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Episode 5: How to writing article basics

You can write the most important first according to the six-and-lower principle.

In principle, news articles should be written objectively, excluding the subjectivity of reporters. It should also be precise and clear, and should not emphasize or be partial to any part of the whole.

Type of article

News articles are divided into straight news and feature stories. The purpose of straight articles is to present the facts to the reader as they are. Keep it as short as possible according to the 6th principle. Feature articles are intended to describe an event in depth and are often rather lengthy.

Feature articles include commentary articles that explain the incident in depth or give background, interview articles with the subjectivity of the reporter, visit articles, critiques, editorials, and columns.

In recent years, straight articles are also increasingly announcing events vividly by adding feature story formats, such as reports and sketches, in order to attract readers’ interest.

Form of an article

Inverted pyramid

Describe what is most important to your lead at the beginning, then the specifics, and put the least important at the end. It is mainly used for writing straight articles or press releases.

The reasons for writing news articles in an inverted pyramid are as follows.

First, it allows readers to quickly get to the heart of the news. Second, readers can understand most of the news even if they stop halfway through reading it. Third, news editors can easily cut back an article written by a reporter by cutting it off from the back if it’s overly lethargic.

Pyramid

It is written in the order in which events occurred. It is mainly used in feature articles, commentary articles, magazine articles, and reports. The editorial in the form of a ride-and-run is also pyramid-shaped.

Mixed type

It is a method of putting important facts first and then narrating the events in the order in which they occurred. For example, in a certain controversy, the core of the argument is put first, and then the beginning and development of the argument between the two parties is written in chronological order.

Article requirements

1. Accuracy

The life of a knight is accuracy. News is seen by many and recorded in history. Articles must not contain misinformation. Also, spelling and standard language must be adhered to.

2. Objectivity

Articles should not exaggerate and exclude bias. It should be accepted and understood by anyone who sees it. You should include not only one side of the argument, but also the objection to it.

3. Brevity

The purpose of the article is to get to the reader quickly, so it should be concise to the point. Domestic newspapers are required to write sentences of no more than 50 characters. Symbols such as △ are sometimes used to convey concise information.

4. Plainness

It should be written in a way that anyone can see. UPI Communication recommends writing at the level of 2nd and 3rd graders of high school, and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun at the level of junior high school students. Use Chinese characters colloquially and avoid using jargon whenever possible.

5. Kindness

After reading all your doubts should be answered. It is often the case that the person writing the article assumes that the reader knows as much as I do. After writing, you have to read and supplement as a third person.

Article composition

A news article consists of a title, subheading, lead, and body.

1. Title

Summarize the content in one sentence. It should be possible for the reader to know what happened without reading the article. Titles should be specific and contain as much information as possible.

2. Subtitle

Summarize important information that was not included in the title. In many cases, the six-second principle is divided into two, with who and what in the title and when, how, and why in the sub-title.

3. Lead

A lead is the first paragraph of an article, also called a preamble. Leads are what draws the reader’s interest to the article. A straight article summarizes the story of an event or article as a whole by putting the most important facts in the lead.

4. Main text

The text is the back part of the lead. Be specific about what was described in the lead, explain the parties’ positions, and include background information about the case.

The news value of articles

The media evaluates the value of news on five factors: timeliness, proximity, notoriety, influence, and interest. In addition, the emotionality of whether the news is touched or the conflicting news of whether there is competition or conflict are factors that increase the news value.

1. Timeliness

The more recent the event, the higher the news value. Even the same event has a different news value depending on the time period. The first baby is born on New Year’s Day, the rain after a long drought is more newsworthy than a normal birth or ordinary rain.

2. Proximity

People are more interested in news that is happening nearby than far away. Korean traffic accidents are more newsworthy in Korea than American traffic accidents. In specialized journals, industry events are more newsworthy than general events.

3. Fame

The media pays more attention to the actions and remarks of popular talents, politicians, and business people than ordinary people. The larger the company and the higher the brand awareness, the more media attention it gets.

4. Influence

The more newsworthy an event or policy is, the more likely it is to directly affect or affect the lives of many people. Insomnia, which many people suffer from, is more newsworthy than a rare disease.

5. Interest

Readers are curious about new and novel things. The case in which an elementary school student secretly drove his father’s car while his parents went to the grocery store and damaged several cars is of higher interest than a traffic accident caused by an adult.