How to write a news report

Welcome to my class

Report Writing

Learning Outcome

By the end of the lesson you will be able to –

say what a report is.

describe why we write reports.

say how should it be.

Success criteria of a good report

say the types of report.

describe various part of a newspaper report.

write a newspaper report maintaining its structure.

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What is report writing?

A report is a statement of the results ofan investigation or of any matter onwhich definite information is required.

Or,A report is a systematic, well organizeddocument which defines and analyses asubject or problem.

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Why do we write reports?

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How should it be?

A report aims to inform, as clearly andsuccinctly (briefly) as possible. It should beeasy to read, and professional in itspresentation.

Reports must always be:

Accurate

Concise

Clear

well structured

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• Write in present tense.

• Write in passive sentence.

• Write in the third person.

• Use vocabulary associated with time(First, then, after, later, finally…..).

• Use factual and precise descriptivelanguage

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1) According to use:

• external

• internal

2) According to period:

• routine

• special

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But for our examination, we willbe familiar with-

News Reporting

FORM OF A NEWS REPORT

1. Title/Head line/ Caption

2. Source , place, Date:

3. Introduction

4. Description (The body of the report )

5. Conclusion

6. Recommendations (sometimesincluded)

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Title of report

You have to give a suitabletitle for your report.

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For Example:

Example of Report’s Title

1. A Devastating Fire on A GarmentFactory

2. Celebration of The Independence Day

3. Risky But Important Bridge

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Source , Place & Date OfThe Report

You have to write-

- Name of the person who wrote it

- place of the action

- Date

Punctuation-

Use a comma (,) or semicolon (;) among Source , Place & Date

Use colon (:) after Date April 7, 2015 Report Writing 12

For Example:

Example of writing Source ,place & Date of a report

Shamim Jahan, Savar, 21 March 2014:

OrStaff reporter; The Daily Star; Gazipur; 21 March 2014:

Attention!!!!!!!

Never exceed a single line for writingSource , place& Date of a report.

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Introduction of a report

While writing the Introduction of a report -• Give enough background information to

provide a context for the report.• State the purpose of the report.• State who called for it.

Remember• The shorter it is, the better.• your introduction will often give an indication

of the conclusion to the report.

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For Example:

Example of the Introductionof a report

1. Last Sunday on 20th March, adevastating fire broke out at 7 o’clockin the morning in a garment factory inSavar. The factory was identified asBulbul Garment Factory, located nearRajfulbaria bazaar. It was a six-storeyed building.

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Example of the Introductionof a report

2. The 42nd Independence Day wasobserved at Cambrian College on 26th,March, 2014 with great enthusiasm andsolemnity.

3. The bridge on the river of Turag nearProttasha is a very important one for thepeople of this locality.

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The body of the report

- This contains your detailed facts andfindings, shows how they werearrived at, and indicates theinferences to be drawn from them.

- Do not include opinions,conclusions or recommendations inthis section.

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For Example:

Example of The body of thereport

Example -1The fire is guessed to have originated from theshort- circuit, engulfed the adjoining roomsincluding the store rooms that were laden withgoods. As soon as the fire broke out, panic spreadamong the workers most of whom were girls. Theytried to get down from the stairs in a body and inconsequence many got injured. Of them six wereadmitted to a nearby hospital. On the other hand,goods in the store rooms were burnt to ashes.

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On information the fire fighters came to the spot andtried to extinguish the blaze throwing water throughpipe. After a frantic effort of two hour, they succeedto control the fire.

It has been observed that there are fire extinguisherson most of the floor. But ironically, none of theseextinguishers were not put to use. Asking not to benamed, one of the officers of the factory said thatthere was no staff trained or know how to operate thegears in case of emergency.

Example of The body of thereport

Example -2

On the occasion our college wore a festive look.The function began with a discussion meeting ofabout one and a half hour in the college premises.The discussion meeting was chaired by thePrincipal of our college. The speakers’ focused onthe incidents that led to the declaration of our Warof Independence. They also highlighted the role ofthe students in the independence of the nation.

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Next followed sports and a cultural function. Afriendship football match was played between theteachers and the students. The student team won thematch by 3-1 goals. Each of the players of the matchreceived prizes.

Then a cultural function was held. The function includedessay writing competition, recitation of poetry and thestaging of a drama.

A drama named ‘Shwadhinata’ was staged by thestudents. It was nice play and entertained the audiencevery much.

Example of The body of thereport

Example -3There are about fifteen thousand people live inMudafa. Many people including students have tocross this river every day. Moreover, most of thepeople of this locality work in the garmentsfactory and every day they have to cross the riverTurag by using Prottasha brigde. It had been builtin 1994 but now it is very risky to use. The railingof the bridge is almost shattered.

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The pillars of the bridge seem to be good but theconnection road of the bridge is severelydamaged. So some repairing work might ensurethe safe use of this bridge for few more years.

One of the local people said that very oftenpeople fall from the bridge into the river when itbecomes over crowded. It causes injuries tothem but it is life threatening for those whocannot swim.

The conclusion of the Report

While writing the conclusion of a report -

- Sum up the main points of the report.

- Clearly relate to the objectives of your report.

- No surprises please! (that is, don’t include new information here.)

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For Example:

Example Of The Conclusion Of AReport

1. The extent of loss caused by the fire wasestimated at taka two crores. A case wasfiled in Savar Police Station in thisconnection. The factory owner wasarrested and a five member investigationcommittee was formed.

2. At the end of the program a munajat wasarranged and prayed for the departedsoul.

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Example Of The Conclusion Of AReport

3. The local Chairman knows thisproblem and seems to be indifferentabout the matter. So, the people ofthis locality think that a littleattention of the higher authority forthe repairing of this bridge can ensurethe safe use of this bridge.

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The Recommendation of areport

While writing the recommendation of a report -

- propose how the situation/problem could beimproved by suggesting action to be taken.

- Proposing should be logical, specific, measurableand achievable.

- A “statement of cost” should be included if you arerecommending changes that have financialimplications.

- Recommendations can be numbered if you wish.

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For Example:

Example of TheRecommendation of a report

Recommendations:

1. Alternative stairs should be builtimmediately.

2. Electrical wire should be checked afterevery six months.

3. Every employee should be trainedproperly with fire extinguishingmaterials.

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Home Work

•Write a report on therecent price hike of dailycommodities.

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Departure

Good –bye to all for today.

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