Science News Writing

 

SCIENCE NEWS WRITING

 

DISCUSSION 

SCIENCE NEWS WRITING WR ITING AS FACTUAL FACTUAL AND OBJECTIVE OBJ ECTIVE



PROVIDE ANWERS TO THE 5 W’S (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE AND WHY)

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BASIC NEWS LEADS

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THE ANGLE, THE HOOK, THE NUT GRAPH, ALL THE DETAILS AND THE ENDING/CONCLUSION

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THE INVERTED PYRAMID

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THE IMPOR IMPO RTANCE OF O F REWRITING REWRI TING

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HEADLINE WRITING

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TIPS FOR SCIENCE WRITING

 

SCIENCE NEWS WRITING AS FACTUAL AND OBJECTIVE Science Journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. Science news writing is writing about a scientific matter, often in a non-technical manner for an audience of non-scientist. The goal of science writing is to communicate science for the people and to bring impact in the lives of the citizen through science.

 

SCIENCE NEWS WRITING AS FACTUAL AND OBJECTIVE  CREDIBILITY IS EVERYRTHING WHEN YOU ARE A NEWS WRITER – ACCURATE, TRUTHFUL, FAIR AND CRITICAL CRITICAL  BASIC

NEWSWRITING MEANS YOU HA HAVE VE TO TO

KEEP YOUR OWN OPINION TO YOURSELF. THAT THA T IS TO KEEP YOUR YOUR FACTS FACTS STRA STRAIGHT IGHT  LACK

OF ATTEN ATTENTION TION TO ACCURACY ACCURACY

 

THE 5 W’S WHO SAID WHAT TO WHOM?  

WHAT HAPPENED?  WHEN DID IT HAPPEN?  WHERE  WHY

DID IT HAPPEN?

IS IT IMPORTANT TO THE READER?

 

THE 5 W’S WHO SAYS WHAT IN WHICH CHANNEL TO 

WHOM AND WITH WHAT EFFECT?  ALWAYS  CITE

BE ACCURATE

YOUR SOURCES (RELIABLE)

 

IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THELEAD LEAD  THE

GOOD NEWS WRITING  FIR FIRST ST

SENT S ENTENCE ENCE IN YOUR YOUR STOR STORY Y. TYPIC TYPICALL ALLY Y LESS THAN 25 WORDS LONG. IT IDENTIFIES THE KEY FACTS AND EXPRESSES THEM CONCISELY

 SIMPLE

SENTENCE

 SUMMING  LEA LEAVES VES

UP THE STORY

THE READER READERS S WANTING WANTING FOR MORE MO RE

 

YOU TRY TO TRY TO FIND FIND THE LEAD L EAD OF THE THE LEAD STORY, TRY TO COLLECT ALL YOUR FACTS,  WHEN

SUM THEM UP UP AND PULL THEM DOWN  THE LEAD SHOUD BE COMPELLING, CLEAR, ACTIVE ACT IVE AND AND HA HAVE VE A RING RING TO IT IT.

 

OF THE ST STOR ORY Y THAT THAT A JOUR JOURNALI NALIST ST THE ANGLE CONSIDERS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND  ASPE ASPECT CT

DECIDES TO HIGHLIGHT OR DEVELOP  A NEW TREA TREATMENT TMENT AGAINST ALZHEIMER’S ALZHEIMER ’S DISEASE/CANCER

 

THE ANGLE  WHAT—WHAT

IS IT? WHAT DOES THE TREATMENT DO? WHAT DOES IT COST?  WHO – WHO INVENTED IT? WHO IS HE OR SHE? STATISTIC STA TISTICS S OF THE OF NUMBER LIVESOVERALL SAVED ANNUALLY BECAUSE THE OF BREAKTHROUGH PORTRAY PORTRA Y A SINGLE SINGLE PATIE TIENT NT ABOUT ABOUT HIS/ HIS/HER HER FIGHT AGAINST THE DISEASE

 

THE HOOK  OFTEN

PART OF THE LEAD BUT DIFFERENT FROM THE LEAD L EAD IN IN THE SENSE THAT THAT IT PROVIDES THE JUSTIFICA JUSTIFICATION TION FOR THE STORY TO BE WRITTEN

 IT

MAKES M AKES THE ST STOR ORY Y APPROPRIA APPROPRIATE AND TIMELY

 

THE NUT GRAPH  IS

A SHORT HAND FOR THE NUT NUT SHELL PARAGRAPH.

 NORMALLY,

IT IS YOUR SECOND PARAGRAPH IN YOUR NEWS STORY STORY RIGHT BEHIND BEHI ND THE LEAD

 IT

CONDENSES THE WHO, WHO, THE WHA WHAT T AND THE WHEN INTO A NUT SHELL.

 

THE NUT GRAPH  NUT

GRAPHS ARE ESPE GRAPHS ESPECIAL CIALL LY IMPORT IMPORTANT ANT TO HAVE WHEN YOU WRITE LEADS TO CREATE INTE CREATE INTEREST REST RA RATHER THER THAN TO SUMMARIZE.

 

Example:

 

THE NUT GRAPH  THESE

NUTSHELL PARAGRAPHS ARE VITAL, YOU NEED NEED TO TO GET GE T THEM RIGHT WITH ALL THE ACCURATE ACCURATE NAMES AND TITLES, TITLES , PLACES AND WHEN AND WHERES.

 

THE DETAILS  ARE

IN THE MAIN IN MAIN BOLT BOLT OF YOUR TEXT

 THE

MEAT OF THE STORY

 THINK

OF GOOD ARGUMENTS, ARGUMENTS, CONTROVERSIES, EVIDENCES, QUOTES, SUPPORTS, CLAIMS, LOGICS AND POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FINDINGS.

 

THE ENDING/CONCLUSION  ENDINGS

ARE ALMOST AS IMPORT ARE IMPORTANT ANT AS THE

LEAD  CAN

BE A GOOD QUOTE OR CATCHY CATCHY PHRASE PHRASE THE WILL LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION TO THE READERS

 

THE INVERTED PYRAMID  STANDARD

TEMPLATE IN WRITING A NEWS

STORY.  THE

MOST COMMON WAY BY WHICH JOURNALISTS PUT TOGETHER TOGETHER ALL THESE ELEMEN ELE MENTS TS OF A NE NEWS WS STOR STORY Y.

 IT

HELPS YOU TO ARRANGE THE FACTS QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY.

 

THE INVERTED PYRAMID  IT

ILLUSTRATES THE ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

 THE

WIDEST PART AT THE TOP REPRESENTS

THE MOST SUBST SUBSTANTIAL, ANTIAL, INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION THE WRITER MEANS TO TO CONVEY CONVE Y TO TO THE READERS.  THE

LOWER PORTION ILLUSTRATES THAT OTHER MATERIALS SHOULD FOLLOW IN THE ORDER OF DIMINISHI DIMINISHING NG IMPOR IMPORT TANCE

 

THE LEAD THE BODY THE TAIL

 

REWRITING  REREAD.

REWRITE. REVISE. REWRITE. REVISE.

EDIT.  REREADING

AND REWRITING YOUR ARCTICLE WILL HELP YOU BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS WITH YOUR OWN WRITING STYLE.

 

CITE SOURCES  CITING

SOURCES IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BECOME A GOOD SCIENCE NEWS WRITER

 IT

GIVES PROPER ATTIBUTION ATTIBUTION TO THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION

 

TIPS IN WRITING YOUR SCIENCE  Have

ARTICLE

a clear background story. Make sure ideas are clearly presented. As early as this part, make connections to the target audience.

 Follow

the rule “one sentence, one paragraph” and “one sentence, one idea.” Keep your sentences simple and short.

 Self-check

writing.

your sentences one at a time while

 

TIPS IN WRITING YOUR SCIENCE

ARTICLE 

Don’t be provided overwhelmed with your own ideas Look and with the information (fact sheet). for the angle, organize your thoughts and ideas about the topic supported by the provided information.

 

TIPS IN WRITING YOUR SCIENCE

ARTICLE  Understand

your source. (Fact sheet, interview, informative videos, etc.) Source attribution is very important.

 Check

and check the facts.

 Be careful with your spelling.  Avoid giving opinions. Always be

objective or you may sound like you are editorializing.

 

TIPS IN WRITING YOUR SCIENCE

ARTICLE 

Use transition words effectively and appropriately.  Write

quotations to break the monotony of

sentences. This will also allow your article to be more conversational rather than stiff.  Don’t

forget to cite your sources

 

THANK YOU!