Your sources should be experts in the field your article is focusing on, such as a certified professional, a professor, or an academic. You can use sources that have extensive experience or background in a field that relates to your article. Sources like a witness to an event can also be useful, especially if they have first-hand experience of the topic you are covering.
You may need to conduct more than 1 interview with your sources, especially if they are a major source for the article. You can also send follow-up questions to your sources as needed. You will need to transcribe your interviews by typing them up to ensure you quote your sources correctly. Having transcriptions will also make fact checking your article and backing up your sources much easier.
Make sure you cite the information properly in your article by noting the name or organization that provided the information. You should have credible sources to back up any claims or arguments made in the article.
If you are writing the newspaper article for an editor, they may require you to provide a list of your sources for the article to show you have fact checked your work.
For example, you may create a headline like, “Teen Girl Missing in Okotoks” or “Congress Stalls on Family Planning Bill. ” In some cases, it may be easier to save the headline for last, after you have written the article, so you know what the focus of the article is and can sum it up clearly.
For example, you may write a lead like, “An outbreak of flu in San Francisco has led to 3 elementary school closings this week, according to school officials. " Or, “A missing girl originally from Okotoks was found Monday in an abandoned cabin in the Minnetonka area, according to local police. "
For example, you may write, “10-12 students have been diagnosed with the flu and health officials fear it could continue to spread if it is not contained. ”
For example, you may write, “The teen girl was reported missing on Friday afternoon by her mother after she did not come home from a study date at a friend’s house. She is the second girl to be reported missing in the past 2 weeks from the Okotoks area. ”
For example, you may write, “‘The girl is shaken, but does not appear to have any serious injuries,’ stated local Police Chief Wilborn. ” Or you may write, “According to a statement by school officials, ‘The shutdown will prevent the flu from spreading further and ensure the safety of our students. ’” Avoid using long quotes or more than 4 quotes in the article, as the reader may get confused or lost if there are too many quotations.
For example, you may write, “The girl’s mother expressed relief for her daughter and concern about her community, noting, ‘I just hope no other girls go missing in this area. ’” Or you may write, “Local health officials are urging parents to check the municipal health and wellness website, www. hw. org, for updates on when schools are able to reopen. ”
For example, rather than write, “The missing girl’s mother thought it had to do with school,” you may write, “The missing girl’s mother thought bullying at school may have caused her daughter’s absences. ”
For example, rather than write, “A press conference will be held by local police tomorrow to address the missing girls and the public’s concerns,” you may write, “Local police will address the missing girls and the public’s concerns in a press conference tomorrow. ”
For example, if you’re writing about two political candidates running against each other in an election, present both candidates in an equal light, rather than giving extra details about 1 candidate.
Reading the article aloud can also help you catch any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
For example, you may ask others questions like, “Were you able to understand what happened, based on the information in the article?” “Was the language clear and easy to follow?” “Was the article well supported with sources and quotes?”
If you are writing the newspaper article for a class, make sure it falls within the prescribed word limit for the assignment.
