Journalist Tips

Writing Tips

Use third person (he, she, they) unless you are writing an editorial or there is first person in a direct quote.
Avoid cliches in your writing
Start with a compelling lead to the article
Be as concise as possible while still telling the whole story
Don’t use ‘very’ or ‘really’
Periods and commas go inside all quotation marks.
Plan your article before writing

When and How to use Quotes

Use direct quotes when someone says something unique, in a unique way or someone important says something important. Otherwise, paraphrase
Don’t use fancy attributing words, such as ‘uttered’, ‘asserted’, ‘expressed’, etc. They take away from the actual quote.
- Stick to ‘said’
- Can occasionally use ‘added’, ‘commented’, ‘remarked’, etc. within the right context but don’t bombard your article with them
Try to use more than one source if possible (interview multiple students or administrators)

How to get quotes

If possible, meet with the interviewee in person.
- Have prepared questions and record your conversation (with permission of the interviewee). Transcribe the important information and quotes after the interview.
If it is not possible to meet, email them questions and give them a deadline for their answers (preferably at least a few days before the article is due)
It’s recommended to get quotes for almost all types of articles
- Sports/ club articles- ask the coach, captains or players (sports) or advisors, officers and members (clubs)
- School news articles- ask an administrative member or a staff member, especially when writing about a certain teacher
- School event articles- ask other students about the event

Submitting articles