News Article Structure and Components

STRUCTURE News articles use inverted-pyramid structure (general to specific) General They are written in… third-person past tense many short paragraphs Specific

POINT OF VIEW Definition: The perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information. For your article… Who is writing the article? What is their attitude towards the character and situation?

SLANT and BIAS Definitions: SLANT = the point of view taken by a writer or editor of a newspaper. (The writer or editor selects and arranges facts to express a particular slant, or point of view, on a story. Slant is not always a conscious choice. It may be a reflection of the writer’s education, upbringing or cultural expectations.) BIAS = Bias is evident when the opinions or prejudices of a journalist are included in a story in an attempt to influence the reader. (Bias may be evident in what is reported, as well as what is left out. Bias is a conscious choice on the part of the writer.)

SLANT and BIAS continued… What is the difference between the two statements below? What slant/bias is evident in each case? More than 900 people attended the event. Fewer than 1000 people showed up.

MASTHEAD Definition: The title of the newspaper. For your article… Remember you are writing for an Illyrian newspaper.

HEADLINE Definition: The title of the news article. It should be written as a sentence and contain the “who” and “what” of the article. For your article… How will you catch the reader’s interest?

BY-LINE Definition: Names the author of the article. For your article… Will you be you or a made-up character in Illyria?

PLACE-LINE Definition: Names where the article has been written. For your article… Hint: It’s Illyria 

LEAD Definition: The first paragraph of a news article. It should contain all the major information (who, what, where, when). For your article… Most people tend to only read bits and pieces of a news article…make sure the “meat” of your article is right at the beginning.

PHOTO and CAPTION You must include a photo and caption with your article. Choose something specific to your article. Write a creative and informative caption to describe the photo.

QUOTATIONS You must use quotations throughout your news article. Remember a quotation is direct speech from someone. For your article, you can make up your quotations – think about what each character would think and/or feel. A TAG comes before or after a quotation and states who the speaker is and their role.

Tags After Quotations “Duke Orsino is such a romantic guy,” said Curio, a local citizen. “I have always been a sucker for flowery language and a clean-shaven face,” admitted Olivia, an Illyrian countess.

Tags Before Quotations Orsino’s servant, Valentine, said, “It was starting to get on my nerves how much Orsino loved Cesario.” One of Olivia’s jesters, Feste, stated, “Malvolio had it coming.”

Remember… Try to use different words for “said” throughout your article. News articles are in past tense. Always include who said the quotation and their role. You can use quotations to help show slant and bias in your article.