Welcome to Media Helping Media’s Story Builder. This is a simple tool which we have created to help those who are new to journalism create informative news articles.
There are many perfectly good ways to write a news story but they all tend to include the same basic building blocks.
We have put together a template, showing how these building blocks can fit together.
You don’t have to write all stories this way, but it does help to understand news content and structure.
In the template at the bottom of the page, fill in the sections with the relevant details of a news story. Each section has a specific function and is restricted to a limited number of characters. The limit is to encourage you to present the important information in a concise way. Some sections of are mandatory, but some that are marked ‘optional’ can be left unfilled.
When you have filled in the boxes you can hit the ‘Preview” button to see how it looks as the finished article. You can then hit the ‘Copy’ button to copy the text.
But, before you give it a try, please read the following tips which describes what news is.
The essential elements of a news story
For journalists at the start of their careers, one of the fundamental tasks is to learn what makes a news story. Here is a Media Helping Media guide to the essential qualities of a story and how to approach the task of writing it.
- Is it new? There’s a reason it’s called news. Every story must tell the audience something new. If it’s not new, it’s not news.
- Is it true? There is always a lot of rumour, misinformation and disinformation floating around. That is not news. Something can only be news if it is true.
- Can you prove it? It is not enough to know that it is true, you must also be able to demonstrate that it is true.
- Is it interesting? Without exception, news stories must be interesting. Find a way to make it interesting to the audience. If you can’t make it interesting, it’s not a story.
- Can you find all the necessary facts? A news story must contain all the information needed to make it coherent and understandable.
- Can you find examples to illustrate the story? Examples are what bring a story to life. Show what a story means in practice to real people and you will connect with your audience.
- Can you explain the context? Setting out the background to a story gives it depth and extra meaning.
- Can you write a compelling headline? The headline should capture the interest of the audience and make them want to read more?
- Can you write a impactful intro? The first sentence, sometimes called the intro or the lede, is the most important sentence in the story. It should be crafted for maximum impact.
- Can you write a story that flows naturally? A good story must flow naturally without requiring the reader to struggle to understand what you have written.
- Can you avoid raising questions that you can’t answer? Stories should be self-contained. If they leave the audience asking ‘why did that happen’ they have failed.
- Can you avoid taking sides? Good journalists and good news stories present the facts without bias. The audience is left to make its own judgements about the people, events or ideas being described.
- Can you be fair to everyone in the gathering and writing of the story? Journalism needs to earn the trust of its audience and the only way that can happen is if the journalists behave in an honest, straightforward and ethical manner.
- Can you ensure you are correct? You need to be absolutely, 100 per cent sure that everything you have written is correct in every respect.
- Is what you have written accurate? Accuracy is the first requirement of good journalism. Make sure every story you write is correct in every detail. Check and double check and never do anything but report accurately.
Related resources
Here are a few more training resources that might help you when you are composing your news story in out story builder.
Now it’s time to look at the Media Helping Media Story Builder. Your story will need an image or video, so always have a camera ready when you are out newsgathering. You might want to read our training material on Photojournalism and ethics and Interviewing for video journalists.
So, you are all set – let’s see how you get on with the Media Helping Media Story Builder.
Media Helping Media Story Builder
Write your story in the white boxes below
Your Previewed Story:
Related material
Lesson: Essential elements of a news story
Essential elements of a news story
