5. Writing News

I believe news reporting is a good grounding for other types of writing because it teaches you the most basic lesson of good copy: make your point straightaway and make it clearly. This does not mean that the best news reporters are great writers. On one level, the most fundamental skill in news generation is being able to gather the facts which tell a story that nobody else has been able to uncover.

Nevertheless, writing is a fundamental part of the process and even though news reporters may not necessarily have to worry about perfect prose, they do often need to deliver extremely tight copy to demanding deadlines. Besides turning in your copy on time, if you are working on or with a news desk it is important to make sure your stories follow a structure that allows them to be cut from the bottom.