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News stories
Helpful hints for better news stories
- Be sure to answer the questions who, what, where, when, why, and
how within the first two paragraphs of your news story. Then you
can fill in the details in succeeding paragraphs. Avoid flowery, overly-descriptive
language. Keep the tone brisk and to the point.
- What happened, or what is going to happen?
- Where did (will) it happen and when? Include church
or school name, city, and state.
- Who was involved with the planning or execution of
the event? Who attended it? Who was helped? (Name only
the key persons—planners, main speakers, etc.—not everyone who participated.)
- Why did (will) it take place? Why
was it planned?
- How did (does) it advance the mission of your church?
How did people feel about it before and/or afterwards?
The editors particularly look for stories that share ideas
that could be used by other churches for outreach to nonmembers
or nurture of new members.
- Introduce every person named in the story: who they are and
where they live. Use first and last name in everyone's first
mention (both men and women, even if they're married and mentioned
along with their spouse), then last name only in subsequent
mentions. Since all members of the body of Christ are "brothers and sisters"
we do not use anyone's professional or social title.
- Limit news story length to 250 words (if typing, double space
the lines).
- Include at least one story-telling picture to illustrate your
story. Two or three people, at most, is usually best. Photos of people in action are
the most interesting. Avoid large group shots.
Avoid lining people up in a row to smile at the camera! And do avoid baptismal
tank shots!
- Type picture captions at the end of your story. DO NOT
write on the back (or front) of the picture! Attach a photo
I.D. form to the bottom of each photo, and fill it in as completely
as you can.
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