Assessment 1

• Types of Journalistic Writing


  • Hard News Report
  • Editorial or Opinion Article
  • Feature Article
  • Sports News Article
• Hard News Report


  A type of journalistic text that tackles current events and focuses on the most important facts
• Editorial or Opinion Article


  A journalistic text that expresses the writer's informed, reasoned arguments for or against a position or idea
• Feature Article


  A journalistic text that appeals to readers' interests, such as about famous people, history, hobbies, or reviews
• Sports News Article


  A news story that focuses on games and sporting events, aiming to show the drama and excitement of the actual game
• An editorial or opinion article is not considered a news article because it tackles the writer's opinion based on the news topic of the day
• There is a need to write sports news articles because the goal is to show the drama and excitement of the actual game to the readers
• Although there are varied purposes for each type of writing, all four kinds have the same general format
• All journalistic texts follow the same general format
• Headline


  The title of a newspaper article that is commonly printed in large letters
• Byline


  The name of the writer and his/her specialty (sports, news, crime, features, etc.)
• Placeline


  The place where the story or event happens
• Lead


  The opening paragraph of a news story. It is the most important part of the news story because it gives the readers the most important information in a clear, concise manner
• Writing the Lead


  • It should have the complete information which answers the Five W's and H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
  • Be specific. The lead is a summary of the story
  • Use active sentences and strong verbs
  • Write the lead in the simple past tense
  • Consider what the audience already knows
• Avoid flowery language, unnecessary words or phrases, and using "it" when writing leads
• Body


  The paragraphs that succeed the lead. Arranged from most important to least important information
• Quotations


  The words or statements said by a person in the story. It adds accuracy to the story
• Writing Hard News Articles

  • Use the inverted pyramid structure
  • Be concise. Leads contain an average of 25 to 30 words
  • Keep paragraphs short
  • Conclusions are not necessary
  • Use interesting and relevant quotes only
  • Do not state your opinion
• Writing Feature Articles

  • The lead can be more creative and descriptive
  • Make sure all details are related to the main idea
  • Use colorful and interesting quotes
  • Each paragraph should focus on a specific quality or characteristic
• Writing Sports Articles

  • The lead should be an attention-getter and use sports lingo
  • Use the inverted pyramid structure
• Writing Editorial/Opinion Articles

  • Start with an objective explanation of the issue
  • Present opposing views
  • Present your position with facts and quotations
  • Challenge the reader or give solutions
• Journalistic texts do not just write facts, they also need to cite where these facts come from