The document discusses various concepts related to journalism including the definition of news, sources of news, types of reporting, and techniques for writing news stories. It defines news as selected information from events aimed at disseminating to audiences. The primary sources of news are those directly involved in events while secondary sources help provide context. Different types of reporting include objective, investigative, and interpretative approaches. Effective news writing follows techniques like using an inverted pyramid structure, writing concise leads and headlines, and attributing information to sources.

1. Journalism
Dr. Anamika Ray
Gauhati University
Guwahati, Assam

2. Concept of News
 NEWS: Information from North, East, West and
South aiming to disseminate to four sides.
 Anything that is new –is news
 Selected and gate passed information of an
event or any follow up information of a past
incident.
 It may be shared among individuals, within a
small group or in Mass as audience via many
media.

3. Source of News
There are various sources of news. They are:
 Primary sources: primary source are those
with whom reporters talks for accurate
information and with whom the news
happens.
 Secondary sources: secondary source are
those who are officials and eye witness
who help in the progress of the news.

4. Cont…
 Records: records are data and information from the past. They
are used when the news is related with something that was a
news in remote past or recent past.
 Tip-offs: tip-offs are dangerous sources of news because the
journalist does not know from where they come from.
 Agencies: agencies are another good source of news
because a newspaper cannot put journalists or reporters
everywhere, it is easy to have MOU with news agencies for
news from the world. Many examples are: Reuter, Associated
press and PTI
 Reporters- reporters are important source of news. Good
relationship with other media house, stringers, freelancers make
good stories for media houses.

5. Exclusive News
Exclusive is also termed as Scoop News. It
means an important News item presented
by only one Newspaper, Journal or News
Channel as the others failed to cover it.
This is also called a ‘Scoop’ News in
Journalistic parlance. Presenting Exclusive
News makes a News organization more
reliable to the audience.

6. NEWS WRITING
 Primarily news may have three basic elements
leads, body & conclusion. All news stories,
invariably hard or soft news are composed of
these three constituents.

7. Lead
Lead is the first paragraph of the news report.
It is the introduction part where the writer gives
the idea of the event or the incident. This
paragraph tells the reader about the nature of
the event as well as gives the idea about the
contents of the paragraphs to be followed.

8. Body
The body is the part where the actual
story unfolds. This part describes what the
story is all about. Usually the lead provides
just the gist of the actual event, the body
gives a description in chronological
sequences and finally the conclusion
draws an end, probably threading the
important parts of the story or giving a
general conclusion.

9. Cont…
 There are certain techniques conventionally followed by all
media organizations. The most commonly used technique is
the inverted pyramid style. This format is the style mostly
applicable to hard news stories, even though sometimes
applied feature stories and other soft as well.
 A lead is a starting paragraph (or it can be said –an
introductory Para) of a news item, article, feature, essay,
news story etc. It usually accompanies with a headline
following by the main body with full of content. Reading
habit of different contemporary exclusive news stories helps
to understand who to write a lead.

10. Characteristics of Lead
 The sentences should be short aiming to read and
understand easily.
 One sentence should not carry more than 23-25
 One sentence should always contain only one idea.
 The written content should be legible.
 The lead should have the strength to take hold of the
readers’ concentration.
 Impossible to read, incomprehensible, ludicrous,
irrational and unreasonable leads should be avoided.
 Straightforward, strong, easy, and clear-cut meaning
verb with active voice should be preferred.
 Use of more prepositions in a sentence should be
eluded.

11. Cont…
 Handwriting should be legible.
 Long paragraphs should be avoided.
 One idea per paragraph works.
 Misspelling of names should be taken care of.
 Only required information should be used
 In the place of quotation, the summary of quotation is worthy to
use.
 Spelling names needs to be correctly put.
 The delicate information should be written genuinely
 It should be taken care of that the conclusion should maintain
the balance with introduction.
 The writing style should give the scope to visualize the fact to the
reader
 More than three numerical information in one sentence should
be avoided.
 Jargons, complicated Formula should be escaped.
 Editorializing should be avoided.

12. Headlines
Headline is an integral part of a story.
Without a headline a story has no value
and remains incomplete. Well written
headlines grab the reader’s attention. A
good headline may brighten up a story
and alleviate the importance of the story.
On the other hand a bad headline may
mar a story and even degrade the
significance of the story.

13. Purpose
The purpose of headline is to sell a story. A
headline attracts reader’s attention and
tells the essence of a story in minimum
possible words. It grabs reader’s attention
at the first place by luring them to plunge
into the story. Headline also add value to
a story and adheres a sense of
completeness to the story.

14. Types of Headlines
a) Banner head
b) Ross line head
c) Flush left head
d) Side head
e) Kicker
f) Hammer
g) Standing head
h) Jump head
i) Tripod head
j) Wicket head
k) Novelty head.

15. Essentials of good reporting
 News Sense
 Clarity Of Expression
 Objectivity
 Accuracy
 Alertness
 Calmness
 Curiosity
 Punctuality
 Patience
 Imagination
 Integrity
 Fearlessness & Frankness
 Tactfulness
 Diligence
 Command Over Language

16. Responsibilities and liabilities of a news reporter
 Monitor daily events locally, nationally and internationally and
assist others to gather current events.
 Prepare reports to keep the public informed about daily
happenings.
 Exclusive or scoops are emerged due to the synchronization
of work between news editor and reporter
 Continuing a news source network help to generate story
ideas and compile appropriate reports.
 Perform research and write international, local and national
news.
 Analyze and ensure accurate and crisp news reporting to
avoid ambiguity and redundancy.
 Collaborate with news editor to improve story presentation.

17.  Work in assigned beat areas once every week to
gather all local news.
 Coordinate with graphics department to obtain visual
elements for each story with appropriate photos or
graphics.
 Manage staff photographers for all reports of local
events.
 Develop breakout boxed for each story to emphasis
lead points.
 Administer all news writing to meet deadlines.
 Attend weekly desk meetings and staff meetings to
keep abreast of company policies and requirements.
 Maintain knowledge on latest events and news to
obtain news coverage of important and pertinent
issues.

18. Types of Reporting
 Objective Reporting
 Investigative Reporting
 Interpretative Reporting

19. Investigative Reporting
 Investigative reporting is basically in depth
situation analysis with hidden facts and
figures. It follows the interpretative method in
the later part.
 It may be reflective, even speculative, but
always based on hardcore evidence.

20. Interpretative Reporting
 Interpretative reporting is form of journalism very much in
vogue today. It can be also termed as background reporting.
 In this process, the reporter interprets the events for the
understanding of common people. Reporters not only provide
facts of the events, but also the background information
related to the event so that the readers or viewers have a
better idea about the events.
 Matters like finance, trade commerce, stock, market, and
international politics as well as national politics, conflicts etc
are not easily understood by common people.
 In that case, the media being a watch dog & social
educator, has a mammoth responsibility of simplifying such
events for easy interpretation of the masses.

21. Growth of Interpretative Reporting
 In the later part of 1920s the culture of
newspaper reading twisted to a new turn
expecting more from a regular traditional way
of news presentation. In 1929, the stock market
crashed in Europe, which gave a new turn to
the world of reporting.
 Interpretative reporting was started to infer the
causes and reasons of the terrific economic fall
down. Economists was trying to find out the
explanation and the way out to this economic
demolition. Similarly press started publishing
interpretative based articles and news.

22. Cont..
 This method was been able to collect huge revenue in
various media houses, but the very obvious and
expected Second World War interrupted the speed. It
cannot be ignored that because of interpretative news
presentation compelled the peace loving countries to
seat together with a common objective to save the
nation from the destruction of continuous war. This paved
the existence of United Nations.
 Now a day the style of interpretative news presentation
has been drastically changed. As example we can refer
DNA analysis of Zee News. Reporting is not just the
coverage rather the coverage with reasons and
purposes as well as the after reflection of the event or
accident.

23. Beat Reporting
 The BEAT system is one unique feature that exists in
the field of reporting . Beats are specialized areas of
reporting. The Beats are the categories or divisions
assigned to the reporters for reporting.

24. Beat reporters build up a base of knowledge
on and gain familiarity with the topic, allowing
them to provide insight and commentary in
addition to reporting straight facts. Generally,
beat reporters will also build up a rapport with
sources that they visit again and again,
allowing for trust to build between the
journalist and his/her source of information.
This distinguishes them from other journalists
who might cover similar stories from time to
time.

25. Different types of beat
• Political Beat
• Parliament Beat
• Court Beat
• Sports Beat
• Crime Beat
• Business Beat
• Health Beat
• Cultural Beat

26. How to Cover a Beat Effectively
 Learn Everything You Can Get to Know
 Build Trust,
 Cultivate Contacts
 Remember Your Readers
 Inculcate a strong network
 Culminate your research ability to final work
 Control your emotion
 Have a gut to follow journalistic ethics.

27. References
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 Automotive Components Manufacturers, Auto Components, Auto
Parts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.minda.co.in
 Home | idolgu.in. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://idolgu.in
 Index of /. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.poynteronline.org
 Management Marketing hrm Computer Science Medical. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.zeepedia.com
 Media Careers and Publishing Industry Tips from About.com. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://mediacareers.about.com
 Scribd - Read Unlimited Books. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.scribd.com
 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015,
from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015,
from http://en.wikipedia.org

28. Thank you