Short but full of information Has graphological feature
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10 H
EADLINES
L
EADS
3 Journalists’ Talk
Headlines and leads are difficult to be written because of the limited space. They also must be interesting enough to attract the readers. These are some
linguistic ways that can be applied to cope with the problems.
• Shorten the words
President curses porn magazines President curses porn mags. Print advertisements challenge creativity Print ads challenge creativity
• Omit the function words
Kidman was given cinema honor in Australia Kidman given cinema honor in Australia Revision of import duties was finalized Revision of import duties finalized
Glossary
Citation: a word or piece of writing taken
from a written work
to congregate: to gather together in a large
group of people or ani- mals
to deny: to say that something is not true.
rumor-monger: a per- son who spreads rumours
verdict: an opinion or decision made after judg-
ing the facts that are given, especially one
made at the end of a trial
suburb: an area on the edge of a large town or
city where people who work in the town or city
often live
to sustain: to suffer or experience, especially
damage or loss
to swerve: to change direction, especially sud-
denly.
Home Assignment
Take a look at the headlines in newspaper from two different news agency • Are the headlines written by using the same theories that you have learned?
• Do you find another headlines’ characteristics? • How about the language? Are they written in a similar way of writing?
1 Get Into The Newsroom
W
e know that newspapers have a limited space for its news stories. Therefore the readers won’t read all the news sto- ries in newspapers, they will find the one that really make them interested. The readers also only read the headline
and the first or second paragraph, just to grasp the main information. So, how should journalists write their news stories if the readers do not have enough time to read the whole stories?
UNIT 3
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Story 1 BEKASI: A live-in do-
mestic helper has been arrested for the murder
of her employee’s baby daughter, the police said
Thursday.
The 30-year-old
woman had been working for the Bekasi couple - Nuriman and Neneng
Faridah - for just four days.
Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Ed- ward Syah Pernong said their investiga-
tion would determine the charges against the maid.
The police said the domestic helper was at home alone with two-month-
old Ananda Talita Shasqia on Wednes- day.
She phoned Neneng, who is a teacher, in the afternoon, asking her to
come home as Ananda had died after falling from her cot.
The parents arrived home to find their only child dead with blood
around her nose and a wound to the back of her neck.
Bantargebang Police suggested tak- ing the child’s body to Cipto Mangun-
kusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta for an autopsy, but the family
refused. Story 2
BEKASI: The Bekasi couple - Nuriman and Neneng Fari-
dah arrived home to find their only child dead with
blood around her nose and a wound to the back of her
neck.
The police said their two-month-old daughter, Ananda Talita Shasqia was at
home alone with a domestic helper that had been working for the couple
for just four days.
The maid phoned Neneng, who is a teacher, in the afternoon, asking her to
come home as Ananda had died after falling from her cot.
Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Ed- ward Syah Pernong said their investiga-
tion would determine the charges against the maid.
Bantargebang Police suggested tak- ing the child’s body to Cipto Mangun-
kusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta for an autopsy, but the family
refused.
The police said that the domestic helper has been arrested for the mur-
der of her employee’s baby daughter.
Adopted from The Jakarta Post, January 16, page 8
These two different stories have the same
information. Read and compare them
1. Which story do you prefer to read if you
do not have enough time? Why?
2. What are their dif- ferences?
3. Which one do you want to put in a
newspaper?
R u d y a r d Kipling, a
young journalist had a beautiful poem:
“I keep six honest serving men they taught me all I
knew; Their name are What and Why and When
and How and Where and Who”
Now this poem becomes the basic rules in writing
news stories: 5W + 1H.
Adapted from Catatan-Catatan Jurnalisme Dasar, 2005
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Glossary
to amplify: to increase the size or effect of some-
thing
cot: a small bed for a baby or young child with
high bars round the sides so that the child cannot
fall out
to descend: to go or come down
to grasp: to quickly take something in your
hands and hold it firmly
to invert: to turn something upside down
or change the order of two things
maid: a woman who works as a servant in a
hotel or in someones home
thoroughly: doing something completely
Summary of all important Facts of secondary
Details of least im-
portant
The Inverted Pyramid
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he basic pattern in news writing is called the inverted pyramid. It is very useful to solve the problem of readers’ limited time in reading a newspaper. The main function of this
structure is to enable the reader to get the main important facts of a news without reading it until the last paragraph.
The characteristics of typical news stories using the inverted pyramid are: 1. The first section or the lead contains the summary off all important facts.
2. The body contains the facts that amplify or add the main facts in the lead. 3. After the lead and within the body, facts are arranged in the order of the descending
importance.
Adapted from Journalism and the School Paper, 1976
5W + 1H
M
ost news stories answer six questions; what, who, where, when, why, and how. This formula, known as 5W + 1H, enables the readers to understand all the information thoroughly. Note that it is the story that answer all the ques-
tions. If those questions are answered by the lead, it will be too long. For example, the lead answer what question and each paragraph in the body will answer the other questions.
Look at the lead of story 1 in the first page BEKASI: A live-in domestic helper has been
arrested for the murder of her employee’s baby daughter, the police said Thursday.
This lead answer What and Why questions. • What happened? A live-in domestic helper has been arrested
• Why did she was arrested? She had murdered her employees baby daughter
Adapted from The Process of Writing News, 1992
2 Let’s Work
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13 T
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Look at the jumbled paragraphs below 1. using the inverted pyramid, rearrange these paragraphs and make good news stories
2. Find the “5W + 1 H” elements in each stories 3. Finally, give each news story a good headline
1.
New York police were investigating Monday the gruesome death of a man in
the Indonesian consulate, who was dis- covered with a knife struck in his chest
and one hand almost severed at the wrist.
Consulate officials said Wielanto had been given permission to stay at the
consulate while he waited for a flight to Jakarta.
It was taken to the office of the city’s medical examiner to determine whether
he was murdered or committed suicide. The body of the man, identified as Bam-
bang Wielanto, 35, of Jakarta, was found Sunday in a basement room of the
four-story mansion just off Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue that housed the consulate.
The body was discovered by a security guard. As well the knife protruding
from his chest, at least two other knives were lying on the floor.
“We are waiting on the examiner’s re- port before we take this any further,” a
police spokesman said. Police said they had found no suicide
note.
Council chair Shukor Husin said state reli- gious authorities were in the process of gaze
ting legislation banning the music style in sharia or Islamic law, and that its Muslim
followers could be prosecuted. Malaysia’s highest Islamic authority on Mon-
day banned Muslims from taking part in a “satanic heavy metal cult”, calling the musi-
cal genre un-Islamic.
Shukor said that the cult’s practices, based on U.S. rock band Metallica which has used
symbols including an inverted cross, went against the teachings of Islam and could pro-
pel a Muslim out of the religion.
“We are waiting for state religious authori- ties to gazette this fatwa under the sharia
crime enactment,” he was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.
The National Fatwa Council issued the reli- gious decree against the “black metal cult”,
citing practices in which members stamp on the holy Koran, drink alcohol and freely
engage in sex. However, he said, merely listening to heavy
metal songs was not a crime 2.
Adopted from The Jakarta Post, 1 February 2006, page 4
Adopted from The Jakarta Post, 24 January, page 12
The result in Wednesday’s Group B matches have added to the intrigue over how Camer-
oon failed to make the World Cup while Togo and Angola qualified for its first finals.
Togo, which has yet to score a point or a goal, cannot now qualify with one match still
to play.
Cameroon has a maximum six points from two games, followed by Congo on four and
Angola on one. Congo needs only a draw against Cameroon on Sunday while Angola
must win and hope Cameroon continue its winning run
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who will be watching the World Cup on television in
June, struck his fourth African Nation Cup goal in two games on Wednesday to elimi-
nate Germany-bound Togo. Eto’o followed up Saturday’s hat-trick
against Democratic Republic of Congo by scoring the first goal and setting up the other
as the Indomitable Lions beat Togo 2-0 to qualify for the quarterfinals
Angola, also World Cup qualifier, was held 0-0 by the Congolese despite having a one-
man advantage for 71 minutes after Tresor Mputu was sent off.
Although the latter pair produced improved performances in a double bill at the Military
Academy Stadium, where track suited con- scripts were bought in to boost an otherwise
meager crowd on a chilly afternoon, they lacked firepower in attack.
“I didn’t think we deserved to lose by that score,” said Togo’s Nigerian coach Stephen
Keshi. “It was a big improvement on the last game.”
3.
Adopted from The Jakarta Post, 27 January 2006, page
You are a journalist and you have collected some information facts for your news story.
1. Based on the facts below, write the lead for your news story remember to put the most important facts in the begin- ning
2. Write the
headline 3. Add the specific information after the lead and make sure that your story has applied the inverted pyramid and 5W +
1H The Facts:
• SMU Kolese De Britto held DE BRITTO EDUCATION FAIR 2006 on 11-12 October 2006 • At least 32 Universities participated in this event
• Students from many high schools also attended the event enthusiastically • Each university had a stand that provided some information about its education programs
• The main purpose of this event is to facilitate the high schools students in knowing and selecting the appropriate uni-
versities for themselves • The students did not only get the information about several universities, they also had the opportunities to choose the
suitable university • Ag Prih Ardiantanto, the head committee, said, “One of the goals in high school is to prepare its students to continue
their study in universities. Therefore, giving them the provisions of knowledge, independence, and values of life is a must.”
Adapted from Kedaulatan Rakyat, October 13, 2006, page 13 P
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3 Journalists’ Talk
Active VS Passive
Now, we have known that news stories try to give the information quickly as possi- ble. The main information facts are written in the beginning then the specific and less
important facts follow the lead. In writing news, the journalist must concentrate on using the active voice most of the time.
What is the relationship between activepassive sentences with the effectiveness of news stories? Look at the examples below
Glossary
to ban: to forbid, espe- cially officially
to boost: to improve or increase something
cult: a religious group, often living to-
gether, whose beliefs are considered extreme or
strange by many people
decree: an official state- ment that something must
happen
enactment: special law gazette: a newspaper
old fashioned
gruesome: extremely unpleasant and shocking,
and usually dealing with death or injury
propel: to push or move something somewhere,
often with a lot of force active California’s strongest earthquake since the
World Series temblor triggered rock slides, broke windows and collapsed a warehouse wall Wednesday.
passive Rock slides were triggered, windows were broken and a warehouse wall was collapsed Wednesday in Califor-
nia’s strongest earthquake since the World Series temblor.
It is clear that the subject comes at the beginning in the first lead. The second lead hides the subject almost in the end of the paragraph.
Discuss it
1. Why do the using of active sentences make the news story more effective? 2. What if news stories do not apply the inverted pyramid and 5W + 1H?
3. Do you think that answering 5W + 1H in writing news stories is complete enough in writing news? Do you have any other elements?
Home Assignment
• During this week, find 2 newsworthy topics around your school and list all the im- portant facts. To list the facts, you can refer to the inverted pyramid and 5W + 1H
formula. Write the headline and the lead. You do not have to write full paragraph for the rest of the story, just list the specific and less important facts.
P
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1 Get Into The Newsroom
UNIT 4
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4 K
NOW
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OURCES
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OURCES
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Mark Potter, an ABC r e p o r t e r , a l w a y s
brought an old-small book. He wrote names,
occupations, addresses, telephone numbers, and
other important infor- mation in this book.
Potter’s habit tells us that news sources are
very important. Other journalists also have the
similar book.
Potter said that he couldn’t do his job
without this book.
Adapted from Catatan- Catatan Jurnalisme Dasar,
2005 • Can a journalist write a news story without any support from the sources? Why?
• Who can be the sources? Who are they?
Bomb explodes in Penang, one killed
Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon asked the public not to spread rumors.
He said that police were in control of the matter.
Police have not yet detained any sus- pects.
Authorities said it was the first such incident in the recent years in Penang –
one of Malaysia’s main tourist attrac- tions.
One witness, Teoh Ah Seen, told na- tional news agency Bernama that about 50
people were watching a singing contest on a pedestrian walkway outside the mall
when the blast occurred.
“We heard a loud explosion,” Teoh was quoted as saying. “I saw people run-
ning helter-skelter, but I didn’t run far away. Later, I saw two men lying on the
ground.”
Vijay Joshi
Associated PressPenang, Malaysia
A
home made bomb filled with nails and bullet casings exploded outside
a shopping mall on a Malaysian resort island, killing one man and injuring an-
other, authorities said Monday.
Police said the small bomb exploded on Sunday night while some people were
watching a singing competition outside the popular Prangin Mall on Malaysia’s
northern island of Penang.
Perhaps the bomb was made by ama- teurs,” Penang’s criminal investigation
police chief, Syed Ismail Syed Azizan, said at a news conference.
Malaysia, a mostly Muslim nation is known for its moderate Islam, is one of
Southeast Asia’s most peaceful countries. It has cracked down hard on terrorism,
having arrested dozens of Islamic militant suspects since 2001.
Investigators recovered nails up to 8 centimeters long from the blast site.
The bomb, hidden in flower bushes, also contained spent ammunition and had
a fuse that resembled a large firecracker, Syed Azizan said.
The explosion killed Malaysian swim- ming coach Yeoh Kok Siew, 47. Another
man was hospitalized with light injuries.
Adapted from The Jakarta Post, 17 January 2006, page 2
R
EAD THE
ARTICLES ON
THE
R
IGHT AND
ANSWER THE
QUES- TIONS
BELOW
:
• Could you mention all the news sources in this
news story? •
Is the news clearly reported with these
sources?
•
Is there any possible source that can be
included in this news story?
Glossary
to crack down: to start dealing with bad or
illegal behaviour in a more severe way
Fuse: a string or piece of paper connected to a fire-
work or other explosive item
helter-skelter: quickly and in all directions
to hospitalize: to take someone to hospital
pedestrian: a person who is walking, especially
in an area where vehicles go
to recover: to get back something lost, especially
health, ability, posses- sions, etc
resemble: to look like or be like someone or some-
thing
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Janet Cooke, a Washington
Post reporter, won Pulitzer
with her story “Jimmy’s World.” A story of an
eight-year-old boy who was addicted to drugs.
This story was discussed several times until people
found that her resume was flawed.
Cooke finally confessed that she had made some
fake characters for her story. She had lost her
Pulitzer.
Adapted from Catatan- Catatan Jurnalisme Dasar,
2005
T
HE
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S
OURCES
’ F
UNCTIONS
Sources are the heart of the newspaper. Without them, journalists cannot write news stories accurately and reliably.
The functions of news sources are: 1. Develop the story by providing meaning and depth of an event
2. Information from the sources can lead to another news story. 3. Good relationship with the news sources will improve the journalists’ career.
Adapted from Catatan-catatan Jurnalisme Dasar, 2005.
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