Hard News
Hard news describes stories that are newsworthy chiefly because they are about events that have a significant impact on the lives of many people. Examples might include an outbreak of an infectious disease, the bursting of a downtown water main, a hostage crisis at a local daycare, or an attempted assassination of a dignitary visiting the White House. Global events, such as wars and crises, are hard news.
The story about the lonely zebra in another state that escapes from the zoo and is recaptured when it takes an interest in a police officer's horse? Definitely soft news, unless, for instance the chase for the zebra causes a traffic snarl that leads to a violent road rage incident. (See "If it bleeds, it leads.")
The story about the lonely zebra in another state that escapes from the zoo and is recaptured when it takes an interest in a police officer's horse? Definitely soft news, unless, for instance the chase for the zebra causes a traffic snarl that leads to a violent road rage incident. (See "If it bleeds, it leads.")
It is possible to write a soft news story about any topic. The
President of the United States is such an important figure that almost
anything he does has a real impact on people's lives. A story about the
president's favorite snack foods would be soft, but if the president
chokes on a pretzel, that event is hard news. President Ronald Reagan
once appeared with a big sore on his nose; it turned out that he had
picked at a pimple that got infected, and he had to explain the whole
thing to reporters.
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» Course Overview from News Writing (EL227)
Welcome to EL 227, "News Writing." The course website is located at http://jerz.setonhill.edu/teaching/EL227. I will update the online syllabus periodically, so the printout I give on the first day of classes is just for your convenience. The official ... Read More
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