature of questions, its close and the reporter’s responsibility once an interview ends.

Assignment: Students should be assigned to small groups and asked to critique the news stories classmates wrote on deadline during the previous class.

Week 9: Building the story

Class 1: Critiquing the story

The instructor should separate students into groups of two or three and tell them to read their news stories to one another aloud. After each reading, the listeners should discuss what they liked and struggled with as the story audience. The reader in each case should reflect on what he or she learned from the process of reading the story aloud.

The instructor then should distribute one or two of the class stories that provide good and bad examples of story structure, information selection, content, organization and writing. These should be critiqued as a class.

Assignment: Students, working in teams, should develop an angle for a news follow to the study or report they covered on deadline. Each team should write a focus statement for the story it is proposing.

Class 2: Following the news

The instructor should lead a discussion about how reporters “enterprise,” or find original angles or approaches, by looking to the corners of news, identifying patterns of news, establishing who is affected by news, investigating the “why” of news, and examining what comes next.

Students should be asked to discuss the ideas they’ve developed to follow the news story. These can be assigned as longer-term team final projects for the semester. As part of this discussion, the instructor can help students map their next steps.

Reading: Wickham, Chapters 1-4 and 7, and relevant pages of the course text

Assignment: Students should find a news report that uses data to support or develop its main point. They should consider what and how much data is used, whether it is clear, whether it’s cluttered and whether it answers their questions. They should bring the article and a brief memo analyzing it to class.

Week 10: Making sense of data and statistics

Class 1: Basic math and the journalist’s job

Many reporters don’t like math. But in their jobs, it is everywhere. Reporters must interpret political polls, calculate percentage change in everything from property taxes to real estate values, make sense of municipal bids and municipal budgets, and divine data in government reports.

First discuss some of the examples of good and bad use of data that students found in their homework. Then, using examples from Journalist’s Resource website, discuss good and poor use of data in news reporting. (Reporters, for example, should not overwhelm readers with paragraphs stuffed with statistics.) Finally lead students through some of the basic skills sets outlined in Wickham’s book, using her exercises to practice everything from calculating percentage change to interpreting polls.

Assignment: Give students a report or study linked to the Journalist’s Resource website that requires some degree of statistical evaluation or interpretation. Have students read the report and compile a list of questions they would ask to help them understand and interpret this data.

Class 2: The use and abuse of statistics

Discuss the students’ questions. Then evaluate one or more articles drawn from the report they’ve analyzed that attempt to make sense of the data in the study. Discuss what these articles do well and what they do poorly.

Reading: Zinsser, Chapter 13, “Macabre Reminder: The Corpse on Union Street,” Dan Barry, The New York Times

Week 11: The reporter as observer

Class 1: Using the senses

Veteran reporters covering an event don’t only return with facts, quotes and documents that support them. They fill their notebooks with details that capture what they’ve witnessed. They use all their senses, listening for telling snippets of conversation and dialogue, watching for images, details and actions that help bring readers to the scene. Details that develop character and place breathe vitality into news. But description for description’s sake merely clutters and obscures the news. Using the senses takes practice.

The class should deconstruct “Macabre Reminder: The Corpse on Union Street,” a remarkable journey around New Orleans a few days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. The story starts with one corpse, left to rot on a once-busy street and then pans the city as a camera might. The dead body serves as a metaphor for the rotting city, largely abandoned and without order.

Assignment: This is an exercise in observation. Students may not ask questions. Their task is to observe, listen and describe a short scene, a serendipitous vignette of day-to-day life. They should take up a perch in a lively location of their choosing — a student dining hall or gym, a street corner, a pool hall or bus stop or beauty salon, to name a few — wait and watch. When a small scene unfolds, one with beginning, middle and end, students should record it. They then should write a brief story describing the scene that unfolded, taking care to leave themselves and their opinions out of the story. This is pure observation, designed to build the tools of observation and description. These stories should be no longer than 200 words.

Class 2: Sharpening the story

Students should read their observation pieces aloud to a classmate. Both students should consider these questions: Do the words describe or characterize? Which words show and which words tell? What words are extraneous? Does the piece convey character through action? Does it have a clear beginning, middle and end? Students then should revise, shortening the original scene to no longer than 150 words. After the revision, the instructor should critique some of the students’ efforts.

Assignment: Using campus, governmental or media calendars, students should identify, background and prepare to cover a speech, press conference or other news event, preferably on a topic related to one of the research-based areas covered in the Policy Areas section of Journalist’s Resource website. Students should write a focus statement (50 words or less) for their story and draw up a list of some of the questions they intend to ask.

Week 12: Reporting on deadline

Class 1: Coaching the story

Meetings, press conferences and speeches serve as a staple for much news reporting. Reporters should arrive at such events knowledgeable about the key players, their past positions or research, and the issues these sources are likely discuss. Reporters can discover this information in various ways. They can research topic and speaker online and in journalistic databases, peruse past correspondence sent to public offices, and review the writings and statements of key speakers with the help of their assistants or secretaries.

In this class, the instructor should discuss the nature of event coverage, review students’ focus statements and questions, and offer suggestions about how they cover the events.

Assignment: Cover the event proposed in the class above and draft a 600-word story, double-spaced, based on its news and any context needed to understand it.

Class 2: Critiquing and revising the story

Students should exchange story drafts and suggest changes. After students revise, the instructor should lead a discussion about the challenges of reporting and writing live on deadline. These likely will include issues of access and understanding and challenges of writing around and through gaps of information.

Weeks 13/14: Coaching the final project

Previous week | Back to top

The final week or two of the class is reserved for drill in areas needing further development and for coaching students through the final reporting, drafting and revision of the enterprise stories off the study or report they covered in class.

Tags: training

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Newspaper features and writing a newspaper

Part of English Non-fiction Year 3 Year 4

Watch: What are the features of newspapers?

Newspapers are designed to share important information with people about what is going on in the world.

Familiarise yourself with newspaper reports by watching this fun video.

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Learn all about what's included in a newspaper report.

Watch: Features of a newspaper article

Watch this video to learn more about the key features of a newspaper report. Make notes if you find them helpful!

All the top tips you need to turn your story into a newspaper article!

Video Transcript Video Transcript

How to write a news article.

Whether it's local, national or international, writing articles on important events is a useful skill to learn. Where to begin when you're writing the news article?

First, you need some news. There has been a break in at this house. The only witnesses are the family.

The burglar has eaten their food and destroyed some furniture.

A good reporter will start by finding out the facts. What happened? When? Who was involved? Where? Why?

Once you have sorted all of your notes and organised the facts, you're ready to write the article.

Every good news article needs a headline. Something attention grabbing: 'Bears Blame Blonde For Burglary.'

Very nice. Everyone loves alliteration in a headline. The same letter or sound at the beginning of each word.

It then needs a subheading to provide a bit more detail about the story.

'Burglar steals porridge and destroys house in ransacking rampage.'

Your first paragraph should summarise and describe what happened as accurately as possible: 'In the early hours of this morning, a burglar broke into the home of the three bears in rural Bearwick. Police are looking for a blonde haired suspect.'

Use your notes to write additional paragraphs and give your reader more detail about what has happened.

You might want to add quotes from your witnesses, using quotation marks.

Printed newspapers have a traditional layout in columns like this.

If your news article is online, however, you won't need these.

But remember both need paragraphs and you should write in a formal way in the third person using pronouns like he, she, it or they.

A well written article will help those who know nothing about the event understand what happened.

Don't forget to add your name to the the article, but leave out your personal opinions. Stick to the facts. The what, when, who, where and why.

So that the article you write can be just right.

Key features of a newspaper

• Newspaper name

The name of the newspaper is always at the top of the page.

A headline is an eye-catching title for your story, which summarises the information in just a few words. Newspapers often use alliteration to make their headlines sound really interesting.

• Short subtitle

The subtitle is a short title that gives more information about the report.

Pictures usually have captions beneath them to explain what is being shown.

• Conclusion paragraph

The conclusion paragraph can explain what might happen next.

What writing style is used in newspaper articles?

The first paragraph should contain all of the 5Ws - what, where, when, who and why.

• Clear paragraphs

Each paragraph should give more detail about the story and be presented in a clear way.

• Direct and indirect/reported speech

Can be used to show the what other people have said about the story.

Facts or statistics can be used to support your points and avoid using your own opinion.

• Formal language

Avoid chatty, friendly language in your report as it should be written to inform.

• Third person

Newspaper reports are written in the third person using the names of those involved and pronouns such as ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’.

The main part of the report should be written in the past as the event has already happened.

More on Non-fiction

Find out more by working through a topic

What's the difference between adverts and brochures?

• count 4 of 18

What are instruction manuals?

• count 5 of 18

Writing a report

• count 6 of 18

Using explanation texts

• count 7 of 18

clock This article was published more than  4 years ago

What’s Your Story? A Guide to Getting Your News in The Washington Post

A Guide to Getting Your News In The Washington Post

Every day The Washington Post receives hundreds of news tips from community and business leaders, government workers, parents, cab drivers, students and people from all over the metropolitan area. Many tips become items on washingtonpost.com/local or in the next day’s paper. Some even provide the first break in a major story that has a profound impact on affairs in the capital, the nation and the world.

Unfortunately, there is never enough space in any single edition to print everything that is written in our newsroom that day. Only about 180,000 words — a fraction of the more than 2 million words written each day by more than 500 Post reporters, editors, web producers and foreign correspondents -- is printed in the newspaper. Far more is included on our Web site, but there is much cut in the editing process.

Here are some hints on how to give your story idea the best chance of being used

· Decide which section of the newspaper would be most interested in your story . If it is in connection with high school sports, contact the sports editors; local business, the business editors; local news, the metro editors. E-mail is the best way to make an initial contact, but you may also call or write a letter.

· If your story is in connection with something you read in The Post , contact the reporter whose byline is on the article. The e-mail address of Post reporters is printed at the bottom of every story in the newspaper. On-line, you may click on the reporter’s byline and receive biographical information about the author, a selection of recent stories written by that author and a form for submitting a comment. Use that form to submit your story idea.

· Include as many names and facts as you can. And remember, even if you don’t include the other side of the story, The Post will cover both sides in the interest of fairness.

· Do not expect to be paid. As a matter of policy, The Post neither accepts gifts or payments from people who offer news or information, nor does it pay for news tips it receives. Do not be discouraged to discover your story has already been covered or that somebody else has submitted the information before you. Instead, continue to keep The Postin mind and call again.

The Metro section is not the only place for local news

Many local stories are published both in the daily Metro section and on the local news home page ( washingtonpost.com/local ). But not all Metro news is published in the newspaper. Some items are published only on-line. Other stories and event listings are published only for residents of one particular county or area. To accommodate these reports, The Post publishes community news as part of Thursday’s Local Living section. These sections target areas including Arlington-Alexandria, Prince George’s, Prince William, Montgomery, the District, Fairfax, Loudoun and Southern Maryland.

Getting your news to us

Q. I believe I have a story for The Post. What do I do?

A. If it’s a “fast-breaking” local story—a fire or accident involving injury, a robbery or something similar—call the proper authorities first, then send an e-mail to [email protected] or call the local news desk at 202-334-7300. If the story is not a breaking news story, e-mail the appropriate section (contact info at the bottom of the page) and describe your story in detail.

Q. The organization I represent is holding an important news conference within the next 24 hours. How do I let The Post know it is happening?

A. The best way to alert the newsroom of an upcoming event is to e-mail the local news staff at [email protected] , but on short notice you may want to call the local news desk at 202-334-7300. Please contact the newsroom as far in advance as possible. This gives you a better chance for coverage.

Q. I have taken a photo and video of flooding in my neighborhood. Would The Post be interested in running these?

A. Yes. Readers may e-mail breaking news photos to us at [email protected] . Send the image as a jpeg and provide as much information about the story as possible. For the video, send an e-mail describing the scene to [email protected] . In either case, an editor will contact you before The Post will agree to use your material. Your photo or video will not be considered without the following information: your name, address and phone number.

Q. What happens when I e-mail or call a reporter or columnist?

A. E-mails sent to the address at the bottom of a story, or messages sent by clicking on a reporter’s byline on washingtonpost.com are the best way to make an initial contact with a reporter. Writers and columnists often use readers’ tips and comments as ideas for articles and leads for news stories. All Post staffers are urged to answer reader e-mails, but because of the volume of tips, comments and messages we receive we cannot promise that each note will receive an individual response.

If you call our newsroom, you may find a writer or reporter available and ready to talk, or your call may be forwarded to a voice mailbox if the reporter is away from the desk. If the reporter is unavailable and you do not want to leave a voice message, you will be redirected back to a news aide who should be able to help.

Q. What happens when I send something in or call a story in to The Post?

A . E-mails and letters not directed to a specific staff member will be read by a news aide. A call to any of the numbers listed in this guide will probably be answered first by a news aide. News aides are trained to look for and check facts, and can write up simple news items and carry them through to publication. If a story warrants a reporter or photographer, an editor will dispatch them to the scene. The editor, reporter and photographer are responsible for carrying the story through to publication in print or on line.

Q. I called a story in last week and The Post never printed it. Why?

A. There are many reasons why an item does not make it into the paper. Perhaps your story only appeared on-line. Or maybe the suggestion came in on a day when there were many news items of higher priority. Don’t give up. Continue to contact The Post whenever you have something that you think the paper should print.

Q. Can I get school, community, club or entertainment event from my neighborhood listed in The Post?

A. Yes. Community calendars run in every Local Living section and contain information about events that would be of interest mainly to people living in that region. To submit an item, send it to one of the following e-mail addresses, depending on where you live:

Fairfax: [email protected]

Loudoun: [email protected]

Prince William: [email protected]

Arlington/Alexandria: [email protected]

Southern Maryland: [email protected]

Prince George’s: [email protected]

DC: [email protected]

Montgomery: [email protected]

Include event names, dates, times, an exact address, prices and a publishable contact number. All items must be received at least 14 days before publication.

Q. My community is holding a literary event. Can I havee it listed in The Post?

A. Yes. Listings for literary events also may be sent to the Community Calendar address above for use in Local Living. Sometimes these events are grouped into the Local Living “Going Out Guide” which highlights nightlife and entertainment in your community. The Going Out Guide is compiled by editors from items submitted for the community calendar and material available on goingoutguide.com , The Post’s on-line source for all entertainment, dining and nightlife in the D.C. region.

Q. I am planning an event that would be of interest beyond my community, can I get that listed in The Post?

A. Yes. Send your listings information to [email protected] . The Post publishes general interest “Going Out Guides” in Weekend on Friday, The Washington Post Magazine on Sunday, and in the Style section on Monday and Tuesday. The items listed in the newspaper, however, are a fraction of the many event picks, movie reviews, restaurant listings and nightlife options listed online at goingoutguide.com .

Q. What about getting religious announcements or events listed in The Post?

A. Retirements, new appointments, ordainments, awards and upcoming religious events are listed on Saturday’s On Faith page. Items for In Brief should be sent to the religion editor at [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the event and should include the name and telephone number of a contact person.

Q. An important member of our staff is being promoted to vice president.

A. Send biographical information and details about the promotion of your staff member to [email protected] . The column runs in Monday’s CAPITAL BUSINESS section inside the A section and online.

Q. Our company is also sponsoring a local technology seminar that is open to the public. Whom do I contact at The Post about this?

A. Send basic information about business events to [email protected] . Please put the event date in the subject line and send the announcement at least two weeks before the event. This column also runs in Monday’s CAPITAL BUSINESS section inside the A section and online.

Q. My children are interested in reading the newspaper. Do you publish anything specifically for them?

A. Yes. The Post publishes KidsPost behind the comics pages Monday through Thursday for 8- to-13-year-olds. The page contains news summaries, features, graphics, photos and puzzles. For more information, visit washingtonpost.com/kidspost . On Sunday, the Mini-Page is a pull-out in the middle of the Comics section aimed at 6- to- 12-year-olds. It contains a similar mix of material.

Q. I’m hopping mad about the way The Post covered a news story. I want to register a protest.

A. You may direct your comments to the reader representative, who helps make sure reader questions and complaints are directed to the right place and are responded to appropriately. The reader representative also answers questions from time to time on the Ask The Post blog. The best way to access the reader representative is through email at [email protected] .

Q. I want to express my point of view about a story in the news.

A. The quickest, most direct way to comment about developments in the news is by clicking on the comments button on washingtonpost.com if it is available for that story.

You can also send your comments to [email protected] or write to Letters to the Editor , c/o The Editorial Page . Letters to be published in the print edition are selected for widest public interest and reflect views of a range of The Post readers. Your letter may appear in the daily Letters to the Editor , on the Free for All page on Saturdays, or in Local Opinions in Metro on Sundays. Not all comments are published. Writers whose letters are under consideration for publication will be contacted, so please include home, work and cell phone numbers so that we may contact you for verification.

Letters must be fewer than 200 words and exclusive to The Washington Post. They may not have been submitted, posted to, or published by any other media. They must include the writer's home address, e-mail address, and home and business telephone numbers. Anonymous letters will not be considered, nor does The Post permit the use of pseudonyms.

Opinion page editors read every letter they receive. Due to space limitations, however, all letters are subject to abridgment. Because of the volume of letters we receive (an average of 1,400 letters each week), editors cannot respond individually to the authors of letters we are unable to use.

Q. How do I request a news obituary or place a paid death notice in The Post?

A . The Post has two ways of announcing a death: news obituaries and death notices.

A news obituary is a biographical news article written by a reporter. The Post welcomes suggestions for news obituaries . To request a news obituary, please complete this form or email us at [email protected] . We are not able to guarantee publication, but we review all requests and will contact you if we are able to assign a reporter to the story.

A paid death notice is a classified advertisement that usually includes information about funeral services, burial or personal remembrances. Costs vary according to the length of a death notice and whether a photograph is desired. Death notices may be placed by calling the Classified Advertising department at 202-334-4122 or by e-mailing [email protected] .

Q. My daughter has become engaged to be married and I want to announce it in The Post. Will I have to pay for this?

A. Yes. Paid announcements of weddings, engagements and anniversaries appear in Sunday’s Arts & Style section. To place an order or for more information, go to [email protected] or call 202-334-5736. All materials for the following Sunday’s paper must be received by Monday. Announcements of birthdays, graduations and other special events run in the Local Living section. Use the weddings e-mail or telephone number for those items.

Which desk should I contact?

· NEWS Happening Now

Send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 202-334-7300. (Note: If police, fire department or rescue squads are needed, be sure to contact them first.)

· Education stories

Send an e-mail to one of our education reporters (see address at the bottom of every story)

· Crime stories

Send an email to one of our crime reporters (see address at the bottom of every story) or contact our crime editors at [email protected]

· Corrections

To contact the newsroom for a correction to a story, e-mail [email protected] or call 202-334-6100 and ask to be connected to the desk involved (National , Foreign, Style, Metro, Sports or any of the weekly sections). Contact information for corrections can also be found in the corrections box on Page A2.

· Reader Representative

Address comments, complaints or questions about Post content to: [email protected] .

· Letters to the Editor

Send commentary submitted for publication to: [email protected] or write Letters to the Editor , c/o Editorial Page .

· News Obituaries

To request a news obituary, please complete this form or email us at [email protected] .

· Paid Announcements (Classified advertising rates apply)

Weddings, engagements, anniversaries and birth announcements: [email protected] or call 202.334.5736.

In Memoriam and Deaths: [email protected] or call 202-334-4122

· Promotion Announcements

Send items about business promotions to [email protected] .

· Religion events

Send items to [email protected] .

Making sure your news release gets to the right person

News releases should be e-mailed. Before sending your news release, make sure the person receiving the information is the correct recipient. If in doubt, send the release to the department’s inbox and the release will be distributed to the correct reporter.

Department contacts

Metro: [email protected]

National: [email protected] Business: [email protected] Sports: [email protected] Foreign: [email protected]

Style & Arts: [email protected] Obituaries: [email protected] Local Living: [email protected]

Books: [email protected] Food: [email protected] Health & Science: [email protected] Travel: [email protected]

Date each release and begin with the most newsworthy item or items. And be prepared to provide additional facts and data if and when a reporter calls.

Place letterhead (full name and address of your organization) at the top of your release with the name and telephone number of the person to contact for more information. Don’t forget to indicate the date the story may be printed (release date).

Contacting Us

News, Circulation and Advertising department contacts may be found on page A2 or A4 of each day’s edition of The Washington Post.

To correspond through the postal service

The Washington Post

1150 15th St. NW,

Washington, D.C. 20071

Identify the recipient by name and department (Metro News, National News, Real Estate Advertising, etc) on the cover of all letters and packages.

Direct access to newsroom departments

Main Switchboard: 202-334-6000 (to contact any department)

Local news: [email protected] or 202-334-7300 National: [email protected] or 202-334-7410

Business: [email protected] or 202-334-7320

Sports: [email protected] or 202-334-7350

Foreign: [email protected] or 202-334-7400

Style: [email protected] or 202-334-7535

Book World: [email protected] or 202-334-7882

Food: [email protected] or 202-334-7575

Health & Science: [email protected] or 202-334-5031

Local Living: [email protected] or 202-334-4409

Travel: [email protected] or 202-334-7750 Photojournalism and video: 202-334-7380 / 202-334-4655 Graphics and Design: 202-334-7380

Outlook: [email protected] or 202-334-7573

Real Estate: [email protected] or 202-334-6365 / 202-334-7320

Washington Post Magazine: [email protected] or 202-334-7585

Weekend: [email protected] or 202-334-6808

Local news bureaus

Annapolis/ Southern Maryland: 410-263-8040

Alexandria-Arlington: 703-518-3000

Fairfax: 703-383-5100

Loudoun: 703-771-4102

Manassas: 703-392-1303

Montgomery: 301-294-2600

Prince George ’s: 301-618-1720

Prince William: 703- 392-1303

Richmond: 804-649-7575

Other departments

Advertising

washingtonpostads.com

Classified: 202-334-6200; Display: 202-334-7642

Circulation

[email protected]

1-800-753-POST / 202-334-6100

To contact news departments, purchase an ad, subscribe to the newspaper, or learn more about The Washington Post and The Washington Post Company, follow links under CONTACT US at the bottom of every page at washingtonpost.com .

How to Write an Article: A Proven Step-by-Step Guide

Are you dreaming of becoming a notable writer or looking to enhance your content writing skills? Whatever your reasons for stepping into the writing world, crafting compelling articles can open numerous opportunities. Writing, when viewed as a skill rather than an innate talent, is something anyone can master with persistence, practice, and the proper guidance.

That’s precisely why I’ve created this comprehensive guide on ‘how to write an article.’ Whether you’re pursuing writing as a hobby or eyeing it as a potential career path, understanding the basics will lead you to higher levels of expertise. This step-by-step guide has been painstakingly designed based on my content creation experience. Let’s embark on this captivating journey toward becoming an accomplished article writer !

What is an Article?

An article is more than words stitched together cohesively; it’s a carefully crafted medium expressing thoughts, presenting facts, sharing knowledge, or narrating stories. Essentially encapsulating any topic under the sun (or beyond!), an article is a versatile format meant to inform, entertain, or persuade readers.

Articles are ubiquitous; they grace your morning newspaper (or digital equivalents), illuminate blogs across various platforms, inhabit scholarly journals, and embellish magazines. Irrespective of their varying lengths and formats, which range from news reports and features to opinion pieces and how-to guides, all articles share some common objectives. Learning how to write this type of content involves mastering the ability to meet these underlying goals effectively.

Objectives of Article Writing

The primary goal behind learning how to write an article is not merely putting words on paper. Instead, you’re trying to communicate ideas effectively. Each piece of writing carries unique objectives intricately tailored according to the creator’s intent and the target audience’s interests. Generally speaking, when you immerse yourself in writing an article, you should aim to achieve several fundamental goals.

First, deliver value to your readers. An engaging and informative article provides insightful information or tackles a problem your audience faces. You’re not merely filling up pages; you must offer solutions, present new perspectives, or provide educational material.

Next comes advancing knowledge within a specific field or subject matter. Especially relevant for academic or industry-focused writings, articles are often used to spread original research findings and innovative concepts that strengthen our collective understanding and drive progress.

Another vital objective for those mastering how to write an article is persuasion. This can come in various forms: convincing people about a particular viewpoint or motivating them to make a specific choice. Articles don’t always have to be neutral; they can be powerful tools for shifting public opinion.

Finally, let’s not forget entertainment – because who said only fictional work can entertain? Articles can stir our emotions or pique our interest with captivating storytelling techniques. It bridges the gap between reader and writer using shared experiences or universal truths.

Remember that high-quality content remains common across all boundaries despite these distinct objectives. No matter what type of writer you aspire to become—informative, persuasive, educational, or entertaining—strive for clarity, accuracy, and stimulation in every sentence you craft.

What is the Format of an Article?

When considering how to write an article, understanding its foundation – in this case, the format – should be at the top of your list. A proper structure is like a blueprint, providing a direction for your creative construction.

First and foremost, let’s clarify one essential point: articles aren’t just homogenous chunks of text. A well-crafted article embodies different elements that merge to form an engaging, informative body of work. Here are those elements in order:

• The Intriguing Title

The title or heading is at the top. It’s your first chance to engage with a reader. This element requires serious consideration since it can determine whether someone will continue reading your material.

• Engaging Introduction

Next comes the introduction, where you set expectations and hint at what’s to come. An artfully written introduction generates intrigue and gives readers a compelling reason to stick around.

• Informative Body

The main body entails a detailed exploration of your topic, often broken down into subtopics or points for more manageable consumption and better flow of information.

• Impactful Conclusion

Lastly, you have the conclusion, where you tie everything neatly together by revisiting key points and offering final thoughts.

While these components might appear straightforward on paper, mastering them requires practice, experimentation with writing styles, and a good understanding of your target audience. 

By putting in the work to familiarize yourself with how to create articles and how they’re structured, you’ll soon discover new ways to develop engaging content each time you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!). Translating complex concepts into digestible content doesn’t need to feel daunting anymore! Now that we’ve tackled the format, our focus can shift to what should be included in an article.

What Should Be in an Article?

Understanding that specific items should be featured in your writing is crucial. A well-crafted article resembles a neatly packed suitcase – everything has its place and purpose.

Key Information

First and foremost, you need essential information. Start by presenting the topic plainly so readers can grasp its relevance immediately. This sets the tone of why you are writing the article. The degree of depth at this point will depend on your audience; be mindful not to overwhelm beginners with too much jargon or over-simplify things for experts.

Introduction

Secondly, every article must have an engaging introduction—this acts as the hook that reels your audience. Think of it as a movie trailer—it offers a taste of what’s to come without giving away all the details.

Third is the body, wherein you get into the crux of your argument or discussion. This is the point at which you present your ideas sequentially, along with supporting evidence or examples. Depending on the nature of your topic and personal style, this may vary from storytelling forms to more analytical breakdowns.

Lastly, you’ll need a fitting conclusion that wraps up all previously discussed points, effectively tying together every loose thread at the end. This helps cement your main ideas within the reader’s mind even after they’ve finished reading.

To summarize:  

• Critical Information: Provides context for understanding
• Introduction: Sheds further light on what will follow while piquing interest  
• Body: Discusses topic intricacies using narratives or case studies
• Conclusion: Ties up loose ends and reemphasizes important takeaways

In my experience writing articles for beginners and experts alike, I found these elements indispensable when conveying complex topics articulately and professionally. Always keep them at hand when looking to produce written material.

How should you structure an article?

Crafting a well-structured article is akin to assembling a puzzle – every piece has its place and purpose. Let’s look at how to create the perfect skeleton for your content.

The introduction is your article’s welcome mat. It should be inviting and informative, briefly outlining what a reader can expect from your writing. Additionally, it must instantly grab the readers’ attention so they feel compelled to continue reading. To master the art of creating effective introductions, remember these key points:

• Keep it short and precise.
• Use compelling hooks like quotes or intriguing facts.
• State clearly what the article will cover without revealing everything upfront.

Moving on, you encounter the body of your piece. This segment expands on the ideas outlined in the introduction while presenting fresh subtopics related to your core story. If we compare article writing to crossing a bridge, each paragraph represents a step toward the other side (the conclusion). Here are some tips for maintaining orderliness within your body:

• Stick closely to one idea per paragraph as it enhances readability.
• Ensure paragraphs flow logically by utilizing transitional words or sentences.
• Offer evidence or examples supporting your claims and reinforce credibility.

As you approach the far side of our imaginary bridge, we reach an equally essential section of the article known as the conclusion. At this point, you should aim to wrap up your message neatly while delivering on what was initially promised during the introduction. This section summarizes the main points, providing closure and ensuring readers feel satisfied.

Remember this golden rule when writing the conclusion: follow the  “Describe what you’re going to tell them (Introduction), tell them (Body), and then summarize what you told them (Conclusion).”  It’s a proven formula for delivering informative, engaging, and well-structured articles. 

One final tip before moving on: maintaining an active voice significantly enhances clarity for your readers. It makes them feel like they’re participating actively in the story unfolding within your article. In addition, it helps ensure easy readability, which is vital for keeping your audience engaged.

Tips for Writing a Good Article

A persuasive, engaging, and insightful article requires careful thought and planning. Half the battle won is by knowing how to start writing and make content captivating. Below are vital tips that can enhance your article writing skills.

Heading or Title

An audience’s first impression hinges on the quality of your title. A good heading should be clear, attention-grabbing, and give an accurate snapshot of what’s contained in the piece’s body. Here are a few guidelines on how to create an impactful title:

• Make it Compelling: Your title needs to spark interest and motivate readers to delve further into your work.
• Keep it concise: You want to have a manageable heading. Aim for brevity yet inclusiveness.
• Optimize with keywords: To boost search engine visibility, sprinkle relevant keywords naturally throughout your title.

By applying these techniques, you can increase reader engagement right from the get-go.

Body of the Article

After winning over potential readers with your catchy title, it’s time to provide substantial content in the form of the body text. Here’s how articles are typically structured:

Introduction:  Begin by providing an appealing overview that hooks your audience and baits them to read more. You can ask poignant questions or share interesting facts about your topic here.

Main Content:  Build on the groundwork set by your introduction. Lay out detailed information in a logical sequence with clear articulation.

Conclusion:  This reemphasizes the critical points discussed in the body while delivering a lasting impression of why those points matter.

Remember that clarity is critical when drafting each part because our objective here is to share information and communicate effectively. Properly understanding this approach ensures that the writing experience becomes creative and productive.

Step By Step Guide for Article Writing

How do you write an article that engages your readers from the first line until the last? That’s what most writers, whether beginners or seasoned pros are trying to achieve. I’ll describe a step-by-step process for crafting such gripping articles in this guide.

Step 1: Find Your Target Audience

First and foremost, identify your target readers. Speaking directly to a specific group improves engagement and helps you craft messages that resonate deeply. To pinpoint your audience:

• Take note of demographic attributes like age, gender, and profession.
• Consider their preferences and needs.
• Look into how much knowledge they are likely to possess concerning your topic.

Knowing this will help you decide what tone, language, and style best suits your readers. Remember, by understanding your audience better, you make it much easier to provide them with engaging content.

Step 2: Select a Topic and an Attractive Heading

Having understood your audience, select a relevant topic based on their interests and questions. Be sure it’s one you can competently discuss. When deciding how to start writing an article, ensure it begins with a captivating title.

A title should hint at what readers will gain from the article without revealing everything. Maintain some element of intrigue or provocation. For example, ‘6 Essentials You Probably Don’t Know About Gardening’ instead of just ‘Gardening Tips’.

Step 3: Research is Key

Good research is crucial to building credibility for beginners and experts alike. It prevents errors that could tarnish your piece immensely.

Thoroughly explore relevant books, scholarly articles, or reputable online resources. Find facts that build authenticity while debunking misconceptions that relate to your topic. Take notes on critical points discovered during this process—it’ll save you time when creating your first draft.

Step 4: Write a Comprehensive Brief

Having done your research, it’s time to write an outline or a brief—a roadmap for your article. This conveys how articles are written systematically without losing track of the main points.

Begin by starting the introduction with a punchy opener that draws readers in and a summary of what they’ll glean from reading. Section out specific points and ideas as separate headings and bullet points under each section to form the body. A conclusion rounds things up by restating key takeaways.

Step 5: Write and Proofread

Now comes the bulk of the work—writing. Respect the brief created earlier to ensure consistency and structure while drafting content. Use short, clear sentences while largely avoiding jargon unless absolutely necessary.

Post-writing, proofread ardently to check for typographical errors, inconsistent tenses, and poor sentence structures—and don’t forget factual correctness! It helps to read aloud, which can reveal awkward phrases that slipped through initial edits.

Step 6: Add Images and Infographics

Introduce visuals such as images, infographics, or videos into your piece to break text monotony and increase comprehension. They provide aesthetic relief while supporting the main ideas, increasing overall engagement.

Remember to source royalty-free images or get permission for copyrighted ones—you don’t want legal battles later!

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing

Regarding article writing, a few pitfalls can compromise the quality of your content. Knowing these and how to avoid them will enhance your work’s clarity, depth, and impact.

The first mistake often made is skimping on research. An article without solid underpinnings won’t merely be bland – it might mislead readers. Therefore, prioritize comprehensive investigation before penning down anything. Understanding common misconceptions or misinterpretations about your topic will strengthen your case. 

Next, sidestep unnecessary jargon or excessively complex language. While showcasing an impressive vocabulary might seem appealing, remember that your primary objective is imparting information efficiently and effectively.

Moreover, failing to structure articles effectively represents another standard error. A structured piece aids in delivering complex ideas coherently. Maintaining a logical sequence facilitates reader comprehension, whether explaining a detailed concept or narrating an incident.

A piece lacking aesthetic allure can fail its purpose regardless of the value of its text. That’s where images come into play. Neglecting them is an all-too-common mistake among beginners. Relevant pictures inserted at appropriate junctures serve as visual breaks from texts and stimulate interest among readers.

Lastly, proofreading is vital in determining whether you can deliver a well-written article. Typos and grammatical errors can significantly undermine professional credibility while disrupting a smooth reading experience.

So, when pondering how articles are written, avoiding these mistakes goes a long way toward producing high-quality content that embodies both substance and style. Remember: practice is paramount when learning how to write excellent material!

How to Write an Article with SEOwind AI Writer?

Using the power of artificial intelligence has been a major step in many industries. One such significant tool is SEOwind AI Writer , which is critical for those curious about how to write an article leveraging AI. In this section, I’ll cover how you can effectively use SEOwind AI writer to create compelling articles.

Step 1: Create a Brief and Outline

The first step in writing an article revolves around understanding your audience’s interests and then articulating them in a comprehensive brief that outlines the content’s framework.

• Decide on the topic: What ideas will you share via your article?
• Define your audience: Knowing who will read your text significantly influences your tone, style, and content depth.
• Establish main points: Highlight the key points or arguments you wish to exhibit in your drafted piece. This helps create a skeleton for your work and maintain a logical flow of information.

With SEOwind:

• you get all the content and keyword research for top-performing content in one place,
• you can generate a comprehensive AI outline with one click,
• users can quickly create a title, description, and keywords that match the topic you’re writing about.

As insightful as it might seem, having a roadmap doubles as a guide throughout the creative process. SEOwind offers a user-friendly interface that allows the easy input of essential elements like keywords, title suggestions, content length, etc. These provide an insightful outline, saving time with an indispensable tool that demonstrates the practicality of article writing.

Step 2: Feed AI with context

The magic ingredient to make your AI content stand out is feeding it with the right kind of information.

1. Define your Brand Voice

• Your brand’s voice is its heartbeat. We will help you sketch it out. Just provide SEOwind with some sample text.
• Check out this handy video on  SEOwind Brand Voice Feature
• Company and product details
• The more we know about your company, products, services, and audience, the better. This fuels the AI to craft content that truly resonates.
• Dive into our video on  SEOwind Company data feature

3. Integrate with Google Search Console

• Authorize GSC integration, so SEOwind can find relevant internal linking opportunities when writing your articles.

4. Choose a model for AI Writing

• Choose between GPT-4 (which offers a creative flair to your writing) and the Google Gemini 1.5 Pro (which focuses on data precision and accuracy).
• For more details, check the video  Gemini vs OpenAI

5. Enrich AI with your own insights

To stand out from generic content, it’s essential to enrich your AI-generated articles with your own insights and expertise. This not only adds value to your content but also positions your brand as an authority in your field. In order to add your own insights, just toggle on Your own insights when creating the brief (Section: Include in AI Article within Build your brief) and add your thoughts in the field.

Step 3: Write an AI Article using SEOwind

Once you have a brief ready, you can write an AI article with a single click. It will consider all the data you provided and much more, such as copywriting and SEO best practices , to deliver content that ranks.

Step 4: Give it a Human Touch

Finally, SEOwind’s intuitive platform delivers impeccably constructed content to dispel any confusion about writing an article. The result is inevitably exceptional, with well-structured sentences and logically sequenced sections that meet your demands.

However, artificial intelligence can sometimes miss the unique personal touch that enhances relatability in communication and makes articles more compelling. Let’s master adding individualistic charm to personalize articles so that they resonate with audiences.

Tailoring the AI-generated piece with personal anecdotes or custom inputs helps to break the monotony and bolster engagement rates. Always remember to tweak essential SEO elements like meta descriptions and relevant backlinks.

A quick product tour on how to create AI articles below

So, whether it’s enhancing casual language flow or eliminating robotic consistency, the slightest modifications can breathe life into the text and transform your article into a harmonious man-machine effort. Remember – it’s not just about technology making life easy but also how effectively we utilize this emerging trend!

Common Questions on how to write an article

Delving into the writing world, especially regarding articles, can often lead to a swarm of questions. Let’s tackle some common queries that newbies and seasoned writers frequently stumble upon to make your journey more comfortable and rewarding.

What is the easiest way to write an article?

The easiest way to write an article begins with a clear structure. Here are five simple steps you can follow:

• Identify your audience: The first thing you should consider while planning your article is who will read it? Identifying your target audience helps shape the article’s content, style, and purpose.
• Decide on a topic and outline: Determining what to write about can sometimes be a formidable task. Try to ensure you cover a topic you can cover effectively or for which you feel great passion. Next, outline the main points you want to present throughout your piece.
• Do the research: Dig deep into resources for pertinent information regarding your topic and gather as much knowledge as possible. An informed writer paves the way for a knowledgeable reader.
• Drafting phase: Begin with an engaging introduction followed by systematically fleshing out each point from your outline in body paragraphs before ending with conclusive remarks tying together all the earlier arguments.
• Fine-tune through editing and proofreading: Errors happen no matter how qualified or experienced a writer may be! So make sure to edit and proofread before publishing.

Keep these keys in mind and remain patient and persistent. There’s no easier alternative for writing an article.

How can I write an article without knowing about the topic?

We sometimes need to write about less familiar subjects – but do not fret! Here’s my approach:

• First off, start by thoroughly researching subject-centric reliable sources. The more information you have, the better poised you are to write confidently about it.
• While researching, take notes and highlight the most essential points.
• Create an outline by organizing these points logically – this essentially becomes your article’s backbone.
• Start writing based on your research and outlined structure. If certain aspects remain unclear, keep investigating until clarity prevails.

Getting outside your comfort zone can be daunting, but is also a thrilling chance to expand your horizons.

What is your process for writing an article quickly?

In terms of speed versus quality in writing an article – strikingly enough, they aren’t mutually exclusive. To produce a high-quality piece swiftly, adhere to the following steps:

• Establish purpose and audience: Before cogs start turning on phrase-spinning, be clear on why you’re writing and who will likely read it.
• Brainstorm broadly, then refine: Cast a wide net initially regarding ideas around your topic. Then, narrow down those areas that amplify your core message or meet objectives.
• Create a robust outline: A detailed roadmap prevents meandering during actual writing and saves time!
• Ignore perfection in the first draft: Speed up initial drafting by prioritizing getting your thoughts on paper over perfect grammar or sentence compositions.
• Be disciplined with edits and revisions: Try adopting a cut, shorten, and replace mantra while trimming fluff without mercy!

Writing quickly requires practice and strategic planning – but rest assured, it’s entirely possible!

Seasoned SaaS and agency growth expert with deep expertise in AI, content marketing, and SEO. With SEOwind, he crafts AI-powered content that tops Google searches and magnetizes clicks. With a track record of rocketing startups to global reach and coaching teams to smash growth, Tom's all about sharing his rich arsenal of strategies through engaging podcasts and webinars. He's your go-to guy for transforming organic traffic, supercharging content creation, and driving sales through the roof.

Table of Contents

• 1 What is an Article?
• 2 Objectives of Article Writing
• 3 What is the Format of an Article?
• 4 What Should Be in an Article?
• 5 How should you structure an article?
• 6 Tips for Writing a Good Article
• 7 Step By Step Guide for Article Writing
• 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing
• 9 How to Write an Article with SEOwind AI Writer?
• 10 Common Questions on how to write an article

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How to write an article for media, newspaper, and magazine

What is an article in the newspaper?

Some would say that it is a dying art. With the availability of the Internet, millions of people can get the news at their fingertips, so why do we need the papers delivered to our doorstep now? Well, it is certainly true that the Internet has become a game-changer, but people are always required to be informed, and the newspaper has long served the need.

The written news may be changing, but it will always be important in our society. The rest of this lesson discusses how to write an article in the style of a physical newspaper.

Well, a news article discusses the current recent news of common interest (ie daily newspaper) or a specific topic (ie political or business news magazines, club newspapers, or technology news websites). A news article may include eyewitness accounts of the incident.

How do you write a newspaper article?

The best way to structure a newspaper article is to first write an outline. Review your research and notes. Then jot down the ideas for the following six sections. Remember, this is just a foundation on which you can build your story.

How do you write a news article headline?

Headline: This is a brief, noticeable statement about the incident. The title of your article should be attractive and up to the point. You should puncture your title using Associated Press style guidelines, which specify, for example, that the first word is capitalized, but, unlike other heading styles, the words after the first word (except for proper nouns) are usually But do not occur. Numbers are not spelt. Other members of the publishing staff often write headlines, but this will help focus your thoughts and perhaps save those other employees for some time.

What is the newspaper byline?

Byline: Byline is the author’s name in this case – your name. It tells who wrote the story.

What is a newspaper byline?

Lead: It is also called Lead paragraph that has all the who, what, when, where, why and how. The author needs to find answers to these questions and write to them, the opening sentence of the article. The lead is usually the first paragraph and is written to provide a preview of the entire story. It contains a summary of the story and contains many basic facts. The lead will help readers decide if they want to read the rest of the story, or if they are satisfied knowing these details.

What is the newspaper storyline?

Storyline: Once you set the stage with a good lead, follow a well-written story that includes facts from your research and quotes from people you interviewed. Have done The article should not have your opinion. Detail any events in chronological order. Use active voice – not passive voice – when possible and write in clear, short, direct sentences.

In a news article, you usually place the most important information in the opening paragraph and follow up with supporting information, enough to ensure that the reader sees the important details first and that you hope, to continue until the end Is ready from.

Source: Keep your sources with information and citations that they do not provide, at the bottom of each page or the end of the story, as you would for an academic paper.

Your conclusion can be your final information, summary or carefully chosen quote to leave the reader with a strong sense of your information.

What are the 5 parts of a newspaper article?

Who – Who was involved?

What – What happened?

Where – Where did it happen?

Why – Why it happened?

When – When did it happen?

How – How it happened?

How do I find newspaper articles?

Now how will you know where to submit the article? Talk to the editor yourself and write and submit the article as per your need.

what are the requirement for submission of article in newspaper.

mr. gitesh sharmaze, does a news paper or a magazine\'s article should have a definite purpose intended by a caliber-ed author. haa yee bath tho hai k...

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How to get your article published in ‘Nation’ without breaking a sweat

By  Peter Mwaura

Nation Media Group's public editor.

What you need to know:

• Doing your market research increases your chances of success and eliminates the need to ask the editor unnecessary questions.
• If necessary, submit the article when the subject matter is timely and topical.

The first thing you do is to study the Nation to find out the kind of articles the newspaper publishes.

This is key. It’s called market research. You must write what editors want, not what you want to write.

 Unfortunately, this is what most people trying to get published don’t seem to realise. I can tell this from the many complaints I get from disappointed writers who say their articles are rejected even when they are well-written.

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PREMIUM Oguda: My two nights of terror inside congested, smelly police cells

Writing on impulse, or because you’ve “a passion for writing”, will not take you very far. But if you know what the newspaper is likely to publish, you’re in a better position to write what the editor will print. Doing your market research increases your chances of success and eliminates the need to ask the editor unnecessary questions.

Market research

The concept of market research is not peculiar to freelance writing. In industry, companies who sell products and services carry out market research to find out what consumers want.

They then tailor their products and services to meet those demands. Think of your article as a product and the editor as your customer.

To do market research, just look through a week’s supply of Nation newspapers. Study the whole newspaper, individual sections and the articles.

You’ll then see the trend and get a good feel of the kind of articles the newspaper is likely to print. Once you’ve done your market research, you’re ready to start writing, but not before.

One more thing. Once the article is written, make sure you pitch it convincingly to the editor. If necessary, submit the article when the subject matter is timely and topical. If you’re a new writer, convince the editor you’ve the right credentials to write the article.

Fluid environment

Also note that the Opinion Editor cannot always give feedback or guarantee on if or when an article will be published. The desk receives as many as 20 articles daily and it’s tough enough for the editor to wade through them and schedule them for publication.

Additionally, we operate in a fluid environment, where an article could be taken off the page to make way for a time-bound piece.

I’ve given this advice before. I’m only repeating it because there are many writers who continue to complain that their articles are not published for no good reason. They fail to realise they may not be writing the kind of articles the Nation wants.

Below are some letters, which demonstrate the writers are clueless, have not done their market research and yet they want to write for the Nation.

 “I am working on some articles based on general knowledge discussing anything on the planet… Is there room for me?”

 “Hi, I am Caleb …. can I send my article for publication. Can it go through?”

 “Hope all is well, I am looking at writing a blog. Please do let me know if you are interested … and I can then send you the concept?”

 “I find this as the opportune moment and venue to showcase my talent. I therefore wish and request for an opportunity to be writing/blogging for Nation Media Group. I am currently an MBA student at the University of Nairobi … Your kind consideration will be highly appreciated. Looking forward to a positive feedback of the same from you.”

Such letters from such dudes make me sad. In the past four years, I’ve published here several articles on “how-to” for would-be contributors. The articles include “This is what you should do to get the editor to consider your article” (Sept. 1, 2016), “Opinion editor offers advice on how best to present your article,” (Feb. 22, 2018), “Why the editor has discretion to reject, shorten or rewrite letters” (Jan. 25, 2019) and “Follow these guidelines to ensure your articles see light of the day” (Dec. 27, 2019).

The Public Editor is an independent news ombudsman who handles readers’ complaints on editorial matters including accuracy and journalistic standards. Email: [email protected] . Call or text 0721989264.

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How to Write for Print Newspapers and Magazines

Print pitching is a whole other beast. when you land a placement, however, you’ll score major credibility points as a writer or industry expert..

The Writing Cooperative

Writing an article for a local newspaper, trade magazine, or even national magazine is simpler than you think. But simple doesn’t mean easy.

Written by Nick Wolny

🏳️‍🌈 Gay dude. Mg. editor, CNET; finance columnist, Out magazine. Sign up for Financialicious, a newsletter some call “the gay Morning Brew,” @ nickwolny.com .

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How To Write An Effective Article For Publication In a Local Newspaper

Writing an article for publication in a local newspaper can be an effective way to share your thoughts, expertise, or a specific story with a wider audience.

Here is a comprehensive guide on how to write such an article, along with a sample to help you understand the structure and content.

Choose a Relevant Topic:

Select a topic that is timely, relevant, and interesting to your local community. It could be related to local events, issues, or provide valuable information or insights.

Research and Gather Information:

Collect relevant data, facts, and quotes that support your topic. Conduct interviews with experts or people involved in the subject matter to gather unique perspectives.

Craft a Strong Headline:

Create a catchy headline that grabs readers’ attention and immediately communicates the focus of your article. It should be concise and engaging.

Write an Engaging Introduction:

Start with an attention-grabbing opening sentence or a hook that intrigues readers and provides an overview of the article’s main point. The introduction should be concise and compelling.

Develop the Body:

Expand on the main point in the body of the article. Divide it into paragraphs with clear subheadings and ensure a logical flow.

Present relevant information, arguments, or examples to support your main idea. Use quotes from interviews or credible sources to add credibility and interest.

Maintain a Neutral Tone:

When writing for a local paper, it’s essential to adopt a neutral tone and avoid biases or personal opinions.

Stick to the facts and present different perspectives if applicable.

Keep It Concise and Clear:

Newspaper articles generally have a word limit, so ensure your writing is concise.

Avoid complex jargon or technical language that may confuse readers. Write clearly and use simple, easy-to-understand language.

Include Relevant Images:

If possible, provide relevant images that amplify the article’s message or help visualize the topic.

Make sure the images are high-quality and properly credited.

Conclude Effectively:

Summarize the key points of your article in the conclusion. You can also end with a thought-provoking question, a call-to-action, or a suggestion for further exploration.

Edit and Proofread:

Before submitting your article, review it for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Ensure the article flows smoothly and correct any inconsistencies or unclear statements. Edit it multiple times to enhance its quality.

A Sample Article For Publication in a Local Newspaper ;

“Community Gardens: Cultivating Connection and Sustainability”

Community gardens are sprouting up across our town, providing not only fresh produce but also an opportunity for neighbours to connect and promote environmental sustainability.

These green spaces foster a sense of community and bring together people from diverse backgrounds who share a common interest in gardening.

According to Mary Johnson, a local gardening enthusiast and founding member of the community garden initiative, these spaces serve as a haven for urban dwellers lacking access to yards or suitable gardening spaces.

The gardens, located in abandoned lots and public parks, offer individuals the chance to grow their vegetables, flowers, and herbs, contributing to a sustainable lifestyle.

Not only do community gardens provide access to fresh, organically grown produce, but they also promote social interaction.

Tom Robertson, a long-time gardener and advocate, believes that these spaces foster a sense of camaraderie among neighbors as they share gardening tips, successes, and even occasional frustrations.

The gardens become a meeting point for individuals from different age groups and cultural backgrounds, breaking down barriers and promoting cross-cultural exchange.

The benefits of community gardens ripple throughout the neighborhood, creating a positive impact on mental and physical health.

Studies have shown that spending time in green spaces reduces stress levels and improves overall well-being. Many gardener s find solace and contentment in tending to their plants, nurturing them from seedlings to harvest.

As our community faces challenges such as food insecurity and social isolation, community gardens have emerged as a powerful solution.

They offer a place for individuals to connect, grow, and learn together, while also promoting environmental consciousness.

By supporting initiatives like these, we can foster a stronger sense of community and work towards a sustainable future.

Note: Remember, each newspaper may have specific guidelines or word limits, so be sure to check those before submitting your article for publication. Good luck with your writing!

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How to Write a News Article: How To Write A Review

• What Is News?
• How to Interview
• The Intro or Lede
• Article Format/Narrative
• How To Write A Review
• Writing News Style
• Naming Sources
• Revising/Proofreading
• Photos/Graphics
• The Future of News?

How To Write A Review In 5 Paragraphs

Writing a professional review of a movie, TV show, or restaurant is not difficult, but there are a few things to watch for to make it appropriate for a newspaper or magazine.

To get started –

Choose something new, exciting, and different to write about. If you write about something that’s been around awhile, you’ll need to have a new angle to cover, like a new exhibit at an existing museum. Your article should be new and original. Don’t use research from the internet and don’t try to reuse an essay from a previous class.

Some suggestions include:

• Books, movies, or TV show reviews
• concert reviews
• museum and gallery exhibits
• new restaurants or clubs
• what's going on at the college or community that impacts you, the student - see the Calendar of Events on www.spcollege.edu

What you should do –

Paragraph 1 –

The first sentence or the ‘lede’ tells who, what, why, when, where, and how. The lede can be as simple as:

“A new comic book adventure opened this weekend at theaters across the nation.”

or more dynamic such as:

"The nation was rocked over the weekend by an unexpected blast as the latest installment in the superhero franchise blew all previous versions out of the theater.”

Paragraphs tend to be short with direct sentences in news. Always write in 3 rd person and past tense. In news, everything you write should come from your observation or an interview. NEVER repeat or reuse anything you read someplace else, even in a quote!

Also do not use ‘I’ and don’t include your opinion. Think that doesn’t make sense? Keep in mind - a review is not so much your opinion as an analysis of the movie, show, restaurant, etc. based on the established standard. Instead of saying:

"This movie is the greatest! You should go see it!"

try saying something like:

"This movie beats the earlier superhero movies because of a, b, and c."

Paragraphs 2 -3

State at least 3 reasons you were attracted to or repulsed by the movie, TV show, event or restaurant. Name each reason in its own paragraph and provide examples and details. Don’t just say:

“The food was great.”

Instead, try saying something like:

"The food was “fresh with fish caught that morning and served grilled with a lemon sauce.”

For movies or TV, discuss reasons such as acting, lighting, costume, music, setting, photography, etc. DO NOT discuss plot! A good film or TV review does not include spoiler alerts!

For books, discuss character, theme, setting, symbolism, tone, language use, etc. Again, DO NOT discuss plot! No spoiler alerts!

Each paragraph should end with a quote. Ask other people, other viewers or customers, what they think to support your assessment or to add another perspective.  Quotes should be formatted like:

“He’s my favorite actor,” said person’s name.

Paragraph 5 –

Summarize your appraisal of the movie, TV show, event, or restaurant. Repeat your reasons for recommending or not recommending it to the reader. Add a final quote, known in broadcast journalism as a kicker, that is a funny or catchy ending. For example, the movie review might end:

“My boyfriend hated it, but he loves me, so we’ll be back to see it again,” said fan’s name.

Finally –

Proofread your article. Read it again – OUT LOUD – to catch and fix any punctuation or grammar errors. Send your review to the Sandbox via email to [email protected]   If you have original pictures to include, upload them as well as separate jpgs. Otherwise, submit a public domain image of the movie or book in question.

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• Next: Writing News Style >>
• Last Updated: May 19, 2024 12:30 PM
• URL: https://spcollege.libguides.com/news

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France’s Far-Right National Rally Rebranded Itself. Here’s How.

Many long considered Marine Le Pen’s party too extreme to be anywhere close to power. Now, the party could win a parliamentary election — and fill the prime minister’s seat.

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By Catherine Porter

Reporting from Paris

For decades, the National Rally was the pariah of French politics — deemed so dangerous that politicians from other parties refused to engage with its members.

How much that has changed became starkly apparent this month: The R.N., as the party is known by its initials in French, dominated the elections for the European Parliament , crushing President Emmanuel Macron’s party and winning a third of the votes in France. Mr. Macron soon called a surprise snap election for the powerful National Assembly, and polls suggest that the National Rally might be poised to win those, too.

Jordan Bardella , the party’s president, is jockeying to become the country’s next prime minister — something that just 10 years ago would have been unthinkable. He faced off against two adversaries, including Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, in a much-anticipated debate on Tuesday night, painting a grim view of the state of the country and focusing on illegal immigration, crime and rising costs.

If his party manages a big win in the election, Mr. Bardella, just 28 years old, could become prime minister, name cabinet members and derail much of Mr. Macron’s domestic agenda. (Historically, the president still sets foreign and defense policy.)

How did the National Rally evolve, rebranding itself so fully that it is now closer than ever to such a position of power?

The National Rally’s founder was openly racist.

Originally called the National Front, the party was founded in 1972 as the political arm of New Order, whose members believed democracy was doomed to fail. It included former Nazi soldiers, Vichy regime collaborators and former members of a terrorist organization that carried out attacks to prevent Algeria’s independence from French colonial rule.

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Lightning season is here: Fast facts and how to stay safe, from a meteorologist

Meteorologist, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Disclosure statement

Chris Vagasky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Wisconsin–Madison provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.

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As the weather warms, people spend more time outdoors, going to barbecues, beaches and ballgames . But summer isn’t just the season of baseball and outdoor festivals – it’s also lightning season.

Each year in the United States, lightning strikes around 37 million times . It kills 21 people a year in the U.S. on average.

For as often as lightning occurs – there are only a few days each year nationwide without lightning – there are still a lot of misunderstandings about nature’s largest spark. Because of this, a lot of people take unnecessary risks when thunderstorms are nearby.

I am a meteorologist who studies lightning and lightning safety, and a member of the National Lightning Safety Council . Here are some fast facts to keep your family and friends safe this summer.

What is lightning, and where does it come from?

Lightning is a giant electric spark in the atmosphere and is classified based on whether it hits the ground or not.

In-cloud lightning is any lightning that doesn’t hit ground, while cloud-to-ground – or, less commonly, ground-to-cloud – is any lightning that hits an object on the ground. Cloud-to-ground lightning accounts for only 10% to 50% of the lightning in a thunderstorm, but it can cause damage, including fires, injuries and fatalities, so it is important to know where it is striking.

Lightning occurs when rain, ice crystals and a type of hail called graupel collide in a thunderstorm cloud .

When these precipitation particles collide, they exchange electrons, which creates an electric charge in the cloud. Because most of the electric charge exists in the clouds, most lightning happens in the clouds. When the electric charge in the cloud is strong, it can cause an opposite charge to build up on the ground, making cloud-to-ground lightning possible. Exactly what initiates a strike is still an open question.

When and where does lightning happen?

Lightning can happen any time the conditions for thunderstorms – moisture, atmospheric instability , and a way for air to rise – are present.

There is a seasonality to lightning: Most lightning in the United States strikes in June, July or August. In just those three months, more than 60% of the year’s lightning typically occurs. Lightning is least common in winter, but it can still happen. About 2% of yearly lightning occurs during winter.

No state is immune from lightning, but it is more common in some states than others.

Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi are often among the leaders in total lightning strikes, but more than 30 states regularly see at least 1 million in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning events each year.

How to stay safe from lightning

Almost three-quarters of U.S. lightning fatalities occur between June and August . Luckily, staying safe from lightning is easy.

Keep an eye on the forecast and reconsider outdoor plans if thunderstorms are expected, especially if those plans take you near the water . Beaches are dangerous because lightning tends to strike the highest object, and water is a good conductor of electricity, so you don’t want to be in it.

Remember: No place outside is safe during a thunderstorm, so when thunder roars – go indoors. When you see the clouds building up, hear thunder or see a flash of lightning, it’s time to dash inside to a lightning-safe place.

What is a lightning-safe place?

There are two safe places to be during a thunderstorm: a substantial building or a fully enclosed metal vehicle.

A substantial building is a house, store, office building or other structure that has four walls and a roof, and where the electrical wiring and plumbing are protected inside the walls. If lightning strikes the building or near it, the electricity from the lightning travels through the walls and not through you. Dugouts, picnic shelters and gazebos are not safe places.

If you’re in a fully enclosed metal vehicle during a thunderstorm and lightning strikes, the electricity travels through the metal shell, which keeps you safe. It’s not the rubber tires that protect you – that’s a common myth. So, golf carts and convertibles won’t keep you safe if lightning strikes.

When you’re outdoors and lightning approaches, head to a lightning-safe place, even if it’s a distance away. Stay away from trees, especially tall and isolated ones, and don’t crouch in place – it doesn’t make you safer and just keeps you in the storm for longer.

Stay safe this summer

While you’re enjoying your summer plans, keep lightning safety in mind.

If someone nearby does get hit by lightning , lightning victims don’t hold the electric charge , so call 911 and begin first aid right away. About 90% of lightning victims survive , but they need immediate medical attention.

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4 takeaways from the first presidential debate

Domenico Montanaro

President Biden and former President Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN's studios in Atlanta on June 27. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

If some people who listened to the radio in 1960 thought Richard Nixon won the presidential debate with John F. Kennedy, then maybe people reading the transcript of Thursday night’s match-up would think President Biden won.

But elections aren’t won in transcripts. The reality is, fairly or not, debates are often about optics — how the candidates present themselves, defend their records and parry attacks.

Fact check: What did Biden and Trump claim about immigration in the debate?

And that’s why so many Democrats are ringing the fire alarms after the first general-election presidential debate of 2024. The Biden campaign said the president had a cold to explain why he sounded so hoarse and weak. But Biden’s stumbles right from the beginning played into his biggest vulnerability — his age and whether the 81-year-old is up to the challenge of handling four more years in office.

There were issues for Trump, too, as he continued to spread falsehoods and bathe in the kinds of conspiratorial grievances that have turned off many voters.

Not much has changed the dynamics of this race; will anything that happened Thursday night make a difference either?

Here are four takeaways from the first Biden-Trump debate of this campaign:

1. First and foremost, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – Democrats have to be wondering if they’d be better off with someone else as their nominee.

Neither candidate is the official nominee yet. The national political conventions haven’t happened — but it’s next to impossible that Democrats would replace Biden.

Still, given he delivered the kind of performance Democrats feared, party leaders, strategists and many voters, frankly, had to be wondering during this debate what it would be like if any of a handful of other Democrats were standing on that stage.

Biden got a bit stronger as the debate went on, especially on foreign policy. He had some one-liners, like calling Trump a “whiner” when Trump wouldn’t definitively say that he would accept the results of the 2024 election. But Biden often wasn’t able to show vigor or consistently convey what he wanted to say. He simply couldn’t deliver the kinds of happy-warrior blows with that toothy smile audiences have seen from Biden in years past.

“Sometimes the spin don’t spin,” one Democratic strategist texted midway through the debate when asked for reaction.

2. If how Biden sounded wasn’t bad enough, the visuals might have been equally as bad.

An important rule of thumb for candidates — and moderators — in debates is to be conscious of how things look, of how you look, of what people are seeing at home. And what people saw — and this was predictable — was a split screen.

What to know about the key policies that got airtime in the presidential debate

Biden wasn’t able to use that to his advantage at all, even as Trump doled out falsehood after falsehood. Instead, he looked genuinely shocked and confused, which is never a good look.

Trump and his base might not care about late-night comedy, but this week’s monologues are going to sting Democratic voters.

3. The format — and hands-off moderators — benefited Trump.

The muting of the candidates was likely intended to make the debate calmer and not allow Trump to run roughshod over the moderators or his opponent. But it had the effect of making Trump seem more sedate than usual.

Trump employed rounds of verbal jujitsu, in which he threw back his own vulnerabilities and directed them toward Biden. He was even able at one point, during a strange exchange about golf handicaps, to say, “Let’s not act like children.”

The moderation, or lack thereof, also allowed Trump to spread falsehoods and hyperbole without being interrupted or corrected. CNN indicated before the debate that the moderators were not going to play a strong role in fact checking the candidates, and they lived up to that.

They left it to the candidates, essentially, and with Biden unable to deliver in real time and the moderators declining to, the audience was left with a salad bowl full of rotten eggs and moldy lettuce that passed for facts.

4. This debate might not move the needle much, if at all.

Despite Biden’s struggles, which will understandably get the headlines, Trump had some difficult moments, too, especially in the second half of the debate.

In addition to spreading myriad falsehoods, he did little to credibly defend his conduct on and before the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol; he used the kind of hyperbolic and vituperative language that has long turned off swing voters; and showed why many are concerned about some of his positions on the issues, especially on abortion and how the U.S. should be represented on the world stage.

So despite Biden’s shortcomings, millions will still likely vote for Biden, anyway, because he’s not Trump.

The bottom line is: Americans have said they are unhappy with their choices, and, in this – the biggest moment of the 2024 presidential campaign yet — it was clear why.

Correction June 28, 2024

A previous version of this story referenced this week's live SNL episode but in fact the show is on its summer hiatus.

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After president’s debate debacle, Jill Biden delivering the message that they’re still all in

President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden arrive at East Hampton Airport, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in East Hampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden arrive at McGuire Air Force Base, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Burlington County, N.J. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden arrive at Francis S. Gabreski Airport, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Westhampton Beach, N.Y. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Jill Biden was right at her husband’s side Saturday as they exited Air Force One to head for a pair of campaign stops at luxurious vacation homes on Long Island. And she got straight to the point when it was her turn to introduce the president at a tony fundraiser.

“Joe isn’t just the right person for the job. He’s the only person for the job,” she declared.

The first lady also told donors, “Anyone can tell you what they want to do, but Joe Biden can tell you what he’s done with his judgment, his experience, and his relationships with leaders across the globe.”

The first lady is trying to rally support for her husband after a dreadful performance in Thursday’s presidential debate created fresh worries about President Joe Biden’s age and his ability to compete in November’s election and to serve another four years.

The community college professor has been by her husband’s side since he exited the debate stage as he faces what could be a defining challenge of his presidency — the president says that democracy itself is on the line in his race against former President Donald Trump.

It’s a reflection of the first lady’s influence, her love of her husband and the pressure confronting an 81-year-old candidate whom many voters worry is too old to serve another term as president. While Trump’s wife has been noticeably absent from the campaign trail, Jill Biden has taken a leading role, wearing a dress Friday decorated with the word “Vote.”

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Less than 24 hours after her husband’s disastrous debate, she stood before a crowd in Greenwich Village and spoke glowingly about her husband without any nod to the swirling controversy over whether he is up to another term.

“Joe will never stop fighting for this country and for communities like this one,” she said at an event at the Stonewall National Monument, a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride. “That’s who Joe is. He wakes up every morning thinking about how he can make the lives of Americans better.”

She was more frank, though, later in the day at a LGBTQ fundraiser in the city, saying of her husband’s debate performance, “I know it’s on your minds.”

“As Joe said earlier today, he’s not a young man,” she allowed. “And you know, after last night’s debate, he said, ‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel that great.’ And I said, ‘Look, Joe, we are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you’ve been president.’”

The first lady went on to deliver a spirited defense of the president’s abilities, signaling there was no stepping back from his intent — their intent, really — for him to press forward with his campaign.

“What my husband does know how to do is tell the truth,“ she said. “When Joe gets knocked down, Joe gets back up, and that’s what we’re doing today.”

Jill Biden, 73, has long been her husband’s chief confidant and public defender, but her role looms larger this year and is attracting increasing scrutiny from Trump supporters, some of whom question whether she’s the one doing the steering these days.

When the first lady gripped the president’s hand as he left the debate stage on Thursday night after his halting performance, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas reposted the video on X with the question, “Who is the Commander in Chief?”

Jill Biden, early on reluctant to embrace the role of political spouse, is all in.

Earlier in the year, when voters were in denial that Biden truly would seek another term, it was Jill Biden who squashed the idea he might not go through with it.

“How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?” the first lady told The Associated Press in a February interview during a trip to Africa. She added, “He says he’s not done. He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”

As a native of the Philadelphia area, her tone has grown increasingly feisty as she has told supporters that Trump has gotten “my Philly up.” But the race with the former Republican is tight and she told the fundraising gathering on Friday that, “We have to work harder than we’ve ever worked before.”

She doesn’t just talk up her husband’s best attributes, she regularly recounts stories of their courtship and life together for supporters. During Friday’s events, she told the LGBTQ+ gatherings that Trump is a “threat” to their rights and “we can’t let him win,” a sign that she won’t shy from the gritty business of politics.

Last month, the first lady delivered a commencement address to community college students in Arizona, where she talked about ignoring the doubters and pushing forward with their goals.

“The next time someone tells you that you ‘can’t,’ you’re going to say, ‘Oh yeah? Watch me,’” she said.

It was an echo of the words her husband has used on multiple occasions when questioned about his ability to do the job for another four years: “Watch me.”

• The Buzz on Florida Politics

Insurance giants are ‘stiffing’ customers in Florida, report says

• Lawrence Mower Times staff

TALLAHASSEE — Floridians filing a homeowners insurance claim had the lowest chance in the 50 states of getting a check from their insurer in 2022, with more than a third of claims going unpaid.

And last year, those filing claims with two of the state’s largest, healthiest companies — subsidiaries of State Farm and Allstate — had the lowest chance of all.

Nearly half of all claims closed by those companies last year went unpaid.

That’s according to data released this week by Weiss Ratings , a Palm Beach Gardens-based ratings agency with a history of critiquing the insurance industry .

“The big picture conclusion is that the insurers in Florida are stiffing their customers,” company founder Martin D. Weiss told the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee bureau.

Why the larger insurers have the highest rate is not clear. One former Texas regulator said it could be because homeowners believe their policies cover more damage than they really do. After years of legislative and regulatory changes , many policies today cover less than they did five years ago.

The information on payments comes from reports filed by the companies with state regulators and a national association — data that is not released to the public.

Regulators across the country collect troves of data about the performance of companies. It is assembled by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Companies have claimed some of the data is a trade secret, and the association has resisted efforts at more transparency.

Weiss says his company posts the information it purchased from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners on its website for Florida-specific insurers .

“A consumer, before buying a policy from a company, should know right up front what percentage of claims are being denied,” Weiss said. “We’ll be glad to make that number public, but we’d much prefer either the authorities or the company do that job.”

Allstate, State Farm lead pack

Weiss Ratings released data to the Times/Herald on 40 companies that primarily or exclusively write homeowners insurance policies in Florida. It does not include state-run Citizens Property Insurance, the state’s largest insurer, which does not report its data.

Castle Key Indemnity Co., a subsidiary of Allstate, last year closed 47% of its claims without making a payment, the highest rate in the state. Its sister company, Castle Key Insurance Co., was third, paying nothing on 46% of the claims it closed.

State Farm Florida, a subsidiary of the national company, was second, with 46.4% of its claims being closed with no payment.

Among the 40 companies in Florida last year, half did not pay on at least 30% of claims.

The two companies have been historically at the top of the pack the last few years. In 2021, and 2022, State Farm closed more than half of its claims without making a payment. Two years ago, so did both Castle Key companies.

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A separate set of national data from two years ago, the most recent year available, shows that 35% of all Florida claimants received nothing. Only insurers in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico had a higher rejection rate.

Many of those who did get paid had to wait a long time. In 2022, Florida had the second-highest rate of claims paid after 60 days. Only Louisiana had a higher rate.

The fact that two of the state’s largest companies topped the list surprised Weiss. He expected the small, Florida-based companies that dominate the market and insure the state’s riskiest areas to have the worst rate of paying out claims.

Several of the smaller companies have been cited for poor claims-handling practices, such as Tampa-based Heritage Insurance, which was issued a near-record $1 million fine by the Office of Insurance Regulation in May for how it handled Hurricane Ian claims. (Heritage’s rate of claims closed without payment was 31% last year.)

State Farm Florida, by comparison, is known to insure safer inland homes built after the enhanced Hurricane Andrew building codes took effect.

With the backing of national companies, State Farm Florida and Castle Key are critical to the stability of Florida’s shaky insurance market. State Farm Florida is the second-largest insurer in Florida with about 650,000 homeowners policies. Castle Key Indemnity Co. is ninth, with about 230,000 policies.

A spokesperson for State Farm said Weiss’ data is not accurate. By focusing only on closed claims, a spokesperson said, it doesn’t include a smaller subset of claims left open at the end of the year. The company had about 3,100 open claims last year.

State Farm spokesperson Roszell Gadson would not say what the accurate figure is.

“As an organization, we take pride in our customer service and are committed to paying what we owe, promptly, courteously, and efficiently,” Gadson said.

Allstate said the data did not match their own internal figures for the percentage of claims closed without a payment. For Castle Key Indemnity Co., the rate was 34% last year, and 23% for Castle Key Insurance Co, according to their numbers.

“We protect our customers, and our claims processes help them recover by quickly providing fair payments based on their selected coverages, like deductibles and coverage amounts,” the company said in a statement.

What’s behind closed claims?

There are many reasons why a claim might be closed without payment, said Florida Office of Insurance Information spokesperson Samantha Bequer.

The damage could be below the policy deductible or not be covered by the policy, such as situations in which flooding caused the damage. The policyholder could also have withdrawn the claim, or it could be a duplicate.

The data reported by the companies and provided by Weiss Ratings doesn’t give any reasons.

“We caution against using the data to draw conclusions or make analyses regarding Florida’s insurance market,” Bequer said in a statement.

Florida’s insurance companies and state lawmakers have long blamed frivolous claims and lawsuits for causing the state’s insurance crisis, but neither Bequer nor the insurance companies blamed those issues for rate of claim denials.

Weiss said he believes the high rate of denying claims could be a business strategy.

“I have yet to find any other explanation for it,” he said.

There could be several reasons, but it’s more likely that policyholders are filing claims believing they have coverage when they don’t, said Birny Birnbaum, executive director of the Center for Economic Justice and a former chief economist at the Texas Department of Insurance.

He said that’s an issue that regulators could address by rejecting policy forms that might be “misleading or obtuse or deceptive.” They should also be looking at policy provisions that are unfair, such as requiring mandatory arbitration or exorbitant deductibles that hollow out coverage.

Birnbaum said regulators years ago should have been analyzing claim denials and proposing remedies. (Florida regulators last year pushed for legislation giving them more oversight over how companies handle claims .)

“These are extraordinarily high numbers of claim denials,” Birnbaum said.

Data remains a secret

Bequer, the Office of Insurance Regulation spokesperson, said the office couldn’t comment on the data because the information was a trade secret that had to be protected under state law.

Regulators across the country and insurance companies have repeatedly fought the release of detailed information about how insurers handle claims, Birnbaum said. Even simple but important information, such as the average homeowners premium in every state, isn’t released until three years later , when it’s no longer useful.

Birnbaum said the office’s secrecy was hypocritical. When former Florida insurance commissioner David Altmaier was president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, he used “secret” data on insurers’ rates of litigation and released a report claiming that Florida made up 8% of all homeowners claims and 76% of all litigation against insurers .

That report became the basis for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature to pass sweeping reforms making it harder and more expensive to sue insurance companies.

Altmaier never publicly released the underlying data supporting the study, however. He now lobbies on behalf of insurance and financial services companies.

Birnbaum, who was a consumer advocate at the association for 25 years, said consumers need more information.

“People buy insurance for a promise of the future,” Birnbaum said. “And if company X denies 20% and company Y denies 50% of claims, you can bet consumers are going to go to company X.”

Lawrence Mower is a Tallahassee correspondent, covering politics and the state capitol. Reach him at [email protected].

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• Education and Communications

How to Format a Letter to a Newspaper

Last Updated: December 19, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 62,478 times.

Do you care deeply about a certain political or social issue? You can advocate for what you believe in by submitting a letter to a newspaper. Most newspapers have editorial or opinion pages and encourage readers to submit letters. If you want your submission to be noticed and printed, you need to know how to format your letter. If you make sure your writing is concise, pointed, and timely, you may get to see your letter in print.

Drafting Your Letter

• In your letter, mention the original story with its title, date, and author, and then write your response.

• Don’t fudge the facts to make a point, because someone will probably catch your mistake and it will discredit your argument.

• If you have experience with whatever issue is at hand, a personal testimony could help inspire the pathos of your reader, and connect to them in a way pure logic and facts can’t.

• Newspapers usually don’t print anonymous letters, though they might withhold your name if you ask.

Meeting Newspaper Requirements

• For example, the Washington Post prefers letters under 250 words. [7] X Research source

• For example, The New York Times prefers letters responding to articles from the past 7 days. [9] X Research source

• Check the newspaper’s requirements one last time before you submit.

Community Q&A

• Stick to the facts. If your letter is disputing something that has been published, include specifics—what was said, when and by whom—and be ready to back up your assertion that it was incorrect. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you can avoid it, don’t write your letter by hand. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you have friends or colleagues who feel the same way you do about an issue, encourage them to write letters to the editor as well. This way, even if your letter is passed over for publication another letter on the subject may still make it on to the opinion page. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/letters-to-editor/main
• ↑ https://www.ucsusa.org/action/writing-an-lte.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/paragraphs_and_paragraphing/index.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/journalism_and_journalistic_writing/writing_leads.html
• ↑ https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/236004788-Send-a-letter-to-the-editor
• ↑ https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014925288-How-to-submit-a-letter-to-the-editor
• ↑ https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014925288-Submit-a-Letter-to-the-Editor
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-copy-editing-and-proofreading/

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Writer and journalist Rex Murphy dead at 77

Murphy wrote for newspapers, also appeared on radio and tv during decades-long media career.

Rex Murphy, long-time CBC Radio host and commentator, dead at 77

Social sharing.

Rex Murphy, the controversial Newfoundland-born pundit and wordsmith whose writing and often-blistering commentaries were the focus of a decades-long career in Canadian media, has died at the age of 77, according to the National Post.

"You might not agree with what Rex had to say, but oh, boy, could he ever say it," said comedian and fellow Newfoundlander Mark Critch, who performed an impression of Murphy on  This Hour Has 22 Minutes .

In a report published on the Post's website  on Thursday, the newspaper said Murphy died after a battle with cancer, and he had last corresponded with an editor there on Tuesday, inquiring about his most-recent column.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey posted a statement on the social platform X Thursday saying that people there "are mourning one of our own tonight, and sending condolences to his family and friends."

Murphy's "quick wit and mastery of words were unmatched, and his presence was significant — whether or not everyone always agreed," Furey said, echoing a theme that Critch touched upon in his own remembrances.

Critch told CBC News that he'd "only known a world with Rex in it," explaining that he grew up next to a radio station where his father worked, along with Murphy.

Comedian Mark Critch calls Rex Murphy 'the greatest wordsmith in a place known for talkers'

"As a little boy, I remember seeing this man with wild hair in a golden turtleneck, listening to music with dad at the house and he was larger than life," Critch said Thursday.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper, in a tribute posted on social media , remembered Murphy as "one of the most intelligent and fiercely free-thinking journalists this country has ever known."

In another social media tribute, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Murphy "an icon, a pioneer of independent, eloquent and fearless thought, and always a captivating orator who never lost his touch."

Newspapers, radio and TV

Murphy graduated from Newfoundland's Memorial University before attending Oxford University as a Rhodes   Scholar in 1968 .

He got his start lending a hand at the private radio station VOCM in St. John's, backfilling a talk show while its host went on vacation.

Murphy would go on to spend many years working with CBC, including work on both radio and television. He was a National Post columnist at the time of his death and had previously written columns for The Globe and Mail.

"When Rex had something to say, he knew exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it," Kevin Libin, a longtime editor of Murphy's work at Postmedia, told CBC News on Thursday evening.

Murphy hosted Cross Country Checkup on CBC Radio  for more than two decades and was a familiar face to longtime viewers of CBC's The National . His appearances on CBC-TV date as far back as the 1970s.

Controversies and criticism

Murphy's work drew criticism, at times, including for accepting paid speaking engagements for the oil industry.

In 2014, while still hosting Cross Country Checkup  and regularly contributing TV essays to The National , members of the public complained to CBC's ombudsman that Murphy was in a conflict of interest for doing paid speeches at oil industry gatherings.

Rex Murphy on Canadian values

Murphy had long defended the sector, including on CBC, saying the oil boom saved many of his friends and fellow Newfoundlanders from economic ruin when the East Coast fisheries collapsed.

As for the speeches, he said nobody controlled what he said — not the oil industry, and not the CBC.

Later in life, Murphy became a loud detractor of the federal Liberal Party — despite having twice run as a provincial Liberal candidate in the mid-1980s — and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. 

But he still had Liberals who admired him, such as longtime politician Bob Rae who posted on X that while they disagreed on many things he never lost "affection and admiration for him. He loved Newfoundland and Canada and was fearless."

He was also an outspoken opponent of "wokeism," progressive ideology sensitive to systemic inequities, and argued in his column that conservative voices like his were being pushed to the margins.

In a 2022 column, he decried "the frenzy of woke politics and the cancel culture it has bred and nourished, the prescriptions on what may or may not be debated or talked about."

Two years earlier, he'd been at the centre of one such frenzy for another piece of writing in the National Post.

A week after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd, a Black man, Murphy accused liberals — both in general and in the party — of trumping up racism in Canada.

"Most Canadians, the vast majority in fact, are horrified by racism and would never participate in it," he wrote. "We are in fact not a racist country, though to say so may shock some."

The column was widely decried, prompting an editorial review at the Post, which eventually added a note at the top of the piece saying it fell short of the newspaper's standards.

Rex Murphy, on Newfoundland outport fishing

With files from The Canadian Press