A news flash is a short piece of breaking news that interrupts radio or TV programming and updates listeners on current events. They can be local, national or international and are an excellent way to keep your audience up to date on issues that directly affect them. A good news flash starts with a compelling headline that accurately and enticingly reflects what the article is about. It then follows with a lead paragraph that fleshes out the headline and cites its source. Finally, it ends with a nut graph that ties the facts introduced in the lead together into a bigger picture to explain why the subject matter is important.
A good newsflash is brief and concise; it should last no more than three minutes. This means that it must skate over some details and only cover major stories. It must also use the inverted pyramid style; introducing the most crucial information first and then building up the story as you go along. A good newsflash will also include a soundbite or voicer from an expert to add credibility and perspective to the story.
Like an op-ed or essay, a well-written news flash has a powerful opening that grabs the readers attention. This is known as the lede and is an ideal place to use a narrative hook or anecdote to simultaneously capture your reader’s attention and draw them into the story. Similarly, the ending of a newsflash should wrap up the article with a forward-looking element that shows how the subject matter will continue to be relevant in the future.
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