Guidelines for Writing a News Article

A well-written news article should contain the following items:
  • Headline - Your headline should be a "hook" to grab the reader's attention
  • Byline - That's you!
  • Lead-in sentence for opening paragraph - Just like your headline, your lead-in sentence needs to be a "grabber."
  • Opening paragraph - Besides an interesting lead-in sentence, be sure to answer the following basic questions:
    • Who?
    • What happened?
    • When?
    • Where?
    • Why?
  • Supporting paragraphs - You will need one to three paragraphs that explain the details surrounding your photograph. What events lead up to the picture? Your details should be interesting and logically connected.   What evidence can you add to support your statements? Quotations?
  • Effective closing paragraph - End with a summary of your main idea.

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Remember: a news article is different from an essay.  Report on what actually was happening in your photograph.  Be objective.  Do not give the reader your personal opinions.
 

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