News Story

Parts of a Newspaper Article

Before you write, you should be aware of the parts that make up a news report.

Headline or Title: The title of your news article should be catchy and to the point. You should punctuate your title using AP style guidelines, which means a few things: the first word is capitalized, but (unlike other styles) words after the first word are typically not. Of course, you will capitalize proper nouns. Numbers are not spelled out.

Examples:

Lost Dog Finds His Way Home
Debate Tonight in Jasper Hall
Panel Chooses 3 Essay Winners

Byline: This is your name; the byline is the name of the writer.

Lede or lead: The lede is the first paragraph, but it is written to provide a detailed preview of the entire story. It summarizes the story and includes all of the basic facts (5W’s). The lede will help readers decide if they want to read the rest of the story, or if they are satisfied knowing these details. For this reason, the lede may contain a hook.

The Story: Once you’ve set the stage with a good lead, you follow up with a well-written story that contains facts from your research and quotes from people you’ve interviewed. The article should not contain your opinions.

Detail any events in chronological order. Use active voice—avoid passive voice when possible.

In a news article, you would typically put the most critical information in the early paragraphs and follow with supporting information, background information, and related information.

You do not put a list of sources at the end of a news story.

You may also find the following link, with examples, helpful:  How to write a news story