writing news story techniques

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News Story (Journalism)

•   Emma Sills
•   Kyle Olmstead
•   Shannon Hawley

JOURNALISM: Gathering Information and Writing Your Story

University of Delaware Professor Ben Yagoda defines journalism as, “uncovering timely and previously not well-known information that, according to agreed-upon standards, is important; and conveying it to the public clearly, accurately, concisely, disinterestedly, and independently.” As a journalist, the stories you write are meant to provide true facts to readers about issues or news going on in the world today. They are meant to be truthful, unbiased, and informative. According to Peter Cole, a writer for The Guardian “journalists write stories for their readers to tell them what is going on, to inform them, engage them, entertain them, shock them, amuse them, disturb them, and uplift them.”

This webtext is an overview of the necessary skill sets to be successful in journalism, specifically, gathering information through interviews and asking the right questions. Readers will also learn how to organize that information and turn it into written work that includes unbiased writing, credible sources, and proper structure.

Gathering Information

The first step to writing a story involves gathering information about your topic. In order to do so, you need people who witnessed the event first hand or have extensive knowledge on said topic. In writing, especially in journalism, the information you use is the heart of your writing. Perhaps without details, sources, evidence, one’s writing will not have the intended impact of informing your audience.

Conducting an Interview

When interviewing someone related or involved with a story, you are receiving information from primary sources. Before you begin interviewing someone, you need to make sure you know what questions to ask and how to ask them. Plan your interview as best you can and think carefully about the topics you want to cover. It would be helpful to write your questions out beforehand if you have time.

Questions to ask yourself before the interview:

• What do you know and what do you need to know?
• What are you trying to inform your audience about?
• What are some of the outcomes? Not everyone will like your story or the topic you choose to write about so be prepared for negative feedback. Be aware of any ethical issues pertaining to your topic as well.

Rich Martin author of the book, “Living Journalism”, who has more than 30 years of reporting and teaching experience, offers his advice about interviewing. These are some questions adopted from his list:

• What organizational policies or professional guidelines should you consider?
• How can you bring people with different perspectives and ideas into your decision making?
• Who will be affected by your decision? Think about your topic and who will be reading about it.
• How would you feel if roles were reversed and you were the subject of the story?
• Are there ways to minimize harm while remaining true to the facts of the story?

Once you have answered these questions and feel as though you know a lot about the subject of matter then you can consider questions that you want to find out from the person you are interviewing. It’s a given that you want to hear all sides of the story to prevent a biased opinion , but also keep in mind that there may not always be two sides to a story, so do your research. University of Delaware Professor of Journalism Ben Yagoda refers to this instance as False Equivalency. He refers to this example:

• The flu vaccine. The question parents are asking themselves is should or shouldn’t my child get the flu vaccine? Reporters may think there are two sides of this story and the truth lies in the middle, but it doesn’t. “That would be saying that only a portion of children should get the flu vaccine when medical reports prove that all children should,” says Yagoda.

With this in mind, think carefully about your topic to your story and whether it’s apparent or not that there’s two sides to look into. If so, plan for multiple interviews because as a journalist you do not want to have a biased opinion. If there is only one side of the story then do the research and interview accordingly.

Here are a few examples of types of questions you can use (adapted from Rich Martin). We have further explained underneath each type.

• Ask open-ended questions: This means questions that have no fixed limit or that require your subject to provide details. Example: Do you like animals and why? As opposed to a closed-ended question that only requires one word answers. Example Do you like animals?
• Avoid charged language or loaded words: This means questions that are not biased or come across to the subject as trying to persuade them towards a particular viewpoint. Your questions should not sound tough, but they should probe and issue.
• Keep your questions short and focused: Don’t overload them with details that will allow the subject to answer selectively.

Good questions illuminate issues and capture the personality and character of the people you’re writing about. Also when interviewing someone, you need to be sure to explain who you are and what your job is. Journalism is about directness, precision, clarity, and not about confusing people. Questions are supposed to get answers. Questions that fail to get answers are not tough enough.

Tips on questions to ask the interviewee according to Yagoda:

• Ask follow-up questions-which are sometimes the most important: Example: Yagoda read a story and in it the reporter quoted that his interviewee, “once drank a fine wine that helped him remember a specific memory”. There was nothing further on the subject and Yagoda wanted to know more about what was stated in the quotation. He says, “This would be an example of an opportunity to ask a follow up question so the readers aren’t left with questions. What was the type of wine he drank? What was the memory?
• Do not just read off all the questions you have prepared.
• If something the interviewee says is surprising or not clear then ask to explain further.
• If another topic is brought up ask about that as well.
• Educate yourself on the general topic.

After the questions are prepared and you feel confident about them, remember these final tips about conducting your interview:

• Be Yourself. Don’t act out of character.
• Choose the right setting. Offices and homes are both appropriate and convenient to conduct interviews. Outdoors is also convenient if the story calls for it, but it can be noisy.
• Tap into your subject’s ability to remember the details of the event or situation.
• Always ask why in order to fully understand what is being said.
• Take notes.
• Don’t be late.
• Dress appropriately

Interviews can be a multifaceted tool not just restricted to Journalism. They can also be used to help strengthen other forms of writing such as argumentative or research. Using interviews in this form of writing may prove to be more difficult than in Journalism due to the fact that Journalism is based on other people’s accounts of an event and stories, while other forms of writing are based on other things such as data and research. An interview adds multiple points of view to help inform the reader of the topic and allow them to create their own opinion. If you are able to conduct an interview with a reliable source, it is strongly advised to do so as this will help strengthen your writing.

Using Credible Sources

One of the most important things in any form of writing when using an outside source is to make sure they are credible. A credible source is someone or a group of people respected in their fields of study. A Harvard Law professor is going to be a more credible source than a freshman at your local community college when looking for information about law, for example. If even one of the sources that you cite in your work is not credible, every single one of the other sources in that piece will be called into question. Credible sources are not hard to come by, but you must take the extra time to make absolutely sure that nothing your sources are saying could be called into question for credibility.

According to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if your sources are credible. Below, we expanded on some of these questions to better understand them.

1.     Who is the author?

A credible author is going to be someone that has extensively studied the specific field you are writing about or need information about. Not only that, but they also will cite all of their sources in which you can check those as well for validity and backing to what your original author has written. This is also a great chance to find more possible sources to further your story.

2. How recent is the source?

The time in which a certain source was published will be important depending on what your topic is. A perfect example for this is found in the Purdue OWL which states that while information on the Civil War may be very old but still accurate, more modern topics such as computers or engineering must have more recent sources to stay relevant,

3. What is the author’s purpose?

A very important thing to keep in mind when deciding to use a source or not is what the standpoint of that source is. Is it neutral or is it biased to one particular side? This can be very detrimental to your writing if you only choose sources that limit your information to one side of a debate.

4. What type of sources does your audience value?

What this question essentially means is that you need to write to your audience, so you should use sources that could be respected by your audience. Peer-reviewed journals and research logs would be a good source for academics and professionals, but people in your hometown might not value that as much as a mainstream source of information.

Writing a News Story

Now that you have asked the questions, checked the sources, and have all of your information gathered, it is time to write the story. Peter Cole says that journalistic writing is different than creative writing. A journalist’s goals are to inform readers about what’s going and to adhere to just the facts. What sets journalism apart from other forms of writing is not only the eye-catching titles and lead sentences, but also the focus on human interest that makes the reader feel close to the story. These are crucial tools to incorporate into your writing for successful journalism.

Structure of a Story

Before you begin writing your story you need make sure you organize your information. This means picking out key points and quotes from interviews, investigative notes and observation to support your story topic. Unlike an academic essay, the most important information should be in the beginning of your story and supporting facts throughout the rest of it. Matthew Speal, writer for Freelance Writing, and Jim Hall, author of “Beginning Reporting,” highlight some key points to keep in mind when writing a news story:

“The Lead” can be one to two sentences in the opening paragraph or a separate introduction. It is used to grab the reader’s attention and persuade them to keep reading, making it the most important part of the story. There are two main types of leads-direct and delayed. A direct lead, also called a summary lead, immediately reveals what the story is about. It answers the questions; who, what, where, why, and how in a couple sentences. A delayed lead sets the mood of the story rather than answering the what, where, why, and how questions right away. This lead can be used to create anticipation and gives the reader a reason to keep reading.

Heart of the Story:

When writing your story you need to be sure you’ve answered the following questions previously mentioned. Using this structure will help you to avoid any conflict pertaining to a lack of information. You also need to make sure your story flows together and is easy for the subject to read. Using quotes, an active voice, and short sentences are important as well.

Conclusion:

Two ways to end a story are with a quote and a circle ending. A circle ending means you return to a key point or idea mentioned in the lead. Find a quote that ties your story together and draw a conclusion from it.

Non-Biased Writing

One of the single most difficult things for a journalist to do is write their story without bias. Bias is the showing of favoritism towards a specific topic or view point. As a journalist, you will be faced with a wide variety of topics to write about; some of these topics you may have never heard of, while others may personally affect you or a loved one. Writing a story without bias is difficult because if that topic personally affects you, your first instinct will be to write to persuade the audience. This, however, is not the job of the journalist. A journalist’s job is to truthfully inform the public about the facts of the story.

We conducted an interview with advertising student Nikki Marini of West Virginia University who also works at The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia’s school newspaper. During this interview, Marini was asked about her thoughts on non-biased journalism. She advises the following:

1.     Your first obligation is to the truth and your first loyalty is to the public. By this Marini means that it is up to the journalist to bring the unbiased truth to the public.

2. Avoid making generalizations with potentially controversial subjects. Instead of using the word “all” use “some,” or “often” instead of “always.”

3. As you work through the writing process, try to remind yourself of the assignment you were given. With each sentence you add, ask yourself whether you are including it to better the article or to better argue your personal opinion on the topic.

4. Collaboration is key. When working on a story, you are sure to have some form of copy editor that will look over your work when you are done writing. A copy editor is someone who checks spelling, grammar, punctuation, and overall appearance of your story. Inform this person that you feel as though you may have been biased in your writing and they will be able to take a neutral look at your writing.

Example of bias writing from The New York Times

(The example below was directly quoted from The New York Times ):

Journalism can be an incredibly informative and useful form of writing as long as the proper information gathering and writing techniques are employed. The most important thing to remember when writing is that you are writing with a goal of informing the public. Doing so requires that you include facts, not opinions, and provide as much information from both sides of any given issue as possible.

For more information regarding these topics click the links below.

• http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp (Society of Professional Journalists)
• http://www.thedaonline.com/ (The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University school newspaper).

Works Cited

Cole, Peter. “How Journalist Write.” The Guardian . N.p., 24 Sept. 2008. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.

Hall, Jim. “Beginning Reporting: A Web Site for Beginning Reporters.” Beginning Reporting: A Web Site for Beginning Rep

Hunter, Derek. “Textbook Example of Media Bias at the New York Times.” Breitbart News Network . N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.orters. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

Martin, Rich. Living Journalism: Principles & Practices for an Essential Profession . Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway, 2011. Print.

Speal, Matthew. “Beginning Reporting: A Web Site for Beginning Reporters.” Beginning Reporting: A Web Site for Beginning Reporters . N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

“Welcome to the Purdue OWL.” Purdue OWL: Establishing Arguments . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

“Journalism: Gathering Information and Writing Your Story” by Emma Sills, Kyle Olmstead and Shannon Hawley, The University of Delaware

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Table of Contents

A great introduction to news writing, plus, a detailed look into the right way to write headlines and image captions..

Written by an author who himself worked as a professional journalist in Washington D.C. during the mid-90s.

These timeless principles explained here remain the same whether you work for a print publication or an online news site.

Learn the principles and various techniques of writing effective headlines and captions that would not only look and feel professional but also inform your readers the right way.

Also provided: examples of both bad and good headlines.

How to Write a News Story How to Write a Headline Headline Writing Techniques More Headlines – One Hit, One Miss Bad Headlines 4-U Method for Power Headers in Direct Mail Copy How to Write a Caption ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

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About Ugur Akinci

How to Write a News Article That's Effective

It's similar to writing academic papers, but with vital differences

• Writing Research Papers
• Writing Essays
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Techniques for writing a news article differ from those needed for academic papers. Whether you're interested in writing for a school newspaper, fulfilling a requirement for a class, or seeking a writing job in journalism, you'll need to know the difference. To write like a real reporter, consider this guide for how to write a news article.

Choose Your Topic

First, you must decide what to write about. Sometimes an editor or instructor will give you assignments, but you’ll often have to find your own topics to cover.

If you get to choose your topic, you might be able to pick a subject related to your personal experience or family history, which would give you a strong framework and a dose of perspective. However, this route means you must work to avoid bias—you may have strong opinions that could affect your conclusions. You also could pick a topic that revolves around a personal interest, such as your favorite sport.

Research for Your News Article

Even if you end up with a topic close to your heart, you should begin with research, using books and articles that will give you a full understanding of the subject. Go to the library and find background information about people, organizations, and events you intend to cover.

Next, interview a few people to collect more information and quotes that give perspective on the topic. Don't be intimidated by the idea of interviewing important or newsworthy people—an interview can be as formal or informal as you want to make it, so relax and have fun with it. Find people with backgrounds in the topic and strong opinions, and carefully write down or record their responses for accuracy. Let the interviewees know that you will be quoting them.

Parts of a News Article

Before you write your first draft, you should be aware of the parts that make up a news story:

Headline or title

The headline  of your article should be catchy and to the point. You should punctuate your title using Associated Press style guidelines unless your publication specifies something else. Other members of the publication staff frequently write the headlines, but this will help focus your thoughts and maybe save those other staffers some time.

• "Lost dog finds his way home"
• "Debate tonight in Jasper Hall"
• "Panel chooses 3 essay winners"

The byline is the name of the writer—your name, in this case.

Lead (sometimes written "lede")

The lead is the first sentence or paragraph, written to provide a preview of the entire article. It summarizes the story and includes many of the basic facts. The lead will help readers decide if they want to read the rest of the news article or if they are satisfied knowing these details.

Once you’ve set the stage with a good lead, follow up with a well-written story that contains facts from your research and quotes from people you’ve interviewed. The article should not contain your opinions. Detail any events in chronological order. Use the active voice —not passive voice —when possible, and write in clear, short, direct sentences.

In a news article, you should use the inverted pyramid format—putting the most critical information in the early paragraphs and following with supporting information. This ensures that the reader sees the important details first. Hopefully they'll be intrigued enough to continue to the end.

The sources

Include your sources in the body with the information and quotes they provide. This is different from academic papers, where you would add these at the end of the piece.

Your conclusion can be your last bit of information, a summary, or a carefully chosen quote to leave the reader with a strong sense of your story.

• How to Write a Research Paper That Earns an A
• Avoid the Common Mistakes That Beginning Reporters Make
• What Is Expository Writing?
• Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
• Tips on How to Write an Argumentative Essay
• 5 Steps to Writing a Position Paper
• The Five Steps of Writing an Essay
• Tips for Writing an Art History Paper
• Finding Trustworthy Sources
• These Are Frequently Used Journalism Terms You Need to Know
• MBA Essay Tips
• How to Write a Persuasive Essay
• Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence for an Essay
• How to Write a Letter of Complaint
• 5 Tips on How to Write a Speech Essay
• 6 Steps to Writing the Perfect Personal Essay

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TIMES INSIDER

A Reporter Explains His Approach to Writing News and Features

Brooks Barnes, a correspondent who covers Hollywood for The Times, explains how his writing process changes depending on the type of article he is working on.

By Sarah Bahr

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

Brooks Barnes’s head is constantly on a swivel.

As a domestic correspondent covering Hollywood’s leading celebrities, companies and executives for The New York Times, he writes both daily news articles about media companies and long-lead features about subjects such as Walt Disney World’s animatronic robot crew and the Polo Lounge , a Hollywood hot spot that attracts the who’s who of the film industry.

Those two types of articles — news and features — are the yin and yang of journalism. As the name suggests, news articles provide readers with new information about important events, often as they unfold. They can cover nearly any topic, are generally 500 to 1,000 words long and are packed with the need-to-know facts of a given situation. Features, which need not be tied to a specific event, dive deep into a particular topic or person, are usually longer than news articles and often offer more comprehensive context about their subjects.

Every day, The Times publishes both. While many journalists specialize in writing news or feature articles, Mr. Barnes flips between the two.

“I have eight to 10 features on the assembly line at any given time,” Mr. Barnes said, adding that he often has to drop what he’s working on to chase the news and that he focuses on writing features when the news is slow. Generally, he can finish a news article in a couple of hours or less; a major feature can take upward of six months.

For Mr. Barnes, the main difference between a news article and a feature isn’t the word count, the number of interviews involved or how long he spends drafting it: “The writing process changes,” he says.

Interviewing Sources

A news article is all about gathering the essential information and publishing quickly.

He begins working on a news article by making calls to sources, often contacts he has built up over more than 20 years of reporting. He says he jots down his most important questions before he calls a source, even if he’s on a deadline and knows the conversation will only last a few minutes.

For a feature, Mr. Barnes said he will do around 10 interviews, not all of which may appear in the final article. If he’s writing a profile, he aims to spend a few hours with his subject on a Friday or Saturday, when the person is more relaxed and available.

As with news articles, he writes out his interview questions in advance, though he tries not to do too much research before meeting a profile subject for the first time so that he won’t come into the interview with a preconceived idea of what the subject might say.

“You want to report, not interview your thumb,” he said.

Getting Down to Writing

Mr. Barnes never outlines his news or feature articles, but instead works off his notes, which he’ll consult as he’s writing.

He gathers all of his notes from his interviews and research, both typed and handwritten, and inputs the best quotes, facts and figures into a Microsoft Word document. Unlike a news article, a feature may involve several attempts at a compelling first few sentences — known as the lede — and lots of rewriting. “I’ve been known to fixate on a lede for much longer than I should,” he said.

Structurally, a news article is much more straightforward than a feature: In a news article, the most important and timely information appears in the first few sentences, with the remaining facts generally provided in descending order of importance. In a feature, by contrast, the writer often delays the revelation of certain details in order to build suspense.

Landing on the Voice

Another difference, Mr. Barnes said, is the voice that he interjects — or doesn’t — into an article. A news article is usually devoid of personal flavor, while a feature can be saturated with it. He says he sometimes tries to “self-censor” his voice in a news article. In a feature, there is room for more lyrical description; Mr. Barnes is able to dwell on how a subject dresses, talks and reacts to his questions.

Working on Edits

The editing process also differs. With features, it can involve lots of fine-tuning: Ledes may be thrown out and paragraphs rewritten. With a news article, an editor acts more like a safety net than a pruner or a polisher, ensuring that reporters on deadline aren’t overlooking important information or relevant questions, and that they aren’t committing any obvious factual errors.

Enjoying Both Forms

The greatest challenge in writing a news article, in Mr. Barnes’s opinion, is achieving both speed and accuracy on deadline. Features present a different conundrum: A writer must carefully condense hours of interviews and research into a gripping-yet-accurate narrative that doesn’t get bogged down with superfluous information.

Though Mr. Barnes says he enjoys both forms, he’s always had a clear preference.

“I’m a feature writer who’s somehow managed not to get fired as a business reporter for 20 years,” he said.

He added: “I like luxuriating over words and trying different stuff. I could tinker with a story forever.”

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How to Write News for Online Publications

By NBCU Academy

Learn story-writing tips from the NBC News Digital team.

How do you write a news story for a website? In the video above and synopsis below, Julie Shapiro, assistant managing editor for NBC News Digital Enterprise, shares her tips. 

Journalistic writing should clearly inform the reader about a noteworthy event or development. Reporters should write news stories in a way that’s engaging enough to keep the reader’s attention while also delivering the important facts. The following are the essential elements.

The story should begin in an interesting way that is directly tied to the main point. This is usually referred to as a “lede” or “lead.” Readers have a lot of competition for their attention, so the story needs to grab them immediately. Use a dramatic anecdote, a surprising fact or an important breaking news update. 

The nut graph     

The nut graph is the heart of the story. It explains what the news is about, why it’s timely and why readers should care. The nut graph can be one sentence or several paragraphs and should include the answers to who, what, when, where and why. It often places the new developments in context by describing the bigger picture. 

The body      

After the lede and nut graph, the rest of the story should start to fall into place. Rely on expert voices, analysis and key details.  

Quotes      

Quotes can be powerful, but use them sparingly so that they stand out. In general, a writer can paraphrase a point better than a character can. A good quote does more than just convey information — it can add color, drama and depth. 

Selective details  

The rest of the story expands on the points made in the nut graph. Informative details could include examples, scenes and background information or sensory descriptions of the news scene. But choose wisely — too much detail can make the reader lose interest.

Clear writing      

Write without jargon, and keep sentences clear and direct. If a sentence needs to be read more than once to understand its meaning, trim it down or take it out. Don’t include words or phrases that would be unfamiliar to most readers. 

The kicker 

End with something memorable. A short breaking news story may not need a formal ending, or kicker, but most stories should end with something memorable. A punchy quote is a good option. Other options include a forward-looking line on what’s next for an issue or character, or one last memorable takeaway for the reader. 

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Часто встречающиеся слова и выражения, об авторе  (2017).

Ian Pickering has spent more than 30 years as a journalist, working on print and digital publications in regional and national news organisations. He has trained and mentored many young journalists . . . and is still learning himself.

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What’s Your Story? A Guide to Getting Your News in The Washington Post

A Guide to Getting Your News In The Washington Post

Every day The Washington Post receives hundreds of news tips from community and business leaders, government workers, parents, cab drivers, students and people from all over the metropolitan area. Many tips become items on washingtonpost.com/local or in the next day’s paper. Some even provide the first break in a major story that has a profound impact on affairs in the capital, the nation and the world.

Unfortunately, there is never enough space in any single edition to print everything that is written in our newsroom that day. Only about 180,000 words — a fraction of the more than 2 million words written each day by more than 500 Post reporters, editors, web producers and foreign correspondents -- is printed in the newspaper. Far more is included on our Web site, but there is much cut in the editing process.

Here are some hints on how to give your story idea the best chance of being used

· Decide which section of the newspaper would be most interested in your story . If it is in connection with high school sports, contact the sports editors; local business, the business editors; local news, the metro editors. E-mail is the best way to make an initial contact, but you may also call or write a letter.

· If your story is in connection with something you read in The Post , contact the reporter whose byline is on the article. The e-mail address of Post reporters is printed at the bottom of every story in the newspaper. On-line, you may click on the reporter’s byline and receive biographical information about the author, a selection of recent stories written by that author and a form for submitting a comment. Use that form to submit your story idea.

· Include as many names and facts as you can. And remember, even if you don’t include the other side of the story, The Post will cover both sides in the interest of fairness.

· Do not expect to be paid. As a matter of policy, The Post neither accepts gifts or payments from people who offer news or information, nor does it pay for news tips it receives. Do not be discouraged to discover your story has already been covered or that somebody else has submitted the information before you. Instead, continue to keep The Postin mind and call again.

The Metro section is not the only place for local news

Many local stories are published both in the daily Metro section and on the local news home page ( washingtonpost.com/local ). But not all Metro news is published in the newspaper. Some items are published only on-line. Other stories and event listings are published only for residents of one particular county or area. To accommodate these reports, The Post publishes community news as part of Thursday’s Local Living section. These sections target areas including Arlington-Alexandria, Prince George’s, Prince William, Montgomery, the District, Fairfax, Loudoun and Southern Maryland.

Getting your news to us

Q. I believe I have a story for The Post. What do I do?

A. If it’s a “fast-breaking” local story—a fire or accident involving injury, a robbery or something similar—call the proper authorities first, then send an e-mail to [email protected] or call the local news desk at 202-334-7300. If the story is not a breaking news story, e-mail the appropriate section (contact info at the bottom of the page) and describe your story in detail.

Q. The organization I represent is holding an important news conference within the next 24 hours. How do I let The Post know it is happening?

A. The best way to alert the newsroom of an upcoming event is to e-mail the local news staff at [email protected] , but on short notice you may want to call the local news desk at 202-334-7300. Please contact the newsroom as far in advance as possible. This gives you a better chance for coverage.

Q. I have taken a photo and video of flooding in my neighborhood. Would The Post be interested in running these?

A. Yes. Readers may e-mail breaking news photos to us at [email protected] . Send the image as a jpeg and provide as much information about the story as possible. For the video, send an e-mail describing the scene to [email protected] . In either case, an editor will contact you before The Post will agree to use your material. Your photo or video will not be considered without the following information: your name, address and phone number.

Q. What happens when I e-mail or call a reporter or columnist?

A. E-mails sent to the address at the bottom of a story, or messages sent by clicking on a reporter’s byline on washingtonpost.com are the best way to make an initial contact with a reporter. Writers and columnists often use readers’ tips and comments as ideas for articles and leads for news stories. All Post staffers are urged to answer reader e-mails, but because of the volume of tips, comments and messages we receive we cannot promise that each note will receive an individual response.

If you call our newsroom, you may find a writer or reporter available and ready to talk, or your call may be forwarded to a voice mailbox if the reporter is away from the desk. If the reporter is unavailable and you do not want to leave a voice message, you will be redirected back to a news aide who should be able to help.

Q. What happens when I send something in or call a story in to The Post?

A . E-mails and letters not directed to a specific staff member will be read by a news aide. A call to any of the numbers listed in this guide will probably be answered first by a news aide. News aides are trained to look for and check facts, and can write up simple news items and carry them through to publication. If a story warrants a reporter or photographer, an editor will dispatch them to the scene. The editor, reporter and photographer are responsible for carrying the story through to publication in print or on line.

Q. I called a story in last week and The Post never printed it. Why?

A. There are many reasons why an item does not make it into the paper. Perhaps your story only appeared on-line. Or maybe the suggestion came in on a day when there were many news items of higher priority. Don’t give up. Continue to contact The Post whenever you have something that you think the paper should print.

Q. Can I get school, community, club or entertainment event from my neighborhood listed in The Post?

A. Yes. Community calendars run in every Local Living section and contain information about events that would be of interest mainly to people living in that region. To submit an item, send it to one of the following e-mail addresses, depending on where you live:

Fairfax: [email protected]

Loudoun: [email protected]

Prince William: [email protected]

Arlington/Alexandria: [email protected]

Southern Maryland: [email protected]

Prince George’s: [email protected]

DC: [email protected]

Montgomery: [email protected]

Include event names, dates, times, an exact address, prices and a publishable contact number. All items must be received at least 14 days before publication.

Q. My community is holding a literary event. Can I havee it listed in The Post?

A. Yes. Listings for literary events also may be sent to the Community Calendar address above for use in Local Living. Sometimes these events are grouped into the Local Living “Going Out Guide” which highlights nightlife and entertainment in your community. The Going Out Guide is compiled by editors from items submitted for the community calendar and material available on goingoutguide.com , The Post’s on-line source for all entertainment, dining and nightlife in the D.C. region.

Q. I am planning an event that would be of interest beyond my community, can I get that listed in The Post?

A. Yes. Send your listings information to [email protected] . The Post publishes general interest “Going Out Guides” in Weekend on Friday, The Washington Post Magazine on Sunday, and in the Style section on Monday and Tuesday. The items listed in the newspaper, however, are a fraction of the many event picks, movie reviews, restaurant listings and nightlife options listed online at goingoutguide.com .

Q. What about getting religious announcements or events listed in The Post?

A. Retirements, new appointments, ordainments, awards and upcoming religious events are listed on Saturday’s On Faith page. Items for In Brief should be sent to the religion editor at [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the event and should include the name and telephone number of a contact person.

Q. An important member of our staff is being promoted to vice president.

A. Send biographical information and details about the promotion of your staff member to [email protected] . The column runs in Monday’s CAPITAL BUSINESS section inside the A section and online.

Q. Our company is also sponsoring a local technology seminar that is open to the public. Whom do I contact at The Post about this?

A. Send basic information about business events to [email protected] . Please put the event date in the subject line and send the announcement at least two weeks before the event. This column also runs in Monday’s CAPITAL BUSINESS section inside the A section and online.

Q. My children are interested in reading the newspaper. Do you publish anything specifically for them?

A. Yes. The Post publishes KidsPost behind the comics pages Monday through Thursday for 8- to-13-year-olds. The page contains news summaries, features, graphics, photos and puzzles. For more information, visit washingtonpost.com/kidspost . On Sunday, the Mini-Page is a pull-out in the middle of the Comics section aimed at 6- to- 12-year-olds. It contains a similar mix of material.

Q. I’m hopping mad about the way The Post covered a news story. I want to register a protest.

A. You may direct your comments to the reader representative, who helps make sure reader questions and complaints are directed to the right place and are responded to appropriately. The reader representative also answers questions from time to time on the Ask The Post blog. The best way to access the reader representative is through email at [email protected] .

Q. I want to express my point of view about a story in the news.

A. The quickest, most direct way to comment about developments in the news is by clicking on the comments button on washingtonpost.com if it is available for that story.

You can also send your comments to [email protected] or write to Letters to the Editor , c/o The Editorial Page . Letters to be published in the print edition are selected for widest public interest and reflect views of a range of The Post readers. Your letter may appear in the daily Letters to the Editor , on the Free for All page on Saturdays, or in Local Opinions in Metro on Sundays. Not all comments are published. Writers whose letters are under consideration for publication will be contacted, so please include home, work and cell phone numbers so that we may contact you for verification.

Letters must be fewer than 200 words and exclusive to The Washington Post. They may not have been submitted, posted to, or published by any other media. They must include the writer's home address, e-mail address, and home and business telephone numbers. Anonymous letters will not be considered, nor does The Post permit the use of pseudonyms.

Opinion page editors read every letter they receive. Due to space limitations, however, all letters are subject to abridgment. Because of the volume of letters we receive (an average of 1,400 letters each week), editors cannot respond individually to the authors of letters we are unable to use.

Q. How do I request a news obituary or place a paid death notice in The Post?

A . The Post has two ways of announcing a death: news obituaries and death notices.

A news obituary is a biographical news article written by a reporter. The Post welcomes suggestions for news obituaries . To request a news obituary, please complete this form or email us at [email protected] . We are not able to guarantee publication, but we review all requests and will contact you if we are able to assign a reporter to the story.

A paid death notice is a classified advertisement that usually includes information about funeral services, burial or personal remembrances. Costs vary according to the length of a death notice and whether a photograph is desired. Death notices may be placed by calling the Classified Advertising department at 202-334-4122 or by e-mailing [email protected] .

Q. My daughter has become engaged to be married and I want to announce it in The Post. Will I have to pay for this?

A. Yes. Paid announcements of weddings, engagements and anniversaries appear in Sunday’s Arts & Style section. To place an order or for more information, go to [email protected] or call 202-334-5736. All materials for the following Sunday’s paper must be received by Monday. Announcements of birthdays, graduations and other special events run in the Local Living section. Use the weddings e-mail or telephone number for those items.

Which desk should I contact?

· NEWS Happening Now

Send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 202-334-7300. (Note: If police, fire department or rescue squads are needed, be sure to contact them first.)

· Education stories

Send an e-mail to one of our education reporters (see address at the bottom of every story)

· Crime stories

Send an email to one of our crime reporters (see address at the bottom of every story) or contact our crime editors at [email protected]

· Corrections

To contact the newsroom for a correction to a story, e-mail [email protected] or call 202-334-6100 and ask to be connected to the desk involved (National , Foreign, Style, Metro, Sports or any of the weekly sections). Contact information for corrections can also be found in the corrections box on Page A2.

· Reader Representative

Address comments, complaints or questions about Post content to: [email protected] .

· Letters to the Editor

Send commentary submitted for publication to: [email protected] or write Letters to the Editor , c/o Editorial Page .

· News Obituaries

To request a news obituary, please complete this form or email us at [email protected] .

· Paid Announcements (Classified advertising rates apply)

Weddings, engagements, anniversaries and birth announcements: [email protected] or call 202.334.5736.

In Memoriam and Deaths: [email protected] or call 202-334-4122

· Promotion Announcements

Send items about business promotions to [email protected] .

· Religion events

Send items to [email protected] .

Making sure your news release gets to the right person

News releases should be e-mailed. Before sending your news release, make sure the person receiving the information is the correct recipient. If in doubt, send the release to the department’s inbox and the release will be distributed to the correct reporter.

Department contacts

Metro: [email protected]

National: [email protected] Business: [email protected] Sports: [email protected] Foreign: [email protected]

Style & Arts: [email protected] Obituaries: [email protected] Local Living: [email protected]

Books: [email protected] Food: [email protected] Health & Science: [email protected] Travel: [email protected]

Date each release and begin with the most newsworthy item or items. And be prepared to provide additional facts and data if and when a reporter calls.

Place letterhead (full name and address of your organization) at the top of your release with the name and telephone number of the person to contact for more information. Don’t forget to indicate the date the story may be printed (release date).

Contacting Us

News, Circulation and Advertising department contacts may be found on page A2 or A4 of each day’s edition of The Washington Post.

To correspond through the postal service

The Washington Post

1150 15th St. NW,

Washington, D.C. 20071

Identify the recipient by name and department (Metro News, National News, Real Estate Advertising, etc) on the cover of all letters and packages.

Direct access to newsroom departments

Main Switchboard: 202-334-6000 (to contact any department)

Local news: [email protected] or 202-334-7300 National: [email protected] or 202-334-7410

Business: [email protected] or 202-334-7320

Sports: [email protected] or 202-334-7350

Foreign: [email protected] or 202-334-7400

Style: [email protected] or 202-334-7535

Book World: [email protected] or 202-334-7882

Food: [email protected] or 202-334-7575

Health & Science: [email protected] or 202-334-5031

Local Living: [email protected] or 202-334-4409

Travel: [email protected] or 202-334-7750 Photojournalism and video: 202-334-7380 / 202-334-4655 Graphics and Design: 202-334-7380

Outlook: [email protected] or 202-334-7573

Real Estate: [email protected] or 202-334-6365 / 202-334-7320

Washington Post Magazine: [email protected] or 202-334-7585

Weekend: [email protected] or 202-334-6808

Local news bureaus

Annapolis/ Southern Maryland: 410-263-8040

Alexandria-Arlington: 703-518-3000

Fairfax: 703-383-5100

Loudoun: 703-771-4102

Manassas: 703-392-1303

Montgomery: 301-294-2600

Prince George ’s: 301-618-1720

Prince William: 703- 392-1303

Richmond: 804-649-7575

Other departments

Advertising

washingtonpostads.com

Classified: 202-334-6200; Display: 202-334-7642

Circulation

[email protected]

1-800-753-POST / 202-334-6100

To contact news departments, purchase an ad, subscribe to the newspaper, or learn more about The Washington Post and The Washington Post Company, follow links under CONTACT US at the bottom of every page at washingtonpost.com .

How to write news articles

Latest posts.

Learn the basics of writing a news story or information-led article with our expert help

You may never need to write a news article. But knowing how to do it will help you with any kind of article writing , because it is a fundamental journalistic skill that will provide you with the bones to help structure any non-fiction pieces that you write.

A news story is how newspapers and magazines break a story, in print or online. It may be about events of national or local importance; it may be about a new development in a specialist area of interest; it may be, like our news section, a way of informing interested readers about something new: a competition, a publishing opportunity. But whatever kind of news it’s imparting, it will conform to a basic format. 

The basic model for writing a news story is the inverted pyramid. What this means in practice is that the most important news goes at the top , in the lead paragraph, usually the ‘what’, followed by the who, where, why, when and how in the second and third. As you read down, the information becomes less important, and the least important information goes at the bottom. The practice developed largely as an aid to deadline-fuelled newspaper production: the sub-in-a-hurry with only limited space could cut from the bottom knowing that the story would still make sense without much rewriting. The same principle holds true online. Some readers will click away before reaching the bottom of a story, confident they already got the important details from the article opening. 

Bear in mind with this structure that all the information in a news story has to be there: ‘least important’ is not the same as ‘not necessary’. In a story for a local or national newspaper about an armed robbery in which two people were shot, the top paragraph would contain the information that two people were seriously injured in an armed robbery. Subsequent paragraphs would include information about where the robbery took place, who the victims were and what they were doing when they were shot, and what the robbers got away with. None of that information should be left out. The news writer’s job is to prioritise it. 

The key job of the writer of a news story is to find the facts and present them to the reader in a logical way , so that the story makes sense. There is no room in a news story for anything superfluous – every word has to do a job, and earn its place. Writing in this way forces the writer to concentrate on what is most important. 

If you write fiction, this style of writing is the opposite of what you’re used to. A news story breaks down information whereas a fictional story builds a picture. The reveal in a news story comes at the beginning, not the end.

News story basics: 

• It is always time-sensitive: this has happened now. 

• It is concerned with passing on the necessary factual information relating to the story. 

• Its tone is always neutral. News stories are objective. This is not an opinion piece, or a place for writers to insert their personality. 

• Information is reported. It is written in the third person, past tense. 

As we said at the beginning, most of you will never need to write this kind of story for a news publication. But whenever you need to write something that conveys new information to a reader, knowing how it’s done will provide you with a very useful model. It will help you to concentrate on the information you need to present, and understand how to prioritise it. 

Let’s break down an imaginary news story – the kind you you might read in Writing Magazine . 

The first, or lead, paragraph will tell the reader, in a nutshell, all the basic facts. 

Denise Lace-Crawford from Newport has won the Roachford Prize for Non-Fiction for her first book, Arsenic and Old Mrs Lace. 

With no messing about, the reader knows the key facts. They tell readers why they should be interested, now. Further paragraphs – short, informative paragraphs – will expand on the information that has been summed up in the opening paragraph. Our sample story might continue like this:

The second par: The £3,000 prize, announced this morning by the University of Placename, was awarded for a biography of Denise’s forensic scientist mother, whose work was key to modern understanding of Victorian domestic poisoning. This expands on the information in the lead par. It also attributes the information to its source: the University of Placename.

Third par: Denise was inspired to write the book when she discovered her mother’s research notes after her death ten years ago. ‘I knew she went to work every day in the university laboratory but I had no idea that her work was so significant – mother never discussed it at home,’ she said. 

In fifty words our knowledge has been widened significantly: we now know what Denise’s mother did, that she died ten years ago, why Denise decided to write her book, what its sources are and that her mother’s work and home lives were entirely separate. 

Fourth par: Engineer Denise, 57, only started writing because her daughter enrolled her in a course at her local library. ‘It was my fiftieth birthday present because I’d often talked about writing our family history and Yasmin knew this was the only way I’d make a start on it.’ 

Now we have more facts, this time personal information about Denise. We know her age, occupation, and that she has a daughter who cares about her enough to help her achieve a long-term ambition. In the space of a few words, we know enough about her to care about her. This has longer-term implications for writer and reader, as there may be more coverage of this story: perhaps a feature article, a review, an opinion piece? 

Fifth par: The Roachford Prize, which is funded by the University of  Placename, was set up in 1975 by scientist and philanthropist DK Khan to reward a first publication that adds to knowledge in the field of popular science. 

This is all potentially useful information, and it adds to the reader’s knowledge. But it’s not as interesting or attention-grabbing as the information at the top of the story, so it goes near the bottom. If the story gets split over pages, it may not even be on the same page as the rest of the story.

Sixth par: Denise’s book was published by local small press Honeyford Books, and is available from Waterstones. More facts, useful but without the immediacy of the top four paragraphs. Readers know where to get the book and the local interest is reinforced by the mention of the publisher.

Seventh par: ‘I thought mother’s story might interest friends and family,’ said Denise. ‘I never expected to win anything like this.’ A nice, neat conclusion takes the story back to Denise – and in this case, reinforces the human interest angle. But this is not essential information, and if we were short of space, the editor might cut this par. 

Best practice for news article writing:

• Ask yourself what questions a reader might ask, and answer them in your story.

• Get your facts right. Check them and double-check them. How much was the prize money? Check it. Who set up the prize? Check it. What is the correct spelling of Denise’s daughter’s name? Check it. Never assume anything. The old journo’s mantra ‘If in doubt, leave it out’ could be adapted to: ‘If in doubt, find it out.’

• Don’t split information. If you have two paragraphs about Denise, don’t insert one between them about the Roachford Prize. 

• Keep your writing tight and your sentences short. You can’t go far wrong with subject-verb-object. This keeps things to the point. News stories are not the place to display your extensive repertoire of adjectives, or your command of complex clauses. 

• Information must be attributed. Make it entirely clear where the information comes from. Credit your sources. It might be as simple as ‘said Denise’. 

Using quotes:

Perhaps you’ve interviewed someone for your news story. Perhaps you’ve interviewed several people. You have probably got much more information than you need. Prioritising information in a news story also means using the most important quotes.

• Ask pertinent questions.

• Don’t try to use everything. 

• Good quotes support your story and spark the reader’s interest.

• A good quote will grab attention, evoke images and convey the speaker’s personality.

• A bad quote is one that is unclear, or doesn’t add anything to the story. 

Use news writing techniques to put together your own press releases

Being able to write a news story comes in handy when you’re writing press releases for your books. Use the inverted pyramid structure to write your press release like a news story, with the key information at the top. Journalists are looking for a story: use this structure to give them one. 

All journalists are familiar with badly-written amateur press releases that jumble facts and hide useful information (‘when we were moving house – we used to live in Swindon, where some of the book is set – we found a box full of my grandfather’s old war diaries, and because I’ve always wanted to write a novel, that inspired me to think about…’). Your news-writing skills in using the minimum of words to present all the relevant facts will make it easier for the journalist to see why they should write about you. If you are sending out information about your book to media outlets, you need to present it clearly and confidently to professional journalists who will have little time, and less patience, to search for buried information in a press release full of waffle. 

Writing exercise:

Turn this information into a news story, putting the most important information into a lead paragraph and then writing the rest of the story as an inverted pyramid:

A fire in a furniture shop next to the main bus garage in your local town took place in the late afternoon on the last Friday before Christmas. It shut down all the traffic to and from the area for several hours, including a van of students returning from volunteering with refugees in Calais, a coach containing pensioners coming back from a festive trip to the Christmas market in Munich and a woman whose dog escaped from her car. Witnesses said the woman was crying and the dog was running up and down the hard shoulder but it came back eventually. Local services were affected and theatre and restaurant takings on the night were also badly affected. Thieves took advantage of the chaos to ramraid a local department store. There were no serious injuries, but damage to the business, which has been owned by the same family since 1937, was estimated at £1.5 million.  

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How to Write a News Story

Newspaper article outline, how to write a news story in 15 steps.

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The Purdue Owl : Journalism and Journalistic Writing: Introduction

From Scholastic: Writing a newspaper article

Article outline

I. Lead sentence

Grab and hook your reader right away.

II. Introduction

Which facts and figures will ground your story? You have to tell your readers where and when this story is happening.

III. Opening quotation 

What will give the reader a sense of the people involved and what they are thinking?

IV. Main body

What is at the heart of your story?

V. Closing quotation

Find something that sums the article up in a few words.

VI. Conclusion  (optional—the closing quote may do the job)

The following is an excerpt from The Elements of News Writing by James W. Kershner (Pearson, 2009).  This book is available for checkout at Buley Library (Call number PN 4775 .K37 2009, on the 3rd floor)

1.       Select a newsworthy story. Your goal is to give a timely account of a recent, interesting, and significant event or development.

2.       Think about your goals and objectives in writing the story. What will the readers want and need to know about the subject? How can you best tell the story?

3.       Find out who can provide the most accurate information about the subject and how to contact that person. Find out what other sources you can use to obtain relevant information.

4.       Do your homework. Do research so that you have a basic understanding of the situation before interviewing anyone about it. Check clips of stories already written on the subject.

5.       Prepare a list of questions to ask about the story.

6.       Arrange to get the needed information. This may mean scheduling an interview or locating the appropriate people to interview.

7.       Interview the source and take notes. Ask your prepared questions, plus other questions that come up in the course of the conversation. Ask the source to suggest other sources. Ask if you may call the source back for further questions later.

8.       Interview second and third sources, ask follow-up questions, and do further research until you have a understanding of the story.

9.       Ask yourself, “What’s the story?” and “What’s the point?” Be sure you have a clear focus in your mind before you start writing. Rough out a lead in your head.

10.   Make a written outline or plan of your story.

11.   Write your first draft following your plan, but changing it as necessary.

12.   Read through your first draft looking for content problems, holes, or weak spots, and revise it as necessary. Delete extra words, sentences, and paragraphs. Make every word count.

13.   Read your second draft aloud, listening for problems in logic or syntax.

14.   Copyedit your story, checking carefully for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and style problems.

15.   Deliver your finished story to the editor before deadline.

Kershner, J.W. (2009). The Elements of News Writing. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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• Last Updated: Sep 15, 2023 11:02 AM
• URL: https://libguides.southernct.edu/journalism

Enhance your news editing skills with these 10 tips

By sylvia smith sep 1, 2021 in journalism basics.

Write short. It’s much harder than writing long. Although there’s infinite space online, there is not infinite attention among readers.

If you are editing a story, your goal is to shorten and enliven the article so it will attract (and keep) the attention of your readers.

Here are 10 editing tips that will help you tighten and sharpen news stories:

(1) Read each paragraph from the bottom up.

You are looking for missing words, improper punctuation, and bad syntax. By reading from the bottom, you will focus on the basics of English writing and are more likely to identify mistakes.

(2) Read the article aloud.

If you have to take a breath in a sentence, that sentence is too long. Shorten it.

(3) Make “bullets” ( ● ) your friends.

Organize your stories by creating bulleted lists. This can help you avoid awkward or wordy transitions.

[Read more: Tips for editors who work with freelancers]

(4) know your audience..

Don’t use terminology those readers will not encounter in everyday life. Use references they will understand.

(5) Avoid certain words for the sake of clarity or conciseness.

Examples include:

• Most synonyms for “said.”
• “In order to.” The word “to” suffices.
• “Start to.” In almost all cases, the verb that comes after “start to” can stand on its own.
• “That” after an action verb. No: She said that Mondays are good days. Yes: She said Mondays are good days.
• “Really” and “very,” as in “really fun” or “very hard.” Neither adds any precision, so why use it?
• “Currently.” If you use a present-tense verb (such as “is”), “currently” is redundant. No: I currently have a cold. Yes: I have a cold.
• Many “ing” words. They often complicate sentences and add unnecessary words. No: I am going to travel to Canada. Yes: I will go to Canada. No: I will be fighting for change. Yes: I will fight for change.

(6) Look for redundant phrases. 

Brand new; absolutely essential; tragic death; consensus of opinion; circle around. Eliminate the redundancy. Shorter and simpler: new, essential, death, consensus, circle.

(7) Small edits can add up to big savings (in the length of your story).

If you can cut six words in each paragraph of the average 250-word article, that’s about 60 words (or two paragraphs) of additional information you can add. Your “trims” can add up. Here’s an example of how you can do it:

President Trump said on Saturday night that he would not impose a quarantine on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut but would instead issue a “strong” travel advisory to be implemented by the governors of the three states. (38 words)

President Trump will not order a quarantine for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, he said Saturday night, but will issue a “strong” travel advisory to be carried out by the governors. (32 words)

(8) Ask whether the first paragraph (or two) of the story is necessary.

Often, the lead (or “lede”) of your story is buried several sentences into the story. Here’s an example from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:

Art studios may not meet the criteria for “essential business,” but for many artists they are essential to making a living. Lisa Hersey is a self-employed bookbinder who operates her business, Antler Editions, out of a studio at Cottage Street Studios, where she also works with another artist in the building as an employee. Both businesses were shuttered this week as Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all nonessential businesses to cease in-person operations. “I have no income, except for my very small unemployment check that I’m getting right now,” Hersey said Thursday. Hersey may be cut off from her studio, but in that sense, she’s not alone in this city of artists…. Hersey understands the safety need for the order, but noted, “I also need to pay my bills that aren’t stopping.”

[Read more: Supercharge your Twitter skills with these five tricks]

Here’s a revised version of the same story that is shorter and more focused:

Barred from her one-woman bookbinding studio because of the state’s closure of all nonessential businesses, Lisa Hersey is scraping by. “I have no income except for my very small unemployment check.” Hersey understands the safety need for the order, but “I also need to pay my bills.” It’s a bind Hersey shares with many other artists, including her neighbors at the Cottage Street Studios.

(9) Let the article “cook.”

Go to lunch, work on something else, grab a coffee. Come back and read it with fresh eyes. You may find something else to cut.

(10) To practice your editing skills, give yourself this assignment on something you have written. 

The assignment: How can I reduce it by 50 words without omitting anything important? Good luck.

This article  was originally published by globalbusinessjournalism.com .  It was republished on IJNet with permission.

Photo by  Christina @ wocintechchat.com  on  Unsplash .

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Ringo Starr on ‘Rewind Forward,’ writing country music, the AI-assisted final Beatles track and more

Paul McCartney joined Ringo Starr for a song on the prolific rock star’s fourth EP in three years, “Rewind Forward.” (Sept. 27)

Ringo Starr poses for a portrait, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, Calif., to promote his EP “Rewind Forward,” out October 13. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are rock stars, and then there is Ringo Starr — drummer for the Beatles, award-winning soloist, photographer, narrator, actor, activist. To call him prolific would almost shortchange his accomplishments. But it also feels right.

“Rewind Forward,” out October 13, is his fourth extended play release in three years.

“I’ve loved EPs since they first came out in the ’60s,” he says of the format. “And then I heard the kids are making EPs and thought, ‘That’s good!’”

The title is a classic “Ringoism,” as John Lennon used to refer to his malapropisms, an unusual phrase ripped from the same mind that came up with “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

Assigning profundity to it came later. “I think it means that, you know, you’re sitting still for a while. You rewind and you find out ‘I was a much better person then,’ or ‘this was working for me better then,’ he says. You don’t have to ever live in the past, but just check it occasionally.”

“Of course, I’m making all this up,” he jokes.

Starr got a little help from his friends on the four track EP, a collection of life-affirming songs co-penned by Starr’s engineer frequent co-writer Bruce Sugar, Steve Lukather of the All Starr Band, Toto’s Joe Williams, Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, and many more.

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

“Feeling the Sunlight” was written by Beatle Paul McCartney, who Starr says he “FaceTimes twice a month” and hangs out with whenever he is in London, or McCartney is in LA.

“When he sent the track, he’d actually done the drums, so we had to take them off,” he says, laughing.

If there is a thematic throughline to “Rewind Forward,” or any of Starr’s solo work, it’s a kind of unrelenting optimism — that even in the most troubling circumstances, peace and love will see you through.

It’s that spirit that has kept him moving forward. He’s currently embarked on a fall tour, which began September 17th in Ontario, California, and ends next month in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It’s a feat for a veteran performer when so many bands are embarking on farewell tours.

“A lot of people have said ‘That’s the last gig!’ And I say it after every tour and our children and my wife are fed up with me. ‘Oh, you said that last time,’” he jokes. And yet, he continues to hit the road because he simply loves it: “I get everything I need.”

More short collections are on the horizon, too. (“Right now, I’m EP crazy,” he says.) The next one is founded in country music. While attending a poetry reading by Olivia Harrison , late Beatle George Harrison’s widow, Starr ran into “T-Bone” Burnett. They decided to work together. Starr thought he’d get a pop number, but Burnett instead sent him a country song. “He actually opened the door,” he says. “So, I thought, ‘Why don’t we do that, too? A country one.’”

Recently, Starr collaborated with McCartney on Dolly Parton’s cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” (“It’s good to be a part of it,” he says, adding that it required no convincing. “I’m easy.”)

In June, news broke that a final Beatles recording would soon become available, created using artificial intelligence technology to extricate John Lennon’s voice from a piano demo — the same method used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back.”

There was some confusion — and potentially fear — around the use of AI. “The rumors were that we just made it up,” he says of Lennon’s contributions to the forthcoming track. “Like we would do that anyway.”

“This is the last track, ever, that you’ll get the four Beatles on the track. John, Paul, George, and Ringo,” he says.

When asked when it will be released, he says, “It should’ve been out already.”

There are rock stars, and then there is Ringo Starr. The prolific musician is releasing his fourth EP in three years, “Rewind Forward.” And he’s recorded a country music EP, is hitting the road on a tour and added fresh drumming to the much-discussed AI-assisted final Beatles song. He sat down with Maria Sherman of The Associated Press to talk in this extended interview about all that, plus voicing Thomas the Tank Engine and the “Octopus’s Garden” creation story.

And if it’s the Beatles you’re hungry for, there’s always their immense discography to dive into. Or all eight hours of “Get Back,” which its ineffable access the biggest band in history, and its most intimate moments: like the scene that shows Starr beginning to write “Octopus’s Garden,” and Harrison coming in to assist.

Harrison had left the band; Starr was in Sardinia on Peter Sellers’ yacht when the captain told him octopuses have gardens — they collect stones and shiny objects. He had his guitar — “I play three chords, that’s about it,” he says — and starting writing.

In his view, the documentary allows viewers to see exactly what came next — and the magic of being a Beatle.

“It was a great time of my life. Being a Beatle was great,” he says. “I had three brothers, I’m an only child, and that’s life.”

This story has been updated to include the correct mention of “T Bone” Burnett.

Ringo Starr on ‘Rewind Forward,’ writing country music, the AI-assisted final Beatles track and more

There are rock stars, and then there is Ringo Starr

LOS ANGELES -- There are rock stars, and then there is Ringo Starr — drummer for the Beatles, award-winning soloist, photographer, narrator, actor, activist. To call him prolific would almost shortchange his accomplishments. But it also feels right.

“Rewind Forward,” out October 13, is his fourth extended play release in three years.

“I’ve loved EPs since they first came out in the ’60s,” he says of the format. “And then I heard the kids are making EPs and thought, ‘That’s good!’”

The title is a classic “Ringoism,” as John Lennon used to refer to his malapropisms, an unusual phrase ripped from the same mind that came up with “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

Assigning profundity to it came later. “I think it means that, you know, you’re sitting still for a while. You rewind and you find out ‘I was a much better person then,’ or ‘this was working for me better then,’ he says. You don’t have to ever live in the past, but just check it occasionally.”

“Of course, I’m making all this up," he jokes.

Starr got a little help from his friends on the four track EP, a collection of life-affirming songs co-penned by Starr’s engineer frequent co-writer Bruce Sugar, Steve Lukather of the All Starr Band, Toto’s Joe Williams, Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, and many more.

“Feeling the Sunlight” was written by Beatle Paul McCartney, who Starr says he “FaceTimes twice a month” and hangs out with whenever he is in London, or McCartney is in LA.

“When he sent the track, he’d actually done the drums, so we had to take them off,” he says, laughing.

If there is a thematic throughline to “Rewind Forward,” or any of Starr’s solo work, it’s a kind of unrelenting optimism — that even in the most troubling circumstances, peace and love will see you through.

It's that spirit that has kept him moving forward. He's currently embarked on a fall tour, which began September 17th in Ontario, California, and ends next month in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It's a feat for a veteran performer when so many bands are embarking on farewell tours.

“A lot of people have said ‘That’s the last gig!’ And I say it after every tour and our children and my wife are fed up with me. ‘Oh, you said that last time,'" he jokes. And yet, he continues to hit the road because he simply loves it: “I get everything I need.”

More short collections are on the horizon, too. (“Right now, I’m EP crazy,” he says.) The next one is founded in country music. While attending a poetry reading by Olivia Harrison, late Beatle George Harrison’s widow, Starr ran into “T-Bone” Burnett. They decided to work together. Starr thought he’d get a pop number, but Burnett instead sent him a country song. “He actually opened the door,” he says. “So, I thought, ‘Why don’t we do that, too? A country one.’”

Recently, Starr collaborated with McCartney on Dolly Parton’s cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” (“It’s good to be a part of it,” he says, adding that it required no convincing. “I’m easy.”)

In June, news broke that a final Beatles recording would soon become available, created using artificial intelligence technology to extricate John Lennon’s voice from a piano demo — the same method used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back.”

There was some confusion — and potentially fear — around the use of AI. “The rumors were that we just made it up,” he says of Lennon’s contributions to the forthcoming track. “Like we would do that anyway."

“This is the last track, ever, that you’ll get the four Beatles on the track. John, Paul, George, and Ringo," he says.

When asked when it will be released, he says, “It should’ve been out already.”

And if it’s the Beatles you’re hungry for, there’s always their immense discography to dive into. Or all eight hours of “Get Back,” which its ineffable access the biggest band in history, and its most intimate moments: like the scene that shows Starr beginning to write “Octopus’s Garden,” and Harrison coming in to assist.

Harrison had left the band; Starr was in Sardinia on Peter Sellers’ yacht when the captain told him octopuses have gardens — they collect stones and shiny objects. He had his guitar — “I play three chords, that’s about it," he says — and starting writing.

In his view, the documentary allows viewers to see exactly what came next — and the magic of being a Beatle.

“It was a great time of my life. Being a Beatle was great,” he says. “I had three brothers, I’m an only child, and that’s life.”

This story has been updated to include the correct mention of “T Bone” Burnett.

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Movie Reviews

Did ai write this film 'the creator' offers a muddled plea for human-robot harmony.

Justin Chang

Madeleine Yuna Voyles plays Alphie, a pensive young robot child in The Creator. 20th Century Studios hide caption

Madeleine Yuna Voyles plays Alphie, a pensive young robot child in The Creator.

The use of AI in Hollywood has been one of the most contentious issues in the writers and actors strikes , and the industry's anxiety about the subject isn't going away anytime soon. Some of that anxiety has already started to register on-screen. A mysterious robotic entity was the big villain in the most recent Mission: Impossible film, and AI is also central to the ambitious but muddled new science-fiction drama The Creator .

Set decades into the future, the movie begins with a prologue charting the rise of artificial intelligence. Here it's represented as a race of humanoid robots that in time become powerful enough to detonate a nuclear weapon and wipe out the entire city of Los Angeles.

Movie extras worry they'll be replaced by AI. Hollywood is already doing body scans

As a longtime LA resident who's seen his city destroyed in countless films before this one, I couldn't help but watch this latest cataclysm with a chuckle and a shrug. It's just part of the setup in a story that patches together numerous ideas from earlier, better movies. After the destruction of LA, we learn, the U.S. declared war on AI and hunted the robots to near-extinction; the few that still remain are hiding out in what is now known as New Asia.

The director Gareth Edwards, who wrote the script with Chris Weitz, has cited Blade Runner and Apocalypse Now as major influences. And indeed, there's something queasy and heavy-handed about the way Edwards evokes the Vietnam War with images of American soldiers terrorizing the poor Asian villagers whom they suspect of sheltering robots.

John David Washington plays Joshua Taylor, a world-weary ex-special-forces operative. 20th Century Studios hide caption

John David Washington plays Joshua Taylor, a world-weary ex-special-forces operative.

The protagonist is a world-weary ex-special-forces operative named Joshua Taylor, played by John David Washington . He's reluctantly joined the mission to help destroy an AI superweapon said to be capable of wiping out humanity for good. Amid the battle that ensues, Joshua manages to track down the weapon, which — in a twist that echoes earlier sci-fi classics like Akira and A.I. — turns out to be a pensive young robot child, played by the excellent newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles.

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Hollywood and the threat from artificial intelligence — real or imagined.

Joshua's superior, played by Allison Janney , tells him to kill the robot child, but he doesn't. Instead, he goes rogue and on the run with the child, whom he calls Alpha, or Alphie. Washington doesn't have much range or screen presence, but he and Voyles do generate enough chemistry to make you forget you're watching yet another man tag-teaming with a young girl — a trope familiar from movies as different as Paper Moon and Léon: The Professional .

Joshua's betrayal is partly motivated by his grief over his long-lost love, a human woman named Maya who allied herself with the robots; she's played by an underused Gemma Chan. One of the more bothersome aspects of The Creator is the way it reflexively equates Asians with advanced technology; it's the latest troubling example of "techno-orientalism," a cultural concept that has spurred a million Blade Runner term papers.

In recycling so many spare parts, Edwards, best known for directing the Star Wars prequel Rogue One , is clearly trying to tap into our memories of great Hollywood spectacles past. To his credit, he wants to give us the kind of philosophically weighty, visually immersive science-fiction blockbuster that the studios rarely attempt anymore. The most impressive aspect of The Creator is its world building; much of the movie was shot on location in different Asian countries, and its mix of real places and futuristic design elements feels more plausible and grounded than it would have if it had been rendered exclusively in CGI.

Here are the movies we can't wait to watch this fall

But even the most strikingly beautiful images — like the one of high-tech laser beams shimmering over a beach at sunset — are tethered to a story and characters that never take on a life of their own. Not even the great Ken Watanabe can breathe much life into his role as a stern robo-warrior who does his part to help Joshua and Alphie on their journey.

In the end, Edwards mounts a sincere but soggy plea for human-robot harmony, arguing that AI isn't quite the malicious threat it might seem. That's a sweet enough sentiment, though it's also one of many reasons I left The Creator asking myself: Did an AI write this?

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One creator is revealing her tips for journaling and writing: ‘This has been really cool for me’

Madison Wild ( @madisonxwild ), a fashion content creator who’s gained popularity for sharing her eclectically curated outfits, has revealed her personal tips for journaling and writing. For the 23-year-old TikToker , who, as of reporting has more than 619,300 followers on the platform, journaling for her is mostly “just brain dumping.”

“It’s just to get out everything you’re feeling, everything that’s really in your head. Everything you’re anxious about or just thinking about too much,” she said on Sept. 19. “Write it on a page, and then you’ll end up usually working through it somehow by writing about it.”

A study published in Family Medicine and Community Health in 2022 argued that primary care providers should recommend patients use journaling as a “non-pharmacological tool in the management of mental illness.”

“Given the low risk of adverse effects, low resource requirement and emphasis on self-efficacy, primary care providers should consider this as an adjunct therapy to complement current evidence-based management,” wrote the authors of the study.

If, however, you want to make a more creative approach to journaling but “don’t have inspiration yourself,” Wild suggested an alternative method.

“Reading a book and annotating it, and taking lines that really strike you and then trying to rewrite them in your own words is a really helpful place to start,” she said, before referencing “A Science Not for the Earth” by Yevgeny Baratynsky . “This is one of my favorite poetry books I’ve read in a long time.”

Li Bing ( @lis.library ), a New York City-based “reader, writer, linguaphile,” according to her Instagram bio, previously spoke about why she enjoys the process of annotating so much.

“Some books just have a few underlined passages, while others are covered in pens of all colors and dozens of sticky tabs,” Bing told Brit + Co . “Annotating feels creative in the sense that I am coming up with my own responses to the text, in a way curating the parts that I want to hold on to, or make my own, either by writing about them, discussing them, or just rereading them. I also find color coding by theme to be somewhat creative.”

Wild explained that rewriting profound words or statements you come across in a way that speaks to you, is another way to derive creative inspiration from journaling.

“Like, it’s the same thing and you get the same vibe, but it’s different. And then that will lead you into other things, and then that’ll give you an idea about why you wrote it the way you did,” she added. “You just take ideas of why you replaced each word with what and what that means to you, versus the idea that they were thinking.”

Wild, who recently relocated to Los Angeles from New York, said she felt compelled to share these tips because she used to journal without feeling inspired.

“But this has been really cool for me. So I would recommend,” she said. “Pick up a book that you like and do this.”

Fellow TikTok creators are grateful for Wild and the journaling/writing suggestions she had.

“She’s needs to be a teacher we need lessons like this!!!!” @thissadie wrote in response to her video.

“You are my comfort person on here. i’m excited to try this,” @picklesncooch replied. While @allison.castle added, “Everything you say resonates so well with my brain.”

In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News — follow us here !

The post One creator is revealing her tips for journaling and writing: ‘This has been really cool for me’ appeared first on In The Know .

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