This intensive, one-day news writing skills course is designed to equip aspiring journalists with the advanced techniques necessary to enhance precision, style, and clarity in their writing.
It condenses the six-week module ‘News Writing Skills’ into a single, comprehensive day, focusing on the journalistic process from mastering basic structure and grammar to eliminating style pitfalls and conducting final ethical edits.
The programme emphasises clear, concise, and responsible writing, ensuring participants can produce professional, publishable copy.
We recommend that participants read the resources listed below before attending this refresher.
One-day intensive: News writing skills
- 09:00 – 09:15: Programme introduction and objectives
- 09:15 – 10:30: Foundations of effective news writing: structure and clarity
- Focus: Building an understanding of news writing basics, including the news structure (e.g., the inverted pyramid), and the need for clarity and conciseness to maximise reader impact and accuracy.
- Activities:
- Write and revise a 25-word news intro.
- Identify and rewrite ambiguous leads.
- Group critique of sample intros.
- Resources (3):
- 10:30 – 10:45: Break
- 10:45 – 12:30: Grammar, precision, and word choice
- Focus: Enhancing technical writing by reviewing essential grammar rules and developing the ability to write with precision and impact. Focus on reducing wordiness and avoiding frequently confused words.
- Activities:
- Grammar correction challenge.
- Rewrite copy to meet house style.
- Workshop: spotting style clashes in published stories.
- Rewrite bloated copy for clarity.
- Identify ineffective word choices in sample reports.
- Peer-edit a story with a focus on precision.
- Resources (6):
- 12:30 – 13:30: Lunch
- 13:30 – 15:00: Voice, sentence economy, and style pitfalls
- Focus: Encouraging active sentence construction (active vs. passive voice) and the removal of unnecessary complexity to improve sentence economy and flow. Identifying and eliminating common style pitfalls like journalese, clichés, and militaristic metaphors.
- Activities:
- Convert 10 passive sentences into active form.
- Cut 30% of a sample news article while retaining meaning.
- Reflective journal: when is passive appropriate?
- Replace jargon and clichés in sample texts.
- Edit a military-themed news story for neutrality.
- Group discussion: the influence of metaphor in shaping audience perception.
- Resources (8):
- 15:00 – 15:15: Break
- 15:15 – 16:45: Ethical language, editing, and final drafts
- Focus: Reviewing the ethical use of language and terminology. Mastering final editing techniques, ensuring proper attribution to avoid plagiarism, and preparing copy to a professional, publishable standard.
- Activities:
- Edit and submit a final feature piece.
- Peer check for attribution and grammar issues.
- Group review and feedback on final submissions.
- Resources (4):
- 16:45 – 17:00: Programme conclusion and final plenary
Related material
https://mediahelpingmedia.org/lessons/lesson-using-the-right-words/
https://mediahelpingmedia.org/basics/news-writing-for-beginners/
