University of Wisconsin, Madison,
January 20, 1916.
CONTENTS
| I. | News Writing | [1] |
| II. | The Study of News Stories | [6] |
| An Outline for the Analysis of News Stories | [12] | |
| III. | Fires and Accidents | [15] |
| IV. | Police News and Crime | [46] |
| V. | Criminal and Civil Courts | [76] |
| VI. | Investigations, Legislation, and Meetings | [107] |
| VII. | Speeches, Interviews, and Reports | [126] |
| VIII. | Exhibitions, Entertainments, and Special Occasions | [141] |
| IX. | Illness and Death | [168] |
| X. | Politics and Elections | [179] |
| XI. | Labor Troubles and Strikes | [186] |
| XII. | Weather | [192] |
| XIII. | Sports | [200] |
| XIV. | Society | [221] |
| XV. | Miscellaneous Local News | [232] |
| Index | [261] |
TYPES OF NEWS WRITING
CHAPTER I
NEWS WRITING
Contents of newspapers. The average daily newspaper includes a larger amount and variety of reading matter than most readers realize. In one issue of a large daily paper, which contains from 60,000 to 80,000 words exclusive of advertising, are usually to be found examples of practically every type of literary composition. The contents range from news of accidents and crime to humorous and serious verse, from market reports to a short story or a chapter of a novel, from dramatic and musical criticism to cooking recipes and cosmetic formulas, from argumentative editorials to reports of boxing matches and baseball games. Vivid description, spirited narrative, critical appreciation, logical argument, lucid explanation, moving pathos, vigorous appeals, wit and humor—all are often exemplified in a single issue of a well-edited newspaper. Scarcely any other form of publication has regularly so great a variety of writing as the daily newspaper. Thus, although a newspaper is ordinarily thought of solely as a medium for the publication of current news and editorials, the average daily paper supplies its readers with much entertaining reading matter as well as considerable advice and useful information.
Classification of contents. Diversified as are the contents of a typical daily paper, they may be grouped in seven classes: (1) news stories; (2) special feature articles; (3) editorials; (4) dramatic, musical, and literary criticism; (5) practical advice and useful information; (6) humorous matter; (7) fiction. Of these seven classes, the first four—news stories, special feature articles, editorials, and dramatic, musical, and literary criticism—are generally considered to be the distinctly journalistic types of writing.
News stories present (1) timely events of interest and significance to readers, and (2) timely incidents of little or no news value that are made entertaining by the manner in which they are presented. The first is the common type of news story; the second is usually called the “human interest” or “feature” story. Although it is sometimes said that anything that has ever happened is news if it has not been generally known, it is evident that events that have occurred in the past are not worth publishing as news unless they have a timely interest and significance. A distinction is generally made between “spot news,” which is news of events when they occur, and “detail” or “situation” material that is presented some time later in the form of special correspondence or of special feature articles.