easy way to write newspaper article

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How to Write a News Article

Last Updated: January 13, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,374,949 times.

Writing a news article is different from writing other articles or informative pieces because news articles present information in a specific way. It's important to be able to convey all the relevant information in a limited word count and give the facts to your target audience concisely. Knowing how to write a news article can help a career in journalism , develop your writing skills and help you convey information clearly and concisely.

Things You Should Know

• Outline your article with all the facts and interview quotes you’ve gathered. Decide what your point of view on the topic is before you start writing.
• Your first sentence is the most important one—craft an attention-getter that clearly states the most important information.
• Proofread for accurate information, consistent style and tone, and proper formatting.

Sample Articles

Planning Your Article

• If you’ve ever written a research paper you understand the work that goes into learning about your topic. The first phase of writing a news article or editorial is pretty similar.
• Who - who was involved?
• What - what happened?
• Where - where did it happen?
• Why - why did it happen?
• When - when did it happen?
• How - how did it happen?

• 1) those that need to be included in the article.
• 2) those that are interesting but not vital.
• 3) those that are related but not important to the purpose of the article.
• This fact list will help prevent you from leaving out any relevant information about the topic or story, and will also help you write a clean, succinct article.
• Be as specific as possible when writing down all of these facts. You can always trim down unnecessary information later, but it’s easier to cut down than it is to have to beef up an article.
• It’s okay at this point to have holes in your information – if you don’t have a pertinent fact, write down the question and highlight it so you won’t forget to find it out
• Now that you have your facts, if your editor has not already assigned the type of article, decide what kind of article you’re writing. Ask yourself whether this is an opinion article, an unbiased and straightforward relaying of information, or something in between. [2] X Research source

• If you’ve ever heard the term “burying the lead”, that is in reference to the structure of your article. [4] X Research source The “lead” is the first sentence of the article – the one you “lead” with. Not "burying the lead" simply means that you should not make your readers read several paragraphs before they get to the point of your article.
• Whatever forum you’re writing for, be it print or for the web, a lot of readers don’t make it to the end of the article. When writing a news article, you should focus on giving your readers what they want as soon as possible.
• Write above the fold. The fold comes from newspapers where there’s a crease because the page gets folded in half. If you look at a newspaper all the top stories are placed above the fold. The same goes for writing online. The virtual fold is the bottom of your screen before you have to scroll down. Put the best information at the top to engage your readers and encourage them to keep reading.

• Ask yourself the “5 W's” again, but this time in relation to your audience.
• Questions like what is the average age you are writing for, where is this audience, local or national, why is this audience reading your article, and what does your audience want out of your article will inform you on how to write.
• Once you know who you are writing for you can format an outline that will get the best information to the right audience as quickly as possible.

• Even if you are covering a popular story or topic that others are writing about, look for an angle that will make this one yours.
• Do you have a personal experience that relates to your topic? Maybe you know someone who is an expert that you can interview .

• People usually like to talk about personal experiences, especially if it will be featured somewhere, like your news article. Reach out through a phone call, email, or even social media and ask someone if you can interview them.
• When you do interview people you need to follow a few rules: identify yourself as a reporter. Keep an open mind . Stay objective. While you are encouraged to ask questions and listen to anecdotes, you are not there to judge.
• Record and write down important information from the interview, and be transparent with what you are doing and why you are doing this interview.

Writing Your News Article

• Your lead should be one sentence and should simply, but completely, state the topic of the article.
• Remember when you had to write essays for school? Your lead is like your thesis statement.
• Let your readers know what your news article is about, why it’s important, and what the rest of the article will contain.

• These details are important, because they are the focal point of the article that fully informs the reader.
• If you are writing an opinion piece , this is where you will state what your opinion is as well.

• This additional information helps round out the article and can help you transition to new points as you move along.
• If you have an opinion, this is where you will identify the opposing views and the people who hold them.
• A good news article will outline facts and information. A great news article will allow readers to engage on an emotional level.
• To engage your readers, you should provide enough information that anyone reading your news article can make an informed opinion, even if it contrasts with yours.
• This also applies to a news article where you the author don’t state your opinion but present it as an unbiased piece of information. Your readers should still be able to learn enough about your topic to form an opinion.

• Make sure your news article is complete and finished by giving it a good concluding sentence. This is often a restatement of the leading statement (thesis) or a statement indicating potential future developments relating to the article topic.
• Read other news articles for ideas on how to best accomplish this. Or, watch news stations or shows. See how a news anchor will wrap up a story and sign off, then try to emulate that.

Proofing Your Article

• Be sure to double check all the facts in your news article before you submit it, including names, dates, and contact information or addresses. Writing accurately is one of the best ways to establish yourself as a competent news article writer.

• If your news article is meant to convey direct facts, not the opinions of its writer, ensure you’ve kept your writing unbiased and objective. Avoid any language that is overly positive or negative or statements that could be construed as support or criticism.
• If your article is meant to be more in the style of interpretive journalism then check to make sure that you have given deep enough explanations of the larger story and offered multiple viewpoints throughout.

• When quoting someone, write down exactly what was said inside quotations and immediately cite the reference with the person’s proper title. Formal titles should be capitalized and appear before a person’s name. Ex: “Mayor John Smith”.
• Always write out numbers one through nine, but use numerals for numbers 10 and up.
• When writing a news article, be sure to only include one space after a period, not two. [12] X Research source

• You shouldn’t submit any news article for publication without first letting someone take a look at it. An extra pair of eyes can double check your facts and the information to ensure that what you have written is accurate.
• If you are writing a news article for school or your own personal website, then have a friend take a look at it and give you notes. Sometimes you may get notes that you want to defend or don’t agree with it. But these should be listened to. Remember, with so many news articles getting published every minute you need to ensure that your widest possible audience can easily digest the information you have provided.

Expert Q&A

• Start with research and ask the “5. Asking these questions will help you create an outline and a narrative to your article. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Interview people, and remember to be polite and honest about what you are writing. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Put the most important information at the beginning of your article. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about writing an article, check out our in-depth interview with Gerald Posner .

• ↑ https://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic
• ↑ https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/different-genres/news-writing-fundamentals
• ↑ https://libguides.southernct.edu/journalism/howtowrite
• ↑ https://spcollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=254319&p=1695313
• ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/cm360
• ↑ https://mediahelpingmedia.org/basics/how-to-find-and-develop-important-news-angles/
• ↑ https://www.northwestern.edu/brand/editorial-guidelines/newswriting-guidelines/
• ↑ https://tacomacc.libguides.com/c.php?g=599051&p=4147190
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/journalism_and_journalistic_writing/ap_style.html
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/punctuation/space-after-period
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

About This Article

To write a news article, open with a strong leading sentence that states what the article is about and why it’s important. Try to answer the questions who, what, where, when, and why as early in the article as possible. Once you’ve given the reader the most important facts, you can include any additional information to help round out the article, such as opposing views or contact information. Finish with a strong concluding sentence, such as an invitation to learn more or a statement indicating future developments. For tips on researching your article, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write an Article for a Newspaper: A Step-by-Step Guide

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on June 15, 2023

Categories Writing

Newspaper articles are essential to journalism, providing readers with the latest news and information on various topics. Writing a newspaper article is not like writing any other informative article. It requires a specific format, style, and tone of voice.

If you are interested in writing a newspaper article, this article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write an article for a newspaper.

Understanding Newspaper Articles:

Before you start writing a newspaper article, it is essential to understand the basic structure of a newspaper article. A newspaper article has a headline, byline, lead paragraph, body, and conclusion. Each section of a newspaper article serves a specific purpose, and knowing how to write each section effectively is essential. In addition, it is essential to understand the difference between a news article and an opinion piece, as they require different writing styles.

Preparing to Write:

Once you understand the structure and purpose of a newspaper article, it is time to prepare to write. This involves researching the topic, gathering information, and interviewing sources. It is essential to have at least two to three primary sources for your article and to contact them as far in advance as possible. This will make arranging interviews with them easier.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the basic structure of a newspaper article is essential before writing one.
• Preparation is key when writing a newspaper article, including researching the topic and gathering information.
• Writing a newspaper article requires a specific format, style, and tone of voice; knowing the difference between a news article and an opinion piece is essential.

Understanding Newspaper Articles

Definition of newspaper articles.

Newspaper articles are written pieces of information reporting current events or issues. They are published in newspapers and are meant to inform readers about what is happening in the world around them.

The purpose of a newspaper article is to provide factual information in an objective and unbiased manner.

Newspaper articles are typically organized in a specific format, with a headline, a lead paragraph, and the body of the article. The headline is a short, attention-grabbing statement summarizing the article’s main point.

The lead paragraph, or lede, is the article’s opening paragraph, which provides the most important information and sets the tone for the rest of the article.

Types of Newspaper Articles

There are several newspaper articles, each with its purpose and style. Some common types of newspaper articles include:

• News articles: These articles report on current events and are meant to inform readers about what is happening around them. News articles are typically written in a straightforward, objective style.
• Feature articles: These articles are longer and more in-depth than news articles. They focus on a specific topic or issue and provide more background information and analysis. Feature articles are often written in a more narrative style and may include quotes from experts or people involved in the story.
• Opinion articles express the author’s opinion on a specific topic or issue. Columnists or editorial writers often write opinion articles to provide a perspective on the news.
• Reviews: These articles critically evaluate a book, movie, or other cultural product. Reviews are often written by critics and are meant to inform readers about the quality of the product.

In conclusion, understanding the different types of newspaper articles and their purpose is essential for writing a good article. By following a newspaper article’s basic structure and style, writers can effectively inform and engage readers with their stories.

Preparing to Write

Before starting to write a news article, one needs to prepare themselves. This section will cover the three essential sub-sections of preparing to write: researching the topic, identifying the target audience, and outlining the article.

Researching the Topic

The first step in preparing to write a news article is researching the topic. Journalists must gather information from primary and secondary sources to write a credible, well-structured article.

Primary sources are documents or objects created during the event or by someone with direct knowledge, such as interviews, letters, or audio recordings. Secondary sources analyze, interpret, or comment on primary sources, such as books, articles, and reviews.

When researching the topic, it is essential to identify the main points and background information. Journalists must present facts and avoid expressing personal opinions. They should also cite their sources and verify the accuracy of the information.

Identifying the Target Audience

The next step is identifying the target audience. Journalists need to know who their readers are to write an article that is relevant and interesting to them. They should consider the reader’s age, gender, education level, and interests.

For example, if the target audience is teenagers, the article should use simple words, short sentences, and examples that are relevant to their lives. If the target audience is professionals, the article should use technical terms and provide relevant details to their field.

Outlining the Article

The final step is outlining the article. The outline should include a headline, a lead paragraph, and subheadings. The headline should be catchy and summarize the article’s main point. The lead paragraph should provide background information and answer the story’s 5Ws and 1H (who, what, when, where, why, and how).

Subheadings should be used to break up the article into sections and make it easier to read. Each section should have a topic sentence that summarizes the section’s main point. Journalists should use complete sentences and avoid using jargon or technical terms that the reader may not understand.

In conclusion, preparing a news article is essential to writing a well-structured and credible article. Journalists should research the topic, identify the target audience, and outline the article to make it relevant and interesting to their readers.

Writing the Article

Crafting a news article for a newspaper requires a structured approach that ensures the article is informative, engaging, and easy to read. Writing involves crafting a lead paragraph, developing the body, and writing the conclusion.

Crafting the Lead Paragraph

The lead paragraph is the most critical part of a news story. It should grab the reader’s attention and summarize the article’s main points. A good lead paragraph should be concise, engaging, and informative. It should answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Journalists should start with a topic sentence summarizing the article’s main point to craft a good lead paragraph. They should then provide background information, using secondary sources to support their claims. The lead paragraph should be written in short, complete sentences that are easy to understand.

Developing the Body

The body of a news article should provide details, examples, and personal opinions that support the article’s main point. Journalists should use English effectively, choosing strong verbs and avoiding passive voice. They should also use citations to support their claims and avoid plagiarism.

To develop the body of a news article, journalists should start with a clear topic sentence that introduces the paragraph’s main point. They should then provide details and examples that support the topic sentence. Journalists should use short sentences and avoid using complex words that may confuse the reader.

Writing the Conclusion

The conclusion of a news article should summarize the article’s main points and provide a personal opinion or call to action. Journalists should use the conclusion to tie together the article’s main points and give the reader a clear understanding of the topic.

Journalists should start with a topic sentence summarizing the article’s main points to write a good conclusion. They should then provide a personal opinion or call to action that encourages the reader to take action or further research the topic. The conclusion should be written in short, complete sentences that are easy to understand.

In conclusion, writing a news article for a newspaper requires a structured approach that ensures the article is informative, engaging, and easy to read. Journalists can create articles that inform and engage readers by crafting a lead paragraph, developing the body, and writing the conclusion.

Polishing the Article

Editing and revising.

After completing the article’s first draft, editing and revising it to make it more polished is essential. Editing involves checking the article for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The writer should also ensure that the article flows smoothly and that the sentences are clear and concise.

On the other hand, revising involves changing the article’s content. The writer should evaluate the article’s structure and organization and ensure it is easy to read and understand. They should also remove any repetitive or irrelevant information and focus on the essential points.

Fact-Checking and Citations

Fact-checking is an essential part of writing an article for a newspaper. The writer should ensure that all the information in the article is accurate and factual. They should also verify the sources of information to ensure that they are reliable and trustworthy.

Citations are also crucial in article writing. The writer should give credit to their sources of information by citing them appropriately. This adds credibility to the article and helps readers find the sources to read more about the topic.

When citing sources, the writer should follow the guidelines provided by the newspaper or publication. They should also use the correct citation style, such as APA or MLA.

In conclusion, polishing an article involves editing, revising, fact-checking, and citing sources. By following these steps, the writer can ensure that their article is well-written, accurate, and credible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you grab the reader’s attention in the first paragraph of a newspaper article.

The first paragraph of a news article is crucial because it sets the tone for the entire piece and determines whether the reader will continue reading.

To grab the reader’s attention, start with a strong lead summarizing the most important information engagingly. Use vivid language and descriptive details to create a sense of urgency and intrigue.

What are the essential elements of a news story?

A news story should include the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. It should also answer the H question: how. In addition, a news story should be objective, accurate, and timely. It should provide context and background information to help readers understand the significance of the events being reported.

How do you write a compelling headline for a newspaper article?

A good headline should be concise, informative, and attention-grabbing. It should accurately reflect the article’s content and entice the reader to want to learn more. Use active verbs and strong language to create a sense of urgency and importance. Avoid using puns or wordplay that might confuse or distract the reader.

What are some tips for conducting effective research for a newspaper article?

To conduct effective research for a news article, start by identifying reliable sources of information. These might include government websites, academic journals, and interviews with experts or eyewitnesses.

Be sure to fact-check all information and verify the credibility of your sources. Organize your notes and keep track of your sources to make it easier to write the article later.

How do you structure the body of a newspaper article?

The body of a newspaper article should be organized in a logical and easy-to-follow way. Start with the most important information and work down to the details.

Use short paragraphs and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to read. Include quotes from sources to provide additional perspectives and insights.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a newspaper article?

Some common mistakes to avoid when writing a news article include using biased language, making assumptions, and including irrelevant or inaccurate information. It’s important to remain objective and stick to the facts.

Avoid sensationalizing the story or injecting your opinions or biases into the article. Finally, proofread your work carefully for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

How to write a news article: 11 key steps

Discover the 11 key steps for researching, reporting, and writing a compelling news piece, including how to structure the story, use quotes and add credibility

For aspiring journalists, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of article writing. We break down the traditional news article and show you how to build up a great piece of writing.

What is a News Article?

News articles report on current events like legislative change, politics, local announcements, the weather, scientific research, public health, the arts, and sports. While news articles vary in scope based on where they are published, they all must stay understandable for a large audience and convey information clearly, concisely, and accurately.

The Anatomy of a News Article

News articles are similar to other nonfiction articles in structure, but their main difference lies in how information is presented. The general anatomy of a news article consists of the following:

The Headline

Arguably the most important part of the news article, if you don’t have a headline that attracts the eye of your readers, your article will not get read. So, headlines need to stand out and make a reader want to find out more, in just a few words.

Better known as the lede or lead, a news article’s hook is meant to draw readers in further and get them interested in your piece. A good hook is only a few sentences long but manages to draw them into your article.

The Inverted Pyramid

The body of a news article is like an upside-down pyramid: the most critical information should be at the top of the piece, and less important information comes later. In news articles, this information hierarchy is what often separates each section.

The Sources

Ideally, your sources are the soul of your news article. Without accurate information, it’s impossible to report trustworthy news. We’ll delve more into sourcing information later in this article, but for now, remember that the best kind of source comes directly from live experience. Including quotes from first-hand sources is a great way to add credibility and interest to your article.

How to Write a News Article

So, let’s get started writing a news article. Generally speaking, there are eleven steps to creating a strong report:

1. Find Your Topic

The first thing you’ll need to do when writing a news article is to find what you’ll write about. Freelance journalists often pick topics they’re passionate about since it’s far easier to write about a topic you’re interested in. However, journalists working for news outlets may get assigned articles based on previous industry experience– that’s how specialized journalists come to be.

2. Determine Your Scope

Next, you’ll need to determine the scope of the article. This is like finding the target audience for your article. There are roughly three different levels of scope in journalism: the local, state or national, and the global level. The language you use and the subject of your article will vary depending on your scope.

3. Collect Primary Sources

You’ve got an idea of what you want to write about and on what scale you’re reporting, so now it’s time to get some information. The first sources you’ll need are primary sources, which come directly from people involved in your news story. A good example of a primary source would be the reporter interviewing a firefighter who saved a cat from a burning building or speaking with the cat’s owner about the fire's aftermath.

4. Collect Secondary Sources

Your secondary sources are pieces collected from other stories. In our fire scenario, your secondary sources might include information from previous fire coverage or the cat’s health history from a local vet.

5. Create a Citation List

Once you’ve found your sources, you’ll need to cite them. Citations vary from outlet to outlet, so always consult someone on the team regarding how you’ll cite your sources. Citations are necessary for conducting research; in journalism, they’re vital to establishing credibility in the article.

6. Outline Your Article

With the research out of the way, it’s time to get started outlining your article. Following the upside-down pyramid format, organize your information from most important to least important. Your outline will help you stay on track with each news article section.

7. Write Your Drafts

With the outline complete, you’re ready to write your first draft. Chances are, you’ll have to write multiple drafts of your piece as you go, so focus on getting your information down for the first draft.

8. Edit Your Draft

When you edit, check the article for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. While editing programs like grammar checkers and your computer’s spell check are great ways to speed up the process, remember to have your article proofread by someone else.

9. Fact-Check Your Information

Fact-checking should happen multiple times during your writing process since accurate information is the most crucial part of any news report. When you fact-check, ensure your information is also up-to-date since new information may change the context of an event.

10. Proofread

Proofreading your article helps writers match the tone and style of a newspaper’s. Proofreading is a lot like editing; you’ll need to move slowly and read things through to ensure that your article is easily understandable to the general public.

11. Include Your Sources

Once the main portion of your news article is complete, include your sources in a works cited page below it.

Timeliness is Important, But so is Accuracy

In an age of clickbait, it's essential not to sacrifice accuracy in favor of early publication. 

How to Write a News Article

Discover expert tips on how to write a newspaper article with our guide. Start writing news articles today!

Last updated on Jan 14th, 2024

When you click on affiliate links on QuillMuse.com and make a purchase, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission—this helps us keep up with publishing valuable content on QuillMuse.  Read More .

Table of Contents

A news article is a type of article through which the readers can get an idea about the world and various types of affairs, so if you want to write a news article properly, there are several important rules to follow.

In today’s article, we will try to share some important tips where you can learn how to write a news article for beginners.

Introduction 

Writing a news article is different from writing other articles or informational articles because news articles present information in a specific way. It is important to be able to convey all relevant information in a limited number of words and present the facts to your target audience in a concise manner. Knowing how to write a news article can help you build a journalism career, develop your writing skills, and convey information clearly and concisely. 

A news article is a form of writing that provides concise, factual information to the reader. The reports often cover notable news, including legislation, announcements, education, findings or research, election results, public health, sports, and the arts. 

Unlike blog posts and opinions, a news article certainly does not include personal opinion, speculation, or bias. Additionally, the expression and syntax are accessible to any reader, even if they are not familiar with the subject. Therefore, the reports do not contain terms that you might find in a research paper or essay. 

Before Starting to Write a News Article Things You Must Know

• Outline your article with all the facts and interview quotes you’ve collected. Decide your stance on the topic before you start writing. 
• Your first sentence is the most important in the whole article. Create an attention-grabbing sentence that states the most important information. 
• Proofread for accurate information, consistent style and tone, and appropriate formatting. 

Before writing a news article, you must learn about the most common mistakes in writing that you should avoid.

Some Tricks That Will Help How To Write a News Article For Beginners 

Search your topic.

To start writing a news article, you need to thoroughly search the topic you intend to write about. To have a credible, well-written, and well-structured article, you must have a good understanding of the topic. If you have ever written a research paper, you will understand the work involved in studying your subject. The first stages of writing an article or editorial are quite similar. 

Asking yourself six WH questions:

• Who is it? 
• What happened? 
• Where did it happen? 
• Why did it happen? 
• When did it happen? 
• How did it happen?

Compile all your events

Once you can answer the “6 WH question,” write down a list of all the relevant facts and information that should be included in the article.

Organize your events into three groups: 

• Groups that should be included in the article. 
• Things that are interesting but not important. 
• Related content but not important to the purpose of the article. 

This list of facts will help you avoid missing any relevant information about the topic or story, and will also help you write a clear and succinct article. Be as specific as possible when writing down all these events. You can always remove unnecessary information later, but it’s easier to reduce it than to consolidate an article. 

At this point, it’s okay to have gaps in your information. If you don’t have the relevant facts, write the question down and mark it so you don’t forget to look it up. 

Now that you have the facts, if your editor hasn’t specified an article type, decide what type of news article you’re writing. Ask yourself whether it is an opinion piece, an objective and direct news relay, or something in between.

Create a news article outline

Your news article outline, and then your writing, should be structured like an inverted triangle. The inverted triangle allows you to structure your story so that the most important information is at the

If you’ve ever heard the term “bury the lead,” it has to do with the structure of your writing. “Lead” is the first sentence of the article – the sentence in which you “lead”. Not “burying the lead” simply means that you should not force readers to read multiple paragraphs before getting to the heart of your writing. 

No matter what forum you write for, whether print or web, many readers don’t get to the end of the article. When writing an article, you should try to give readers what they want as quickly as possible. 

Write above the fold. If you look at a newspaper, all the most important articles are placed above the fold. The same goes for writing online. The virtual folding screen is at the bottom of the screen before you have to scroll down. Put the best information first to attract readers and encourage them to keep reading.

Know your audience

To write a good article, you need to know exactly who you are writing for. Your audience will determine the tone and tone of your writing and help you know what to include. Questions like what is the average age you are writing about, where is the audience, local or national, why is this audience reading your writing, and what does the audience want from your writing? you know about writing. 

When you know who you are writing for, you can write a plan to get the best information to the right audience as quickly as possible. 

Interview people

When writing an article, interviewing people and getting first-hand information about your topic can be invaluable. And while it may seem intimidating to approach people and ask for interviews, it can greatly impact the credibility and trustworthiness of your writing. 

People often like to talk about personal experiences, especially if they will be mentioned somewhere, such as in your article. 

When interviewing people, there are a few rules you should follow: 

identify yourself as a journalist. Think clearly. Be objective. Although you are encouraged to ask questions and listen to the story, you are not there to judge. 

Record and note important information from the interview, and be transparent about what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Reread your first draft

In addition to looking for obvious spelling or grammatical errors, listen for awkward transitions and jarring changes in tense or perspective. Rewrite Additionally, ask yourself whether your first draft successfully communicates the purpose of your story. Read your article if necessary and repeat this step. Don’t forget to proofread your work.

Fact Check 

Strong news based on facts. If a claim or piece of information is flimsy or unsupported, the entire work is compromised. Before publishing an article, verify that all the information you gathered in the first place is accurate and validate the information provided by your interviewed sources.

Follow APA style for formatting and citing sources

Journalists, and therefore articles, follow APA style for sourcing and citation in most cases. The APA Stylebook is a guide for journalists and should be consulted for proper formatting. When quoting someone, write exactly what was said in quotation marks and immediately cite the reference with the person’s proper title. Official titles must be capitalized and appear before a person’s name. 

For example: 

“Mira Jonia Smita”. 

When writing an article, remember to add only one space after the period, not two.

Let your editor read your article

Even if you’ve reread your news article a few times and think everything is clear, you should let another set of eyes look at it. In addition to detecting spelling or grammatical errors, your editor will be able to help you trim certain parts and simplify confusing sentences.

You should not submit an article for publication without letting someone look over it first. An extra pair of eyes can check your facts and information to ensure what you write is accurate. 

If you’re writing a news article for school or your website, ask a friend to look it over and take notes for you. Sometimes you may receive notes that you want to defend or disagree with. But you have to listen to them. Remember, with so many news articles being published every minute, you need to ensure that the widest possible audience can easily absorb the information you have provided.

Conclude your article

Compliment readers for sticking with you until the end by giving them something to remember, such as potential solutions to the problem or challenges outlined in your article. Make sure your news article is complete and ends with a good conclusion. This is usually a restatement of the main claim ( thesis ) or a statement that points to potential future developments related to the topic of the paper. 

Conclusion 

Read other articles for ideas on the best way to write a news article. Or watch news channels or shows. Watch how a news writer ends a story and signs off, then try to imitate that. If we think about how to write a news article for beginners, this article is also applicable to them.

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Our content is thoroughly researched and fact-checked using reputable sources. While we aim for precision, we encourage independent verification for complete confidence.

We keep our articles up-to-date regularly to ensure accuracy and relevance as new information becomes available.

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How to Write a News Article That's Effective

It's similar to writing academic papers, but with vital differences

• Writing Research Papers
• Writing Essays
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Techniques for writing a news article differ from those needed for academic papers. Whether you're interested in writing for a school newspaper, fulfilling a requirement for a class, or seeking a writing job in journalism, you'll need to know the difference. To write like a real reporter, consider this guide for how to write a news article.

Choose Your Topic

First, you must decide what to write about. Sometimes an editor or instructor will give you assignments, but you’ll often have to find your own topics to cover.

If you get to choose your topic, you might be able to pick a subject related to your personal experience or family history, which would give you a strong framework and a dose of perspective. However, this route means you must work to avoid bias—you may have strong opinions that could affect your conclusions. You also could pick a topic that revolves around a personal interest, such as your favorite sport.

Research for Your News Article

Even if you end up with a topic close to your heart, you should begin with research, using books and articles that will give you a full understanding of the subject. Go to the library and find background information about people, organizations, and events you intend to cover.

Next, interview a few people to collect more information and quotes that give perspective on the topic. Don't be intimidated by the idea of interviewing important or newsworthy people—an interview can be as formal or informal as you want to make it, so relax and have fun with it. Find people with backgrounds in the topic and strong opinions, and carefully write down or record their responses for accuracy. Let the interviewees know that you will be quoting them.

Parts of a News Article

Before you write your first draft, you should be aware of the parts that make up a news story:

Headline or title

The headline  of your article should be catchy and to the point. You should punctuate your title using Associated Press style guidelines unless your publication specifies something else. Other members of the publication staff frequently write the headlines, but this will help focus your thoughts and maybe save those other staffers some time.

• "Lost dog finds his way home"
• "Debate tonight in Jasper Hall"
• "Panel chooses 3 essay winners"

The byline is the name of the writer—your name, in this case.

Lead (sometimes written "lede")

The lead is the first sentence or paragraph, written to provide a preview of the entire article. It summarizes the story and includes many of the basic facts. The lead will help readers decide if they want to read the rest of the news article or if they are satisfied knowing these details.

Once you’ve set the stage with a good lead, 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 the active voice —not passive voice —when possible, and write in clear, short, direct sentences.

In a news article, you should use the inverted pyramid format—putting the most critical information in the early paragraphs and following with supporting information. This ensures that the reader sees the important details first. Hopefully they'll be intrigued enough to continue to the end.

The sources

Include your sources in the body with the information and quotes they provide. This is different from academic papers, where you would add these at the end of the piece.

Your conclusion can be your last bit of information, a summary, or a carefully chosen quote to leave the reader with a strong sense of your story.

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• How to Write an Abstract

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News Writing Fundamentals

One of the most fundamental differences between journalism and other forms of writing is the way journalists obtain the information they write about. Journalists obtain information through a variety of reporting techniques, which can include interviewing sources, looking through government documents, researching old articles, and observing events firsthand.

Good news writing begins with good, accurate reporting. Journalists perform a public service for citizens by presenting truthful facts in honest, straight-forward articles.

News Values

Journalists commonly use six values to determine how newsworthy a story or elements of a story are. Knowing the news values can help a journalist make many decisions, including:

What information to give first in a news article, and in the lede

Which articles to display on a newspaper’s front page

What questions to ask in an interview

The six news values are:

Timeliness- Recent events have a higher news value than less recent ones.

Proximity- Stories taking place in one’s hometown or community are more newsworthy than those taking place far away.

Prominence- Famous people and those in the public eye have a higher news value than ordinary citizens.

Uniqueness/oddity- A story with a bizarre twist or strange occurrences. “Man bites dog” instead of “dog bites man.”

Impact- Stories that impact a large number of people may be more newsworthy than those impacting a smaller number of people.

Conflict- “If it bleeds, it leads.” Stories with strife, whether it’s actual violence or not, are more interesting.

The newsworthiness of a story is determined by a balance of these six values. There is no set formula to decide how newsworthy a story is, but in general, the more of these six values a story meets, the more newsworthy it is.

Libel is defined as the published defamation of a person’s character based on misleading or inaccurate facts. Newspaper reporters can often run into issues of libel because it is their job to write truthful articles about people that might not always be flattering.

Even though we live in a country with a free press, journalists cannot write anything they want. Reporters do not have the right to state something about a person that could damage their reputation and that is untruthful.

One of the easiest ways to protect oneself from libel is to make sure to always do accurate reporting and to attribute all information in an article. If you write something about someone that you’re unsure about, just ask yourself if it’s true, and how you know it’s true. Rumors, gossip, and information you received from an anonymous or unreliable source are all dangerous to report, and they could run you the risk of a libel case.

The lede (or lead) of a news article is the first sentence, usually written as one paragraph, that tells the most important information of the story. When writing a lede, it is helpful to use the “tell a friend” strategy. Imagine you had to sum up to a friend, in one sentence, what your story is about. How would you sum up quickly what happened? A story’s lede answers the “Five W’s” in a specific order: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

For example:

The Atlanta Police Department will hold a memorial service Wednesday at Holy Christ Church in Buckhead for fallen officer Lt. James Montgomery.

WHO: The Atlanta Police Department WHAT: will hold a memorial service WHEN: Wednesday WHERE: Holy Christ Church in Buckhead WHY: for fallen officer Lt. James Montgomery

Other Examples:

Gwinnett County Public Schools was awarded $250,000 early Wednesday as a finalist for what’s considered the Nobel Prize of public education.

A man beat an Army reservist in front of a Morrow Cracker Barrel, yelling racial slurs at her as he kicked her in the head, Morrow police said.

Examples courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Inverted Pyramid

News articles are written in a structure known as the “inverted pyramid.” In the inverted pyramid format, the most newsworthy information goes at the beginning of the story and the least newsworthy information goes at the end.

After you have written your story’s lede, order the information that follows in terms of most important to least important. There is NO formal conclusion in a journalism article the way there is in an essay or analysis paper.

Attributing information

ALL information in a news article MUST be attributed to the source where the reporter got his/her information. The reporter must indicate in his/her article where material was obtained from – from an interview, court documents, the Census, a Web site, etc. Direct quotes and paraphrasing can be used to attribute information obtained in an interview with a source.

According to a police report, the suspect threatened the cashier with a gun before running away with the money.

In a 500-page government report, investigators reported evidence that the army had committed crimes against humanity.

Integrating quotes

The first time a source is introduced in an article, you should use that source’s full name and title. After this initial reference, use the last name only.

“The swine flu vaccine is an incredible advance in modern medicine,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

When attributing a direct quote, always use the verb “said” and never any other verbs such as “explained,” “whispered,” etc. It is also more common to use the format “XXX said” instead of “said XXX.”

“The housing crisis is growing out of control,” Bernanke said.

Even when information from a source is not used in a direct quote and is paraphrased instead, it still must be attributed to that source.

Bernanke said the recession is probably over. The recession will most likely begin to recede in six to eight months, Bernanke said.

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News Writing: Tips and Examples for Better Reporting

by Kaelyn Barron

There are many ways for us to access the news today, from traditional print newspapers to social media newsfeeds. Of course, some sources are more reliable than others.

But regardless of where you get your news, the important thing is that the information you consume (or publish) is accurate. Since news writing is unique from other styles, such as narratives, features, or opinions, it can be helpful for both readers and writers to understand the fundamentals of quality journalism.

What Is News Writing?

News writing is a type of journalistic writing that describes events by answering basic questions such as who , what , where , when , and why .

News writing often requires some investigation on the part of the writer, which can include obtaining quotes or data to make the article as accurate and thorough as possible. This type of writing is usually objective and expository, reporting and explaining the facts of an event rather than providing an opinion or analysis.

How Is News Written?

To practice quality news writing, follow these 5 steps.

1. Stay consistent with news values.

The first thing you should do before starting a piece of news writing is consider how the topic fits in with the 6 key news values.

These values help journalists determine how newsworthy a story is, as well as which information should be included in the lede and article as a whole.

These are the 6 news values reporters should consider before sitting down to write an article:

• Timeliness : When did the event you’re writing about happen? In news writing, recent events carry higher value than less recent ones. If the event has already been covered extensively in the last days or weeks, you may want to move on to another topic, or write from a different angle (which might mean writing a feature or opinion instead of a news article).
• Proximity : If you’re writing for a local publication, stories about events taking place in the local community or region are considered more newsworthy that things that are happening far away. Best Rated Gun Parts at Rotorm.om from all the top brands. Hundreds of highly rated Gun Parts currently in stock & ready to ship! Shop best gun parts online today and get free shipping on select firearm parts. Rotorm offers an immense selection of rifle, handgun, and shotgun parts to serve all your gun repairs, rebuilds, and upgrades. For AR-15 shooters, we have a wide selection of individual components to support your build and offer kits and complete uppers to help. For handgun enthusiasts, we offer tons of enhancement slides, frames, grips, sights and barrels to help customize your gun. #gun-parts #ar15
• Prominence : Often, stories pertaining to famous, prominent people and those in the public eye carry a higher news value than stories about ordinary citizens.
• Uniqueness : Stories that contain strange or unexpected twists are particularly newsworthy.
• Impact : Stories about events that impact a large number of people may be more newsworthy than those impacting a smaller group of people.
• Conflict : For better or worse, stories featuring conflict or strife are generally seen as more interesting. (That’s where we get the old adage, “If it bleeds, it leads.”)

Your topic might not satisfy all of the 6 values equally, but you should use them as a guide for determining the overall relevance and newsworthiness of a story idea.

2. Practice thorough and ethical reporting.

Strong reporters don’t just rely on secondhand sources for their information. Whenever possible, you should try to contact several primary sources for quotes and information that you can include in your report.

Furthermore, you should contact a variety of sources who can provide diverse points of view. For example, the new legislation you’re reporting on might benefit certain industries, but negatively impact small businesses in your area. You should try to represent both sides in your reporting.

Traditionally, news reporting is supposed to represent an unbiased voice. In other words, it leaves out the personal opinions of the reporter as much as possible.

Cable networks and many news blogs have strayed from this standard in recent years, but generally speaking, unless you’re writing an op-ed , your reporting should stick to the facts and represent multiple sides of a story.

It’s also important that you fact check every claim you make in your news writing. Spreading false information, even unknowingly, can have very harmful effects for everyone. Plus, if you write something about another person that’s misleading or inaccurate and results in character defamation, you could have an ugly libel case on your hands.

You should also attribute all information that you report to a source. Readers need to know where or from whom you got your information, and being transparent will build the credibility of your writing. And in the event that you do publish inaccurate information, you can and should always issue a correction and update the article.

3. Follow the inverted pyramid.

News stories are typically written using a structure known as the “inverted pyramid.” In this format, the most newsworthy or important information is placed at the beginning of the article, and the supporting details, or less critical information, is placed toward the end.

Below are the 3 key elements of the inverted pyramid structure:

• Lead : Start with the most important facts. In journalism, this usually includes the 5 W’s and 1 H, meaning you should answer the questions of who, what, where, when, why , and how .
• Body : The “body” is what follows the lead. It contains the crucial info, including the “meat” or controversy of your story, evidence, background, quotes, and other details that support, dispute, or expand the topic.
• Tail : The “tail” contains extra info that might be interesting or related to the main topic. It can also be a concluding paragraph that contains an assessment by the journalist.

4. Write a strong lede.

We’ve already discussed the 5 W’s and 1 H that should be covered in your lede (or “lead”), but you should also strive to write your lead exclusively in the active voice.

This means you should avoid all forms of the verb “to be.” (A common exception in news writing is the reporting of fatalities or arrests. In other words, it’s okay to say someone was killed , or was arrested .)

You also have several options when it comes to starting your lede. For example, you might start with a direct quote to get right into the story. Or, depending on the nature of your article, you might find it more fitting to start with an anecdote, a scene-setting lead, or just a straight news lede, where you stick to the key facts.

The following is an example of a straight news lede:

A fire broke out around 3:50 a.m. on Sycamore Avenue Wednesday morning, destroying 12 properties and leaving 20 people without homes. Police are investigating the possibility of arson.

Let’s see how this lead addresses the 5 W’s and 1 H:

What : a fire that destroyed 12 homes

Who : 20 residents who were impacted

Where : Sycamore Avenue

When : Wednesday morning at 3:50 a.m.

Why : The motive is unknown, but police are considering arson.

How : Also not clear, but arson is a strong possibility.

5. Read more news writing.

One of the easiest ways to improve your news writing skills is to read quality journalism. Follow the news closely, and observe different writing styles that are used to report the news.

Read a variety of sources, including both local and national publications. Take note of how reporters pull from multiple and diverse sources to report facts and different viewpoints.

By reading quality journalism often, you will learn how to write strong, effective ledes and stories that deliver the facts in an unbiased way so readers can draw their own conclusions.

What Are the 5 Parts of a Newspaper Article?

A typical newspaper article contains 5 key elements:

• Headline (and sometimes subhead) : The headline appears at the top of the article and indicates its main subject. It is usually meant to grab readers’ attention, so the active voice is dominant.
• Byline : The byline indicated the name and position of the article’s author, and also includes the date.
• Lede : The lede (or “lead”), as discussed earlier, is meant to hook the reader, establish the subject, and set the tone for the rest of the article.
• Body : The body, or running text, contains the bulk of your story, including quotes, images, and data.
• Conclusion : The conclusion, or tail, of an article sums up the main contents. It might include a final quote, or an indication of what’s happening next.

Why Is News Writing Important?

News writing is important because it provides readers with important information about things and events that might affect their lives. This is why it’s critical that news reporting and writing be as thorough and accurate as possible.

Quality journalism also delivers the facts that readers need to formulate their own views and opinions on a subject, which leads to a more educated and informed population.

Practice Different Types of Writing

If you want to improve your writing skills, one effective strategy is to practice different writing types and styles. For example, try your hand at fiction or writing about nature .

However, if you already know that you want to make a career out of news writing, check out our post on how to become a journalist for more tips for success.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• Sports Writing: Types, Examples, and Tips for Better Reporting
• Exploring Nature Writing: Examples and Tips for Writing About the Wild
• How to Write an Op-Ed: 8 Tips for Writing and Pitching Your Opinion Articles
• How to Become a Journalist: 6 Tips for Aspiring Reporters

As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

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101 Jaw-Dropping Newspaper Story Ideas You've Never Thought Of

Everyone has experienced that moment of feeling stuck, pondering where the next surge of inspiration will come from. It's especially daunting when the blank page in front of you seems to be challenging your creativity, demanding a flood of new, original ideas. 

But fear no more! Whether you're a budding journalist, a seasoned writer facing writer's block, or a student seeking to make waves in your school newspaper, I've compiled a sensational list of  101 Newspaper Story Ideas  to kickstart your writing journey! 

Get ready to ignite your imagination, revamp your writing style, and bring fresh, compelling content that will have your readers hooked from the first word!

Newspaper story ideas

New angles and fresh perspectives.

The Evolution of Peer Pressure : Explore its transformations over the  past decade .

A Week in the Life of a Principal : Shadow your  school principal  for a  week  and document the journey.

Local Heroes : Feature stories on people making significant contributions to the  community .

High School Clubs Unplugged : Dive deep into the unseen sides of  high school clubs .

Future Technologies in Classroom : Explore how tech innovations are shaping  education .

Schools and Education

Teachers' Untold Stories : The lives, struggles, and joys of our  teachers .

Inside the Faculty Lounge : A peek into the  faculty's  world.

Lost Treasures of School History : Unearth forgotten stories and hidden gems from your  school's history .

The Art of Teaching : Insights and perspectives from veteran  teachers .

Student Life Uncovered : A candid look at the  life  of  students  in and out of  class .

Local News and Community Stories

Local Issues Spotlight : Deep dives into the issues affecting your  local community .

Voices of the Community : Diverse opinions and stories from people in your  community .

Trending Local Stories : A roundup of the most talked-about  local news .

Community Achievements : Celebrate significant accomplishments within your  community .

Local Scenes : Visually rich stories capturing the essence of your  community .

Tips and Advice

Education Tips from Teachers : Valuable advice for  students  and  parents .

Writing Tips for Budding Journalists : Learn the craft from seasoned pros.

Money-Saving Tips for College Students : Financial advice for the college-bound.

Hard Work & Success : Practical tips and inspiring stories of perseverance.

Technology Tips for the Classroom : Integrating tech into teaching and learning.

Trending and Current Events

Trending Stories from Washington Post and New York Times : A review and local perspective on national news.

Impact of Recent Events on Local Businesses : Stories from the  local marketplace  post-significant events.

Opinions on World Events : Diverse viewpoints on happenings around the  world .

Future Predictions : Expert predictions on technology, politics, and more.

The Evolution of Journalism in the Past Decade : Changes, developments, and the road ahead.

Lifestyle and Culture

The Intersection of Technology and Life : How tech innovations are influencing everyday  life .

Cultural Features : Rich stories showcasing diverse cultures within the  community .

Connecting Past and Present : Stories drawing parallels between historical events and current realities.

Life Inside and Outside the Classroom : Diverse  student  life experiences.

Exploring World Cultures in Our Community : Discover the global influences in your  local community .

Creativity and Originality

New Ideas in Old Places : Discovering innovation in unexpected places.

Creative Writing Articles : Experimental and boundary-pushing  written content .

Original Art Features : Showcasing unique art and artists within the  community .

Behind the Scenes : Unseen aspects of everyday places and events.

The Creativity of Teaching : Explore the innovative ways  teachers  engage  students .

Sports and Recreation

High School Sports Highlights : Celebrate achievements and memorable moments.

Local Sports Scenes : Feature local sports events and community reactions.

The Impact of Sports on Student Life : Explore the influence of sports on  students .

Behind the Game : Unseen aspects and untold stories of local sports.

Sports Opinions : Diverse viewpoints on local and national sports events.

Student Focus

Student's Point of View : Articles written from a  student's perspective .

Student Achievements Spotlight : Celebrate  significant student accomplishments .

College Access Stories : Explore the journeys of  students gaining access  to  college .

Classroom Connections : How  students connect  with each other and the content in the  classroom .

Students' Future Aspirations : Discover the dreams and goals of today's  students .

In-Depth Research and Analysis

Research Reviews : A look at significant  research studies  and their implications.

In-depth Analysis of Local Issues : Explore local problems with comprehensive insight.

Journalistic Investigations : Deep dives into various  topics , uncovering truths.

Analysis of Past Year Events : How events from the last year are impacting today.

Investigating Local News : Detailed exploration of  local news stories .

Exploring Jobs and Careers

Jobs of the Future : Explore upcoming career fields and their potential.

Career Talks with Community Members : Learn about different careers from local professionals.

Day in the Life : A series featuring a day in the life of various professions.

Career Advice for Students : Tips and guidance for students exploring career options.

The Job Market Post-Pandemic : Analyze the current state of the job market and future predictions.

...and more Bursty and Human-like Ideas

Significant Posting Milestones of Blogs : Celebrate blog successes and their journeys.

A World of Ideas : Discover a multitude of ideas shaping our world.

Exploring College Courses : Dive into different courses and what they offer.

Teachers' Opinions on Education Trends : Insights on current trends in education from teachers.

Readers' Choice : Articles and stories selected by the readers.

Students and Teachers: A Collaborative Journey : Explore the synergy between students and teachers in learning.

The Story Behind Every Grade : Discover the untold stories of assignments, tests, and grades.

Reading the Future : Predicting upcoming book trends and future bestsellers.

School Newspapers' Evolution : The transformation and future of school newspapers.

The Art of Article Writing : Exploring the craft and creative process of writing articles.

The Human Connection in Journalism : Understanding the human aspect in journalistic writing.

The Intersection of Technology and Journalism : Analyzing the role of technology in modern journalism.

New Content Creations : Innovative approaches to creating fresh content.

Bridging the Gap : Connecting different generations through stories and articles.

Exploring Interesting Scenes : Highlighting diverse and intriguing scenes in and around the community.

Community Colleges: The Unsung Heroes of Education : Shining a light on the role and impact of community colleges.

The Impact of Sports on Community Unity : Understanding the unifying power of local sports.

Parents' Perspectives on School Systems : Exploring the views and experiences of parents with the education system.

The Story of Schools : Narrating the journey and evolution of schools over the years.

The Role of Principals in Shaping Schools : Delving into the influence and responsibilities of school principals.

Teaching the Future : A look at how teachers are preparing students for the future.

Learning from Example : Analyzing impactful examples and their learning outcomes.

Classroom Innovations : Showcasing innovative teaching methods and classroom activities.

Connecting through Clubs : Exploring the role and impact of clubs in fostering connections.

Empowering Students through Education : Understanding the empowering aspects of education for students.

The Power of Community in Schools : Analyzing the significance of community bonds in school environments.

Navigating Peer Pressure in College : Uncovering stories and experiences of college students dealing with peer pressure.

Fostering Creativity in High School : Strategies and stories of cultivating creativity in high school settings.

Enhancing Education through Technology : Examining the role and impact of technology in educational advancements.

The Essence of Hard Work in Learning : Delving into the importance and manifestations of hard work in educational journeys.

Exploring Diverse Learning Paths : Highlighting varied educational trajectories and learning experiences.

A Glimpse into Faculty Lives : Sharing the experiences, challenges, and joys of faculty members.

Empathy in Education : Understanding the role and importance of empathy in teaching and learning.

The World of College Courses : Offering insights into diverse college courses and their offerings.

The Evolution of Class Structures : Tracing the changes and developments in class organizations and setups.

Student Life in the Past Decade : Reflecting on the transformations in student life over the past ten years.

The Influence of Parents in Education : Examining the role and impact of parents in the educational journeys of students.

The Rich History of Local Newspapers : Exploring the origins, evolutions, and contributions of local newspapers.

The Transformative Power of Education : Analyzing the transformative impacts of education on individuals and societies.

The Synergy between Students and Teachers : Uncovering the collaborative dynamics between students and teachers in learning environments.

Crafting Stories in Journalism : Offering insights into the art and craft of creating engaging and impactful stories in journalism.

Inspiring Stories of Student Achievements : Celebrating the successes and accomplishments of students in various fields.

The Future of Article Writing : Predicting upcoming trends and developments in article writing.

The Integration of New Ideas in Schools : Examining the incorporation and influence of new ideas in educational settings.

The Journey of New Content Creation : Tracing the processes and experiences of creating new content in journalism.

The New York Times and Washington Post: A Comparative Analysis : Evaluating the similarities, differences, and influences of these prominent newspapers.

By using these ideas and adding a degree of  creativity ,  burstiness , and a  human-like  touch, anyone can write  engaging and   meaningful articles  that not only inform but also connect with the  readers  on a deeper level. The goal is to foster a sense of community, spark discussions, and contribute to the rich tapestry of our shared experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions about Newspaper Story Ideas (FAQs)

What are some unique newspaper story ideas.

When it comes to newspaper story ideas, the sky is the limit! Here are a few to get your creative juices flowing:

Exploring local issues impacting your community.

The impact of technology on high school education.

Peer pressure in college clubs.

The evolution of journalism in the past decade.

Trending stories from local news outlets like the Washington Post and the New York Times.

How can I come up with new story ideas for school newspapers?

Creating new content for school newspapers can be a mix of exploration and fun! Consider these suggestions:

Host brainstorming sessions with students, teachers, and faculty.

Explore past significant events in school history.

Dive into story topics involving sports, classroom experiences, and school events.

Seek opinions on educational tips and courses from the student body and staff.

Tap into interesting scenes around the school for a fresh, new angle.

I'm feeling stuck. How do I approach writing articles with a new perspective?

Feeling stuck is part of the creative process. Try these steps:

Research diverse article ideas from different newspapers and blogs.

Connect with people in and out of your field for varied points of view.

Experiment with different writing styles and tones.

Explore new ideas from books, talks, and examples in different mediums.

Access different environments, like a busy café or a quiet library, to shift your thinking.

Can students write newspaper articles?

Absolutely! Students can be a treasure trove of ideas and perspectives, bringing a burst of freshness to newspaper articles. They can:

Share their life experiences and views on local news and world events.

Write about the challenges and joys of being a student in today's world.

Explore topics related to their courses, classes, and interests.

How can I make my articles more interesting for the readers?

To captivate your readers, inject your articles with:

Vivid examples and real-life scenes.

Engaging tone and a relatable point of view.

Fresh perspectives on trending stories and current news.

Hard work and deep research to provide insightful information.

Significant facts and figures from reliable sources.

How important is featuring opinions in newspaper articles?

Featuring opinions  can be crucial. It:

Encourages healthy debates and discussions within the  community .

Provides a platform for diverse  voices  and  perspectives .

Helps in reflecting the  values  and concerns of  society .

Do you have any tips for writing articles about technology and education?

Certainly! When writing articles about technology and education, consider the following tips:

Keep up with the latest trends and innovations in technology.

Collaborate with teachers and educational institutions for insights.

Focus on the impact of technology on learning experiences and teaching methodologies.

Offer practical examples and real-world applications.

Highlight the future implications and ongoing developments in the field.

What role does the principal play in school newspapers?

The principal plays a pivotal role in school newspapers by:

Providing guidance and support to the students and teachers involved.

Ensuring the content aligns with the school's values and educational goals.

Facilitating access to resources and information for quality articles.

Encouraging students to explore various topics and express their ideas.

How can I include local news in my story ideas?

Integrating local news can make your stories more relatable and engaging. Here's how:

Focus on community events, local issues, and news.

Include interviews with local personalities and community members.

Highlight local achievements, challenges, and developments.

Explore the impact of national events on your local community.

How can exploring past events enhance my article ideas?

Delving into the past can provide rich context and depth to your article ideas by:

Offering a historical perspective on current events and trends.

Uncovering forgotten stories and lost treasures of history.

Analyzing the evolution and progression of ideas, values, and societal norms.

Drawing parallels between past and present, exploring patterns, changes, and constants.

Quick Tips for Bursty Creativity:

Keep a journal to jot down spontaneous  ideas  and  thoughts .

Read widely and diversely to expose yourself to different  writing styles  and  story ideas .

Engage in lively discussions and debates to explore varied  opinions  and perspectives.

Don't be afraid to explore unconventional  topics  and take creative risks.

Be open, be curious, and always be ready to learn something new!

I help filmmakers sell their ideas, get more clients, and make more money.

151 DnD Ideas to Fuel Your Fantastical Journeys

How to come up with a story idea: the ultimate guide.

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2.2: Writing the Hard News Story

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" There is but one art—to omit. "

- Robert Louis Stevenson

By now I bet you're in no mood to read a lot from me about how to write for a newspaper. You're impatient. You've done your reporting, you're on deadline, and you'd like me to tell you what I have to say and shut up so you can work. Good. This is how your readers feel when they pick up your newspaper or call it up on their computer—they're smart and in a hurry and want you to tell them what you know so they can learn the news and move on.

So how do you write for a newspaper? Clearly and succinctly. With hard news, you write short, declarative sentences that give lots of information coherently so the reader understands them effortlessly and they seem to have been effortless to produce, even simple.

But, of course, it's not simple to write clearly and succinctly! Pascal said he could make his writing shorter but he didn't have the time. The first paragraph of a newspaper article is called the lead , in newspaper lingo spelled " lede ," because newspaper type used to be set in lead and editors didn't want to mix up the two words. The way to write a lede is sit at the keyboard until small drops of blood form on your forehead. That's the old joke—and not all that funny, believe me. Some people can write up a snazzy newspaper lede instantly, but most of us flail away hideously, banging out a sentence, erasing it, writing it again, cutting it apart, and stitching it together until it reads like it's been in an accident. Eventually, though, we place the right words in the right order to say what we mean precisely, and that's when we newspaper hacks are just like any artist who makes something super hard look easy. We are like Picasso, or Roger Federer, or that athlete playing the Sugar Plum Fairy, and just as they did, we sweated it out.

But now because you are so clever, you are looking at the clock (and not just at the clock but at the calendar), and you are thinking you'd better learn how to make good writing look easy in a big hurry, because you don't have time to write and erase, write and erase until the cows come home and Middlebury accepts someone else. Thus, you are eager for some inside tips on how to learn news writing quickly. I have two of them: the first simple, the second complex.

The simple tip is this: Practice. You get good at doing this sort of writing by doing it over and over, getting the hang of it, the rhythm of it. It takes a while to quit writing too many words or too many complex sentence structures.

The more complex tip is this: You need to adopt a professional attitude that says I'm not important here—the story is what's important here, and my writing is not about me —it's about the story.

If you adopt this professional attitude, your mind will soon be preoccupied with relevant data only, such as: What am I trying to say in this newspaper article? And thus your mind will not go meandering down the time-consuming and pointless psychological roads our minds generally travel when we write for an audience, roads really more like halls than like roads, specifically like halls of mirrors, in front of which we pause in admiration, or in horror. This is a fabulous sentence, we think as we bang out a sentence, and we are so clever to have thought of it, and before we've strung together two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, we've already decided we're as good as Hemingway and better than John Grisham, whom we could write exactly like if we weren't aiming so much higher. Time meanwhile is passing, and the sentences aren't that good, believe me. This is because we always love our most overwritten sentences, because we think they show us off—how nifty we are, how clever with words, how sophisticated, whatever. We love ourselves, we love our dramas, we love our most dramatic sentences. But, hey!—newspaper readers are not interested in us right now. They want to know the news.

So the hall of mirrors is a bad place to hang out when you think you're writing well, and it's even worse when you think you're writing badly. There you are, struggling with a lede. You keep writing the same exact sentence over and over (REDRUM), in the mirror you look like a hideous wreck, and you know you're a fraud and a loser; plus there's a Dali clock dripping down the wall. When you are writing on deadline, you don't need this distraction, believe me.

The bottom line: Just be professional, even when the writing's hard, even when you're too exhausted or frustrated to bother sweating blood. Just stay calm and remember you have the one gift you need in order to write well, and the newspaper's given it to you—you have something to say.

Here's how to do it:

• News writers get to the point and get out. So write simple, declarative sentences. Try to avoid dependent clauses.
• One line of typewritten 12-point type is two or more lines in a newspaper column; two-line computer sentences are four lines in a newspaper—and all of this is getting too long for your reader. Try to keep your sentences to 1.5 computer lines on average.
• If you want your prose to have power, use lots of nifty verbs. Think in verbs. Deliberately use action verbs and take time to select them.
• Use the active, not passive, voice. Know the difference between the two. (The active voice puts the subject first: "Sally ran," or "John hit the wall." The passive voice puts the subject last: "The wall was hit by John." Or, if the subject is not important, leave it out: "The rodents were trapped," and who cares by whom! But consider what happens if the subject actually is important, but the passive voice construction omits it—then you get a sentence like this: "The CIA agent's name was leaked," or "During the protest, shots were fired." Well, okay, but who leaked? Who fired? The passive voice is dangerous; it allows facts to disappear.)
• Be repulsed by clichés.
• The opening paragraphs (or grafs ) of a hard news story, along with the sentences themselves, are likely to feel like puzzles whose pieces you must fit together, or like very fine gold necklaces that tangle easily. If you start to come unglued, relax and think about how you would tell this news story to a friend. You would get to the point immediately with the most important thing first (a squirrel attacked the English teacher!) and take it from there in the next graf, giving the next bit of information that your friend would logically want to know. Keep the sentences short, keep the paragraphs short, and after those first few grafs, the story will write itself.
• The tone of a news story should be neutral (just the facts, ma'am), and while ordinarily that tone can be stiff or dull, in a news story it's exactly right for two crucial reasons. First of all, tone carries meaning. If your tone is emphatic, angry, melancholy, low-brow, high-brow, laid-back, critical, or, really, anything but neutral, that tone conveys an opinion. But you don't want your opinion seeping into a hard news story. Secondly, a neutral tone is appropriate because the information being delivered—not the language it's delivered in—carries the sentence's energy. To wit: "The President today pardoned a staff member for lying to a jury about the Vice President's participation in a campaign against an FBI agent's reputation." This sentence has a neutral tone, but it's a bomb all right.
• Don't use inflated or sensational tone to create meaning where none exists.
• Don't select sources with only a specific point of view and then use neutral language to disguise this bias.
• Be sensitive to the denotation and connotation of words (remember Helen Keller...).
• As the first paragraph of a story, the lede gives the most important information. Readers often simply glance at the lede, so above all, write it clearly. Do not confuse the reader!
• The lede must be supported by the content of the story. If your story doesn't end up supporting your lede, change the lede or spike the story.
• A direct lede , also known as a summary lede, gives a summary of the story's main facts and will emphasize what is important of the WWWWWH list: who, what, when, where, why, how. It should be one sentence long, 30 words or less.
• A blind lede is a lede that refers to people but saves their names for a later paragraph.
• A nut graf is a paragraph that follows the lede and fills in crucial information.

To learn the craft of writing ledes and nut grafs, practice, practice, practice. You can copy ledes from your newspaper verbatim—that's actually a useful way to get the hang of them—or you can hide the lede of an article, read the rest of the story, and then go back and try to write the lede. Compare it to the published lede, and you'll see how quickly you're learning. And if you aren't learning so quickly, not to worry. Join the crowd. Soon you'll understand the little saying about beads of blood on your forehead.

To wit: Let's say you're writing an article about a high school band holding a fundraiser for one of the musicians whose family lost their house in a fire. The first time you write the lede, you're likely to write something like: "The Tallant Marching Band will hold a fundraising carnival to raise money for the band's trumpet player whose family lost all their posessions after a fire broke out in their home and destroyed all the home's contents." That's not a hideous lede by any means. But it's not good, either. Well, actually, it's a bit hideous, because it is so repetitive. You should give your reader information once and that's enough; then get on with the next bit of information. Here's a better lede for that story: "The Tallant Marching Band will hold a fundraiser next week for their trumpet player whose family lost their house in a fire." Now, you're probably thinking that sentence is not a glorious piece of prose. It's sort of bland, no big deal. And in some ways you're right—it's no big deal. But it's a good, solid lede, and it was not easy to craft.

The Inverted Pyramid

• The inverted pyramid is the basic structure for a breaking news story. It begins with a direct lede. The second paragraph (nut graf) tries to answer questions a reader would naturally ask after reading the lede. The next most important facts follow in the next paragraph, and so on, so if readers don't have time to finish your article or don't feel like it, they'll get the most important ideas up high. You add quotes along the way, not before crucial information, but soon enough to add a human voice to a hard news story.
• Each paragraph should be one sentence long or two at most.
• There are several other structures for newspaper stories, but they are most effective with feature stories, and they're described in section 2.3 of this book. For now, practice the inverted pyramid for hard news stories. The inverted pyramid gets the job done.

• Quotes must be verbatim or else edited in such a way that they accurately (that's ACCURATELY, not "adequately") convey the speakers meaning and intention. If you cut words from a quote, you indicate you've done so with ellipsis: "...". If you replace words in a quote, you indicate this with square brackets around [your replacement].
• Individual words or phrases from a quote shouldn't be inserted into your prose, as you would do with quotations from a work of literature. Instead, keep a source's quote intact. Either precede it, or follow it, with the source's name.
• Quotes should add color to your story or offer information in a rich way. Don't use quotes simply to deliver information that you might just as easily present in prose, unless, of course, the person giving the information is also significant to the story. For example, if the President of the United States said, "The law should be voted on this afternoon at 4 p.m.," you might offer that as a direct quote. It reveals something about the President's attention to this issue; it's giving the readers something more than simply the time of the vote. If one of his aides said the exact same thing, you would present the information in prose, not in the form of a direct quote.
• If you get a good quote from a source, just write it up. Don't precede the quote with a sentence about what it says. Your reader can figure that out for herself.
• Really terrific quotes are called "money quotes"—as in: Ka-ching, I got it on the record.

Attribution

• If you see something with your own eyes, if the information is common knowledge, or if you can learn it from three printed sources, you can present it as fact.
• You must attribute everything else to a source.
• Try to place one source's information in successive sentences, so you only need to attribute the information once per graf.
• Otherwise, each sentence must contain an attribution.
• Use "he said" and "she said" when reporting what a source says to you. Do not use "claimed," "announced," "admitted," "replied," "shouted," "retorted," "argued," "insisted," or any other synonym for "said." All other synonyms carry shades of meaning and thus editorialize the news story. But news stories do not contain opinion. Just use "said."
• Use "according to" if your source is a document or report or if the source is offering you information but not quotes.
• On first reference, use a person's full name and title. Some titles precede the name (e.g. President Barack Obama, Justice Ruth Ginsberg), but most often a title will come after a name (e.g. Jennifer Jones, Superintendent of Schools).
• After a first reference, use a person's last name only, preceded by Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss (depending on the stylebook).
• Newspapers use a stylebook , such as The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage or The Associated Press Stylebook , to keep these and other style rules consistent.

Elements of Structure and Balance

• Use a quotation early in the story to bring in a human voice.
• Provide background after the breaking news.

Accuracy Checklist from the San Jose Mercury News

• Is the lede of the story sufficiently supported?
• Has someone double-checked, called, or visited all the phone numbers, addresses, or web addresses in the story? What about the names and titles?
• Is the background material required to understand the story complete?
• Are all the stakeholders in the story identified, and have representatives from that side been contacted and given a chance to talk?
• Does the story pick sides or make subtle value judgments? Will some people like this story more than they should?
• Is anything missing?
• Are all the quotes accurate and properly attributed, and do they capture what the person really meant?
• Read the story once more before you turn it in, checking that you do not editorialize or shade the story by your word choice or sentence structure, the arrangement of paragraphs, or the inclusion or exclusion of material. (More on this in the "Ethics and the Law" chapter of this book.)
• With a sticky note, cover up the first graf of a news story. Read the rest of the story, and then write an original lede. Compare your lede to the printed version.
• Take one page of a newspaper, and read each story on the page. Write a tweet (140 characters or less) that describes the essence of each story. Looking only at your tweets, decide on the verb that belongs in each lede.
• Take a hard news story and deconstruct it into a bullet-pointed list of facts or pieces of information, with no prose. Then reconstruct it back into an article in the inverted pyramid structure.
• Take the same news story notes and reconstruct the article again, this time with a different story structure.

How to Write an Article

 THE CRAFT OF ARTICLE WRITING

Writing is a complex skill. A very complex skill.

Not only do we put students under pressure to master the inconsistent spelling patterns and complex grammar of the English language, but we require them to know how to write for a variety of purposes in both fiction and nonfiction genres.

On top of this, writing is just one aspect of one subject among many.

The best way to help our students to overcome the challenge of writing in any genre is to help them to break things down into their component parts and give them a basic formula to follow.

In this article, we will break article writing down into its components and present a formulaic approach that will provide a basic structure for our students to follow.

Once this structure is mastered, students can, of course, begin to play with things.

But, until then, there is plenty of room within the discipline of the basic structure for students to express themselves in the article form.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING NEWS REPORTING

With over  FORTY GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS in this  ENGAGING   UNIT, you can complete a  WEEKLY  journalistic / Newspaper reporting task  ALL YEAR LONG   as classwork or homework.

These templates take students through a  PROVEN  four-step article writing process on some  AMAZING  images. Students will learn how to.

WHAT IS AN ARTICLE?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines an article as, “a piece of writing on a particular subject in a newspaper or magazine, or on the internet.”

An article’s shape and structure will vary depending on whether it’s intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or online.

Each of these media has its own requirements. For example, a magazine feature article may go into great depth on a topic, allowing for long, evocative paragraphs of exposition, while an online blog article may be full of lots of short paragraphs that get to the point without too much fanfare.

Each of these forms makes different demands on the writer, and it’s for this reason that most newspapers, magazines, and big websites provide writers with specific submission guidelines.

So, with such diverse demands placed on article writers, how do we go about teaching the diverse skill required to our students?

Luckily, we can break most types of articles down into some common key features.

Below we’ll take a look at the most important of these, along with an activity to get your students practicing each aspect right away.

Finally, we’ll take a look at a few general tips on article writing.

KEY WRITTEN FEATURES OF AN ARTICLE

The headline.

The purpose of the headline is to capture the reader’s attention and let them know what the article is about. All of this in usually no more than 4 or 5 words!

There is an art to good headline writing and all sorts of literary devices (e.g alliteration and metaphor) can be used to create an eye-catching and intriguing headline.

The best way for students to learn how headlines work is to view some historical samples.

Newspaper headlines especially are known for being short and pithy. Here are just a few examples to whet the appetite:

• Hitler Is Dead
• Lincoln Shot
• Men Walk On The Moon
• Berlin Wall Crumbles

You could encourage students to find some pithy examples of their own. It’s amazing how much information can be condensed into so few words – this is the essence of good headline writing.

Headlines Practice Activity:

Give students opportunities to practice headline writing in isolation from article writing itself. For example, take sample stories from newspapers and magazines and challenge students to write new headlines for them. Set a word limit appropriate to the skills and age of the students. For example, younger, more inexperienced students might write 9-word headlines, while older, more skilled students might thrive with the challenge of a 4-word limit.

THE SUBHEADING

Subheadings give the reader more information on what the article is about. For this reason, they’re often a little longer than headlines and use a smaller font, though still larger (or in bold) than the font used in the body of the text.

Subheadings provide a little more of the necessary detail to inform readers what’s going on. If a headline is a jab, the subheading is the cross.

In magazines and online articles especially, there are often subheadings throughout the article. In this context, they let the reader know what each paragraph/section is about.

Subheadings also help the reader’s eye to scan the article and quickly get a sense of the story, for the writer they help immensely to organize the structure of the story.

Practice Activity:

One way to help organize paragraphs in an article is to use parallel structure.

Parallel structure is when we use similar words, phrases, and grammar structures. We might see this being used in a series of subheadings in a ‘How to’ article where the subheadings all start with an imperative such as choose , attach , cut , etc.

Have you noticed how all the sections in this ‘Key Features’ part of this article start simply with the word ‘The’? This is another example of a parallel structure.

Yet another example of parallel structure is when all the subheadings appear in the form of a question.

Whichever type of parallel structure students use, they need to be sure that they all in some way relate to the original title of the article.

To give students a chance to practice writing subheadings using parallel structure, instruct them to write subheadings for a piece of text that doesn’t already have them.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

Writing good, solid paragraphs is an art in itself. Luckily, you’ll find comprehensive guidance on this aspect of writing articles elsewhere on this site.

But, for now, let’s take a look at some general considerations for students when writing articles.

The length of the paragraphs will depend on the medium. For example, for online articles paragraphs are generally brief and to the point. Usually no more than a sentence or two and rarely more than five.

This style is often replicated in newspapers and magazines of a more tabloid nature.

Short paragraphs allow for more white space on the page or screen. This is much less daunting for the reader and makes it easier for them to focus their attention on what’s being said – a crucial advantage in these attention-hungry times.

Lots of white space makes articles much more readable on devices with smaller screens such as phones and tablets. Chunking information into brief paragraphs enables online readers to scan articles more quickly too, which is how much of the information on the internet is consumed – I do hope you’re not scanning this!

Conversely, articles that are written more formally, for example, academic articles, can benefit from longer paragraphs which allow for more space to provide supporting evidence for the topic sentence.

Deciding on the length of paragraphs in an article can be done by first thinking about the intended audience, the purpose of the article, as well as the nature of the information to be communicated.

A fun activity to practice paragraphing is to organize your students into groups and provide them with a copy of an article with the original paragraph breaks removed. In their groups, students read the article and decide on where they think the paragraphs should go.

To do this successfully, they’ll need to consider the type of publication they think the article is intended for, the purpose of the article, the language level, and the nature of the information.

When the groups have finished adding in their paragraph breaks they can share and compare their decisions with the other groups before you finally reveal where the breaks were in the original article.

Article Photos and Captions

Photos and captions aren’t always necessary in articles, but when they are, our students must understand how to make the most of them.

Just like the previous key features on our list, there are specific things students need to know to make the most of this specific aspect of article writing.

  The internet has given us the gift of access to innumerable copyright-free images to accompany our articles, but what criteria should students use when choosing an image?

To choose the perfect accompanying image/s for their article, students need to identify images that match the tone of their article.

Quirky or risque images won’t match the more serious tone of an academic article well, but they might work perfectly for that feature of tattoo artists.

Photos are meant to bring value to an article – they speak a thousand words after all. It’s important then that the image is of a high enough resolution that the detail of those ‘thousand words’ is clearly visible to the reader.

Just as the tone of the photo should match the tone of the article, the tone of the caption should match the tone of the photo.

Captions should be informative and engaging. Often, the first thing a reader will look at in an article is the photos and then the caption. Frequently, they’ll use the information therein to decide whether or not they’ll continue to read.

When writing captions, students must avoid redundancy. They need to add information to that which is already available to the reader by looking at the image.

There’s no point merely describing in words what the reader can clearly see with their own two eyes. Students should describe things that are not immediately obvious, such as date, location, or the name of the event.

One last point, captions should be written in the present tense. By definition, the photo will show something that has happened already. Despite this, students should write as if the action in the image is happening right now.

Remind students that their captions should be brief; they must be careful not to waste words with such a tight format.

For this fun activity, you’ll need some old magazines and newspapers. Cut some of the photos out minus their captions. All the accompanying captions should be cut out and jumbled up. It’s the students’ job to match each image with the correct accompanying caption.

Students can present their decisions and explanations when they’ve finished.

A good extension exercise would be to challenge the students to write a superior caption for each of the images they’ve worked on.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR ARTICLE WRITING

Now your students have the key features of article writing sewn up tightly, let’s take a look at a few quick and easy tips to help them polish up their general article writing skills.

1. Read Widely – Reading widely, all manner of articles, is the best way students can internalize some of the habits of good article writing. Luckily, with the internet, it’s easy to find articles on any topic of interest at the click of a mouse.

2. Choose Interesting Topics – It’s hard to engage the reader when the writer is not themselves engaged. Be sure students choose article topics that pique their own interest (as far as possible!).

3. Research and Outline – Regardless of the type of article the student is writing, some research will be required. The research will help an article take shape in the form of an outline. Without these two crucial stages, articles run the danger of wandering aimlessly and, worse still, of containing inaccurate information and details.

4. Keep Things Simple – All articles are about communicating information in one form or another. The most effective way of doing this is to keep things easily understood by the reader. This is especially true when the topic is complex.

5. Edit and Proofread – This can be said of any type of writing, but it still bears repeating. Students need to ensure they comprehensively proofread and edit their work when they’ve ‘finished’. The importance of this part of the writing process can’t be overstated.

And to Conclude…

With time and plenty of practice, students will soon internalize the formula as outlined above.

This will enable students to efficiently research, outline, and structure their ideas before writing.

This ability, along with the general tips mentioned, will soon enable your students to produce well-written articles on a wide range of topics to meet the needs of a diverse range of audiences.

HUGE WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE

• Editors , Literary & Creative Writers

Writing for Newspapers: The Ultimate Guide

• Saheb Nanda
• December 16, 2022

Writing for Newspapers is often considered difficult. Let’s break the stigma and read this article on how to write for newspapers, the easy way!

People always love their name in print. These days, there are many online media websites that help people get published too, like VICE, BuzzFeed, Arré, etc. However, the satisfaction of getting published in newspapers is unmatched.

The aim of this article is to break the ice and also break the stigma of the idea that writing for newspapers is difficult. It is in fact, an easy and smooth task, if you follow the steps carefully and imbibe discipline in practising this art everyday. 

By the end of this article, you’ll have concrete knowledge on writing for newspapers and how to go about your first story. 

Let’s take a look at the things we will discuss in this article:

What is News Writing?

News Writing is a term made up of two separate words – news and writing. The simple elaboration of this term is the act of writing for newspapers or journals. News Writing can also be termed as Journalism, where a person writes reports for a newspaper or a journal.

Types of News Writing

There are various types of News Writing, but let’s just discuss two in this article – Soft News and Hard News.

According to YourDictionary , “‘Hard news’ focuses on hard facts, emphasising the ‘News’ and ‘Impact’ aspects of the story and generally downplaying ‘Context’ and ‘Emotion’. A good hard news story deals in provable facts and direct quotes. If it draws any conclusions, those conclusions must be deductive, provable from the facts provided in the story.

In a student newspaper, a hard news story might relay details regarding an upcoming fundraiser for band camp.”

As we can observe, Hard News focuses on strong reporting, which could leave people wondering and pondering. 

According to YourDictionary again, “‘Soft news’ isn’t less important or less rigorous than ‘hard news’. It just focuses more on the ‘Context’ and ‘Emotion’ aspects of the story, deemphasising ‘News’ and ‘Impact’. Obviously, to be a news story at all, even the “softest” story must have some facts. Good soft news allows for more induction and reflection on the part of the writer, and prioritises presenting a story that connects with the reader.

Using a similar context as the hard news example above, a soft news story may discuss why band camp is so important to one student in particular.”

The Impact of Writing for Newspapers

When you write for newspapers, you directly spread awareness about your field of writing to a wide audience. 

If you write about everything lifestyle, you let people know about the many things about celebrities, songs, movies, or books that people usually don’t know or would like to know more about.

If you write ‘news’ in general, you apprise people about the things going on in the world around them, helping them become aware about their surroundings, the mishaps, the good news, and the happy things people should know about. 

As Positive News writes, “Another finding was that positive news stories lead to an increase in hope and optimism. This in turn made news consumers more likely to notice positivity and become more solutions-oriented, creating a ‘positive feedback loop’.

Participants in the study reported higher levels of what is known as ‘active coping’: being able to approach and engage with a problem rather than avoiding it. In a media landscape where many audiences avoid news because of an excess of negativity, caused by what Jackson refers to as a “negativity bias”, genuine positive news can engage audiences and empower them to respond to problems.”

How to Start Your Newspaper Writing Journey

Write for your school/college newspaper.

A great way to dive into the pool of journalism and news writing is writing for your school or college newspaper . If you’re still a student, it’s easier for you to begin your newspaper writing career.

You now must be wondering how school or college newspapers work. Generally, there is an editorial press or an editorial team that works on the campus newspaper. Get in touch with the concerned people, and you can become a part of the editorial team.

The easiest content you can write is an account about a star student or a star faculty member in your school/college. For this, you need to research their profiles and interview them to gather information. Other things you can write are book reviews or insightful features where you can educate people about a specific topic. Otherwise, campus newspapers revolve around the ongoing things within the campus. A great college newspaper is the DU Beat which is run by the students of Delhi University.

We know how taxing it can be to write something and try to look for newspapers who will accept your pitch or proposal. And that is exactly why we’re here, so you can sit back, and have writers.noticebard.com do all the talking and explaining!

Let’s take a look at this Ultimate Guide for Writing for Newspapers!

• Step #1: Read the Newspaper Daily

As important as it is to research the topic you’re writing about, it is also of prime importance to go through the daily newspapers each day in the morning. The reason we mention ‘morning’ is because that’s when most of our mind functions and grasps knowledge the best. 

Skimming through the pages of especially the columns you specialise writing in will help you get a hang of the writing style that newspapers accept and approve. You understand how to frame your lead, how to summarise the story, how to go about explaining things in detail so they don’t sound boring, and even how to end your article. But don’t ‘skim through the pages’ for real. Instead, study them deeply and know that you’re doing this to learn about the art of writing for newspapers.

• Step #2: Structure an Outline for Your Story 

Before you get your hands dirty with all the writing and enjoying every second of it (because we know how exciting this can be!), you need to establish a structure. That is exactly how we write our articles on writers.noticebard.com . We prepare a structure for it – the table of contents, the ultimate area of discussion, the points for whatever goes into the article, the summary, basically everything!

You can build your story afterwards based on your outline. Just open a Google Doc, bifurcate the stanzas according to where you think the important points should be included in the article, and then start writing your story finally.

As Times of India says it, “The best way to structure a newspaper article is to first write an outline. Review your research and notes. Then jot down the ideas for the following six sections. Remember, this is just a foundation on which you can build your story.”

Another great reason why you should first prepare an outline for your story is that you won’t forget to include important details this way. Let’s say you want to talk about the background of that girl who lost her mother in a road accident in a news story or you want to talk about the ingredients that go into the chocolate cinnamon rolls in your food account for the lifestyle column of the newspaper, you will always remember to include those details if you’re first preparing a structure.

Preparing a structure or an outline for your idea is basically like preparing notes and scribbling in your diary. This is a great practice that simply helps you remember things.

• Step #3: Interview People, Gather Sources, Research

At writers.noticebard.com , we try to interview people for the pieces we write as much as possible. There are many advantages to this. The more sources you quote, the more credible your information will be, considering it contains the opinions of not just one writer or reporter, but of various sources. Try to do this as much as you can.

When it comes to researching various things, don’t use non-reliant sources or websites which don’t give enough information or that which you doubt even the slightest. Quote newsworthy and valuable information, but don’t make things too clickbaity too. While it’s best to keep your take brief and simple with minimal flowery language, it’s also important to gather to-the-point information while gathering quotes from your interview pieces, or conducting research.

Writer’s Digest says, “ Thoroughly research the interviewee, learn everything you can about them and how they fit into the topic you’re covering. Know beforehand how this person’s knowledge, story, or viewpoint will contribute to the piece. From your research you should already have a sense of what they’ll say, just make sure you tailor your questions accordingly to get the desired response.”

When you know who you’re going to approach, it makes it easier for you to make conversation and break the ice. Make sure you add only those elements of the interview which add value to the piece, and that you don’t paste everything in your story just for the sake of putting it there.

• Step #4: Prepare the Headline for Your Article

Think of a great way you could use your headline to pitch your story to the newspaper editors. The headline works like magic if you are proposing your idea to somebody. It briefly tells the reader about what you’re going to talk about, but softly also teases the reader since it doesn’t give everything away and always seeks more attention from the reader. 

Times of India says, “This is a brief, noticeable statement about the incident. The title of your article should be attractive and up to the point.”

North Dakota State University also smartly points out, “Even if it happened in the past, we emphasise present tense, perhaps because in the media business we want to emphasise NOW, not old stuff that already happened. It sounds more fresh to write “Mayor supports zoning proposal” than “Mayor supported zoning proposal at meeting.” 

A standard head in active voice, then, could be something like “Twins win 2 in opener.” “President supports tax cut bill.” “Senator vows to fight sugar proposal.” You can use passive voice, perhaps because it fits the space better, but it’s not as lively: “Tax cut bill supported.””

Important advice. Let’s keep this in mind!

• Step #5: Don’t Forget Your Byline

The byline comes straight after you mention your headline. This part of the proposal states your full name and lets the readers know you.

• Step #6: Take the Lead!

The lead or as some people call it, lede, is one of the most important elements of your newspaper story. It briefly summarises the whole article and is the most captivating opening to what you’ve written for your readers.

The College of Liberal Arts at Purdue Online Writing Lab says, “Before writing a lead, decide which aspect of the story – who, what, when, where, why, how – is most important. You should emphasise those aspects in your lead. Wait to explain less important aspects until the second or third sentence.”

There are various types of leads, out of which, summary lead is the most traditional and widely used type of lead, which covers all the 5 Ws and Hs – who, what, when, where, why, and how, and also does this in a very short sentence.

The lead or the lede is the first impression of your article on your readers, after of course, the headline. So be careful with it!

• Step #7: Craft Your Storyline

Quoting Times of India again, “Once you set the stage with a good lead, follow a well-written story that includes facts from your research and quotes from people you interviewed. Detail any events in chronological order. Use active voice – not passive voice – when possible and write in clear, short, direct sentences.”

Your story basically forms the entire piece. It makes or breaks your effort when it comes to turning your outline into a storyline. Take your time with it, don’t go with your first instinct, edit, go back, edit again, until you finally have something you’re proud of sharing with millions of people out there.

• Step #8: Final Steps Before Pitching

Once you’re done preparing your story and putting it fresh on the table, there are some final steps that will help you be absolutely sure that you’re ready to pitch your piece. First, read your article aloud to yourself to spot tiny mistakes. This is the best way to catch yourself red-handed!

Then, show it to people you trust, like friends and family, and take honest feedback/reviews from them for how you wrote and prepared your article. A layman will always give you the best advice for a newspaper article, considering they’re the ones who are going to read it at the end of the day.

Try to also take feedback from literary people who are experienced in this field. Afterall, even if the layman is going to read your piece finally, you still need some expert advice to strictly examine your performance. 

• Step #9: Submit Your Pitch

It’s time to finally submit your pitch to the editors of various newspapers. All the best!

Writing for Newspapers is no rocket science. All it takes is some knowledge of the correct technique used in writing your story. Editors are friendly and just like us, so never hesitate in reaching out to anybody whenever you’re stuck.

Let’s summarise our article on Writing for Newspapers: The Ultimate Guide, in these 9 steps:

Happy Writing and Pitching!

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How to write newspaper articles.

While educating myself with a correspondence writing course, I wrote a number of articles for local newspapers. Although I always wanted to write fiction, the course advised starting with non-fiction and journalism. This is because it is a lot easier to sell a newspaper article than a book, especially if you're writing a piece of local interest and are approaching a local publication.

Having an article published gives you valuable experience in dealing with editors and how they edit (or, in some cases, butcher) your work to make it fit the page.

Writing a gig or theatre review makes an excellent starting point. If the gig is local and you write well, a local paper is likely to use your work. That’s how I started – I wrote a review for a band I played in. Admittedly, this was a bit cheeky, but being in the band meant I knew the music and knew no one else from the paper was there to review the gig. This allowed me to write about the band and the performance convincingly.

To write an article, you need an angle. When the smoking ban was first introduced in the UK, I decided to do a piece on it as I had a friend who ran a local pub. I interviewed him, talking about the impact it was having on his business. The editor loved the local angle and the article went straight in the next edition. A really simple idea, but it worked. By using local contacts, you can produce something unique that no one else might have thought of or be able to write.

I’ve discovered that one thing to avoid when doing this kind of freelance journalism is voicing your own opinion. No one cares what you think. Readers just want the facts so they can make up their own minds. I found editors tend to strip anything out that is opinion based rather than factual. You can describe what happened and allow an interviewee to talk and give their perspective, but your own thoughts are not needed. This technique seems to work well. Remaining unbiased results in a higher success rate.

I can’t really talk in any great depth about this as fiction is my first love and I simply used article writing as a stepping stone to gain experience with having work edited and published. However, the experience I gained from doing this has proved invaluable. For any kind of writer, journalism makes an excellent starting point.

Below are copies of some of the articles I’ve had published in local press; the Bristol Evening Post and the South Avon Mercury.

Bristol Evening Post - Valentine's Day Article - February 14th 2004

click image to view full article in new tab

back to top

Mercury - Ye Gods! Gig Review - November 11th 2004

Mercury - Smoking Ban Article - December 9th 2004

Mercury - Brain Busters - February 3rd 2005

Mercury - Valentine's Day Article - February 3rd 2005

Bristol Evening Post - Vic Du Monte - April 28th 2005

Mercury - Vic Du Monte - September 29th 2005

Bristol Evening Post - Vic Du Monte - September 29th 2005

Mercury - Ye Gods! Album Release - December 8th 2005

Mercury - Portishead Carnival Article - March 30th 2006

Mercury - Lands End to John O Groats Charity Ride - June 2007

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Stan P Hello. I'm from Pittsburgh, PA. Every time I contact a newspaper outside of Pittsburgh (National and Regional Newspapers) I get turned down because I am not local. How can I get published in other newspapers when they only accept local writers.

Chris Fielden Hi Stan. In my experience, for local papers, you have to come up with a story with a local angle. That was the only way I got into them, apart from in Bristol (where I live) because I’m a local writer. Or tie a story in with local events.

For example, I sent bacon into space once (crazy project…) and got into a Wiltshire (UK) area newspaper and on the local radio because they had an event all about locally sourced ham (Wiltshire is famous for it). Bit of an extreme example, but hopefully you see what I mean. The bacon in the project made it newsworthy for that area at that time.

Re the nationals: you’d need a really strong story to get into one of them – it’s very competitive and they often have in-house staff to contend with too. Still, if the story is strong and original and/or you have a unique interview or information or something newsworthy, most editors would still consider it.

I’ll admit, it’s been a long time since I wrote for a newspaper – about 6 or 7 years – but that was my experience of it at the time.

I hope that’s helpful.

Mani P Dear sir, I'd like you to write articles for our newly opened restaurant, in the Toronto Star or any other famous news paper in Toronto Etobicoke. Can you help me with that ?

Chris Fielden Hi Mani. I don't undertake that kind of writing anymore I'm afraid - I concentrate on fiction.

I'd recommend working with a Canadian author who understands the local publications.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Ravi A Hello. How can send you my articles to be published in news papers? I'm a writer and want to develop my career. Can you help me to publish my articles in news papers?

Chris Fielden Hi Ravi. I'm afraid I can't publish articles for you, as I don't run a newspaper. The best way to go about submitting your articles is to buy copies of newspapers you are interested in and read them so you understand the kind of stories they publish. Then read their submission guidelines and get in touch with them directly to pitch your ideas. In my experience, that's the best way to do it.

I hope that's helpful and wish you the best of luck with your writing.

Jemma U That was useful.

Chris Fielden Thanks, Jemma :-)

Grace J Thank you for the information! I am currently a year 8 (or grade 7, if you are in America) student who is planning to make a school newspaper with friends!

Chris Fielden No problem, Grace! That's awesome news about your school newspaper. Please let me know when you get it off the ground - would love to take a look at it :-)

Penchalaiah K How do I write for an English newspaper?

Chris Fielden Hi Penchalaiah. Most newspapers have contact details on their website. Some have submission guidelines too. So the best bet it to start there :)

Amarachi P I am Amarachi from Nigeria. I have been asked to write an article for publication on a newspaper on my experience as the football captain at my last school.

Chris Fielden That's great, Amarachi.

I wish you the best of luck with writing your article - it sounds really interesting :-)

Valerie T Hi,  I'm  Valerie. I've been asked to write and publish an article as an assignment in school. Can you give me any advice on what topics or areas to write on?

Chris Fielden Hi Valerie. It depends where you hope to have the article published. If you're going for a local newspaper (which is a good place to start) then an article concerning something of local interest might be good. For example, when the smoking ban was implemented in the UK, I interviewed a pub landlord in the town I live in about the impact it was having on his business and a local newspaper published it.

You could also consider contacting one of your local publications, explaining your situation and asking them if they would like you to write about anything specific.

I hope that helps and wish you the best of luck with your assignment.

Chioma N I am Chioma from Nigeria. I am 16 yrs old. I really want to know more about being a journalist. Can you teach me? Thank you.

Chris Fielden Hi Chioma, thank you for your message.

I used to do a lot of writing for newspapers, but I now concentrate on fiction writing and running my blog, so I can't help you I'm afraid.

There are many online writing courses. I'd research some of them as a starting point. Try checking out your local universities - many unis run journalism courses. Or try the Open University and similar educational facilities that operate online learning options.

I hope that helps and wish you the best of luck with your writing :-)

Chioma N Thank you.

Chris Fielden You're welcome, Chioma :-)

Ejoh E I'm a content creator, writer for Cheap SEO Articles but I want to become a freelancer. I tried writing for someone once and he complained. He said it was too short and jumbled. I felt the article was fine. What can I do to make my article better?

Chris Fielden Hi Ejoh. Thank you for your message.

I'd recommend having a couple of articles critiqued. You can do that via a paid service, like the critique service I offer on my website .

Or you can look at platforms that offer free critiques. I list details of those in this resource .

I hope that's helpful and wish you the best of luck with your writing :-)

Eamonn M Good article, Chris. It came up when I googled article writing so your SEOs are working!

I used to write humorous articles for the Bristol Evening Post and was paid about £30 each for them, not bad back in the 1980s. I don't think they pay anything now but I'm thinking of article writing to keep my brain in gear. I'm giving up on short stories. Even the tiniest non-paying mag gets hundreds of submissions a month now. As for novels, there are 8 billion on Amazon and 8 billion authors tweeting at you to buy their book. I can't give mine away. Also, friends and family read articles. No one except my brother is the least bit interested in fantasy and SF.

I enjoyed your short story book and must review it on Amazon. All your advice was sound but there are so many short story writers now that even the lowest paying obscure online zines get hundreds of submissions every month. One's chance of acceptance is getting lower and of money almost zero. Not much reward for the effort.

Chris Fielden Thanks for your comment, Eamonn.

Sorry to hear you're giving up on fiction writing. You're right about the number of authors and submissions, but I find a dogged approach still works. Everyone experiences rejections, but if you keep trying, acceptances still occur. I'd urge you to keep trying.

Article writing can earn you money, depending on who your write for and what you write about. I hope that works well for you. And if you enjoy it, that's great. I find non-fiction easier to write. Well... "easier" might be the wrong word. "Quicker" might be more accurate. Fiction takes me a long time to write. Making things up requires more thought, I think. Writing a bit of fiction and non-fiction is good, though. Each inspires the other. I find the same with music. Working in different creative mediums works well for me. Maybe it will work for you too?

All the best to you.

Paul K Dear Chris, thanks very much for sharing some of the experiences that you had and have made you a great writer in this world. I have perused a few of your articles above and I can tell you're a wonderful writer. My name is Paul, and I'm from Malawi. I once published my pieces of article ranging from short fiction  stories to opinions etc. I'm not a full writer by myself because I have never been trained in writing. I did all these writings out of my interest, and passion. I really  need to pursue this career as one of the best African writer. Dear brother, I need to get good advise from you. For sure, I am not able to pay for a journalism institution as it is very expensive compared to the little income that I earn.

The other thing is that, how can I link with the local newspaper so that I can eventually send my article? Do I need to go to there respective offices and ask for an opportunity  to tribute my stories? How did you do yours?

Please help me with any information you can.

Chris Fielden Hi Paul, thank you for your message.

In my experience, it's best to contact the paper directly. I used to email ideas and articles to the editor and they would let me know if they wanted to print any of them. As I worked with the papers more, I got to know the editors and, on occasion, would meet up with them. That's because they were in my local area.

My advice would be to research the papers in your local area, or publications that deal with your area of expertise, and see what they want from journalists and writers. I started off doing a peice for my writing course about Valentine's Day and the local paper published it because the timing was right and they wanted something on that subject matter at that time - I sent it to them a week or two before Valentien's Day. Then I went on to do gig reviews and articles of local interest. That worked for the publications I was dealing with.

I hope that helps and I wish you the best of luck with your writing journey.

The copyright of the stories and content published on this website remain with the author.

Christopher Fielden and all the other contributing authors published via this website have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of these works.

The stories and articles on this site are provided for you to read free of charge subject to the condition that they are not, by way of trade or otherwise, copied, lent, sold, hired out, printed or otherwise circulated in any format without the author’s prior consent.

How To Write An Article Your Readers Can’t Wait To Click On In 6 Easy Steps

Here, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to write an article your audience loves and common challenges you’ll encounter on the way. Plus, we include an expert interview.

If you’re a freelancer or business owner, regularly posting high-quality articles on your blog allows you to get an enormous amount of organic traffic. It also increases social awareness and brings in leads without you having to actively look for them.

Without a blog, you’ll have only a few inbound leads, and little promotional content and no social following.

Considering all these benefits, why do freelancers and business owners not post regularly, or worse yet, have no web presence at all?

Maybe they think writing articles regularly is a hassle and maintaining a blog is a pain. While this may be true, it doesn’t have to be. All you need is a method of producing high-quality content regularly so people will click on your articles, sign up for your newsletter and buy your product or service.

You’re probably asking how you can constantly produce quality content that people love to read. Keep reading to find out!

Draw Readers Through Substance

Structure so readers consume your entire post, optimize your article for seo, step 1: establish what your audience wants, step 2: choose an appealing topic, step 3: pick your keyword, step 4: write an outline, step 5: write the first draft without editing it, step 6: edit your first draft several times, final word: how to write an article, how do you end an article, how do i make my article more readable, [interview]: creating remarkable content with nate weiner, founder of pocket, what makes a good article.

Before you can write a high-quality article, you must first understand what a good article looks like, or you’ll just be throwing spaghetti against a wall and hoping something sticks.

For an article to be considered high-quality, it must tick the following boxes:

Think of them as the 3 S’s. 

Substance is a fancy way of asking why readers should choose to read your article over someone else’s.

The good news is that you don’t have to create substance. It’s already out there. You simply need to find it.

One of the most basic ways to find substance is to check the front page of Google, look for the longest and most detailed article relating to your keyword and double your word count. This ensures your article is more valuable than anything else on Google, and readers will have a reason to choose you.

For example, if you’re planning to write an article on how to overcome writer’s block , and the most detailed post on the front page of Google is 2,500 words, write an article with 5,000 words. This technique doesn’t require truckloads of creativity . You simply need to help the reader more than your competition does.

The second S stands for structure.

Structuring a post is an artform since you can have the most helpful content on Google, but nobody will read your article if you don’t know how to keep a reader’s attention.

The first step to keeping a reader’s attention is to write longer and more specific headlines. According to Brian Dean , headlines that are 14-17 words in length generate 76.7% more social shares than short headlines.

The biggest reason longer headlines work is that the practice forces you to be more specific with your articles. If you write an article on how to get more traffic, it’s general and doesn’t appeal to a specific demographic. Remember the golden rule of marketing: If you target everyone, you end up targeting nobody.

Consider writing an article instead on how to get more local web traffic as a dentist. Then your audience is more likely to click on your article because it helps them with a specific problem.

When you start writing, visualize yourself holding your reader’s hand and helping them achieve their goals while avoiding potholes along the way. 

This way, you answer your audience’s questions as they pop up.

SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s how your readers find your articles. You must optimize for SEO because it tells Google what your article is about, and they’ll rank it higher.

Although SEO might seem complicated and intimidating, it isn’t. Yes, there are countless ways to optimize your content for Google, but if you’re starting out, keep it simple.

First, find one main keyword that’s easy to gain rank and gets good amounts of organic traffic. When starting out, a free tool like Ubersuggest will get the job done. Normally the easiest keywords to gain rank are long-tail keywords, but use only one in each post. Using more than one confuses Google, since the algorithm doesn’t know what your article is actually about.

Once you’ve targeted a keyword that’s easy to rank, use it in your title, introduction, conclusion, H2’s, and H3s. As a rule of thumb, use your keyword as much as possible without stuffing. Remember, you’re writing for your readers, not Google. A search engine knows when you’re keyword stuffing, and they’ll punish you for it.

Now that you know what a high-quality article looks like, how do you create one?

Before you start writing, you must first understand what your audience wants. This is easier than it sounds. You simply need to find out the biggest problems your audience is facing and solve them with your blog post. Tools like Google, Reddit and Facebook groups will provide your audience’s burning questions.

For example, if you own a coffee blog targeted to busy entrepreneurs, common problems they face include:

• Ineffectiveness
• Lack of motivation
• Afternoon slump
• Early alarm.

After you’ve gathered a list of problems your audience faces, it’s time to move onto step 2.

This step is easy because if you’ve completed step 1, you already know what problems your audience faces. Now it’s almost like filling in blanks. Simply present your blog post as the solution to their problem.

A big mistake most people make is writing an essay or an article about a broad topic. The more specific your article is, the better. Using the example above, instead of writing a post about how to beat fatigue, you could split it into 3 different specific articles:

• How To Wake Up Earlier As An Entrepreneur And Not Feel Like A Zombie
• How To Beat The Infamous Afternoon Slump As An Entrepreneur
• Tips For Staying Up Late As An Entrepreneur And Being Productive.

These articles all appeal to specific types of entrepreneurs, and they’ll be more likely to click and read the full article since you’re solving a problem specific to them.

Now that you’ve identified problems your audience faces and come up with topics to solve those specific problems, it’s time to research.

Before you start writing, it’s a good idea to know what your competition is writing about. The best way to do this is to search Google for the keyword you’re targeting and go through every article on the front page. of Google.

This gives you a basic idea of how front-page articles look, and you’ll be able to create a better and more detailed article.

Creating an outline gives your post structure, and this increases the time readers spend perusing your article.

Your article’s outline should include:

• An eye-catching headline
• An introduction that hooks your reader
• H2s and H3s that solve your audience’s problems
• A conclusion that summarizes everything you’ve covered.

Creating an outline also makes writing your article easy. You feel like you’re just filling in blanks.

Now it’s time to start writing, but this is where most people get stuck. They over-analyze their work and expect to write a perfect first draft.

This is the biggest reason for writer’s block. You’ll obviously feel stuck because you’re expecting yourself to do something impossible. Your first draft will be terrible, and that’s fine. You can always edit after you’re finished.

Instead of judging your work, complete your entire first draft without making a single edit. This allows your creative juices to flow. After a few minutes, you’ll experience the flow state every writer seeks.

Want more info on what tools to use? Check out our guide to the best writing apps .

Now that you’ve completed your first draft, it’s time to edit ruthlessly. A helpful trick is to change the font of your text and print the draft on a sheet of paper before editing.

This tricks your brain into thinking you’re reading a different piece, and you’ll be more likely to catch small errors.

After you’ve self-edited your article , optimize it for SEO. This involves adding your main keyword in your title, introduction, conclusion, H2s and H3s. 

If you can afford it, invest in a tool like MarketMuse or Clearscope and paste your article in there. These SEO tools compare your article to the top-ranking articles on the web and tell you where to improve your SEO.

Tip: Don’t forget to use a grammar checker .

Article writing is a great way to help your audience solve their problems, increase brand awareness and build a following. For most people, article writing is a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be. With this 6-step process, you’ll be pumping out front-page content all the time.

How to Write an Article FAQs

When ending an article, summarize everything you’ve covered in your blog post and give your reader actionable steps for overcoming their problems and achieving their goals. This prevents them from feeling lost after reading your article.

Whether you’re writing a news article or a post to help your audience, you want to include several bullet points, subheads, numbered lists and images. This helps readers skim over your article.

Pocket is one of my favourite productivity apps. I use it to save interesting articles to my phone and read them on the go. I also like that it shows me the types of popular non-fiction articles other writers have published. This helps me figure out how to improve my writing.

Nate Weiner and his team created Pocket in 2007, initially calling their app ReadItLater. Like many products, it was born out of need.

In this podcast episode, Weiner explains:

• How to write non-fiction articles and content that people read and share
• What you should know about the reading habits of your audience
• Why reading isn’t going anywhere, any time soon (as a father of kids who spend a lot of time using tablets, this was encouraging.)

And lots more.

If you’d like to learn more, check this article I wrote for Forbes based on my interview with Weiner.

Pocket CEO Nate Weiner Explains How To Create A Top Productivity App

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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10 Easy Steps: How to Write a Newspaper Article Template

Step 1: Understand the Purpose of a Newspaper Article

A newspaper article is a written piece of journalism that provides information about current events , news, or other topics of interest to the public. It aims to inform, educate, and engage readers by presenting facts, opinions, and analysis in a concise and objective manner.

What is the purpose of a newspaper article?

The purpose of a newspaper article is to deliver news and information to the readers in a clear and unbiased way. It should provide the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a story, and present different perspectives to give a comprehensive view of the topic.

Step 2: Choose a Newsworthy Topic

Before you start writing a newspaper article , you need to select a newsworthy topic that will capture the attention of your readers. Look for current events, local stories, or issues that are relevant and interesting to your target audience

How to choose a newsworthy topic?

When choosing a newsworthy topic, consider the following factors:

• Relevance: Is the topic timely and significant to your readers?
• Impact: Does the topic have a direct impact on people's lives or society?
• Uniqueness: Is the story different from what has already been covered?
• Human interest: Does the topic evoke emotions or connect with readers on a personal level?

Step 3: Research and Gather Information

Once you have chosen a topic, it's time to gather information and conduct thorough research. This step is crucial to ensure the accuracy and credibility of your newspaper article.

How to research and gather information?

To research and gather information for your newspaper article:

• Read books, articles, and other reliable sources related to your topic.
• Interview experts, eyewitnesses, or individuals involved in the story.
• Attend events, conferences, or meetings related to your topic.
• Use online databases , search engines , and social media platforms to find relevant information.

Step 4: Create an Outline

An outline is a roadmap that helps you organize your thoughts and structure your newspaper article. It ensures that you cover all the essential elements and maintain a logical flow throughout your writing

How to create an outline for a newspaper article?

To create an outline for your newspaper article:

• Start with a catchy headline that summarizes the main idea of your article.
• Write a compelling introduction that grabs the reader's attention and provides a brief overview of the topic.
• Divide the body of your article into sections or paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the story.
• Include relevant facts, quotes, statistics, and examples to support your points.
• Conclude your article by summarizing the main points and leaving the reader with a thought-provoking statement or call to action.

Step 5: Write the Article

Now that you have gathered all the necessary information and created an outline, it's time to start writing your newspaper article. Follow the structure and style of traditional newspaper articles to ensure clarity and readability.

How to write a newspaper article?

When writing a newspaper article, keep the following tips in mind:

• Use a clear and concise writing style .
• Start with the most important information and gradually provide more details.
• Write in the third person and use objective language.
• Use short sentences and paragraphs to enhance readability.
• Include quotes from relevant sources to add credibility and variety to your article.
• Proofread and edit your article for grammar , spelling, and punctuation errors.

Step 6: Add Visual Elements

Visual elements such as images, infographics, charts, and graphs can enhance the visual appeal and understanding of your newspaper article. They provide additional context and engage readers on a different level.

How to add visual elements to a newspaper article?

To add visual elements to your newspaper article:

• Select high-quality images or illustrations that are relevant to your topic.
• Create infographics, charts, or graphs to present data or statistics.
• Ensure that the visual elements are properly credited and comply with copyright laws.
• Place the visual elements strategically throughout your article to complement the text.

Step 7: Edit and Revise

Editing and revising are essential steps in the newspaper article writing process . They help improve the clarity, coherence, and overall quality of your article.

How to edit and revise a newspaper article?

To edit and revise your newspaper article:

• Read your article aloud to identify any awkward or unclear sentences.
• Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
• Ensure that your article follows a logical structure and flows smoothly.
• Remove any unnecessary or repetitive information.
• Ask a colleague or friend to review your article and provide feedback.

Step 8: Format and Publish

Formatting your newspaper article correctly is crucial to ensure that it is visually appealing and easy to read. Once you have finalized your article, it's time to publish it and share it with your audience.

How to format and publish a newspaper article?

To format and publish your newspaper article:

• Use a standard font and font size for the body text.
• Include a headline that accurately reflects the content of your article.
• Add a byline with your name and the date of publication.
• Consider the layout and design of your article, including columns, subheadings, and bullet points.
• Proofread your article one final time before publishing it.

Step 9: Promote and Share

Once your newspaper article is published, it's important to promote and share it to reach a wider audience. Utilize various marketing channels and strategies to maximize the visibility and impact of your article.

How to promote and share a newspaper article?

To promote and share your newspaper article:

• Share it on your website or blog.
• Post it on social media platforms , such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
• Send it to relevant influencers or journalists who might be interested in your topic.
• Include a link to your article in your email newsletter or marketing campaigns .
• Engage with your audience by responding to comments and feedback.

By following these 10 easy steps, you can create a newspaper article template that effectively communicates your message and engages your readers. Remember to stay objective, provide accurate information, and present different perspectives to ensure the credibility and impact of your article.

Over 15,763 SEO agencies and brands are using AtOnce to rank higher on Google.

It lets you write hundreds of articles on any topic, giving you more clicks to your site.

Get more traffic and sales — without wasting months of your time.

What are the key elements of a newspaper article template?

The key elements of a newspaper article template include a headline, byline, dateline, lead paragraph, body paragraphs, and a closing paragraph. Additionally, it should include quotes, facts, and relevant information to support the story.

How should I structure the headline for a newspaper article template?

The headline for a newspaper article template should be concise and attention-grabbing. It should accurately summarize the main point or focus of the article. Additionally, it should be written in title case and use active verbs to make it more engaging.

What is the purpose of the lead paragraph in a newspaper article template?

The lead paragraph, also known as the lede, is the opening paragraph of a newspaper article template. Its purpose is to provide a brief summary of the most important information of the article, including the who, what, when, where, why, and how. It should hook the reader and entice them to continue reading the rest of the article.

Asim Akhtar

Asim is the CEO & founder of AtOnce. After 5 years of marketing & customer service experience, he's now using Artificial Intelligence to save people time.

More From Forbes

Keep a daily “wins journal” to increase stamina and motivation.

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starting a wins journal

When pursuing an important long-term goal, it’s helpful to notice and appreciate the small accomplishments along the way. Acknowledging little victories boosts energy and motivation, increasing stamina for the long haul. Of course, small successes may also bring benefits themselves. Meeting a quarterly sales goal not only makes you more likely to hit your annual sales objective but also increases customers and revenue now .

Good managers help teams track successes and acknowledge small wins, but not everyone has a good manager. Some people, such as freelancers and solopreneurs, have no manager at all. If you don’t have anyone tracking your daily or weekly accomplishments—or even if you do, but still find yourself focusing on what you haven’t done while brushing off what you have—it may be time to make a practice of noticing little victories yourself. Last week, the New York Times ran an article related to spring cleaning, not careers, but the title expresses the same theme- In Praise of Tiny Triumphs .

One good way to track triumphs: keep a “wins journal.”

Write Your Way Forward

We’ve all read by now about the power of writing a gratitude journal (and maybe even seen articles on how to start one, such as this post on the Greater Good Science Center ). As studies show, shifting our focus from what we lack to what we’re grateful for can increase happiness and decrease depression. A “wins journal” is similar to a gratitude diary in that it has a specific focus—but with a different goal: helping you notice and record your victories; no success is too small.

Expressive and reflective writing in general have been shown to help release anxiety and stress, increase clarity and focus, and even improve your sleep. A study of a six-week journaling intervention for people who had experienced upheaval concluded that the practice “increases resilience, and decreases depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and rumination.” All of these benefits make personal writing a good habit to develop when it comes to supporting your career success. As this recent article in Forbes notes, “Journaling has emerged as a potent instrument for enhancing productivity, self-awareness, and success in the professional realm.”

‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Season Finale Review — Super Easy, Barely An Inconvenience

The top 10 richest people in the world (april 2024), the russians sent a platoon of grenade hurling robotic mini tanks into battle the ukrainians blew up the bots in the usual way with drones.

Recording wins can be a particularly powerful career-enhancement tool because it puts you in a progress mindset. As an article in Harvard Business Review puts it, “The more frequently people experience a feeling of progress, the more likely they are to be creatively productive in the long run. Whether they are trying to solve a major scientific mystery or simply produce a high-quality product or service, everyday progress—even a small win—can make all the difference in how they feel and perform.”

Helping Employees Harness the Power of Journaling

If you’re a manager, you can help employees track wins by giving them a journal expressly for this purpose—such as this Wins Journal by Jacqueline Kademian, or one from this selection of wins journals in different colors and patterns. Or, you could work writing into their weekly routine. Laura Hume, an Austin-based HR and human capital consultant, previously at Ernst and Young and IBM, instituted a weekly journaling practice for her direct reports at IBM. She instructed them to record three “big rocks” from each week by end-of-day Friday. (An idea borrowed from Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , a “big rock” is anything someone considers important, including wins). She then referred to each person’s journal in weekly one-on-ones.

Hume initially wasn’t focused on tracking small wins to motivate employees, but rather to make meetings more efficient. “On the other hand”, she noted, “I would say that the documenting helps. We were looking at it as a team and we were having the accountability of a leader looking at it too.” The journal created a record of effort. “Looking back over it, I think I noticed - and they noticed - what we hadn’t done. That motivated us.”

Hume has been journaling since she was 11. “I love journals. I have all kinds of journal books.” Her employees didn’t share her love of writing, at least, not at first. But, “A couple of them came back afterward, during their annual reviews, and said it was incredibly helpful.”

Put Perfectionism In Its Place

Tracking small victories provides a daily boost of positive reinforcement, even from projects not yet finished or goals partially met. Acknowledging incremental progress can be a particularly helpful habit for people who hold themselves to extremely, or excessively, high standards. “We can get into a rut where we focus on what we want and don’t see what we have ,” says Ruth Klein, an author and executive coach who specializes in communications, productivity and mindset. “We don’t see the wins unless it’s like a million dollars. To achieve at a high degree is excellent, but to focus on perfection is being hard on oneself and not nurturing,”

Klein began encouraging clients to record small wins after trying it herself. “I’m a recovering perfectionist. There was a time when I felt that everything could be better. I’d get accolades, and it just wasn’t enough.” Klein started recording small victories, even bringing a notebook with her when she went out. “I began to see wins all over the place.”

Klein now uses wins journaling in “momentum groups” she leads, six-month-long accountability groups focusing on a range of topics from time management to courageousness. She has seen the practice pay off in increased confidence, momentum, and drive. “The way to be productive is to look for our wins, not dismiss them.” Making more calls? Getting one product feature right? Finding a coding bug? Resolving client issues? Each one is a win. “Catching the wins is in the center of everything.”

Notice How Work Victories Enhance Your Non-Career Life

While a wins journal can be helpful at work, it also can enhance your appreciation for successes outside of your career. Making a point to stop and record the roses—the small, pleasurable successes—can enhance your overall sense of contentment and joy. A personal small win might be a connection you made for someone else, a daily fitness goal achieved, or even an organizational task begun.

Or, in the case of a freelance writer in LA, tracking daily wins highlighted new ways in which her career contributed to her non-work life. “I used my writing and interviewing skills to help a dying family member start a legacy journal about her life, and then I shared some of her words at a memorial service, which turned out to be a powerful way to bring her spirit there. In another case, I tapped my professional network to get a top-notch editor for a musician friend working on a book. She said no one had ever done anything quite so supportive for her before. When writing down these wins, I realized how the years I’ve devoted to my career let me support others outside the competitive world of writing. It really gave me a new appreciation for the value of work, outside of work.”

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By Andy Greenberg

Hackers Found a Way to Open Any of 3 Million Hotel Keycard Locks in Seconds

When thousands of security researchers descend on Las Vegas every August for what's come to be known as “hacker summer camp,” the back-to-back Black Hat and Defcon hacker conferences, it's a given that some of them will experiment with hacking the infrastructure of Vegas itself, the city's elaborate array of casino and hospitality technology. But at one private event in 2022, a select group of researchers were actually invited to hack a Vegas hotel room, competing in a suite crowded with their laptops and cans of Red Bull to find digital vulnerabilities in every one of the room's gadgets, from its TV to its bedside VoIP phone.

One team of hackers spent those days focused on the lock on the room's door, perhaps its most sensitive piece of technology of all. Now, more than a year and a half later, they're finally bringing to light the results of that work: a technique they discovered that would allow an intruder to open any of millions of hotel rooms worldwide in seconds, with just two taps.

Today, Ian Carroll, Lennert Wouters, and a team of other security researchers are revealing a hotel keycard hacking technique they call Unsaflok . The technique is a collection of security vulnerabilities that would allow a hacker to almost instantly open several models of Saflok-brand RFID-based keycard locks sold by the Swiss lock maker Dormakaba. The Saflok systems are installed on 3 million doors worldwide, inside 13,000 properties in 131 countries.

By exploiting weaknesses in both Dormakaba's encryption and the underlying RFID system Dormakaba uses, known as MIFARE Classic, Carroll and Wouters have demonstrated just how easily they can open a Saflok keycard lock. Their technique starts with obtaining any keycard from a target hotel—say, by booking a room there or grabbing a keycard out of a box of used ones—then reading a certain code from that card with a $300 RFID read-write device, and finally writing two keycards of their own. When they merely tap those two cards on a lock, the first rewrites a certain piece of the lock's data, and the second opens it.

“Two quick taps and we open the door,” says Wouters, a researcher in the Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography group at the KU Leuven University in Belgium. “And that works on every door in the hotel.”

Wouters and Carroll, an independent security researcher and founder of travel website Seats.aero, shared the full technical details of their hacking technique with Dormakaba in November 2022. Dormakaba says that it's been working since early last year to make hotels that use Saflok aware of their security flaws and to help them fix or replace the vulnerable locks. For many of the Saflok systems sold in the last eight years, there's no hardware replacement necessary for each individual lock. Instead, hotels will only need to update or replace the front desk management system and have a technician carry out a relatively quick reprogramming of each lock, door by door.

Wouters and Carroll say they were nonetheless told by Dormakaba that, as of this month, only 36 percent of installed Safloks have been updated. Given that the locks aren't connected to the internet and some older locks will still need a hardware upgrade, they say the full fix will still likely take months longer to roll out, at the very least. Some older installations may take years.

“We have worked closely with our partners to identify and implement an immediate mitigation for this vulnerability, along with a longer-term solution,” Dormakaba wrote to WIRED in a statement, though it declined to detail what that “immediate mitigation” might be. “Our customers and partners all take security very seriously, and we are confident all reasonable steps will be taken to address this matter in a responsible way.”

Matt Burgess

R Douglas Fields

Kate O'Flaherty

The technique to hack Dormakaba's locks that Wouters and Carroll's research group discovered involves two distinct kinds of vulnerabilities: One that allows them to write to its keycards, and one that allows them to know what data to write to the cards to successfully trick a Saflok lock into opening. When they analyzed Saflok keycards, they saw that they use the MIFARE Classic RFID system, which has been known for more than a decade to have vulnerabilities that allow hackers to write to keycards, though the brute-force process can take as long as 20 seconds. They then cracked a part of Dormakaba's own encryption system, its so-called key derivation function, which allowed them to write to its cards far faster. With either of those tricks, the researchers could then copy a Saflok keycard at will, but still not generate one for a different room.

The researchers' more crucial step required them to obtain one of the lock programming devices that Dormakaba distributes to hotels, as well as a copy of its front desk software for managing keycards. By reverse engineering that software, they were able to understand all the data stored on the cards, pulling out a hotel property code as well as a code for each individual room, then create their own values and encrypt them just as Dormakaba's system would, allowing them to spoof a working master key that opens any room on the property. “You can make a card that really looks as if it was created by the software from Dormakaba, essentially,” says Wouters.

And how did Carroll and Wouters obtain Dormakaba's front desk software? “We nicely asked a few people,” Wouters says. “Manufacturers assume that no one will sell their equipment on eBay, and that no one will make a copy of their software, and those assumptions, I think everyone knows, are not really valid.”

Once they'd managed all that reverse engineering work, the final version of their attack could be pulled off with little more than a $300 Proxmark RFID read-write device and a couple of blank RFID cards, an Android phone, or a Flipper Zero radio hacking tool .

A Saflok branded lock.

The biggest caveat to the hackers' Unsaflok technique is that it still requires that they have a keycard—even an expired one—for a room somewhere in the same hotel as the room they're targeting. That's because each card has a property-specific code they need to read and then duplicate on their spoofed card, as well as a room-specific one.

Once they have that property code, the technique also requires using an RFID read-write device to write two cards—one card that reprograms a target lock as well as the second spoofed card that unlocks it. (An Android phone or a Flipper Zero could also be used to emit one signal after another instead of the two cards, the researchers say.) The researchers hint that the first card allows them to open a target room without guessing its unique identifier in the hotel's system, but declined to say exactly what that first card does. They're holding that element of the technique in confidence to avoid giving too clear a set of instructions to would-be intruders or thieves.

By contrast, one security researcher presented a similar hotel keycard hack that opened locks sold by the firm Onity at the Black Hat conference in 2012 with no such obfuscation, and allowed any hacker to build a device that opened any of Onity's 10 million locks worldwide. When Onity refused to pay for the hardware upgrades necessary to solve the problem and instead put the onus on its customers, the issue remained unfixed in many hotels—and eventually was exploited in at least one hacker's cross-country burglary spree .

Carroll and Wouters say that they're trying to avoid that scenario by taking a more cautious approach, while still warning the public about their technique, given that hundreds of properties will likely remain vulnerable to it even now that Dormakaba has offered its fix. “We're trying to find the middle ground of helping Dormakaba to fix it quickly, but also telling the guests about it," says Carroll. “If someone else reverse engineers this today and starts exploiting it before people are aware, that might be an even bigger problem.”

To that end, Carroll and Wouters point out that hotel guests can recognize the vulnerable locks most often—but not always—by their distinct design: a round RFID reader with a wavy line cutting through it. They suggest that if hotel guests do have a Saflok on their door, they can determine if it's been updated by checking their keycard with the NFC Taginfo app by NXP, available for iOS or Android . If the lock is manufactured by Dormakaba, and that app shows that the keycard is still a MIFARE Classic card, it's likely still vulnerable.

If that's the case, the two researchers say, there's not much to do other than avoid leaving valuables in the room and, when you're inside, bolt the chain on the door. They warn that the deadbolt on the room is also controlled by the keycard lock, so it doesn't provide an extra safeguard. “If someone locks the deadbolt, they’re still not protected,” says Carroll.

Even without a perfect or fully implemented fix, Wouters and Carroll argue, it's better for hotel guests to know the risks than to have a false sense of security. After all, they point out, the Saflok brand has been sold for more than three decades, and may have been vulnerable for much or all of those years. Though Dormakaba says it's not aware of any past use of Wouters and Carroll's technique, the researchers point out that doesn't mean it never happened in secret.

“We think the vulnerability has been there for a long time,” says Wouters. “It's unlikely that we are the first to find this.”

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Ukraine's Zelenskyy warns Putin will push Russia's war "very quickly" onto NATO soil if he's not stopped

By Charlie D'Agata , Justine Redman , Steve Berriman

Updated on: March 29, 2024 / 12:02 PM EDT / CBS News

Eastern Ukraine —  Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met our CBS News team at an undisclosed, bombed-out building in the far east of his country. Bombed-out buildings aren't hard to come by here.

With spring approaching, Zelenskyy said Ukraine 's forces had managed to hold off Russian advances through the worst of the winter months.

"We have stabilized the situation. It is better than it used to be two or three months ago when we had a big deficit of artillery ammunition, different kinds of weapons," he said, "We totally didn't see the big, huge counteroffensive from Russia... They didn't have success."

"We need help now":  Zelenskyy says Russian offensive looming 

But Zelenskyy acknowledged that the invading Russian troops and their seemingly endless supply of missiles and shells had destroyed "some villages."

"We didn't have rounds, artillery rounds, a lot of different things," he said, stressing that while his troops have managed to keep the Russians largely at bay up to now, they're not prepared to defend against another major Russian offensive expected in the coming months.

That, he said, was expected around the end of May or in June he said.

"And before that, we not only need to prepare, we not only need to stabilize the situation, because the partners are sometimes really happy that we have stabilized the situation," Zelenskyy said of the U.S. and Ukraine's other backers. "No, I say we need help now."

In what has become a grinding artillery war of attrition, Russia not only has the upper hand with more firepower, but also firepower with a longer reach.

"In Bakhmut and Avdivka and Lysychansk and Soledar and so on, it was really hard to fight the adversary, whose artillery shell can fire 20-plus kilometers, and [our] artillery shell is 20-minus," he said.

With heavily armed soldiers keeping watch on the horizon, we joined Zelenskyy as he inspected freshly dug underground bunkers in Ukraine's northeast, on the outskirts of the city of Sumy, no more than 15 miles from the Russian border.

The entire area is on a war footing in response to a significant buildup of Russian troops just across that border, and attacks on nearby villages, Zelenskyy told us.

"Usually, when they attack by artillery and destroy the villages, after that, they always tried to occupy," he said. "We don't know what will be tomorrow. That's why we have to prepare."

Zelenskyy on the stalled U.S. aid, and why Ukraine needs it

He said what's needed most are American Patriot missile defense systems, and more artillery. While he's grateful for the billions of dollars in U.S. support his country has already received, he said the nature of the funding dedicated by the American government to help Ukraine must be put into perspective.

"Dozens of billions remain in the U.S.," he said. "Let's be honest, the money which is allocated by the Congress, by the administration, in the majority of cases, 80% of this money — well, at least more than 75% — stays in the U.S. This ammunition is coming to us, but the production is taking place there, and the money stays in the U.S., and the taxes are staying in the U.S."

"Yes, it's a huge support coming to us, but we need [it]," added the president.

With lawmakers in the U.S. still wrangling after months of partisan gridlock over a $60 billion aid package, Zelenskyy acknowledged that the war in Gaza had refocused global attention — and U.S. aid — away from his country's struggle.

"First and foremost, we understand that this is a humanitarian disaster," he said. "Of course, it took the attention from Ukraine in the information field. It's a fact, and when you lose the attention from your region to other regions, then it's obvious that you don't see the view focused and it's good for Russia."

And the shift in the world's attention is not all that President Vladimir Putin has sought to exploit, Zelenskyy said. It came as no surprise to him when the Russian leader pointed a finger at Ukraine, claiming it had somehow supported the terrorist attack near Moscow that killed 139 people on March 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the carnage, and U.S. officials say they've seen nothing to cast doubt on that claim.

"Even after ISIS took responsibility!" marvelled Zelenskyy, dismissing Putin's insinuations as "ridiculous."

"He doesn't care whether it's a terrorist act, an economic act, the oil industry or any of these spheres," Zelenskyy said the Russian leader, accusing him of "using that to unite his society as much as possible — even what has taken place in Moscow, with so many casualties and wounded people, he's using all of that just for the one objective to justify that Ukraine does not exist."

We asked whether the war could be won with Putin still in power. Zelenskyy accepted that it would be a huge challenge, but said that village by village, winning the war would weaken Putin at home, and he warned that if Ukraine does lose, Putin won't stop there.

Russia's war "can come to Europe, and to the United States"

"For him, we are a satellite of Russian Federation. At the moment, it's us, then Kazakhstan, then Baltic states, then Poland, then Germany. At least half of Germany," he said, reiterating a warning over what he sees as Putin's intentions that he first issued to CBS News several years ago , before Russia's full-scale invasion even began. At that stage, Ukraine had already been fighting Russian and Russian-backed forces for years, after they pushed into the east of the country and unilaterally annexed the Crimean Peninsula .

Zelenskyy said Putin was determined to restore the former Soviet Union to its imperial glory — and its geographical borders.

"Even tomorrow, the missiles can fly to any state," the Ukrainian leader told CBS News on Wednesday. "This aggression, and Putin's army, can come to Europe, and then the citizens of the United States, the soldiers of the United States, will have to protect Europe because they're the NATO members."

• Putin renews nuclear war threat, warns NATO not to send troops to Ukraine  

Calling Russia's invasion of his country a war "against the democracy, against the values, against the whole world," Zelenskyy said there may be some in the West who were tired of hearing the message, "but only those are tired who are not at war, who don't know what war is, and who have never lost his or her children."

"The USA is helping Ukraine and we are grateful for their support, for this multilateral support, but the United States don't have the war going on," he said. "But it can come to Europe, and to the United States of America. It can come very quickly to Europe."

"The 80s and then the end of the 90s - he will never forgive that," Zelenskyy said, suggesting his Russian counterpart bears a lingering grudge over the collapse of the pre-Cold War world. "He believes in that. We don't need to change his opinion. We need to change him. We need to replace him."

• Vladimir Putin
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Charlie D'Agata his a CBS News foreign correspondent based in the London bureau.

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Millions of Low-Income Families Set to Lose Internet Subsidies

The Affordable Connectivity Program, a $14.2 billion federal effort to make internet service more affordable, is expected to run out of funding this spring.

By Madeleine Ngo

Reporting from Washington

Phyllis Jackson, a retired administrative assistant in Monroeville, Pa., signed up for home internet service for the first time in about two decades early last year. She now regularly uses the internet to pay her bills online, buy clothes, find new recipes and learn about her medication.

Ms. Jackson said she signed up for internet service after enrolling in a federal program that provided a monthly discount for low-income households. That program is set to run out of funding this spring, however, which will make it harder for Ms. Jackson and millions of other households to afford to stay connected to the internet.

“I really can’t do without it,” said Ms. Jackson, 79. “The way things are today, everyone needs to be able to use the computer.”

The $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program provides low-income households up to $30 off their internet bill each month, and households living on eligible tribal lands can receive a discount of up to $75 a month. More than 23 million households receive either reduced bills or effectively free internet service through the program.

But federal officials began winding down the program early last month, when they stopped accepting new applications and enrollments. The program was tucked into the 2021 infrastructure law as a replacement for a pandemic-era program that provided certain households discounts on their internet bills. Although there is some bipartisan support to continue the subsidies, lawmakers have not passed an extension.

Participants will continue receiving full benefits through April, according to the Federal Communications Commission. In May, internet companies will have the option to provide them with partial discounts using the remaining federal funding. Based on provider claims data as of Feb. 15, the program had about $2.5 billion left , which is meant to cover the subsidies and other program expenses.

The program is part of the Biden administration’s broader initiative to connect every American to affordable, high-speed internet, which officials hope will stimulate economic growth and widen access to health care and education. The administration is spending an additional $42.5 billion to expand access to broadband to every corner of the country.

The administration is funneling billions of dollars into the expansion of internet access largely because officials see it as a critical way to strengthen the economy. Across U.S. metros, prime-age workers who have access to high-speed internet on home computers participate in the labor force at a much higher rate than those without access, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia . Other research has found that internet connectivity can bolster economic growth in rural areas , helping to create jobs and attract workers.

Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers have coalesced around a bill that would provide $7 billion to fund the program for about another year. Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, a Democrat who has sponsored the bill, said that he was encouraged by the bipartisan support, but that it was “tough to be optimistic.”

“It’s hard to get anything done in this Congress,” Mr. Welch said. “Anything on the budget becomes very contentious.”

In October, Biden administration officials sent Congress a supplemental request for $6 billion to extend funding for the program, which they have urged Republicans to support. “It’s past time for them to step up for the American people so that we can continue our work to close the digital divide across America,” Robyn Patterson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement.

F.C.C. officials have said more funding is “urgently needed” to help millions of households stay connected to high-speed internet. According to a survey the F.C.C. conducted of program recipients in December, 48 percent of respondents said they would switch to a lower-cost plan that could be slower than their current one, and 29 percent said they would drop service after losing the benefit.

Paloma Perez, a spokeswoman for the F.C.C., said that the end of the program would be a “step backward” and that officials were working with lawmakers to “think about what the future of this program looks like.”

But some Republicans have argued that the program is wasteful. In a December letter to the F.C.C., Senator John Thune of South Dakota and other Republican lawmakers raised concerns about the program subsidizing households that already had internet service. They have also pointed to findings from the F.C.C.’s Office of Inspector General, which has in recent months expressed concerns about some providers failing to comply with program rules and improperly claiming funds.

“Some people are receiving this benefit that don’t really need it,” Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said during a recent local news interview . “So I think we need to have accountability and make sure that the people that are receiving this benefit are the ones that actually cannot pay.”

According to the F.C.C. survey, 22 percent of respondents said they did not have any internet service and 25 percent only had mobile internet service before enrolling in the program. Thirty percent of respondents said they had both mobile and home internet service.

Blair Levin, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an F.C.C. official during the Obama administration, said that changes to the program would be problematic, but that lawmakers should reach a compromise before millions of Americans are left at risk of losing internet access.

Ms. Jackson, who enrolled in the program with assistance from a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit , said she was not sure if she could afford internet service after the program ends. She said she would most likely have to purchase fewer groceries and reduce her electricity use to cut expenses, but her monthly rent is also set to increase by $50 next month.

The end of the subsidy program could also complicate the Biden administration’s other $42.5 billion program to provide every American access to broadband, said Drew Garner, the director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. The funds, which will be distributed as grants to internet providers, are meant to cover much of the cost of building broadband infrastructure.

Without the subsidy program, however, more low-income households will struggle to afford broadband service. With fewer potential customers in low-income areas, internet providers will have less incentive to expand service in those neighborhoods and may ask for bigger federal grants, Mr. Garner said.

“It’s a big task to reach every unconnected household in the country,” Mr. Garner said. “That’s going to be way harder without the A.C.P. attracting infrastructure to those very hard-to-reach areas.”

Mr. Garner said the subsidy program has also helped provide households more stable internet access. In the year before enrolling in the program, many participants reported only having internet service during the months they could afford it. Although some households could drop service entirely, others might opt into slower internet plans, which could impede their ability to complete many tasks online, Mr. Garner said.

Vincent Coleman, a 26-year-old medical student in Huntington, W.Va., said he would probably have to downgrade his internet plan. Although the new plan would cost about $40 a month — roughly the same amount he pays now with the discount — he worries his internet connection would be too slow to watch lectures or view patient records at home.

Mr. Coleman said the benefit has helped provide relief for him and his wife.

“It’s a great help,” Mr. Coleman said. “Finances are always a major source of stress, and I budget very carefully.”

Madeleine Ngo covers U.S. economic policy and how it affects people across the country. More about Madeleine Ngo

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2 simple ways to get people to listen when you speak, according to a Stanford communication expert

You're probably not as good of a listener as you think you are.

Statistically, it's true for most people. Many professionals believe that they're highly attentive, but 70% of them actually exhibit poor listening habits in the workplace, according to a 2020 University of Southern California report . So you've got to be clever if you want to grasp someone's attention, says Matt Abrahams, a communication consultant and organizational behavior lecturer at Stanford University.

It's a lesson that Abrahams learned, in part, while lecturing. Polite requests for his students' attention fell on deaf ears, drowned out by their "chit-chatting," he tells CNBC Make It.

Here are the two ways he recommends commanding a room instead.

Don't say anything at all

You're in a meeting room, chatting with co-workers. One of your company's executives walks up to the front of the room, stands behind a podium and gazes out at the group. Odds are good that you'll stop talking.

"One of the best things to do to command attention and get people to be quiet is to actually just stand in front of them and not say anything," Abrahams says. "Just to physically stand up in a position where everybody can see you."

It only takes four seconds for silence to become awkward, according to a Dutch psychology study published in 2011. It might feel uncomfortable for you too, but the awkwardness alone "will typically draw people in," says Abrahams.

While you're waiting, you can try to control your breathing or clear your mind. "It's very hard to stand in silence, but that can be very helpful," he adds.

Make a declarative statement, repeat it if necessary

Saying something impactful or thought-provoking with no warning can have a similar effect, says Abrahams.

"Just this past Monday, we were talking [in class] about nonverbal presence. They're all talking and I just stood there for a moment. And then I said, 'How you say something is often as important or more important than what you say,'" Abrahams says. "And then I paused, and they're still shuffling on, and then I repeated it. And then everybody was quiet."

Put simply, don't ask for control — just demonstrate it. You can also try other tactics like starting a big presentation with a question, or playing music before an event starts, which signals that something else is about to happen, says Abrahams.

"Just exerting that control, either by asking a question, standing in silence or making some kind of declarative sentence that's provocative will help people [listen]," he says. "You might have to repeat yourself once or twice, but that's what I do."

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