With modern communications technology, we assume the story was written within the last 24 hours. Why and how may be answered later in the story or in follow-up stories. The larger the headline, the more important the story. When reading the newspaper, it is important to recognize the difference between fact and opinion . A straight news story aims simply to inform.
Readers expect clear, concise and unbiased information from news stories.
This allows readers to quickly obtain the main facts. Rewrite a familiar fairy tale, such as Goldilocks and The ThreeBears , in news story format. Use no more than 30 words in the lead paragraph. Include the 5-Ws and a dateline. Write a headline.