MODULE STAIRWAY TO NEWS WRITING:

IV TECHNIQUES AND PRINCIPLES

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
 IDENTIFY VARIOUS SOURCES OF NEWS
 DETERMINE POTENTIAL SOURCES OF SCHOOL NEWS
 RECORD THE WAYS IN NEWS GATHERING
 APPLY THE NEWS ELEMENT IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS

HANDLING INTERVIEW IN NEWS GATHERING

The interview is the bedrock of information gathering in news writing. It is defined as the
process of “dyadic, relational communication, with a predetermined and serious purpose designed to
interchange behavior involving the asking and answering of questions (Soriano and Henson, 1995).
Sounds brain cracking? Simply put, the interview is purpose-driven. Its main aim is to exchange ideas
through question and answer style. Hence, the interviewer is the person who ask questions, while the
interviewee is the person who gives the answers.

Let us study the key points in such definition to bull’s eye the meaning
1. Dyadic denotes that the interview is a person-to-person interaction between two parties.
2. Relational strongly suggest interpersonal connection between interview parties.
3. Predetermined and serious purpose means that at least one of the two parties comes to
interview with a goal and has planned the interview to focus on specific subject matter.
4. Interchanging behavior connotes sharing of expectations, roles, feelings and information.
5. Asking and answering questions (taken as a single process) is crucial to the interviewing process;
questions serve as tools to obtain information.

STAGES IN INTERVIEW

Here are some steps in conducting an interview using the formula known as the GOSS,
developed by Rue de Guilleland
1. Know your Goal or purpose.
2. Present Obstacle encountered.
3. Offer Solutions to these obstacles.
4. Start writing the interview story.
 STEPS IN CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

1. Define the purpose

2. Conduct a background research of the topic you are assigned to.
3. Set an interview appointment.
4. Make preliminary planning by listing down possible questions. There are six questions
beginning with five W’s and one H. however, be sure to ask specific who, another who, one
more who, and final who. For instance, you are interviewing the principal of your school
regarding the Brigada Eskwela conducted last May. You may ask as many “WHO” questions
as you wish.
Like:

 Who was the proponent of the program?

 Who were the benefactors?
 Who were the participants?
 Who else attended the activity?
 Who may be benefitted by the program?

This technique should be practiced by a good data gatherer for a news article so that
he/she may accumulate basketfuls of data. In such a way, he/she may diminish
subjectivity; subsequently, he/she presents many perspectives as he/she can.
5. Meet the interviewee.
6. Get down to business. Ask the first question.
7. Establish early rapport, that is, from formal to less formal.
8. Tackle the more sensitive topic with respect and tactfulness.
9. Express some recovery statements.
10. Leave a thank you note.

STRUCTURE OF NEWS

Since this module is intended for novice writers and those who are skeptical yet
whether or not to join the publication, the structure of news discussed below is the basic
news structure. For advanced reporting, there are more types of news structure.

Newspaper articles are written using the inverted triangle format. Most journalism
experts agree to use triangle not pyramid. The inverted pyramid format is three-dimensional
that is referring to special cases of developmental communication and interpretative
journalism or investigative reportage.
Using the inverted triangle structure, a writer bears in mind that the most important
information is at the top (beginning of article) and the least important information is at the
bottom (end of article). With this format, the story or the news article will have the ability to
undergo cutoff test (removing last section/s of story to quickly shorten story), without distorting
its gist.

REASONS FOR THE INVERTED TRIANGLE STRUCTURE

The inverted triangle is used in news writing because it makes reading easier and faster.
It also enables the hurried reader to get all the important facts in a very short period of time.
Say, as he reads the first three paragraphs, he knows already the gist of the news.
It likewise satisfies curiosity in a logical way, as it makes page makeup easier. Finally, it
makes the work of the editor easier.

LET US TRY TO COMPARE THE TWO STORIES

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a

pail of water.

-versus-

Jack suffered a skull fracture and Jill is

in serious condition after the pair
tumbled down a hill during their ritual
water-carrying chores yesterday.
 The second version tells a story packed with specific details. It answer all the five questions. The
4 W’s and H questions.

Name: Year and Section:

Direction: True or False. On the space provided before each item. Write T if the statement is factual and
write F if it’s erroneous.

_____1. Interviewing key persons gives the writer or the reporter an avenue to gather tertiary
information.

_____2. Written and electronic documents are good sources of primary data.

_____3. Citizen journalism is also a reliable news source.

_____4. Comparing version of stories is urged in news gathering because it diminishes the existence of
perspectives.

_____5. The news is structured following an inverted triangle style so that the least important ideas and
information will be highlighted.

_____6. Nose for news means that a writer must have high sense to newsworthy events; hence. Stalking
persons is permitted.

_____7. Bribing the sources of news in exchange to a scoop and mentioning them in your stories are
both unethical.

_____8. During the interview, impromptu questions are better suggested than written or rehearsed
questions.

_____9. Setting an interview appointment may be done via telephone.

____10. Tackling sensitive topics during interview is allowable as long as permission is granted