Recent Changes

News article rely less on transitions than do papers written in a conventional style
Remain Neutral. Don't tell the reader what to think. Just report the facts and let the reader make up his/her mind.
are simply probidingproviding the facts, provide your sources.
sources.
News Criteria
Factual- the facts in the story will affect many consumers
Unusual- facts that are unusual are interesting to readers
Timely- a news story must be current or timely
Proximity-

Three Critical Elements of Any News story
Timeliness: the story must be revelant; even the best-written, most accurate news story would be worthless if it was late
Inverted PyramidAccuracy: getting the facts right (to the best of your ability) is of the utmost importance. There is no excuse for "getting it wrong", be it a sports score, spelling of a kids name, or a direct quote
Objectivity: stories must be unbiased. Since the newspaper's creditability is its stock and trade, removing bias from its reporting is critically important
Inverted Pyramid:
Basis for news writing
Information and facts are presented to the reader in order of descending importance
The most imprtant fact is presented first, the next important fact next, and so on.
So when you read a newspaper article, you are presented with the most important facts at the very outset.
Rules of Newswirting
1. Paragraphs are extremely short, usually no more than two or three sentences. Paragraphs in newswriting are called grafs
2. The lead, or opening graf, should include all of the most important facts of the story - who, what, where when, why, and how. It should be more than one sentence.
3. You must include a quotation within the first three grafs, but (almost) never in the lead.
4. Don't ask questions in the lead.
5. You must have at least three sources.
Misc.
News article rely less on transitions than do papers written in a conventional style
Remain Neutral. Don't tell the reader what to think. Just report the facts and let the reader make up his/her mind.
Attributing information is critical. You must cite your sources as much as possible. Remember, you are simply probiding the facts, so you must also provide your sources.

Module: Always rectangular in shape and includes all elements of an article
{http://dfjsection2.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/newslayout.jpg} Strenghts of this layout: Good dominant photo, good use of horizontal and vertical modules, has index, teasers, photo caption, bylines, feature article, and masthead
{http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2009/08/26/peoplesdailytibetan.jpg} Weaknesses of this layout: Only one photo- doesn't follow dollar bill rule. Columns are not lined up.

Module: Always rectangular in shape and includes all elements of an article
{http://dfjsection2.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/newslayout.jpg} Strenghts of this layout: Good dominant photo, good use of horizontal and vertical modules, has index, teasers, photo caption, bylines, feature article, and masthead
{http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2009/08/26/peoplesdailytibetan.jpg}

Headlines: Rules... 1.Never
1.Never use past
2.never use "and" substitute commas in for them.
3.keep little words out: to, a, the, etc.
Good example: Tornado injures three
Coppens: 'Journalism rocks'
Leads: Rules... 1.contain
1.contain no more
2.single paragraph,
3.summarize the "what" "where" and "when" of a story,

6.no names or abbreviations unless they are easily recognizable,
7. only capitalize the first word in the headline or other proper nouns throughout
8. 3-7 words
Bad example: Three people injured by a tornado
Coppens said, "Journalism rocks".

Want to add most important stories and dominant photo above the fold
Make sure there is a dominant photograph
front page youit should be
Definitions:
Masthead: Name of the newspaper in a recognizable font
Teasers: An advertisement that lures customers or clients by offering a bonus, gift, or the like.
Above the fold: Top half of the front page
Module: Always rectangular in shape and includes all elements of an article
{http://dfjsection2.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/newslayout.jpg} Strenghts of this layout: Good dominant photo, good use of horizontal and vertical modules, has index, teasers, photo caption, bylines, feature article, and masthead

Want to add most important stories and dominant photo above the fold
Make sure there is a dominant photograph
dollar bill ruleon the front page you should
Definitions:
Masthead: Name of the newspaper in a recognizable font

Headlines: Rules... 1.Never use past tense
2.never use and"and" substitute it for commas in for them.
3.keep little words out: to, a, the, etc.
4.colon in place of said and single quotes around dialogue,
5.use alliteration make it fun,
6.no names or abbreviations unless they are easily recognizable,
7. only capitalize the first word in the headline or other proper nouns throughout
Bad example: Three people injured by a tornado
Coppens said, "Journalism rocks".
Good example: Tornado injures three
Coppens: 'Journalism rocks'
Leads: Rules... 1.contain no more than 30 words,
2.single paragraph,
6.If there's a "who" involved in the story the lead should give some indication of who the "Who" is
7. the lead should summarize the "why" and "how" of the story, only if there's room.
place the attrubutionattribution at the the lead
9. never use quotes unless it's the basis of the story