Media Writing Tips

Television news writing is a combination of journalism, grammar-school English and advertising. Master the basics with 10 easy tips to transform bland copy into stories your audience will remember.

There's a strategy to writing news headlines for the web that get noticed. Start producing effective headlines for your media site to generate click throughs and earn loyal readers.

Writing news on politics requires a special set of skills. You have to know the issues and be able to cover an election without a script. But you also have to stick to your ethical standards and know how to avoid being used by the campaigns. Develop your skills so that reporting news on politics makes you a winner every election year.

Media outlets are turning to Twitter for free promotion of news stories. But there's an art to writing news tweets that stand out in a crowded timeline.

Attribution is essential for reporters, even in online media where it's easy to overlook attribution's importance. Learn how to use proper attribution in your news coverage.

There are many risks to writing news stories about crime and punishment. Make sure you're not named as a defendant for something you wrote when covering crime.

Writing news stories about shopping or other retail businesses can be tough to do without sounding like an advertisement. Make simple changes to your writing to avoid coming across like a sales pitch.

Election night coverage doesn't provide the time to write the usual TV script or newspaper story. Know how to present information quickly and ethically by knowing which skills are needed in election night coverage that will help you rise above your competition.

Writing about campaign issues during an election is not as simple as it would appear. Voters often accuse the media of not providing information needed to help them make an educated choice at the ballot box. Candidates say reporters focus too much on sensationalism. Discover ways to find the key issues in an election year.

Writing news stories about the political process can be tricky if you don't have a grasp of how elections work. By understanding the basics, you can report on the political process in ways that are both concise and accurate.

In a political season, writing political polls is easy content. However, attention to detail is required to report the numbers accurately.

Writing horse race coverage news stories about political campaigns is an easy, but shallow way of covering elections. Bring depth to your political reporting by tracking more than just the ups and downs of the candidates.

A lede can hook your readers or turn them away. Learn how to write a great lede that commands your readers' attention.

Good reporters avoid churning out useless info simply to fill air time or white space. Improve your newswriting to create stories that speak to your viewers and readers.