Types of News Stories

• 1. Scope or origin a. Local News- report events that take place within the immediate locality
• 1. Scope or origin b. National news - news that take place within the country
• 1. Scope or origin c. Foreign news- news that take place outside the country
• Scope or origin d. Dateline news - news preceded by the date and place of origin or place where it was written or filed: ex. Tokyo, Jan 20 (AP)
• 2. Chronology or sequence a. Advance or anticipated - news published before its occurrence, sometimes called dope or prognostication. The reporter foretells events expected to occur at a definite time in the future
• 2. Chronology or sequence b. Spot news - news that is gathered and reported on the spot; unscheduled demanding immediate publication; the reporter himself is the eyewitness to the event that took place.
• 2. Chronology or sequence c. Coverage news - news written from a given beat. Both spot news and coverage news are good example of first-hand reporting.
• 2. Chronology or sequence d. Follow-up news - a sequel to a previous story. Having a new lead of its own, it is a second, third, or subsequent chapter of a serial
• 3. Structure - a. Straight news - consists facts given straight without embellishment . Its main aim is to inform. It uses the summary lead and is written using the inverted pyramid structure.
• 3. Structure b. News Feature - also based on facts, but it entertains more than it informs. It uses the suspended interest structure like the narrative; it cannot meet the cut-off test. In writing a news-feature, the writer may give his impression, may describe and narrate but without the biased opinion-- w/o editorializing.
• 3. Structure b. News Feature (1) Single Feature - the story deals with an isolated event. A single fact is featured in the succeeding paragraphs. The story breaks logically at every paragraph; thus enabling the reporter to cut or lengthen it as space dictates.
• 3. Structure (2) Several-feature - multiple angled, or composite story - several facts are included in the lead in their order of importance. The several-feature story aims to draw together two or more divergent aspects of related new items separately; the writer writes them in one big story
• 4. Treatment a. Fact Story - a plain exposition setting forth a single situation/series of closely related facts that inform. It is written in the inverted pyramid design.
• 4. Treatment b. Action story - a narrative of actions involving not mere simple facts but also of dramatic events, description of persons and events, etc.
• 4. Treatment c. Speech report - a news story usually written from a public address, talks, and speeches
• 4. Treatment d. Quote story - speeches, statements, and letters, interviews, when reported are regarded as quote stories. all are based on recorded information either written or spoken, and transcribed by the reporter in the form of news.
• 4. Treatment e. Interview story - a news report written from an interview
• Content a. Routine story - celebrations, enrollment, graduation, election stories reported year in and year out
• Content b. Police reports - accident, fire, calamity, crime stories, etc
• 6. Minor forms a. News brief - a short item of news interest, written like a brief telegraphic message, giving mainly the result with details
• 6. Minor forms b. news bulleting - it is similar to the lead of a straight news story. its aim is just to give the gist of the news
• 6. Minor forms c. News-featurette - a short news feature usually used as filler eg., "Quirks in the news."
• 6. Minor forms d. Flash- a bulletin that conveys the first word of an event