Assessment Criteria
Organization – Quality of the lead – Clarity, brevity and accuracy – Grammar, capitalization, spelling and punctuation – Appropriate attribution of quotation.
The Purpose of the Task
As a future professional in the field of communications, it is important that you understand and can apply the fundamental elements of writing a short news story. This assignment gives you the opportunity to practice and demonstrate that you have these skills. Length: 200 words.
Task
Write a News Story for The National.
Using the Story Facts below you are required to write a News Story structured and organized appropriately with a headline, byline, dateline, strong lead paragraph, and a quotation.
As you draft you must consider the following:
- Organize according to the Inverted Pyramid
- Consider the 5Ws and H for your lead paragraph; use specific day of the week
- Check accuracy, spelling, grammar, and punctuation; use AP style
- Use simple language and keep sentences short—no unnecessary words;
- Proofread your work before submission.
The Assignment:
Story Facts
- A robbery took place today at the Holiday Inn in Abu Dhabi.
- Hotel is located on Dhafeer Street at Airport Road.
- Shahid Khan was robbed just outside his hotel room. Khan is 42.
- Robbery took place around 9:15 a.m.
- Robber threatened Khan with a knife. Robber was wearing a ski mask. Robber took an undetermined amount of money and fled on foot toward Airport Road.
Additional information: Khan came to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, where he lives, to visit Ahmed Khan, an engineering student at HCT, who is Khan’s son. Shahid Khan was taking his luggage into his room when a person approached him. Khan described the robber as a male wearing jeans, green T-shirt and blue denim jacket. Robber has not been caught or identified. Source: Abu Dhabi Police Department report.
Khan said (quote): “All I know is that it was a knife, and I wasn’t going to ask any questions.”
