Whether you are writing news features,

breaking news or daily announcements,

the following are basic rules to follow:

1. WRITE CONVERSATIONALLY: Tell a story

without being boring. Say it as though
you were telling your best friend or your
Mom or Dad with enthusiasm.
2. WRITE CONCISELY: Use short sentences. Use
one idea per sentence. Avoid words you
don't need.

3. SIMPLIFY COMPLICATED IDEAS: Present

straight-forward facts in a way that does
not talk down to people. Remember, they
will only hear the information once, so it is
important that what they hear is easy to
understand.
4. RESEARCH & VERIFY ALL INFORMATION:
Know what you are talking about. Check
the facts. Get first hand information, not
second hand opinion. Research will tell
you which way your story will go in
finding the truth. Be objective; there are
always two sides to a story.
5. AVOID NEWPAPER CONTRUCTION IN YOUR
WRITING: The viewer "hears" your story. They
can not read your script. Don't use terms
like, "In the Headlines" - "Front Page News"
or "Cover Story" Newspaper words: "vie"
"nab" "bust" "laud" "grill" "foe" "woe" "fray"
"hike"-for raise or increase "ink"-for signs
"pact" "opt" "eye"-for watch "blast" "rap"
"hit"-for criticize "slay, slew, or slain" "youth" -
for young person "former, latter, or
respectively" or "Accord" -for contract or
agreement.
Viewers want to hear you speak naturally-
like they do in every-day conversations.
Don't start or end stories with
prefabricated phrases -(headlines) "It's
Official" "It Shouldn't Come As a Surprise"
"It Had to Happen Eventually"
6. DON'T SCARE THE VIEWERS: Why would
you start a story with "This story is very
complicated and confusing ? " Viewers
don't want to know about the labor
pains, they just want to see the baby!

7. DON'T GIVE ORDERS: "Listen Up" or

"Attention" Just tell the information- don't
tell them what to do with it...
8. DON'T BURY A STRONG VERB IN A NOUN:
Say, "a bomb exploded" not "a bomb
explosion" Use "VIGOROUS VERBS" for Go
Power!

9. DON'T START A STORY WITH: "As expected"

or "In a surprise move" People don't want
the expected or like feeling as though they
don't know what's going on. Phrases like "A
new development" or "Making the news"
are redundant. Why else would it be on the
news?
10. DON'T CHARACTERIZE THE NEWS AS
GOOD, BAD, INTERESTING, OR
SHOCKING: Let the viewers decide what
is good, bad, shocking, etc. What is
good for one person might be bad for
another.
11. DON'T START A LEAD SENTENCE WITH A
PARTICIPLE PHRASE (ING-WORD) OR A
DEPENDENT CLAUSE: We don't say,
"needing new shoes, I will buy a new pair
tomorrow." The best pattern for a
broadcast lead sentence is SUBJECT-
VERB-OBJECT (S-V-O) - "I bought new
shoes."
 Don't start a story with a quotation. The
viewers don't know if the words are yours
or someone else's. Always put the source
before the quote, it sounds more natural.
"Assistant Principal Brown said, "blah,
blah, blah."
 Don't start a lead sentence with a
question. They sound like a quiz show or
commercial. Viewers want answers and
information- not questions.
12. DON'T START A STORY WITH "THERE IS"-
"THERE ARE" OR "IT IS": "Is" and "are" are
not "action verbs." They are "linking
verbs" as are "have" "seen" "feel" and
"become". Is-Are-Was-Were- and Will Be
are weak verbs. What viewers hear first is
crucial, if they are going to keep listening
and watching.
13. DON'T START A LEAD SENTENCE WITH THE
NAME OF AN UNKNOWN OR UNFAMILIAR
PERSON: If the name means nothing to
the viewers, they won't keep listening.
Use a title or label before the name-
"Seattle newspaper photographer..."
"Tacoma mayor..." "President..." And
don't use personal pronouns (he or she)
to start a story.
14. DON'T WRITE A FIRST SENTENCE WITH
"YESTERDAY" OR "CONTINUES": Yesterday
is "old news." The word "continues" tells
viewers that "nothing is new." If
something is ongoing, find a new angle
to describe it. The word "Details" is a dirty
word! It's like the fine print in a legal
contract and tells the viewer that, "there
is more, but we can't really explain all
that right now."
 Try to be positive in your leads. Avoid
using "no" or "not" in a first sentence.
Change "did not remember" to "forgot."
"Did not pay attention" to "ignored" etc.
15. DON'T START A STORY WITH "ANOTHER"
"MORE" OR "ONCE AGAIN": These are
viewer/listener turn-off words. What they
hear is "Old News" or "Just the Same Old
Thing." Don't try to cram too much
information into a story. Give the viewer
the "highly concentrated essence of the
story."
 Remember, the audience only
gets to hear and see the piece
once. (Who records the news on
their VCR so they can review it
later? Not normal people!) People
have difficulty processing a
steady stream of facts - (think of
the teacher who just lectures.)
 Waste Words: "in order" "in the process"
"literally" "actually" "really" "suddenly"
"gradually" "finally" "flatly" "personally"
"officially" "miraculously" "local" "nearby"
"area" "separate" "a total of" "then" "the
fact that" "meanwhile" "on a lighter note"
16. DON'T LOSE OR FAIL TO REACH THE
VIEWERS: Talk "to" them, not "at" them.
Don't make factual errors! If you lose your
credibility, you lose your audience. Learn
to spell correctly and properly
pronounce names. If you are not sure
about something, look it up or find
someone who does know!
The essential act of journalism is gathering
information. This is done by reporters.

• Deadline – the time when a story is

due.
• Interview – the way in which much
information for journalism is gathered;
reporters talk with sources (people who
have information) in person, by telephone,
by email or any number of other ways of
communicating.

• Beat – the area or subject that a reporter

regularly covers and writes stories about,
such as the police beat or education beat.
• Who, What, When, Where, Why and How – the key
questions that journalists must answer when they are
gathering their information and writing their stories.

• Stored sources – information that is contained in written

or electronic files.

• Accuracy – the main goal of reporting; journalists go to

great lengths to make sure their information is accurate
and presented in an accurate context so that readers
and viewers will have the same understanding of that
information that the journalist does.
 Personal sources – the people who give
journalists information; in daily journalism,
personal sources are most important
because they have information that is not
stored yet.

 Almost all good journalists are good

interviewers; they know how to talk with
people, and they know how to listen.
• Observational sources – information that the
journalist sees in the course of reporting;
stories about sports events, for instance, are
written mainly with observational sources.

• Quotation – what a source says; a direct

quotation is the exact words that a source
uses while an indirect quotation uses
different words from what the source used,
but those words mean the same thing.
1. Type your story on one side of 8 ½ by 11 inch
piece of paper in multiple copies.
2. Observe triple spacing between the lines.
3. Most people find it easier to read upper and
lower case. Write your copy that way unless
instructed otherwise.
4. Type your initials, date, and the slug of your
story in the upper right hand corner of the
page.

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5. Do not hypenate words. It is better to see it as a
whole.
6. Indent five spaces for each new paragraph.
7. Do not put more than one story on one sheet of
paper. There may be some developments or
updates before you go on air. Another story may
add confusion requiring time (seconds) you
don’t have.
8. Do not carry a sentence or paragraph from one
page to another. End it with the same page.

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9. Write for the ear.
10. Keep your story short and simple: Be direct to
the point.
11. Keep editing marks simple. Editing symbol
does not apply. If your copy is sloppy, pull it
out and redo the entire script.
12. Be accurate. Check and double check
facts.
13. Write in conversation style.

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14. Use present tense
15. Simplify the punctuation. Use period to end a
sentence. Use comma to indicate a short
pause. Dashes and dots to indicate a longer
pause.
16. Be clear and concise – Communicate your
information quickly with little confusion as
possible.
17. Write with clarity.

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1. It is spoken. A radio program is not
written literature, it is TALK. Use only the
spoken words of everyday speech. The
broadcast style should be natural, not
affected nor artificial.

Don’t say: EDSA is not motorable due to

heavy rains cause by TS Juan

Say: EDSA is closed to traffic.

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Contractions, which are commonly used in
conversations, like that’s, there’s, he’s,
they’re, won’t, isn’t, aren’t can be used in
broadcast materials. But avoid contractions
if you want to emphasize a word especially
in a strong negative statement.

Example: Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim says he

will not give in to IIRC recommendation.

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2. It is immediate. Radio is the “now” medium.
It’s greatest advantage over the newspaper
is immediacy. It can report events as they
happen. News reports aired through the
radio should be in the present or progressive
tense.

Ex. 1: President Noynoy says NDCC is doing its

best to help TS JUAN victims in Northern
Luzon.
Ex.2: Ateneo achieves 3-PEAT.

9/27/2018 32
3. It is person to person. Writing for radio is not oratory, it
is informal. It is between the newscaster and the
audience. In news programs, the style may be a little
formal but certainly not as rigid as in the newspaper.
Try to avoid bureaucratic language.

Don’t say: The Province of Negros Oriental, in

coordination with the Office of The Mayor, City of
Dumaguete, as ponsored by GMA 7, has launched,
the “Buglasan Festival 2010” to promote the
festivities of the different towns and cities of Negros
Oriental.
Say: Negros Oriental starts “2010 Buglasan Festival”

9/27/2018 33
4. It is heard only once. The rule is for you to use simple,
declarative sentences. Make your sentence short.
One concept per sentence.
Crammed: A nine-year chase for Southeast Asia’s
most wanted man who trained Muslim extremists in
Mindanao has ended with the killing of terror
mastermind Noordin Muhammed Top in a shoot-out
in his hideout, ahead of a planned visit by US
President Barack Obama this year

Better: The chase for Southeast Asia’s most wanted

man Noordin Muhammed Top has ended. He was
killed in a shoot-out in his hideout yesterday. Noordin
used to train Muslim extremists in Mindanao.

9/27/2018 34
5. It is sound only. Use words to convey
concrete images. Under this principle, the
scriptwriter is cautioned against using words
with clashing sound.

Bad: The teacher taught the new teaching

methods

Better: The teacher explains the new method

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1. Date of the report. Usually placed on the top right
hand corner of the copy. This will enable the copy to
be filed chronologically.
2. Slug. Under the date would be the slug or catchline,
one or two words that would convey the essence of
the story. Avoid using generic words as “meeting”, or
“accident”
3. Time. Just after the slug, put the time of broadcast
for which the copy is prepared.
4. Body. Body text of the story will follow.
5. Source. At the bottom left hand corner of the copy,
put the source of the story. This will include the initials
of the reporter, his beat and the initials of the editor.

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 Sample Radio News Copy
Date 10/07/09
Body Slug FIL-AM CONFESSED
Time 7:00 P.M.
A US Navy Fil-am medic told a military court Friday how
seven marines dragged an Iraqi civilian from his home and shot him
in cold blood before covering up the brutal slaying.

In dramatic testimony at the US Marine Base Corps Base

Camp Peddleton in Southern California, Melson Bacus said he
watched in horror as 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad was bound
and gagged before being gunned down.

hernandez/DFA/DAVILA/0918-1234321 Source

9/27/2018 37
 Sample Radio News Copy
10/6/09
HISTORIC HOUSE
9:00 A.M.

The Philippine Government is set to bid out for the development of four
properties in Japan. Two properties in Tokyo and another two in Kobe will be
developed through the Build – Operate – Transfer scheme. The total land area
of the properties is approximately 10,000 square meters.
Tokyo properties would be developed for mixed residential and diplomatic
use. Kobe properties would be developed in accordance with standards and
restrictions in the area.
The Philippine Government shall retain title to and ownership of the lands.

Bacolodan/DFA/Babao

9/27/2018 38
Person Effects Text Duration

Anchor 1 On-Mike DYTC delivers the

news when you
need it, where you
need it.DYTC

9/27/2018 39
 THANK YOU

 Source: Journalism
Who, What, When, Where, Why and How
by James Glen Stoval
 5 – MINUTE BROADCAST SEQUENCE
STATION ID (STINGER, OPTIONAL)OWN TAGLINE, A MUST
INTRO OF HOSTS
HEADLINES (STINGER, BACKGROUND LEVEL ,STARTS HERE)
ADS/INFOMERCIAL (OPTIONAL)
NATIONAL NEWS (2 ITEMS)
LOCAL/REGIONAL NEWS (1 ITEM)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS (1 ITEM)
ADS/INFOMERCIAL
SHOWBIZ (DIFFERENT STINGER, OPTIONAL, 1 ITEM)
SPORTS NEWS (DIFFERENT STINGER, OPTIONAL, 1 ITEM)
EXTRO OF HOSTS / HEADLINES / RECAP
STATION ID (IF TIME WARRANTS)

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