Home  ›  Where Can I Go if I Have a News Story That Needs to Be Exposed

Where Can I Go if I Have a News Story That Needs to Be Exposed

Written By Wednesday, February 16, 2022 Add Comment Edit

How journalists find stories and write articles

Photo by Mohammed Suhail from Pexels

I still call back my first mean solar day in the newsroom. It was a fairly large function with 25 journalists with lots of opinions and very little self-restraint. The place was noisy, chaotic, and intimidating.

I've got the task in an audition without any prior formal didactics in journalism. They thought I was a good fit, but I struggled at start.

The outlet (as most others) didn't take any space where the newcomers would learn the practicalities of the media business.

This is especially discouraging for young people who are not necessarily journalism graduates but are still interested in working in the media — only as I have been.

The post-obit guide might assist cross that noesis gap. It includes:

  • differences between articles and why they are important
  • questions that will help yous notice out what is newsworthy
  • tips on constructing a solid programme for writing
  • fifty-fifty more tips on how to write skillful looking sentences and discover appropriate words
  • what to read and which tools to use to primary your skills

Although the guide contains some journalistic jargon, it might prove useful to anybody that writes for a living — or fun. This includes profiles, such as:

  • bloggers
  • social media managers
  • copywriters
  • web writers
  • speechwriters
  • editors
  • PR specialists
  • translators
  • content strategists
  • movie critics
  • ghost-writers

I. Where to observe ideas and contacts

Journalists operate with an arsenal of distinct sources that help them harvest stories and news items. In some cases, the ideas come from personal contacts, just mostly they hail from public sources, attainable to anyone. Good journalists, however, volition expect for small details and create novel angles that will give their work added value (exclusivity, usefulness, …).

Below are sources journalists often use to dig out stories. I can, all the same, easily imagine marketing or PR director perusing the aforementioned material, looking for ideas for the side by side company exposure.

(a) Agency news

A news agency is an organization (either public or private) that gathers, writes and distributes news from around the country and the world. The three most prolific are Reuters News, Associated Press (AP) and Agence French republic-Presse (AFP) which use more eight m people and have made a combined 1.3 billion dollars of revenue in 2018.

See this Wikipedia article for an (well-nigh) exhaustive list of news agencies effectually the earth. Near of them have English websites that provide an incredible source of localized information. Often, access to some articles is free-of-charge.

The articles, that the agencies set up, are distributed to the subscribing media outlets. Some of them simply re-publish the news, others might adept headlines and leads to their format and third will take merely the news itself and construct an article effectually it.

Agency news is a great source of possible ideas. Y'all should peruse them carefully since they frequently contain pieces of information that are hardly noticeable but accept all the potential to evolve into peachy stories.

Hither is a real-life example: a news agency has published an article that summarized an annual gathering of stockholders of a larger manufacturing company. The agency's commodity drew an average amount of attention, but it contained a less exposed gilded nugget of an "explosive" nature.

It read that the company, highly publicized as one of the most successful in the region with a media-darling CEO, has been planning to stop sure investments because of "high taxes and uncertain business environment".

This piece of news — once discovered — has fabricated headlines all over the media, generating thousands of comments and opinions. Your job as a perceptive journalist is to detect these overlooked, merely valuable bits and find out where the rabbit hole volition somewhen take you.

(b) Media

Every bit a journalist y'all'll "have to" read/watch/listen/subscribe to:

  • magazines
  • online outlets
  • radio news
  • TV news
  • newsletter
  • podcasts
  • Twitter lists
  • forums
  • comment sections
  • subreddits
  • blogs

It is essential to empathize how the news bike works. This might be overwhelming at first, merely once you'll narrow down your professional interests (observe your specialization or a "beat"), you'll discover a rewarding feeling that comes with mastering the information stream.

I powerful way to organize articles and customize preferences are the so-called news aggregators. Amidst the most pop apps and websites are:

  • Panda Newsfeed
  • Flipboard
  • Google news
  • All Tiptop

A bonus tip: don't ignore local media (in instance you don't work in 1 already) which has been — until recently — the single about common source of news in the U.S. Call up how you can aggrandize on local stories past giving them a national or global dimension.

(c) Press releases

PR manufacture proclaims their death every second yr, but press releases are still relevant in the media world. Truthful, their existence is partly depended on public companies that still use printing releases to disclose information to the full general public.

Regardless of press releases' reputation as boring and useless don't ignore them. The company might want to sell you lot a new production or a hire that nobody outside the company cares about, just yous can still find a different angle to expand on. Try to expect beyond the promotional ataxia and instead requite the message your own phonation.

For case, a press release from eToro, a trading platform that acquired a crypto wallet provider, is a typical promotional cloth. Nether closer inspection, it notwithstanding contains several interesting cues. Earlier you continue reading, effort to recollect of some.

Here are some possible ideas framed as questions:

i. What are the most profitable fintechs in our country and globally?

two. Are cryptocurrencies still pop?

three. How to prepare up a crypto-wallet and what are the all-time options on the market?

4. What is the story of eToro founders?

5. How to move your company to Cyprus?

(d) Events

Conferences, festivals, meetups, and lectures are another fashion to go relevant textile and contacts. Many tech and start-up journalists, for example, nourish CES or Web Summit, wellness journalists don't desire to miss Medica trade fair while members of auto media fly in droves to Frankfurt, Geneva, and Shanghai machine shows.

Although mass events attract big names, smaller gatherings are just as useful. Attend a local hackathon to capture the spirit of entrepreneurship in the city or visit a book presentation of a reputable climate scientist which could make for an interesting interview.

In whatsoever instance, make sure to do your homework in advance:

  • do a groundwork check on the speakers
  • go far touch with organizers
  • arrange meetings or interviews

(eastward) Rankings & Research

Journalists often apply inquiry and rankings to either back assertions, fact-bank check quotes or create news out of interesting findings and lists themselves. Business Insider is a dandy example: they pick up nearly whatsoever research and deliver it in a "summit n list" form. Merely take a await at 20 of the all-time Us neighborhoods for trick-or-treating this Halloween or Top 10 brands in the world.

In that location is a wealth of sources a announcer can tap into. For instance:

  • academic organizations
  • enquiry companies
  • international organizations
  • media

Approach the sources critically though. Public agencies might have their agenda while companies know that information is valuable leverage in pursuing PR exposure; reports and rankings with dubious methodology are therefore not uncommon. Your chore is to question the results and ask for description.

Below, I've listed some often-cited sources:

  • Fortune rankings
  • Rolling Stone charts
  • Crunchbase (information on more often than not VC-backed companies)
  • Forrester (market inquiry visitor, focused on tech trends)
  • IDC (marketplace research company)
  • Marketing research firms (Wikipedia list)
  • National and international statistical services (Wikipedia list)
  • International rankings (Wikipedia list)
  • PwC & McKinsey (research & reports)
  • Statista (online portal for statistics)
  • United Nation documentation
  • OECD Stats
  • Eurostat databases

(f) Social media

A vast majority (73 percent) of the journalists say they utilize social media at their piece of work, according to the research from Lars Willnat at Syracuse University and David Weaver at Indiana University.

Twitter, peculiarly, is a powerful weapon in the announcer's arsenal. If used wisely information technology can broaden the pool of sources beyond traditional gatekeepers of information. (The feed, yet, might appear chaotic at times. I useful tool for giving Twitter more clarity is Tweetdeck application. Journalists often use it to sort people and media they follow.)

Other social media platforms are potentially useful also. 1 tin find contacts and experts in niche Facebook groups, insights on Quora (very useful for interview preparation), or the latest public announcements of celebrities on Instagram.

Social media, especially Twitter, should notwithstanding exist used with a grain of salt. Otherwise, information technology can distort the manner the story is reported, affect news judgment, and even lead to "pack mentality in which a story is seen as important considering other journalists on Twitter are talking about information technology, rather than because it is newsworthy", as some researchers suggest.

(g) Contacts

Journalists are expected to develop and cultivate a network of people they can tap into when needed. A source might provide information ahead of public announcements, an insider tip or a useful suggestion for a story that is worth exploring farther. Many news companies too maintain a network of "stingers" — freelance journalists or well-informed citizens who provide information from smaller towns, third countries or state of war zones.

Sources are in a vast majority of cases cited with full names and relevant descriptions. Sometimes, however, their identity is not revealed because otherwise they might get fired, harassed or threatened.

Bearding sources brand reporting less credible, and many news organizations have strict rules on when and how to use them. The same applies to other forms of reporting that practise non reveal the full identity of the source, such as off-the-record citing (nothing tin can be used for publication) or reporting on the background (parties concord in advance what can be published). The New York Times has an article that explains the terminology more in detail.

(h) (Nigh) everything else

Potential news tin can come from everywhere. Consider a real instance of a promotional catalogue of a supermarket chain featuring a sale on grave candles with a clumsy copy "Only for retired people". Conspicuously not a content for "serious" newspapers, just it but might brand an impression on a tabloid editor.

Ebay, Craigslist and online forums also provide ideas, interesting contacts or content. Gizmodo, for instance, picked upwardly this "story" of a fake Craigslist ad.

Corporate reports are a potential gold mine for business journalists. I personally find the CEO's letter especially useful as they oftentimes talk about industry trends not necessarily publicized yet.

In some countries, private companies have to disembalm their financials also. Some other great resource for journalists to write nearly businesses that the public is interested in.

(i) Your Boss

In most cases, novice journalists are told what to practise. This way the editors test their agreement of what is newsworthy and appraise their writing skills. Of course, all journalists in the newsroom are expected to collaborate and exchange ideas, expertise, and contacts. Very often, a journalist receives a nifty recommendation for an article from a fellow colleague or is assigned a projection on daily/weekly meetings.

Ii. Types of articles and differences betwixt them

Not all articles in the media expect and "feel" the aforementioned. The format depends on the medium (daily newspaper, weekly magazine, supplements, online or offline), readership, and content. Virtually frequently journalists use the following three formats (or their variations) to convey messages:

  • Editorial: an opinionated article that yous typically find on the first pages of the (online) newspaper. It is written by an editor or journalist (or a group of them) and information technology presents a newspaper's stance on a current issue. The Wall Street Periodical's Meritocracy's Waterloo is a nice instance. Their conclusion is very typical of an editorial as it tries to influence public opinion and stimulate debate.
  • Feature story: different news manufactures, which have a sense of urgency, features are not equally time-sensitive. They are usually longer and apply narrative, groundwork data, and scene-setting to develop the story. The lead might not be as straightforward as with "hard" news articles — it can start with a quote or an chestnut. Features stories tin exist divided further into unlike categories, such every bit interview, profile, assay, and review. A great example of a feature story (more than specifically, a profile) is the New Yorker's slice on Irani General Qassem Suleimani. Notation how the author uses three long paragraphs to fix the scene before it introduces the person the story is centred around.

III. Newsworthiness

The all-time manner to assess newsworthiness (what is interesting enough to publish) is to ask yourself some pointed questions. They are pretty standard as you will find like advice in most textbooks on journalism.

(a) Timing

Typical "hard" news is supposed to be delivered as fast as possible. Events that happened more than 24 hours agone (not a set-in-stone time frame) are unremarkably already accounted as old news.

Feature stories ordinarily allow for more than time, but they should still consider if they are relevant at a particular point. For example, see Economist's analysis of the elections in High german states Brandenburg and Saxony. Although the article has been published six days subsequently the elections, information technology is still relevant, because the format (an international weekly magazine) allows for a longer time frame — its readers care more for an added value they receive and are less fourth dimension-sensitive. The same article, on the other hand, would probably not laissez passer after a calendar month from the event.

Questions:

  • Considering the characteristics and internal rules of our media, what is the time frame to publish this particular piece of news?
  • Has the news already been published by the media with similar readership? If yes, how long ago?

(b) Localization or proximity

Localization or proximity is defined by both geographical and emotional closeness to a detail effect. A natural disaster, political turmoil or a sporting success volition obviously resonate more than with people that are affected past them.

A good journalist will too look for local elements in seemingly unrelated stories. For example, an Italian journalist might expand his article on educatee debt defaults in the U.Southward. with similar information on Italian students.

Questions:

  • Is the news too local and specific and might not resonate with our average reader?
  • What tin I practice to give the news a local dimension?

(c) Impact

Bear on looks at the consequences of a certain event has on people. A worker's strike of a local company is less important for the general public in the land every bit a nation-wide power outage, but it might be more than important to people living in the community affected by the strike.

Questions:

  • How can I credibly appraise the impact and who could help me with that?
  • What are all the consequences of the effect and how would I rank them according to importance?

(d) Disharmonize

Conflict is some other element of assessing newsworthiness. Readers are drawn to disagreements, fights and arguments since they brand stories more than compelling and exciting.

One way to convey conflict is by sensationalistic elements (potent words, typeface, assertion marks) generally used in tabloids. This kind of media, all the same, often uses sensationalism to create or enhance drama where there objectively isn't whatsoever. If you work in "serious" media, rather recall of disharmonize as a way to engage readers.

Questions:

  • How can I appropriately articulate the disharmonize?

(e) Prominence

Prominence is likewise a useful guiding principle. Information technology identifies people who are in the public interest and, therefore, newsworthy. Politicians and other people who hold public offices are peculiarly scrutinized. Consider a auto crash of an Austrian political leader Jörg Heider — his death made international headlines due to his prominence as controversial leader of a far-correct party.

Questions:

  • What and when has already been mentioned about the person or related events?
  • Is it relevant to write most his or her private life?

Iv. Make a programme

Almost journalists (not all though) write beautifully articulated and pointed articles not by chance, only rather by pattern. They take a system in place that provides guidance, a source inspiration and information technology simply allows them to become things done faster.

There is no universally effective technique. Rather, journalists come up upwardly with their own grooming procedure by testing what works. I've nonetheless tried to distill some of the more key methods that most journalists (and other writers) utilize to some degree.

Let's look at the possible techniques with the beneath exercise:

The European Environment Bureau simply published its annual study on the cleanliness of natural swimming spots in the EU. Since the summer season is nearly to start your job is to combine the report with some additional sources for people who are planning trips to the rivers and lakes and are concerned virtually the water quality.

It is important to start…

(a) Clarify intent: think who you are writing for and what are you trying to reach. In our instance, you lot might call up of people who are making holiday plans and want to have all the details under control. Your intention is to provide them with data on water quality so they tin can make meliorate decisions.

(b) Brainstorm: try to think of questions that reflect your intention. You might come up with something like as:

  • Where can I check the information myself?
  • Who conducts the measurements and what are they based on?
  • Is the quality of water improving or failing?
  • How practise our lakes and rivers compare to other countries?
  • Is it dangerous to swim in less clean water?
  • Are children more susceptible to water quality?
  • What pollutes the water the almost?

(c) Inquiry: the most common sources are already written articles on the topic (local and international), researches, statistics, and interviews with experts. Find the angles and questions other journalists have used in their piece of work. If relevant to you lot article, utilize them!

In our case, you'll find a plethora of resources. Here are just some of them:

  • commodity from Guardian focused on compering Great britain h2o quality to other countries
  • article from Süddeutsch Zeitung on what pollutes rivers and lakes
  • article from Time magazine on the risks for swimmers.

Don't forget forums, Quora and Facebook groups for contacts, anecdotes, and insights. Also, visit the local bathing spots yourself and wait for signs that bespeak the quality of water. Talk with the visitors and enquire them if they have whatsoever reservations swimming in the lakes and rivers.

Write downwards facts, stats, and quotes of everything relevant to the intention of the article.

(d) Group ideas: Recollect over again of the intention yous have ready at the beginning. Information technology will guide yous in grouping facts, numbers, and quotes that you've come beyond while researching the topic from different sources.

In our case, nosotros desire to requite advice to people that are planning local holiday trips to the rivers, lakes and sea beaches. Therefore, it makes sense to first requite some general data on the water quality followed by advice on how the readers can find specific information by themselves.

Water quality in the state

  • Our country is amidst the peak 5 in the Eu in water quality
  • 20 percent more bathing spots are appropriate for swimming in comparison to the year 1990

H2o quality sources

  • National agency for environment updates data on h2o pollution every 24 hours; the limited telescopic of bathing spots
  • Local municipalities provide boosted information in their bulletins and websites based on reports from people
  • Official bathing spots mensurate water quality every day in the summer
  • Wild beaches: inquire locals if the water is OK for swimming or use water quality instruments for personal use

Beneath is an case of how the article might end upward by putting the pieces together. Of form, yous could aggrandize the commodity farther, answering other questions that we have come upwardly while brainstorming:

V. Putting words downwards

In this department, I will dive deeper into the mechanics of article writing. This is a very well explored topic already. My appetite is to, therefore, requite some clear and concise guidance without going into as well much detail. If you want to give your writing extra nuance, I've listed additional material that you lot tin use as further reading.

The all-time advice for expert and fast writing is to allow go of the need for perfection. Writers ofttimes find themselves correcting and polishing words and sentences as they write, losing focus and flow in the meantime. I speak from experience. I've been obsessed with nailing the perfect version the kickoff time and lost hours arguing with the panel of internal critics. Since I let myself to embrace that monstrous start typhoon, I sleep much better at night.

Polishing articles and giving flair to your writings is an essential part of a (self)editing process. Some even advise that you should dedicate half of your fourth dimension just revising and improving the article. Professional writers agree:

"Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, fifty-fifty when information technology breaks your egocentric little scribbler'south heart, kill your darlings." Stephen King

"I've found the best style to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it." Don Roff

"When I'm writing, I make words my b*tch. But when I'm editing, the words brand me their b*tch. Information technology all equals out in the finish." Richard B. Knight

I've divided this chapter into four parts, each containing practical tips on how to write amend headlines, leads, paragraphs, and sentences & words.

(a) Headlines

I don't believe template headlines (such equally the ane used for this blog post) piece of work all the time (I hope information technology does in my case though). Writers should rather think of how to best articulate the value their slice brings to the readers — not how to mathematically design the "perfect" headline.

Notwithstanding, certain rough guidelines practice be and they are worth mentioning as proficient headlines are commonly:

  • powerful, significant they include "emotional" words such every bit "hate", "poison", "crunch", "sensational", "victory", "intense", "unexpected" or "little-known".
  • specific and preferably incorporate numbers. For instance, The New York Times has experimented with 2 different titles for the aforementioned article. They establish out that "$2 Billion Worth of Free Media for Trump" received 297 pct more readers every bit "Measuring Trump'southward Media Dominance"
  • accurate which means they don't trade clicks for definiteness, nor they oversell and distort in any way
  • utilise the active vocalisation (start with a subject) and present tense even if the story is about by events
  • don't repeat the pb (get-go paragraph). The headline, at least in "difficult" news, should become to the master point while the atomic number 82 introduces new information or a character

(b) Pb

Lead or lede is the opening paragraph of the story. It is also the second and last opportunity to capture the reader's attention. Make it fast-paced, specific, and concise. It has to be an easy buy-in. Don't employ information technology for groundwork information or old news, evangelize what is new, relevant and interesting. Your lead will set the tone for the rest of the article.

The opening of the article does not accept to exist necessarily short, but it rather depends on the type of the article. You might want to build the attention with a surprising fact, quote or a humorous anecdote. Many feature stories start with a rich and immersive description of the scene that often evolves into an introduction of the story'southward characters. There is no hard rule on how long the first paragraph should be. However, shorter showtime paragraphs (iii–5 sentences) are usually the norm.

Here are some examples of great headlines and opening paragraphs:

(c) Paragraphs

At that place is no set-in-stone rule on how long the paragraphs should exist. The best communication is to employ every bit many sentences every bit yous need to develop and bring home an thought or a thought. This might require only one sentence or 10. Still, aim for a shorter version which ordinarily makes the text more than highly-seasoned and easier to read.

Paragraphs are too a dandy opportunity to set the rhythm for the readers. Think of them as points in the text where you would similar the readers to catch a breath for a split 2d before moving to another department.

Run into how the author has broken downward her commodity on wild turkeys "terrorizing a town in New Jersey". She uses paragraphs to carve up the story into well-rounded sections:

  • caption of the event
  • personal account
  • quote
  • determination

(d) Sentences & Words

1. Make them short and sweetness

In writing (peculiarly online) short sentences are preferred but at that place is no accented rule on the optimal length. Some say that 25 words is a good reference point and that longer sentences hinder readability and clarity.

Here are some tips on how to shorten sentences:

1.i. Pause them down into private thoughts or ideas

Endeavor it on the post-obit sentence:

Survey results showed 71% of global respondents said trying to complete everything on their to-do lists really distracts them from focusing on what is actually important, suggesting to-practice lists might be holding travelers dorsum instead of propelling them towards success which is especially true amidst The states respondents, with 77% like-minded with this statement.

I possible way how to break it down into several thoughts that can stand by themselves:

Survey results showed 71% of global respondents said trying to consummate everything on their to-practise lists really distracts them from focusing on what is really of import.

They advise to-do lists might exist holding travelers back instead of propelling them towards success.

This is peculiarly true amongst US respondents, with 77% agreeing with this statement.

ane.2. Eliminate redundant words

Supercede:

  • "ask a question" with "ask"
  • "collaborate together" with "collaborate"
  • "they arrived i after the other in succession" with "they arrived in succession"
  • "small in size" with "pocket-sized"
  • "by history" with "history"
  • "finished completely" with "finished"

i.three. Avoid wordy phrases

Instead of:

  • "like to" use "like"
  • "with the exception of" utilise "except"
  • "in the course of" utilize "during"
  • "make an effort" use "try"
  • "prior to" use "earlier"
  • "has the ability" utilize "can"
  • "in some cases" employ "sometimes"
  • "in the event of" use "if"

1.4. Recognize and avoid words that imply something that is obvious or has already been explained

Consider this example: "The worlds' height skiers have competed in Flachau, Austria. Marcel Hirscher, skiing on his home slope, won the race. This is the fourth podium for the Austrian in the flavor."

You tin can shorten the last sentence to "It is his quaternary podium in the season" since "home gradient" already implies Hirscher is Austrian. A small change just that can add up if the rule is practical everywhere in the text.

i.5. Avoid unnecessary introductions

Common examples are:

  • "In the attempt to"
  • "To my manner of thinking"

2. Longer sentences still have a office

They are a powerful tool in setting a slower step — every bit long as they are thoughtfully crafted and considerate of the context. Call back of them as a boat cruise on a river that meanders through the metropolis centre. People expect a slower ride to enjoy the sights; an feel that one wants to avoid on a daily commute. There are numerous examples of beautifully crafted long sentences in literature, but they can fit well in (online) articles or blogs also.

iii. Start sentences with known words

How would y'all, for instance, improve the post-obit sentence:

"Polyphenols, including large amounts of a catechin called EGCG, can be found in green tea".

It assumes that the reader knows what polyphenols and catechin are. It sounds unwelcoming and confusing. Instead, start with what is already common knowledge and reformulate the judgement into something more inviting:

"Dark-green tea contains polyphenols, including large amounts of a catechin called EGCG".

4. Use the active vox

Write sentences that include a subject (histrion or doer). They give your writing more clarity and flow. Passive vocalization sentences, on the other hand, almost always add words and are generally harder to understand.

One "trick" to convert passive sentences into active ones is to find the "buried" subject that follows the word "by":

PASSIVE: The war in the Middle East has been waged by the cherry and blue armies.

ACTIVE: The crimson and blueish armies take waged war in the Middle East.

In case the "doer" is not explicitly written down, it is most probably implied, as in the following instance:

PASSIVE: The tomb of Ramses has been thoroughly examined.

ACTIVE: Archaeologists have thoroughly examined the tomb of Ramses.

5. Apply descriptive verbs and avoid abstruse nouns

Stiff and precise verbs make writing assertive and colourful. These verbs are powerful enough to stand on their own without any extra nouns and adjectives. Compare the examples below:

a. The domicile squad has been completely surprised past the resistance they've received.

b. The dwelling squad has been shocked by the resistance they've received.

a. The old man walked aimlessly in the woods.

b. The old man wandered the woods.

a. Her dog has hungrily eaten the leftovers from the last night's dinner.

b. Her domestic dog has devoured the leftovers from the last night's dinner.

a. This company has made promises to deliver changes in the logistics sector.

b. This company has promised to change the logistics sector.

a. He has been hired to facilitate the growth of the business in foreign markets.

b. He has been hired to grow the business in foreign markets.

6. Await out for ambivalence

Here is an example of an ambiguous sentence: "Visiting relatives tin exist exhaustive".

It is non completely clear what is "exhaustive": when relatives visit you lot or when you visit relatives. Be careful of these kinds of ambiguities and attempt to avoid them.

seven. Avoid generic phrases, clichés or buzzwords

Common examples are "innovative", "substantial", "state-of-the-art", "holistic approach", "bespoke", "paradigm" or "confusing".

Instead, give more specific information and examples that prove your point without meaningless jargon.

For instance, supercede "substantial growth" with a more concrete "78 percent annual growth" or change "innovative" to "their enterprise awarding will salve ten percent of the manufacturing costs".

eight. Avoid starting sentences with date and place

In most cases (merely not always) it is not the virtually vital information yous need to communicate. Use it accordingly in the sentence or paragraph and effort to use whole words instead of numbers, such as

  • final Fri
  • this year

nine. Bonus

Useful tools for writing

  • Grammarly identifies grammar and spelling mistakes; information technology likewise provides y'all with writing enhancements focused on clarity, conciseness, and tone.
  • Readability test tool gives a score for the well-nigh used readability indicators, such every bit Flesch-Kincaid test and SMOG index.
  • Headline Analyzer lets you know how good your headlines are. They look at the length, type, sentiment, grammer, and readability of the headline and give yous an overall score
  • Drivel Defence will help y'all write in apparently English and make your writing easier to read
  • Writer's nutrition counts the verbs, nouns, prepositions, adjectives/adverbs, and other words and lets you know if your writing is lean or flabby.
  • Plainly English campaign provides plain English alternative to the pompous words and phrases. For instance, "attempt" becomes "attempt", "disclose" becomes "tell" and "if you lot practice non" is a better alternative to "failure to".

Sources & further reading

  • Six Rules for Writing Proficient Articles, Hannah Frankman
  • The Four Commandments of Writing Good Sentences, Bonnie Trenga
  • How to Make Your Writing Captivating with One Simple Technique, Nicole Bianchi
  • 15 Clunky Phrases to Eliminate From Your Writing Today, Oxford Royale Academy
  • 6 Ways To Shorten Your Sentences And Improve Your Writing, Mia Botha
  • Ninja Writing: The Four Levels Of Writing Mastery, Shani Raja
  • Writing with Confidence, Clare Lynch
  • 249 Potent Verbs That'll Spice Up Your Writing, Jerry Jenkins
  • How to Write Catchy Headlines and Blog Titles Your Readers Can't Resist, Corey Wainwright
  • 9 tips for writing stronger headlines, Vicki Krueger
  • 7 Careers To Explore in Writing and Editing, Marker Swartz

sellersstenly.blogspot.com

Source: https://medium.com/@blazej.kupec/how-journalists-find-stories-and-write-articles-2174e902591c

0 Response to "Where Can I Go if I Have a News Story That Needs to Be Exposed"

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Iklan Atas Artikel

Iklan Tengah Artikel 1

Iklan Tengah Artikel 2

Iklan Bawah Artikel