How to Write an Effective News Story

Associated Content has recently recognized the need for hard news on its website, resulting in a content special offer to publish breaking news as it happens, but still allowing for payment. While I have only been writing for AC a couple months, I have definitely noticed a great increase in the news stories on the site, as well as the news stories that have been making it as content spotlight pieces and top-rated content, something I had seen previously reserved for pop culture and opinion pieces. I am gratified at the increase in quality of the stories published on AC, both news and other kinds.

As a journalism major getting ready to graduate in May, I have had lots of practice and taken lots of courses on writing effective news stories. This story is intended to share what I've learned with the thousands of journalists on AC, many of whom might already know these tips. But hey, a refresher course from time to time isn't a bad idea. For those new content producers, I hope these tips serve to help you write more news stories on AC, resulting in better page views and higher pay, should AC continue to pay for news stories as it did for a few recent weeks. (Here's hoping.)

Effective News Writing Tip #1: Polish the lead. A hard news lead should be no more than 40 words, though this number is a little flexible. It should be short and concise, and it should let the reader know why they should continue to read the story past the first paragraph. How will this affect their lives? Why should they care? It should also include at least some of the who, what, when, where, why and how. Yes, that's a lot of information that goes into the news lead, so it will definitely take some practice. For example, I am working on a story for my student newspaper (of which I am editor) about the recent House vote that cut interest rates on federal student loans in half over the next few years. Instantly, the story is easily relatable to any college student. But how did I tie it in to my readers, the students of Park University? I found out an estimate of how many students at Park rely on loans to help finance their college education. My lead started with: "For the (xxx amount) students at Park University who use federal loans to help finance the cost of their tuition, the recent vote in the House of Representatives will help them save (xxx amount) over the life of their loan once repayment begins."

It's 41 words, which keeps is short and sweet. It includes info about the what, who and when, and it takes the relevance of the story a little closer to home. Writing an effective news story starts with the lead. Take time to polish it: practice rewriting some of the leads of national news stories, making it more relevant to the readers who subscribe to your CP page. I cannot say how important the lead is in a news story. An effective news lead will make the difference between someone reading your entire article, or skipping to the next piece after the first paragraph.

Effective News Writing Tip #2: Include as much original detail as you can. For some of the news stories on AC, this may be difficult, since they are often synthesized stories from several different news outlets, thus creating a new story with different details. This is why I urge you to write local news stories, so that you can include as much original detail as possible. This gives your news story authenticity, and it allows you to be personal while still being objective. If there's a fire somewhere in your town, you might be the only CP on AC who can give details about the building and the town, the people affected by the fire. You can talk to the fire chief and get some quotes about the scene. You can even go to the scene yourself and describe the charred roof and scent of smoke in the air. These original details will make your reader keep reading and will increase your credibility as a journalist. Try to make the reader feel as if they themselves were at that fire, watching the flames come out of the windows and watching the firemen rush in as everyone else ran out. Original detail is the key to writing an effective news story.

Effective News Writing Tip #3: It's about people; it's always about people. My trusted advisor and friend taught me this early on in my journalism education: it's always about people. Meaning, every effective news story needs a personal voice, an interview from someone who was there or someone directly affected by the event. I encourage bottom-up reporting in this case: talk to the people directly affected before talking to the "official" representative, like the PR or communications rep. For example, I'll talk to a student to get their opinions about the decrease in federal loan interest rates before I talk to our House representative to see how he voted. A lot of journalists rely on the reverse, "top-down" reporting. I'm not saying that the official word isn't important, but readers can easily relate to a real person rather than a talking head or politician. This will also help keep them reading, and writing about people's struggles and successes will increase your readership and credibility as a journalist. It will help readers trust you.

These are three simple but highly effective tips for writing good news stories. Try one at a time, or combine all three for a truly compelling news story that will keep your readers on AC coming back for more.