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3.3: Types of News

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    There are two basic types of news – hard news and soft news.

    Hard news is essentially the news of the day. It is what you see on the front page of the newspaper or at the top of a web page, and what you hear at the start of a broadcast news report. For example, war, politics, business, and crime are frequent hard news topics. A strike announced today by the city’s minibus taxi drivers that leaves thousands of commuters unable to get to work is hard news. The news values of timeliness, conflict and impact are all present in the minibus taxi-strike story. The community needs the information right away because it affects people’s daily lives.

    By contrast, a story about an athlete who grew up in an orphanage and who is now preparing to take part in the Olympics in 2024 would fit the definition of soft news. It is a human-interest story involving a prominent person, and it is an unusual story that people likely would discuss with their friends. But there is no compelling reason why it has to be published or broadcast on any particular day. By definition, this makes it a feature story. Many newspapers and online news sites have separate feature sections for stories about lifestyles, home and family, the arts, and entertainment. Larger newspapers may have weekly sections for specific kinds of features on food, health, education, and so forth.

    These types of news stories are usually written in different ways. Hard news often follows the inverted pyramid or T-structure style of writing, where the most important aspect of the story is always right at the top. Soft news is written in feature style, with more of a build-up to the main point of the story. Feature writers often begin with an anecdote or example designed primarily to draw the audience’s interest and then slowly reveal the full story.

    Some stories blend these two approaches (these different writing styles are explained in detail in chapter 6).


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