The Journey
A newsletter for chapter advisors, chapter officers, and regional officers.

How to Write an Article That Gets Your Chapter in the News
By Nell Ewing

Good writers may be born and not made, but good journalists are a different prospect!

While a certain amount of creativity is beneficial to journalistic endeavors, the foundations of a good news story are the basics of Journalism 101: Timeliness, Accuracy and Objectivity.

The time-honored "Five Ws" - Who, What, When, Where or Why - are still the most important factors in any news story.

So if you've been assigned the duties of preparing stories for a newspaper or newsletter, the job may not be as hard as you think!

Follow these easy guidelines, and your work should pass any editor's inspection and make it to the printed page - or these days, the online page!

Step 1: Know Your Medium
If you are going to be a regular contributor to a publication, learn as much as you can about it. Read it, study it, and get an idea of what kinds of stories are used and how much news hole - or space for news stories - this publication has available.

If you have been assigned to submit a story, or given a regular "beat" - such as covering your chapter's activities for your college or regional publication - you already have one foot in the door!

If you are submitting articles to a campus publication in hopes they will be published, be sure you introduce yourself to the staff and let them know your stories will be coming.

Step 2: Deadlines Are Deadly Serious
If you have been assigned a story, find out right away when it is due. If you are submitting articles for consideration, find out the deadline for the next publication. Take these deadlines seriously - nothing will be more fatal to your story's chances than missing a deadline. Any story can - and will - be edited, but a missed deadline can never be recaptured!

Step 3: What Makes the News
Try to submit stories on upcoming events when possible - it's good promotion for your activities, and more interesting to readers than after-the-fact reports. Publications are also usually more willing to devote space to "follow-up" stories when they have carried advances about the same event.

If the publication deadlines just don't allow for an advance story, submit your follow-up article as soon as possible. News becomes old very quickly, and few publications have space to allot to a months-old event.

Step 4: Names, Quotes and Angles
Names are important to any news story - if you submit a story about a chapter induction, list the names of all new inductees. If you are promoting an upcoming event, get a quote from your chapter president, advisor or administrator. If there is a special "angle" - something that sets this event apart - play it up in your lead. "Firsts" are newsworthy - if your chapter or a member has done something unique on your campus, publicize it. Do some research and find out what makes a group of inductees special, or why the chapter members voted to sponsor a health fair - everyone has a story to tell.

Step 5: Putting the Pieces Together
News stories are written in an inverted "pyramid" - the most important facts appear in the first or "lead" paragraph. The lead paragraph is also your best opportunity to capture your reader's attention and pull them into the remainder of the article.

For example, which lead would appeal more to you? Phi Theta Kappa held its annual induction ceremony this week. Or Central College student Mary Jones, the first person in her family to attend college, achieved another goal this week when she and 25 other students were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa.

Step 6: Remember the Basics
However you choose to assemble your facts, remember to include the basics - who, what, when, where and why. When your story is written, check it for timeliness - the events described should be current; accuracy - the facts should be correct and the names should be spelled correctly; and objectivity - don't include your own opinions, they belong in editorials or letters to the editor.

Step 7: Submitting the Story
These days, many stories are submitted as email attachments - but some publications may prefer "hard copy" or a printed story. If the publication requests a printout and has not given you other specifications, double-spacing is always safe. However you submit the story, check the spelling first. Include a "tagline" telling what the story concerns, and your name and contact information.

Step 8: Keep It In Perspective
Now you can enjoy seeing your story in print!
However, sometimes no matter what you do, something will interfere with your story being printed. Don't lose your cool, but do ask for an explanation.

Sometimes what you considered to be deathless prose will be heavily edited. As any veteran reporter will tell you, that's a fact of journalistic life. You may not agree, but remember that the editors have good reasons that may not be obvious to you - space problems are often an issue.

Sometimes names you spelled correctly will be misspelled in the story, or a headline will give incorrect information. If this happens, ask for a correction in the next issue.

Step 9: Keep the Ideas Coming
In addition to news stories, human-interest stories are a staple in any publication. These feature stories are not time-sensitive, and usually require more creativity. But if you have an idea for a good feature story about your chapter or a member, give it a try - or suggest the idea to a publication staff member.

A Final Word
Congratulations! You have passed Journalism 101! Give yourself an A+ and get busy on your next story.

Copyright 1996-2003 by Phi Theta Kappa, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The name, logo and various titles have been registered with the U.S. Patent Office.

This page last modified -- Friday, 14-Nov-2003 11:00:25 CST (cwe)