A newsflash is a short piece of news that interrupts radio or television programing. It gives listeners or viewers the latest information, but does not give developed stories like a bulletin does. It can be a breaking story, or it may be an update on a developing story. Newsflashes can also be a way of promoting stories that will be covered at length in the future, such as a presidential press conference.
A good news flash begins with an attention grabber, often a narrative hook. This leads readers into the article, grabbing their interest and invoking sympathy or outrage, depending on the topic. The lead should be followed by a nut graph, which connects the facts to the bigger picture and shows why it is important to the audience. Finally, the story should conclude with a forward-looking element to show that this issue will continue to impact people.
In a newsflash, the copy can only be about six to 10 pieces of news. That means the anchor needs to skate over certain issues, as it is not enough time to develop stories or bring in analysis. Instead, it is important to keep in mind the “show don’t tell” principle of writing, which encourages writers to describe what happened, rather than just reciting a list of events.
A newsflash can be a good opportunity to use the cq (for “citation”) technique of copy editing, which is used to mark when a fact or quotation has been checked as correct. This demonstrates that the writer has been attentive to factual accuracy, and can be a useful tool for journalists.
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