Who is this the course for?
News-writing is a fascinating and complex topic, and Peter’s courses are divided into two parts. Basic news writing is for those at an early stage in their journalism career.
Delegates will spend a very practical day, mixing teaching with exercises designed to reinforce key points.
We address the fundamental principles and techniques of news writing, such as:
- how to craft the crucial first sentence;
- how to structure and prioritise the rest of the story;
the importance of the six key questions reporters must answer – what, why, when, how, where, and who; - showing specialist writers how to find strong stories in their chosen territory, and;
helping delegates become confident in making news judgements.
Advanced news writing helps delegates create the type of content that helps news publications stand out – long-running stories, articles with more than one focus and similar.
It will help more experienced reporters extend their skills and is equally useful for sub-editors and editors seeking to extend their skills in handling contributors’ stories.
It covers:
- stories with twin themes;
- event and significance (‘what’ and ‘real what’);
- look-ahead leads;
- the use of chronology, or keeping ‘when’ straight;
- background and context;
- how to handle running stories;
- questions of jargon, accessibility, and reach;
- handling different kinds of evidence and how to use the key terms of attribution, and;
- the role of the news feature and how the genre is defined.
Peter Gillman Training 