SOURCES OF NEWS III:National News Agencies, HARD NEWS, SOFT NEWS

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Radio News, Reporting and Production MCM515

LESSON 15

SOURCES OF NEWS III

NEWS AGENCY

A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to organizations in the

newspapers, magazines, and radio and television channels. They are also known as wire services or news

services.

News agencies generally prepare hard news stories that can be used by other news organizations with little

or no modification. They provide these articles in bulk, electronically through wire services, today, they

frequently use internet.

National News Agencies:

Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)

Pakistan Press Association, which was later, renamed as Pakistan Press International (PPI)

United Press of Pakistan (UPP)

Independent News Pakistan (INP)

News Network International (NNI)

SANA (South Asian News Agency)

Online News International (ONI)

International News Agencies:

Reuters

Agence France Presse

ANSA (ITALY)

Australian Associated Press

Canadian Press

China News Service

Iran News Agency (IRNA)

HARD NEWS

Spot news that contains solid facts & figures about an incident, to be treated as news.

Hard News Formula:

Hard news story covers a story by answering the following questions:

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

Who?

How?

SOFT NEWS

Stories covering the details, socio-cultural and economic reasons and background of a hard news story are

called Soft News.

Difference between Radio News and Newspaper News:

RADIO NEWS

NEWSPAPER NEWS

News on radio is presented soon after the To get published, a news item has to wait for

event takes place.

24 hours.

Radio News, Reporting and Production MCM515

Follow-ups are broadcast promptly.

Follow-ups

next day.

News on radio is to-the-point yet crisp.

News in newspaper is detailed.

News items to be given in a news bulletin are All types of stories are published in

selective only Frontline.

newspaper.

Personal approach The newsreader talks to Impersonal approach.

every individual listener.

All headlines are given at the start of the news Every story is under its headline.

bulletin and then, normally after a short break

the details are read out.

News is given in past and future tense.

Present tense is used in headlines in English

newspapers for past events. For future events

contracted headlines are used e.g., The

President visits U.K. (past)

The President to visit U.K. (future)

Simple & spoken vocabulary.

Written style & difficult vocabulary may also

be employed.

Simple sentence structure, no punctuations, Complex structure

with

all

required

but stresses and pauses.

punctuations.

10.

No maps, charts, and graphs can be used for Maps, charts, and graphs can be used.

illustration.

11.

News is written and presented in a sober way; Catchy and saucy language and pictures are

a family feeling is given to the listeners.

also used.

12.

More accessibility; caters illiterates too.

Limited accessibility & caters only literates.

13.

Can present news as it happens but with Can present news as it happens with visual.

voice and sound only.

14.

More difficult since only words are used

Easier since pictures can be

used.

15.

Can be heard even in fields.

Cannot be carried everywhere.

16.

No maps, charts, graph.

Maps, charts, graphs.

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