Writing an Informational Article
English Language: KS3, topic 5.2.4
Writing an Informational Article
The style of a newspaper article changes if it is an informational article or an opinion article. Informational article is written to provide facts about a news event.
Informational articles
- Informational articles begin with a headline.
- The headline is a short summary of what the article is about, using only a few words.
- Headlines take out unnecessary words to shorten them.
- For example: ‘Fundraiser raises thousands for local charity’ rather than ‘A fundraiser has raised thousands of pounds for a local animal charity’.
Headlines
- Headlines aim to grab the reader’s attention.
- Some headlines, such as in tabloid newspapers, may include puns to be humorous.
- Puns are a play on words.
- Headlines may also be in the form of a question to help the reader begin to think about the topic or shock them.
- Headlines may aim to shock the reader so that they want to read the rest of the article.
Subheadings
- Subheadings can be used in informational articles to separate the article into different sections.
- Each section should answer one of the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When, and Why.
Non-fiction writing methods
- A range of non-fiction writing methods and a clear tone should be included in newspaper articles.
- To provide information, facts and statistics are included in an article.
- A journalist may interview people who were involved in the event.
- Journalists can interview experts on the topic (called an ‘expert opinion’) and include direct quotations from them in the article.
Tone
- The tone of the article will depend on the topic:
- A serious, emotive tone may be used for a tragic story such as a disaster.
- A humorous tone may be used for more light-hearted or less serious events and topics.