Things You'll Need:
- A computer
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Step 1
Read over your article aloud, as if you were reading it on a radio or television news report. Do you run out of breath after you read a certain sentence? This is a sign your sentence was too long. Break it up into at least two separate ones. Did a sentence make no sense after you read it aloud? You will have to revise it.
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Step 2
Check your article over for typos, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and make sure it fits the appropriate style guide. Most English-language news wires use the Associated Press style guide.
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Step 3
Replay any audio or video tapes that contain interviews you may have conducted for your article and make sure you are quoting your sources correctly and not taking their words out of context.
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Step 4
Check your article and make sure all sides of an argument you may have addressed, even if you may not think it to be particularly political, is, to quote Fox News, "fair and balanced." Did you quote more people who hold a certain opinion over others who said opposite things, or exclude one side entirely? You may have to rewrite your article or even interview more sources.
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Step 5
Re-read your article aloud until it reads smoothly and you are satisfied with it.
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Step 6
Allow someone else, preferably another journalist or editor, to proof-read your article. This is especially important if your topic is political or otherwise controversial.
