WHAT IS NEWS?

Novelty lead
Conventional or summary lead
News is an oral or written report of an event that happened, is happening, will happen in the This kind of lead used in straight news, answers right away all or any of the 5 W’s and/or the
North, East, West, or South that is of interest to the reader and which should be reported. H. It may be one of the following:

Elements of the News WHO lead

1. Timeliness 6. Oddity PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo addressed, April 20, the PMA graduates in Baguio
2. Proximity 7. Emotion City.
3. Impact/ relevance 8. Numbers WHAT lead
4. Prominence 9. Development AN ENTRANCE examination will be given Nov. 24 to all graduating high school students
5. Romance and adventure 10. Animals desiring to enroll in the four-year college course.
WHERE lead
News Writing TRAPICHE, Oton, Iloilo will be the site of the next International Film Festival.
WHEN lead
1. A typical news story begins with details that answer the six basic questions of the “five Ws TODAY, almost to the hour, the Revolutionary Government was proclaimed by former
and H” (who, what, when, where, why and how). President Corazon Aquino.
WHY lead
2. Another basic principle in news writing is to write your story in the “inverted pyramid style,” BECAUSE of poverty, around a hundred students dropped from school last year. This was
putting the most important faces in the first paragraph, with the story’s details following in learned from Iloilo Scholastic Academy principal Juan dela Cruz.
descending order of importance, ending with the least important facts at the end of the story. HOW lead
BY APPEALING to the school board, the University of Iloilo was able to construct a 30-storey,
concrete building.
LEAD (PAMATNUBAY) - most important fact. The lead should be short, around 25 words,
and should capsulate the story by covering most of the five Ws and H.

BRIDGE- elaboration of lead- next most important facts

Grammatical-beginning lead
The bridge can introduce any of the other five Ws and H not covered in the lead and eases the reader
into the body. Prepositional-phrase lead
WITH BROOMS and other cleaning equipment, boy scouts from the Iloilo public high schools
Less important facts The BODY can be used to expand cleaned the city markets in consonance with the city mayor’s Clean and Beautiful Drive.
the material covered in the lead and bridge. Infinitive-phrase lead
TO ENCOURAGE tourism, balikbayans are given a warm welcome by their fellow Filipinos.
Minor facts Participial-phrase lead
HOPING to cop first place, the ISA woodpushers honed up for the chess championship
games. (present participle)
Unlike Egypt’s pyramids, journalism pyramids are inverted. DRESSED like priests, robbers were able to enter the bank. (past participle)
Gerundial-phrase lead
WINNING the developmental communications trophy during the national press conference
HOW TO WRITE A LEAD? was Iloilo Scholastic Academy’s best achievement of the year.
Clause lead
A good lead answers all the important questions of the reader, indicates the facts if BECAUSE Sept. 9 was Osmena Day, all lessons in class dealt with the life of the late
they are all important, and arouses the readers’ interest to continue reading the story. President Sergio Osmena Sr. (subordinate, adverbial)

Kinds of lead Novelty lead

Conventional or summary lead Astonisher lead
Grammatical beginning lead CHAMPION of Division of Iloilo City!
BETTER look your best this week! Do’s and Don’ts in writing a news story
Contrast lead
FOUR MONTHS before the Green Drive, Zone 3 of Brgy. Bo. Obrero, Iloilo City was the 1. Write the story immediately.
dirtiest community. Three months after the campaign, it won first place in the cleanliness 2. Be accurate and truthful.
contest sponsored by the Department of Interior and Local Government. 3. Avoid opinions called editorializing.
Epigram 4. Use adjectives sparingly.
LIKE father, like son. 5. Avoid libelous, seditious and rebellious matters, prejudice and bad taste.
Herman Lagon Jr. graduated first honor this year. Twenty years ago, his father, Engr. 6. Give source (attribution) of the news.
Herman Lagon Sr. also topped his class and delivered his valedictory address on the same 7. Write names in full when these are mentioned for the first time.
rostrum where the young Lagon gave his. 8. Identify the names mentioned.
Picture lead 9. Avoid redundancy.
THE NEW principal, Ms. Arianne Agnes Ciao, although only in her early thirties, is already 10. Watch out for errors in fact, grammar, structure, and style.
silver-haired. She seldom talks, but when she does, she talks with sense. 11. Observe the guidelines for clear effective writing (unity, coherence, emphasis,
Background lead brevity, clarity, etc.)
THE CPU campus was turned into a miniature carnival ground Sept. 1 during the 89th
Foundation Day celebration of the school. Decorated with buntings and multicolored lights,
the University quadrangle was a grand setting for a barrio fiesta.
Descriptive lead BASIC RULES IN WRITING: ACCURACY, BREVITY, CLARITY [ABC]
DRESSED in white polo barong, and with diplomas in their hands, 109 graduates marched
down the stage to the tune of Hail Alma Mater. GAWAIN- Sumulat ng tuwirang balita (straight news) sa pamamagitan ng pagsasaayos
Parody lead ng mga sumusunod na datos. Maaaring dagdagan o palitan ang mga salita kung
WATER, water everywhere, but no water to drink. This was what the flood victims found to kailangan.
their dismay.  Ayon naman sa amo ng suspek natatakot ito sa kanyang mga magulang dahil
Punch lead madalas umano itong sinasabihan na sagabal ang pagbubuntis sa kanyang trabaho.
VICTORY Day! (Ulat ni Herman Landi)
Bonifacio High School celebrated March 18 its fifth victory in the city-wide journalism contest.  Itago ang kanyang pagbubuntis at panganganak, isang 17-anyos na babae ang
One-word lead dinakip ng mga awtoridad matapos na patayin ang kanyang sariling sanggol na
MARCH! kapapanganak pa lamang kamakalawa ng hapon sa Bacoor, Cavite.
Thus ordered Chess Club president Pol Buenconsejo to start the “Walk to Win” fund-raising  Ayon kay SPO3 Rodolfo Arboleda, alas-2:30 ng hapon nang matagpuan ang isang
drive. patay na sanggol na nakalagay sa itim na plastic bag na nakalagay sa basurahan.
Quotation lead
 Kasalukuyang nakakulong si Monica Merca, tubong-San Mariano, Isabela at stay-in
“THE YOUTH sucks,” thus said Association of Dimwits president Don Pepot in a seminar-
maid sa Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa City habang pansamantalang inilibing ang
workshop yesterday in Brgy. Walang Kwenta, Siete Pecados, Guimaras.
sanggol na si Baby Merca sa Public Cemetery sa Bacoor, Cavite.
Question lead
 Tinungo ng mga pulis ang lugar at nakita nila na nakabigti ng panty ang leeg ng
WHO WILL reign as Miss Intramurals this year?
sanggol at nakabalot ng t-shirt na puti.
This will be known Aug. 8 after the final screening to be held at the WVSU gym.
 Isang sobre din ang nakuha ng mga pulis sa nakabalot sa sanggol na mula sa San
Beda College at nakapangalan sa mag-asawang Alvin Domingo ng Alabang Hills
Village, ng nasabing lungsod.
 Hindi nag-aksaya ng oras ang mga awtoridad at agad na nagtungo sa bahay ng mga
Steps in writing the news story Domingo kung saan nakita nila si Merca na namumutla at kasalukuyan pa ring
1. List down all the data. dinudugo.
2. Arrange facts in a descending order of importance  Dito inamin ni Merca na mag-isa niyang ipinanganak ang kanyang sanggol noong
3. Make the lead play up the most interesting and important points. Miyerkules ng gabi at siya na rin ang nagputol ng pusod nito.
4. Present the other details of the news in the next paragraphs to answer the question  At sa takot na malaman ng kanyang mga magulang sa probinsiya ang kanyang
not yet answered. pagbubuntis, ipinasya na lamang niyang patayin ang sanggol.
COPYREADING
Copyreading is much like the work of a communication arts teacher correcting compositions,
except that he uses different symbols.
A copy may be a news item, an editorial, a feature story or any literary article.
***
Duties of a copyreader:
1. Straighten out ungrammatical construction.
2. Shorten sentences and tighten paragraphs.
3. See that the paper’s style requirements are strictly followed. Check names, addresses,
title, designations, identifications, figures, etc.
4. Rewrite the story completely if it is poorly written.
5. Rewrite the lead or the first few paragraphs whenever necessary, but must never tamper
with the facts unless he is sure of his corrections.
6. Delete all opinion, speculations and statements on news which are without attribution or
sources.
7. Watch out for slanting or any attempt to present the story in a subtly biased way.
8. Watch for libelous statements.
9. Recheck figures and totals.
10. Cross-out adjectives in news which tend to make a story sound over-written.
11. Cut a story to size or to the required length if necessary.
12. Check attributions and see to it that they are properly identified.
13. Challenge facts, claims, or reports when they sound anomalous, illogical and incredible.
14. Check sluglines and paging sequences
15. Write headlines
***
What to copyread Headline Writing
1. Errors in fact
2. Errors in grammar Slug- 1 to 2 words- name of the story
3. Errors in structure Tagubilin/ Instruction
4. Errors in style
5. Libelous and derogatory statements 3-18 TNRB/Kiker
6. Seditious and rebellious matter
7. Expressions contrary to law and good taste 3- columns
8. Opinion and editorializing statements 18- font size
9. Verbal deadwood, redundancy TNR- font style
10. Technical terms, slang, jargons B- Bold
- Lines or deck
Unit Counting in headline
The corresponding unit counts are given as follows:
½ unit – jiltf , lahat ng bantas (except ? - % $) at I at 1
1 unit – symbols like ? - % $, lahat ng maliit na titik (except m, w), space, all
numbers
1 ½ units – m at w, all capital letters (except M, W)
2 units – capital M, W