News Writing Fundamentals: Write Stories with Impact

This one-day news writer training course equips you to tackle stories confidently so you can produce clear, clean copy with impact. You’ll finish the day reporting from an interactive news conference.

What You’ll Learn: Introductions and story structure to press conference practice

What makes a story news? How do news reporters decide what to cover and where do they find stories? What determines which stories lead the news agenda or go viral? With insights from reporters and editors who are making the news, you’ll learn how journalists think and reveal the secrets of their decision making – helping you develop your own “nose for news”.

We’ll spend time considering the key principles and golden rules of news stories so you have a strong grasp of the fundamentals or can refresh your skills. We’ll walk you through the fundamentals of news writing – from the 5Ws and beyond – so that you’ll hone your ability to write engaging news stories and craft attention-grabbing introductions.

You’ll also be asked to put your skills into action: you’ll be plunged you into a real-time news conference, and asked to produce a brilliant story from the information you glean from it. By simulating a situation that journalists often find themselves in, you’ll understand how well you can think on your feet in a pressurised situation. 

How you’ll learn

This three-module news writer training course will be led by an excellent trainer who will share their practical expertise through presentations, discussion and practical exercises – ensuring you have opportunity to reinforce your learning and test your understanding. You’ll receive feedback on your work from an experienced editor.

Who the course is for

This course is for you if you want to hone your news sense, refresh or build your practical news skills, and put reporting theory into practice in a real-time, interactive news conference. If you are interested in features, you might like our Features Masterclass: Writing with Flair and Focus course.

The course will be tailored to your needs and can be delivered remotely or in your offices. Get in touch using the button below to discuss times and dates for bespoke training.