Writing for print, broadcast and online

Is it what the editors say is news? But this view suggests only senior journalists have the capacity to determine what news is.

At the core of writing is news judgment which is a valuable asset a journalist should have, is it news worthy.

News writing is disciplined writing which involves using exactly the right words to convey specific meanings. Words are able to convey moods and feelings as well as facts. News writing once mastered is an extremely valuable skill and never forgotten.

Remember News writing is more than telegraphic, but less than a short-story.

Broadcast Journalism - Came after tradition print journalism. Old definitions of BJ only referred to news coming from radio and television. Today it includes online news, news delivered to mobile phones and personal digital devices, datacasting, interactive television and radio. Broadcast journalism like in networking is a distribution / delivery system.

Broadcast News is made up of the following

• Broadcast news is telling. 
• No array of facts - especially figures - can be thrown at a listener.
• Each sentence ideally should contain only one idea or image. 
• Sentences generally should be brief.
• Natural.

What is a news lead?
A news lead unlike a novel is based on one main idea - this main focus is the lead.The reporter decides what the lead of his/her story is. The editor can also help decide on the lead. It is the first paragraph ('par') of the news story.

One easy way of determining your lead is to use the "tell-a-friend" technique. The response should be one succinct sentence that captures the essence of the story.

By this point, your reader asks themselves, Do I want to read on?

Think of the news lead as a baited hook that lures the reader into the story. Think economicall leads are usually no more than 20 - 25 words. It is like a summary or conclusion, except it appears at the start of the news story and not at the end.

To arrive at lead you ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is the story’s main point?
2. What was said or done about this point or issue? – this is the action of the story
3. What are the recent developments in the story – today – a few hours ago or yesterday?
4. Which facts are going to affect people or interest them most?
5. Which facts are unusual?

Words by themselves don't mean anything but it's the words around that bring meaning.