Know ALL the PARTS of a NEWS

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Within the types of texts that exist, we highlight journalistic texts, that is, a type of objective and informative text that is used to explain an event or news from a journalistic and professional point of view. When talking about a specific and professional text, we find a textual typology that has basic and essential elements. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover you what are the parts of a news item so you can learn to write journalistic texts in a correct way. Take note!

Index

1. The 6 parts of a journalistic story
2. The elements of a news
3. Epigraph, one of the most prominent parts of the news
4. Title and cap of a news item
5. Entradilla of the news
6. The body of the news, the part with more information
7. The optional parts of the news: photo and caption
8. How to write a news story: 5 basic elements

The parts of a journalistic story are 6. Here you have them summarized and, later, we will describe them in a more complete way so that you do not have any doubts:

1. Pre-title or flyer: is the information that is placed before the title and that serves as a preview of what is going to be explained.
2. Title or headline: summarizes the content of the news in a very concise and direct way.
3. Pompadour, lowering or caption: it is a text located just below the title and serves as a brief summary of what happened.
4. Entradilla: Before beginning to explain the news in full, a more extensive summary is offered, usually one paragraph, in which the most important data of the news is given.
5. Body of the notice: is the writing of all the news. The structure must be descending, that is, it begins with the most important and, later, the causes or consequences are analyzed in more detail.
6. Photography: it is optional and it is the visual support of the news.
7. Caption or caption: is the text that is placed under the photo and explains what is being shown in the image.

Image: Edu. Xunta

Within the written word we find different types of text such as, for example, narrative texts, argumentative texts, expository texts, and so on. Each of these texts have a series of elements and particularities that make them different and unmistakable. The journalistic text It is included within the so-called "technical texts" because they include a language and a specific form of the sector.

And within the journalistic texts we find a great multitude of subtexts that can be written: opinion articles, interviews, informative articles, news, etc. Next we are going to talk in detail about the parts of a news story so that you can understand how these texts typical of the journalistic universe have to be structured.

What is a news item and its characteristics

The very word "news" comes from the Latin "notitia", a term that refers to the information that is enunciated for the first time. Therefore, we are faced with a type of text that offers new knowledge.

Generally speaking, a story should answer 7 questions essential, which are the following:

• What
• Who
• When
• Where
• Why
• So that
• How

The information that is written in a journalistic story always has to comply with the principle of objectivity, clarity and truthfulness. Information must be disclosed that is easy to understand and, above all, is truthful. The objective of a news item is to inform the reader about an event that has taken place.

But, in addition to these elements of the news that are essential, you also have to know what are the parts of the news that make a text can be considered as such. We will reveal them to you individually below.

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One of the parts of a news item is the epigraph, that is, the phrase that is used as an introduction and that places the reader in the context about which they are going to speak. We speak first of this part because visually it is placed above title, as a kind of preamble that gives more extensive information than the title, but that can only serve as an introduction.

The epigraph is used in the journalistic world to be able to give some data that serves to present the information that will be developed next. In general, the headings have to complement the title and avoid having the most important information (since this is the function of the title): they focus on the Additional information It helps to understand the title of the news.

Another of the most prominent parts of a news item is the title. In fact, for many this is the most important part since it is in charge of presenting the event of clear, direct and concise way. In addition, depending on the quality of the title, the reader will be encouraged to continue reading the news or not. The characteristics of a good news headline is that it is precise, brief and striking, has to create curiosity and encourage the reader to continue reading.

In the title is where you have to try to condense the most important part of the news in a very summarized and striking way. Has to impact, attract attention and attract the readerFor this reason, for many it is one of the essential parts when writing good informative news.

The pompadour, the text under the title

Many readers often confuse the pompadour with the subtitle, since in the literary universe some novel titles contain a subtitle that is located just below the title. In the world of journalism, the text that appears under the title is known as "pompadour" and is not of a subtitle itself, but rather a very synthesized summary of some relevant data on the News. Here is a summary of the highlights that has been mentioned in the title, that is, the information is slightly expanded that has been featured in the title.

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When we speak of a lead we are referring to the introductory paragraph to the content. It is a short text where the most important information about what happened is summarized in a generic way. Within the newspaper written on paper, this lead is usually next to the front page and is placed under the title and the pompadour.

In the entry the most relevant information data of a more detailed way than in all the parts of the news mentioned above. The objective pursued with this type of text is also to create interest and capture the attention of the reader to encourage them to continue reading.

Characteristics of a news entry

• Precision: Although it is more widespread information than the rest of the previous content, it still has to be precise and direct, it should not go around the bush or spread too much.
• Clarity: the information given in the lead must be clear and concise. Avoiding confusion or using words that are too technical or difficult to understand is something that should be avoided in this part of the news.
• No spelling mistakes: it is important that spelling and grammar are closely monitored when writing a text journalistic but, even more, in the summarized parts of the news since they are the ones that will be read the most people. A news item with misspellings takes away professionalism and seriousness from the media and the journalist.
• Sources: if necessary, the sources that have been consulted should also be mentioned in the lead in order to give more value to the text and the information that is being offered.

Now we enter the matter and we talk about the part where the content of the news is found, that is, the detailed information of everything that has happened. This part is known as the "body of the news" and the journalist explains in detail everything that has happened organizing the information on a scale from major to minor importance.

Unlike the other parts, this section does have to be informed in detail and without haste. Both the most relevant facts as of the other events related and minor but also essential to the full understanding of the information.

The body of the news begins with information that contextualize the reader, that is to say, a paragraph that is in charge of locating us and relating what happened with other relevant events of the past or present. After this brief contextualization is when the news begins and must be organized taking into account a series of basic elements.

Organize the body of a news item: the ideal textual structure

The text structure journalistic has to take into account the following:

• Decreasing structure: As we have already mentioned, in order to organize the information well, it is necessary to start by informing about the most outstanding and relevant and, little by little, offering less important data. The most important information has to be, therefore, in the first paragraphs.
• Chronology: It is also important that the journalist takes into account the chronological narration of the events so that the reader understands well what has happened and the information is presented clear and detailed.
• Conclusions / Final summary: At the end of the story, many times it can be concluded with a final paragraph as a closing or summary, but always maintaining the principle of objectivity typical of journalism.

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And to conclude with the parts of a news story, we must talk about other elements that are common in this type of text but are not mandatory. On the one hand we find the photography, a visual support that accompanies the content and that serves to offer extra information that helps to better understand what happened. In addition, the images also help to make reading more enjoyable and the reader can immerse themselves in the text more broadly.

Also, the epigraph It is also one of the optional parts that can be included in a news item since it is the text that is placed at the bottom of the photograph and where the name of the photographer is indicated as well as a brief note about what is shown in the photo.

And we finish this lesson to indicate in a summarized way how news is written. In this way you will be able to have a compendium of the most essential aspects that will help you when writing journalistic information of this type. The elements that you should take into account are:

• Present: the information that must be indicated in a news item must be current. In the event that we want to write an article talking about a past topic, we are not dealing with a news item but rather a report or article of another type.
• Veracity: it is important that the information given in a news item is truthful and verified. The content of the news cannot be falsified or manipulated. It has to be given objectively and truthfully.
• Objectivity: It is another of the maxims of journalism and that has to be followed scrupulously. The news must be given in an objective manner, informing and describing what happened without judgment or own opinions.
• Novelty: Another of the key elements of a news story is that it reports something new for the reader to know. You have to report and, therefore, we start from the basis that this information is unknown and that, thanks to the news, the reader will know something new.
• Answer the 7 basic questions: 7 essential questions have to be answered that help to give complete information. The what, who, where, when, how and why is something that has to be resolved when giving a news story.

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If you want to read more articles similar to Parts of a news item, we recommend that you enter our category of Writing.

• Valdés, J. (1985). The news. Editorial Belén.
• Milanés, F. (2008). Parts of a news item. Information text.
• Yanes Mesa, R. (2003). The news and the interview. An approach to its concept and structure. Scopes. International Journal of Communication, 9-10, 239-272.