An article is a written work published in a print or
electronic medium for the purpose of propagating the news and other
information. It is like a direct conversation with the reader and it discusses
current or recent news of either general interest or of a specific topic, i.e.
Sports, politics, trade, etc.
A news article can contain photographs, statistics, graphs,
diagrams, interviews, polls, debates on the topic, eye witness reports, etc.
The writer can directly answer the possible questions in the minds of the
audience through facts and other information. References to the people while
adding opinions and quotes are common in an article. News articles cover the
basics of current events. They answer the questions: who, what, where, when,
why and how?
There are certain elements that are common to almost all
articles. An article will follow a format appropriate for its type. Preferable
format for an article is narrative format, but news articles are commonly
written in inverted pyramid style. There are five major elements that are
essential in the structure of a news article.
1. Headline
The headline is the title of the news article. The headline
should be short, does not include a lot of detail, and should catch the
readers’ attentions. It is normally not a complete sentence, and tries to
summarize the main idea or subject of the article.
2. Byline
This line shows the name of the author of the article. It
may also include the address of the author and the publication or news source
for which he or she writes.
3. Lead
The lead is the first paragraph, but it is written to
provide a detailed preview of the entire story. It summarizes the story and
includes all of the basic facts. The lead will help readers decide if they want
to read the rest of the story, or if they are satisfied knowing these details.
4. Body
They are the paragraphs which follow the lead. They develop
the ideas introduced by the lead, and give more information in the form of
explanations, details, or quotes.
5. Conclusion or closing quotation
Conclusion is the sum up of all the information and opinion
that are discussed in the article. This is not always possible as there will be
a number of contradicting opinions and viewpoints in an article.
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