A news update is a short summary of current events, including breaking or developing stories. It can be published in print, online or on television. The goal of a news update is to inform the audience with precise and verifiable facts. Unlike an opinion piece or blog post, it should not contain speculation, biases or personal viewpoints.
Keeping in mind readers’ time constraints and reading habits, start your news story with an interesting anecdote or a key piece of information, referred to as a “lede”. Then, write the nut graph — the core of your article which answers the essential questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How (5Ws and 1H). A compelling lede and nut graph will capture the reader’s attention.
Then, the rest of the story can follow the inverted pyramid structure, prioritizing critical details at the beginning and facilitating them with more detailed information and expert quotes as you go along. Be sure to cite your sources and add descriptive alt text for images to ensure accessibility.
Use visuals throughout the story to break up long paragraphs, make your article more engaging and keep readers scrolling. Lastly, don’t forget to keep your article mobile-friendly. Mobile-optimized content increases reader satisfaction, improves search rankings and helps readers stay informed on the go. If you’re a journalist, try playing with different styles of writing to see what works best for you. Regardless of your style, prioritize clarity and brevity, focus on the most important facts first, edit ruthlessly and read your work aloud to check for grammatical errors and ambiguity.
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