How to write an International News Wire Story
Writing a news story for a foreign audience is not easy. You are presenting information in a way that will make someone who does not live in the country understand what is going on and want to keep reading. It becomes even more challenging when you are writing for an global news wire, which requires information to be published in record-time. Here are some tips on how to write an international news wire story.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
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Sniff out that news!
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1
Identify news that someone abroad would be interested in reading. This can include the unusual -- anything to do with children, animals or sex usually grabs people's attention -- or the shocking, such as terrorist attacks, any event that causes many deaths, a major political shift or a heated national election.
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Put out a stand-alone headline if the news is particularly riveting and you think it is interesting enough to warrant a news channel in a country abroad to stop their regular programming and report on it. For instance -- a terrorist bombing or a deadly natural disaster, such as a severe earthquake.
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3
Send your editing desk a newsbreak -- a sentence that summarizes the entire event and what will eventually become the lead of a larger news story. Make sure it contains all the information needed to give readers a general idea of what has happened and why they should care. For instance: "A Palestinian suicide bomber killed 45 people on Wednesday when he blew himself up on a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, a move that is likely to delay peace talks that were set to take place later in the week."
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4
Sculpt out a rough draft of your news story and include all the necessary details -- dates, locations, names of relevant parties, background information and quotes.
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5
Revise and edit your draft so that it contains context before it is published. A reader millions of miles away should be able to understand easily not only what has happened but what it means for the region and possibly the world. This is especially important if the event in question is likely to have a financial effect and move markets or raise oil prices.
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6
Update your story if new and interesting information surfaces later in the day.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not forget to spell out -- literally -- the names and titles of people mentioned or quoted in your story, especially if they are national figures. Readers abroad may not know who they are just by looking at their name.
It is always preferable to have a second pair of eyes proof-read your work before you send it off to be edited.
