How to Write a Soft News Article
The "soft news" article is one of the more laid back approaches to journalistic writing. Granted, all the same rules apply as far as ethical standards and objectivism but there is room for creative license. The soft news article incorporates the human element and isn't as concise as the hard news article. The hard news article is one that reports on stories such as crime, community news events, and the like. Following are some guidelines for journalists and freelancers on how to write a soft news article.
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Instructions
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Research your article and familiarize yourself with all possible angles. Plan your approach before you start writing and establish an angle for the story. Narrow your focus to avoid jumbled or disorganized writing.
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Immerse yourself in the setting, spend time observing, and research all related information for the article. This aspect of the reporting makes setting the scene for your reader easier. Fall back on your own experience during the reporting process to bring the setting to life and humanize your subjects. Make your source(s) and setting(s) are three-dimensional, not flat. Use all your senses and relate this to your reader through descriptive language.
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Craft your lead so that it draws in your audience. Make your audience care about the subject of your article. With a soft news article a direct, or summary, lead is not necessary. (The lead is the paragraph that sums up what the story is about. In a hard news story, the lead is the first paragraph.) This is where creative license comes into play. Pull your reader into the article. But be sure your nut graph (the paragraph that gives sums up the background information) falls within the first few paragraphs, generally by the fourth or fifth paragraph.
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Incorporate the human element into your article. Without the human element it wouldn't be a soft news article. Make use of dialogue, setting, voice and character to expand your article. Some associate dialogue with fiction writing, but it does have a place in journalistic writing when used appropriately.
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Approach using dialogue as you would with any other writing. Only this time, use direct quotes from the scene. If you are reporting on a discussion that took place between two people, write it out as it was spoken. Alternate between, giving each person his or her own paragraph. When it is written out it looks like any verbal exchange you would see in a novel. But always use "says" or "said."
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Answer all questions in your article. Address the who, what, when, where, how and why. Your audience should not walk away wishing they could have learned more.
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Tips & Warnings
The 5 W's are: Who, What, When, Where, and Why; the H is How
Remember, essentially, the nut graph is different from the lead in that it is the paragraph that gives the reader background information about the story.
The soft lead can be established in more than one paragraph (generally 2 or 3), unlike the hard news lead (a.k.a. direct lead or summation lead) which is one paragraph.
When in doubt about technique or AP Style consult the AP Stylebook.
