Writing the news is easy if you know the key

Many people think that writing news is complicated work that can only be done by professional journalists. In fact, anyone can write news as long as they want to learn how to compile it. Mistakes that often occur are beginners too focused on beautiful language, even though news is not poetry. News requires straightforward, short and targeted language.

The essence of writing news is actually simple that is telling the reader what happens, who is involved, where and when the events, as well as why and how it all takes place. The classic formula is 5W + 1H. This is the foundation that keeps the news intact and easily digested. Without it, writing will only be a floating story without direction.

A news writer is like a film editor. His job is to choose the most important scene to be put in the beginning. In the world of journalism, this is called lead or opening paragraph. A strong lead will make the reader want to continue until the end. Beginner mistakes are usually putting the core of the news at the bottom, so the reader has lost interest before reaching the important point.

The language used in the news must be straightforward. Avoid the flowering sentences like “like a full moon that smiles in the night sky”. Sentences like that are indeed beautiful, but news readers want to know the facts, not fairy tales. Use firm active sentences, for example “Trensains High School Team Winning in Debate Competition” more clearly than “victory achieved by the Trensains High School team”.

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The headline is also not origin. The title is a promise to the reader. If the title is confusing or too poetic, the reader can feel cheated. A good title contains core news and interesting elements. “High School Trensains Champion 1 of the Regency English Debate” is clearly more effective than the “sweet victory behind the tough struggle” that does not give a picture of the news content.

Writing news also trains us to be thorough. The name of the person, place, and time must be correct. Salah type the name of the character can make news lose credibility. Before being published, read the script back. Reading loudly is an effective way to find out whether the sentence is easy to read or still confusing.

If summarized, the key is simple: Place the core of the news at the beginning, complete the details in the middle, then close it with an explanation or supporting information. Think of writing news such as making a sandwich: Roti is the core of the news, the contents are details and quotes, the lower bread is a cover that gives a complete impression. With this pattern, writing news is no longer difficult, even for beginners.

Writer: trough