Not many students know how to write a newspaper article for school when they get such assignments. As a newspaper article is quite different from every other type of writing, students might face certain challenges with writing a newspaper article. The truth is, how to write a newspaper article is not as hard as it seems. But, before you get on to writing one, you need to understand what newspaper articles are.
What Is A Newspaper Article?
Newspaper articles are simply articles containing news written with the aim of publication. The publishing could be done in a newspaper or magazine. It could be for publishing in a regular newspaper, for a periodical or specific topic newspaper. The articles usually contain eyewitness accounts to the event covered in the news.
Newspaper articles can broadly be categorized into two general types. There are news articles and feature articles. News articles are articles on current events and trends, answering the basic questions of who, what, when, where and how. Feature articles require more details and in-depth research. A feature usually involves looking at one subject from various angles, digging in.
However, this difference does not mean that news articles are simpler to write than feature articles. Some students with broad perspectives on their subjects often find it easier to write a feature article than a news article. Whether you are writing a news article or a feature article, there is one general rule on how to write an article for a newspaper. Research is the one rule that helps you on the way of how to write a good newspaper article.
Now that you understand what a newspaper article is, you would want to learn about what makes it different from other types of article writing. To understand it, you would want to look into a newspaper article format. We have also provided a section on how to write a newspaper article template.
How To Write A Newspaper Article
After you understand what a newspaper article is and the types, your next question is most likely, ‘how do you write a newspaper article?’ We have just the right answer to that question. If you follow through the steps, you will end up with a great newspaper article.
Writing a good newspaper article is not that hard. News articles are much simpler and concise compared to other types of writing as creative writing. These steps will guide you on how to write a newspaper article about an event.
Step 1: Decide On The Event
Newspaper articles are about happenings, stories, people. You don’t want to write a piece of news that will bore people to tears. Therefore, you have to carefully pick your event. It is what your article is based on and it should be able to draw the interest of your readers.
If you are writing this news article for publication in your science department magazine, you don’t want to write your piece of news on an art gallery opening. You should also ensure it is a recent event. Something that happened a week ago is not relevant in a daily publication newspaper.
In a bid to keep the interest of your readers, you should keep your news local. Although this factor is dependent on the audience your article will reach. If it will reach a global audience, you can pick your event from any happenings around the world. Once you have a recent, reportable event, you can move on to step two.
Step 2: Interview Witnesses
Newspaper articles are known for their credibility. This credibility shows in the backing of witnesses provided in the articles. Find witnesses to your event and give them in-person interviews asking questions that will give you a solid backing for your news. It is how to write a news article that people believe.
Make sure that your witnesses are tied to the story or have a hood knowledge of the story. Ensure you also get their permission to use their answers in your newspaper article. The words of the witnesses are what makes for a truly persuasive news article.
Step 3: Answer The Four W’s
There are four W’s of writing a newspaper article. They are ‘Who, What, When, Where’. Before you go into other details in a news article, you answer these four questions. They consist of the first paragraph in a newspaper article.
After you have answered these four questions, your subsequent paragraphs build on the details and the why and how. You should have the answers to these questions even before you write your first draft. The Four W’s consist of the outline for your writing.
Step 4: Write Your First Draft
At this point, you have most of the information that will be in your article. Put down all the information in your first draft. You need to know some things about how you write though. Remember that since it is news so you are expected to write in reported speech.
You should also write the most important facts first. Newspaper article writing is constructed like an upside-down pyramid, the vital information becoming less as you read on. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look very good at this stage. It will get better as you move on.
Step 5: Add Quotations
If you have not inserted quotations from your interviews already, you can add them in at this point. You can insert them at different points as they fit into your article or you can insert them in one place. Ensure you add the names, occupation, and age if you have it to the quotations, especially for key witnesses of your event. Like we said earlier, it would make your news more credible.
Step 6: Facts and Figures
How to make a newspaper article stand out is to have additional facts and figures. If it is an assignment on a recent event, you have other people writing on the same topic. The parts of a newspaper article that contain facts beyond what is obvious from the event show you put some effort into your writing. Google is a good friend for finding these facts and figures.
Step 7: The Read-Aloud Test
Once you have written your final draft, do the read-aloud test to catch any mistakes or weird sounding sentences. You can also give it to a friend to read for you as we tend to read what we think we have written instead of what we wrote. After you have corrected all the errors, you can now think about publishing your article.
From these steps, you can see that you don’t need a newspaper article generator to write a good article. If you are not writing yet, you can practice how to write newspaper articles with these steps.
Template Of A Newspaper Article
You now know the steps on putting together a good news article but how should this article be outlined. This outline will help you know how to write a newspaper article example. This six-points outline will guide you in your writing, whether it is just practice or for an assignment.
- The lead sentence: This sentence should be a captivating one, catching your audience’s interest right from the start.
- Introduction: Answer the four W’s here and include supporting facts and figures.
- Opening Quotation: Let your audience know the people involved in the event.
- Main Body: Get to the heart of the story.
- Closing Quotation: Find a quotation that sums up the event.
- Conclusion: A conclusion is optional as you can end it with the closing quotation. These sentences could consist of your own opinion of the event if you decide to add it.
Now, you know all you need to know about how to write a newspaper article. You should pick up your pen and start writing right away. The knowledge of what is required of a newspaper article can also help to know how to get a newspaper to write an article about you.
What It Takes To Create Great Newspaper Article/
Writing a good newspaper article is not as hard as it seems. You just need to know the right steps and outline to follow. You might not get it perfectly on the first try, even when following the steps and outline. With practice and time, you will find it easy to write amazing news articles, and even earn decent money for that.