Writing Forms: The Newspaper Report

Methods in this video

Tap a time to jump to where the video teaches that method.

1. 1

   Headline and lead: say what happened first, with the five Ws in the first paragraph

   ▶ 1:52

   When to use it: The task says Write a newspaper report (for example Selective 2021, Chaos on the beach); you are writing the headline and first paragraph and want to build up like a story, saving the big news for later.

   • A story saves it. News says it first.
   • A headline says what happened, in a few words.
   • Headlines often sound like it's happening now, but the report uses the past tense.
   • The first paragraph is called the lead, and it just says the big news. You don't have to squeeze everything in.
   • The five Ws (what, where, when, who and why) go in the first paragraph. Two or three short sentences are fine.
   • If you're not sure why, say who thinks so: Harbour officials believe.
2. 2

   The reporter stays out: facts from you, opinions from them

   ▶ 3:32

   When to use it: Writing the body of a report, you want to talk to the reader (You should...) or give your own opinion (absolutely disgusting); the task says include comments from different people.

   • The reporter stays out: no I, no we, and no you.
   • That's called third person: names, he, she and they.
   • Use facts a reader can check: the NSW English syllabus calls that objective language, fact-based and unbiased.
   • Opinions: say who said it. Let someone who was there say it inside quote marks, and say who they are.
   • Facts from you, opinions from them. Inside quote marks, those are their words, so I is fine.
   • Pick people who differ: if two people say the same thing, readers only learn one thing.
3. 3

   The inverted pyramid: biggest news on top, cut from the bottom, end on a fact

   ▶ 5:52

   When to use it: The lead is done and you don't know what comes next; you're not sure what goes in each block; or you're about to end with an In conclusion opinion.

   • What do readers want to know next? Biggest news on top, and each block below matters less.
   • Top blocks get all four steps: the fact, why it happened, a detail or a quote, why it matters to readers. They get shorter as you go down.
   • Say why it matters, but say it as a fact.
   • Instead of stretching one paragraph, add another block.
   • Cut from the bottom, and the news still stands. The cut only checks your order, so don't write less.
   • A report usually ends on a fact: what happens next.
   • The inverted pyramid is a reporter's habit, not an official rule. Choosing your order on purpose is what the official bands call ideas purposefully structured.