News Writing E-learning Course

News writing

The best news copy appeals to your reader and keep them reading. The secret is a skilled combination of understanding who you’re writing for, what they’re really interested in, and how to get that information across in a really engaging way. As well as showing you these essential news-writing techniques, this e-learning course will improve all of your short copy skills, and save you precious writing time.

What is news?

The classic definition

Remember the reader

What do they want from your news?

Spotting news

Looking for the classic news triggers

The 12 options

Find your angle

Making it work for your reader

The 5 W’s

What every news writer must remember

Gathering information

Getting your stories

Thinking about stories

Building a story

Checking facts

Verifying

What to always check

Planning: the key to success

Your 6-point panning guide

Writing the story

Getting first things first

Grabbing your readers attention

Prioritising your information

Using the inverted pyramid

Your intro options

Back it up

Delivering what you've promised

Making your points logically

Drawing your reader through the story

Using key words

Linking

Avoiding mechanical words and phrases

Using quotes to keep the reader reading

Keeping it tight

Using active verbs

Exercises and quizzes

To check your understanding of the theory, during the e-learning course you will be quizzed on writing a news story and making it work for your audience.

Top tips and checklists

Handy tips and checklists at key stages of the course. These cover vital topics including: the classic news triggers; what you must always remember and planning.

Feedback from the trainer

Our expert trainers are here to provide you with invaluable one-to-one feedback on your progress. Email your work and the trainer will supply you with individual guidance, comments and practical suggestions. Then, once you've improved your work, the trainer will appraise your revised content and provide a second set of constructive comments. This unique feedback really brings your e-learning to life and makes sure you have truly grasped - and applied - all of the key principles.