Writing For Media: Key information you will need
- Gary-Alan Hopkins
- Mar 25, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: May 12, 2021
Table of Content
Media Writing Basics
There are many facets and intricacies in writing a news story for any media outlet. This post will touch on some of these facets with a focus on sports reporting.
Associated Press Style
It is important to use Associated Press (AP) style when preparing to write any article for a media outlet or web. This is the standard format for reporters, journalists and media outlets. For more information on AP style check out the links below for more in-depth information.
AP Style Resources
Newsworthiness
Newsworthiness is another important facet to think about prior to starting to write your story. The newsworthiness of a story will determine whether the story gets featured or whether it gets pushed back or pushed to the sidebar. There are various criteria that media outlets use for determining the news-worthiness of a story.
Seven Criteria for Newsworthiness
Conflict - does the story have some kind of conflict? For a sports reporter, this is easy because there is always conflict in sports. It doesn't matter if it is a race, Olympics, a college basketball game, etc. there is always a winner and opposing sides.
Timeliness - the first time a story is published or if new information is added to an older story as part of an update with new information. The story should have a sense of immediacy and be relevant.
Prominence - who or what is part of the story? Are they well-known? Is it a famous athlete? What about a scandal surrounding a coach of a national team?
Proximity - how close something is. It can be emotional or physical nearness. Where are your audiences?
Consequence/impact - does the story help people understand how something directly impacts their life and what the consequences are to them. In sports reporting, this could be the new stadium being proposed or information relating to ticket prices.
Human Interest - these tend to stir-up emotions, satisfy our innate natural curiosity and it can cause people to take action.
Unusualness - what is unusual about the story? Maybe the subject of your story broke a world record.
Inverted Pyramid
The next thing to discuss is the format of your story. The industry standard for media writing is an inverted pyramid style. This means that the most important information is located toward the top of the story and less important information is toward the bottom. This allows editors of print publications the ability to cut the story from the bottom if they need to make the story fit into a print medium with limited space.
The first sentence or two is the lead as is the case for direct lead, more on direct and delayed leads in a bit, and it contains a summery of the most important information presented in a way that will intrigue the reader. The lead should contain answers to the five Ws & the H - Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.
Two Types of Leads
Generally speaking there are two types of leads; a direct lead and a delayed lead.
Direct Lead - is also known as a "summary" lead. This type of lead summarizes the most important information and is written in a way that will entice the audience to read the entire story. However, if the reader choose to not read any further than the end of the lead they still have a general idea about what the story is about.
Delayed Lead - a delayed lead does not summarize the information at the beginning. Instead, the lead could be several sentences or paragraphs into the story. These leads can take the form of anecdote, used to setup a scene or a profile of the subject. These leads are not used for news or any urgent story but are used for stories that can run at any time.
The final bit of information with regards to writing leads is write a lead that sets the tone for the story. Create your lead using great detail.
Nut Graf
A nut graf tells the reader about the writers slant and what the story is about. Always have a clear nut graf. This helps guide your readers through your story; without one readers could find themselves lost or confused by the story.
Have you written an article for your school, local or national media outlet? How did it make you feel when you saw your work? I want to hear about your article and your process. Please leave a comment below.
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