A newsflash is a short piece of breaking news that keeps listeners updated on topics that affect them. It may be local, national or international and can include a mix of hard and soft news. A good newsflash starts with a compelling headline that accurately and enticingly conveys what the story is about. It then follows the inverted pyramid style of journalism – most important details first, with more supporting information later – and includes a nut graph that ties the main points into a larger picture to show the significance and direction that the topic is heading in.
A narrative flash leads with a descriptive anecdote that simultaneously captures readers’ attention and entices them to delve deeper into the article – Eight California high schoolers who share the same name pull off a witty stunt. A scene-setter lede is also an effective way to introduce a newsflash by setting the scene for the rest of the story – Flames engulfed a bakery in the early hours, sending residents scrambling from their homes.
It’s important to remember that a newsflash is not the place to bring opinion, but instead to present facts about an issue. The newsflash’s briefness forces writers to skate over some of the details – only major stories belong here – and it’s often necessary to deliver these facts using a straightforward approach if the subject matter is hard, or a more narrative style if the piece is about a human interest story.