Basic News Article Structure

1. News Article Structure
The most important information needs to go at the top,
because your audience could stop reading at any point.

2. News Article Structure
1. Elements of a News Article:
a. headline
b. byline
c. lead statement
d. body
i. facts
ii. quotations

3. Headline
The “title of the story,” which should grab the reader’s
attention and sum up the main idea of the story.
Examples:
“Local Farmer Wins Ten Million Dollars!”
“Can Twitter Predict the Future? Research Says Maybe”
“How to Improve Your Memory in One Evening”
“Gene Breakthrough Restores the Sight of People with
Inherited Eye Disease”
“Villagers Hurt in West Bank Clash”

4. Byline
A line below the headline that gives the author’s
name and the date the article was published.

5. Lead Statement
This is called the “lede” in the field of journalism.
It is the introductory sentence at the beginning of
a news article that summarizes the key details of
the story. It answers the questions of:
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, & HOW
Example: “An elderly Jeju man died Monday
when an early morning fire raged through his
home.”

6. Lead Statement: Examples
“The White House on Wednesday directed the
Justice Department to release to the two
Congressional Intelligence Committees classified
documents discussing the legal justification for
killing, by drone strikes and other means,
American citizens abroad who are considered
terrorists.”
“Seniors will pay lower bus fares thanks to a city
council decision last night.”

7. Body
Everything that comes after your lede is the body
of the news article. It should include a more
detailed description of what happened, how
people reacted, and why the event is significant.
The body should include:
○ Facts
○ Quotations

8. Example News Story
Scores Dead in Uganda Bomb Blasts
August 33, 2016 - Author Name
At least 64 people have been killed in two near simultaneous
bomb explosions, apparently targeting crowds watching the
World Cup final, in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, police have
said.
One blast hit an Ethiopian restaurant in the south of the city,
while the other occurred at a rugby sports club in the east of
Kampala. “We have 64 dead and 65 injured. The nationalities
of all the fatalities will be released later,” Judith Nabakooba,
Uganda’s national police spokesperson, said on Monday.

9. Example News Story
The US embassy confirmed that one US citizen was among
the dead and a number of other foreigners were reported to
be among the injured. Both blasts struck at the centre of large
crowds watching live coverage of Sunday’s World Cup
football final between Spain and the Netherlands.
“These bombs were definitely targeting World Cup crowds,”
Kale Kayihura, the inspector-general of Ugandan police, said.
He said he believed Somalia’s al-Shabab, a group which the
US says has links to al-Qaeda, could be behind the attacks.
If that proves true, it would be the first time the group, which
has carried out multiple suicide attacks, inside Somalia has
struck outside of the country.

10. Review

11. Activity:
Write a news article about:
● club sign-ups / recruitment this week
Include:
● Headline
● Byline
● Lead (Lede)
● Body
You will write it one
part at a time!

12. #1 - Brainstorm Ideas
You will need to find a specific
focus for your story. Right
now, come up with ideas for
what exactly you want to write
about in your article.

13. #2 - Write a Headline
The “title of the story,” which should grab the reader’s
attention and sum up the main idea of the story.
Examples:
“Local Farmer Wins Ten Million Dollars!”
“Can Twitter Predict the Future? Research Says Maybe”
“How to Improve Your Memory in One Evening”
“Gene Breakthrough Restores the Sight of People with
Inherited Eye Disease”
“Villagers Hurt in West Bank Clash”

14. #2 - Write a Headline
Review:
Is your headline short?
Does it capture what the article is about?
Did you capitalize it like a title?
Is it written in active voice?
● Bomb Strikes Small Village = active :)
● Small Village Struck by Bomb = passive :(

15. #3 - Add a Byline
A line below the headline that gives the author’s
name and the date the article was published.

16. #4 - Write a Lead Statement
This is called the “lede” in the field of journalism.
It is the introductory sentence at the beginning of
a news article that summarizes the key details of
the story. It answers the questions of:
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, & HOW
Example: “An elderly Jeju man died Monday
when an early morning fire raged through his
home.”

17. #5 - Write the Body
Everything that comes after your lede is the body
of the news article. It should include a more
detailed description of what happened, how
people reacted, and why the event is significant.
The body should include:
○ Facts
○ Quotations