The Lions Roar Volume 33 First Article Basics (News, Features, Sports)

Welcome to Roar! Were so excited that youre interested in writing for us! Youll be learning a lot
more about interviewing and writing throughout the year, but this sheet will give you the basic
information you need to know in order to write your first article. If you have any questions
throughout the writing process, reach out to your Senior Section Editors or Senior Staff:
News: Michelle Cheng (EMAIL REMOVED), Kimia Tabatabaei (EMAIL REMOVED), Jake Rong
(EMAIL REMOVED)
Feats: Celine Yung (EMAIL REMOVED), Aviva Gershman (EMAIL REMOVED)
Sports: Catherine Granfield (EMAIL REMOVED), Cam Miller (EMAIL REMOVED), Thomas Patti
(tEMAIL REMOVED)
Senior Staff: Mona Baloch (EMAIL REMOVED), Andrea Lirio (EMAIL REMOVED), Carina Ramos
(EMAIL REMOVED), Noah Shelton (EMAIL REMOVED)

For this issue, your Senior Section Editors will assign you an article and a co-writer.
Make sure you fully understand the topic youre writing about (ask questions if you have any!)
Write down the contact information of your co-writer(s) and Senior Section Editors
Share any Google Docs you make with your Senior Section Editors (they will give you their
information to do this)
Articles are due on Monday, September 19

Interviews
Each article must have at least 8 interviews
Interviews can be from anyone with an opinion on or connection to your topic (students,
teachers, administrators, experts)
Diversity is important! Interview different grades, genders, races, opinions, etc.
INTERVIEWS MUST BE CONDUCTED IN PERSON OR ON THE PHONE! We dont do interviews
over Facebook or email, though those are both good ways to get in contact with interviewees
Before the interview:
Contact a bunch of interviewees (at least 10-12, as some might not respond in time).
DO THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (tonight)!:
Hi _________,
My name is _______, and Im a reporter from The Lions Roar, Newton Souths
print newspaper. Im writing an article about ___________ for the October
issue of our paper, and I think you would have a valuable perspective to add. If
you are able and willing, I would love to interview you in person or over the
phone sometime during the next few days. I am available ________________.
Please let me know when you are available.
Thank you,
_________ (Reporter, The Lions Roar)
Make a list of at least ten big questions to ask interviewees. Your Senior Section
Editors can help you with this if youre struggling (HINTS: Start with the Five Ws! No
yes or no questions! Ask for anecdotes if they apply!)
During the interview
 Always begin by asking for the spelling of the interviewees name and any position/title
if they have one. Ask them for permission to record them so you can transcribe the
interview later.
Make sure youre in a quiet place so you can have a clear recording (recording
on your phone works best)
Make eye contact with the interviewee and be an active listener. They are probably
more nervous than you are! Take written notes if it helps you focus
End the interview by asking, Do you have anything else to add?
After the interview
Transcribe the interview as soon as you can. Write down every word exactly as the
interviewee said it, as well as the questions you asked

Writing
After an interview is transcribed, go through and highlight strong quotes. This will help you
write
Pieces of an article:
Lede (hook) to pull readers in: Can be an anecdote (story), statistic, etc.
Nutgraph (stating the angle of the article)
Main points, backed up by quotes (According to_____, _____ said that)
Concluding quote (the most common way to end an article)
Things to note:
In order to avoid editorializing (more on this later in the year), we never make big
statements without attributing them to someone/a quote. We dont put our own
opinions into the paper, we just piece together the opinions of interviewees.
As part of our policy, we never send completed articles to interviewees before
printing. Feel free to send interviewees the quotes you used from their interview if
they ask (or if youre worried about accuracy)
Its really helpful to look at article examples to help you write. ( issuu.com/thelionsroar)

After Youre Done

Your Senior Section Editors will contact you for a time to meet to go over their edits
Dont worry if it seems like they made a lot of changes! There are a lot of small
formatting things that we standardize on Roar.
Each article will be edited by a member of Senior Staff (Mona, Andrea, Carina or Noah)
Senior Section Editors design and lay the pages that the articles go on. Then, each page is
proofed by the rest of Senior Staff and Ms. Elpern (our adviser)
If you have ideas for photos/graphics/design, let your Editors know!
The paper will come out on October 21! Seeing your hard work in print is v exciting :)

REMEMBER, DONT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM! We know this is a lot of
information, but with practice + time, writing will become way easier!
 The Lions Roar Volume 33 First Article Basics (Opinions)
Welcome to Roar! Were so excited that youre interested in writing for us! Youll be learning a lot
more about interviewing and writing throughout the year, but this sheet will give you the basic
information you need to know in order to write your first article. If you have any questions
throughout the writing process, reach out to your Senior Section Editors or Senior Staff:
Editors: Clare Martin (EMAIL REMOVED) and Cassandra Luca (EMAIL REMOVED)
Senior Staff: Mona Baloch (EMAIL REMOVED), Andrea Lirio (EMAIL REMOVED), Carina Ramos
(EMAIL REMOVED), Noah Shelton (EMAIL REMOVED)
Writing
Opinions writers have a lot of freedom. The most important thing when writing ops is that
youre making a clear argument, backed up by facts if you can give them
Even if youre reading material online to help you get a background in your topic,
make sure your opinions are your own/written in your own words
Its really helpful to look at article examples to help you write. Go to issuu.com/thelionsroar to
look at past issues and read articles from your section
After Youre Done
Your Senior Section Editors will contact you for a time to meet to go over their edits
Dont worry if it seems like they made a lot of changes! There are a lot of small
formatting things that we standardize on Roar.
Each article will be edited by a member of Senior Staff (Mona, Andrea, Carina or Noah)
Senior Section Editors design and lay the pages that the articles go on. Then, each page is
proofed by the rest of Senior Staff and Ms. Elpern (our adviser)
This issue of the paper will come out on October 21! Seeing your hard work in print is v
exciting!

REMEMBER, DONT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM! We know this is a lot of
information, but with practice + time, writing will become way easier!