How to Write a News Report

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD. Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.

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A news report is similar to a news article. It is the basic facts of a story that is currently happening or that just happened. Writing a news report is easy if you report on the subject clearly, conduct good interviews, and write in a style that is clear, concise, and active.

Sample News Reports

Collecting Information for the Report

• Ask around for story ideas, especially government officials and public relations representatives. [1] X Research source
• Scan the news to see what is already happening. This could lead to you finding other story ideas that are related.
• Search your city or county's website or directory for local events that are coming up.
• Attend city council meetings to find out if there are any local issues happening in your area.
• Sit in on trials at the courthouse and see if anything interesting happens that you could report on.

• Write down everything you see and everything that takes place.
• Record and take notes of any speeches that occur at events. Make sure to get the names of the speakers.

• If the story is controversial or political, make sure to get both sides of the issue.
• Prepare sample questions, but don't necessarily stick to them. [2] X Research source
• Think of an interview as a conversation. [3] X Research source
• Record the interview.
• Make sure to get the full names (spelled correctly) of anyone you interviewed.

• Make sure you review your transcriptions to make sure they're accurate. You don't want to misquote someone.

Do research on the subject. News reports are about what happened in the moment, but it is good to do basic research on the subject. Research any companies, people, or programs that you are reporting on to make sure you have your facts straight. Double check spelling of names, dates, and any information you have gathered to make sure it is correct.

A good story will guide you in the right direction. "Be honest about what you see, get out of the way and let the story reveal itself."

Writing the News Report

• The headline should be attention grabbing, but not exaggerate or mislead.
• Capitalize the first word of the headline and any proper nouns after that.
• If you're having trouble coming up with a headline, you might try writing it last instead. It may be easier to think of a headline after you've finished your article.
• For example, your headline might read: "Armed robbery at Portland farmer's market"

• An example of a byline: Sue Smith, Staff Reporter
• An example of a placeline: EUGENE, ORE. [5] X Research source

• Don't include people's names in the lead (save that information for later), unless everyone knows who they are (i.e. President Obama).
• For example: A Seattle man was caught selling stolen cars at his auto shop on Tuesday when a police officer posed as a customer.

Write the body of your report. This is going to consist of the facts, but more detailed and specific than in your lead. Use the information you collected and gathered at the scene and in interviews. Write your report in third person and from a neutral perspective. Make sure your story conveys information and not an opinion.

• For example: Mary Quibble has been the director of the children's theater for six years. “I love the children and how much they care about these performances,” Quibble said. “There are 76 kids in the programs. They range in age from 7 to 16 years old.”

• For example: The woman ran out of the house at 11 p.m. when she heard the burglar enter, police said.

• Speak in past tense when writing a news report.
• Start a new paragraph whenever there is a new thought (this might mean you have paragraphs that are as short as a sentence or two)
• Write your news report in AP Style. [7] X Research source

Expert Q&A

Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

Yes, you can include the names of your subjects, as long as they aren't minors. However, don't include them in your lede.

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Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

If the journalist witnesses the event, they can act as a witness. However, this isn't the case most of the time.

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Most news reports do, particularly if witnesses were interviewed, since quotations signify spoken words.

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1. ↑https://medium.com/@blazej.kupec/how-journalists-find-stories-and-write-articles-2174e902591c
2. ↑http://pages.uoregon.edu/sponder/j641/Interview.htm
3. ↑http://pages.uoregon.edu/sponder/j641/Interview.htm
4. ↑https://walkwest.com/art-writing-headlines/
5. ↑https://www.producer.com/opinion/placelines-2/
6. ↑https://training.npr.org/2016/10/12/leads-are-hard-heres-how-to-write-a-good-one/
7. ↑https://writer.com/blog/a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-ap-style-of-writing/

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD. Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been viewed 982,510 times.

To write a news report, first use key words about your story to write a clear, accurate headline that’s easy to understand. Then, write your byline, which includes your name and title and the date of your report. Put the location of your story on the following line, written all in caps. Next, summarize the who, what, where, when, and why of your report in a couple of sentences. Finally, provide more detailed information from the scene and your interviews with witnesses and key players. Be sure to include quotes and attributions in your report. To learn how to collect information from the scene of your news report, keep reading!