A news flash is a brief piece of breaking news. It lasts between one and three minutes. It can be about local, national or international issues and is a good way to keep your audience up to date on topical developments. News flash is not the place for opinion or analysis, and it is usually a factual story that is based on the latest information available.
The first paragraph of the news flash is known as the lead and is your chance to grab readers’ attention. It’s a great opportunity to use a narrative hook or an anecdote that both catches the readers’ interest and draws them into your article. The lead should also give readers a sense of the scale and importance of the subject.
Once you have your reader’s attention, use the inverted pyramid style to convey all of the key facts. Then, add a bit more detail so that readers understand why the subject matters. Finally, conclude with a forward-looking element that shows why the story will continue to be relevant.
For example: “Monday’s complaint against Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke is just the latest in a long string of ethics violations. An investigation into his spending habits has already been opened by a Special Counsel.”
As the newsflash is short, it has to skate over some details. This is why it’s important that you only pick the major stories to include in the article. If a topic will be developed at length in your midday or evening bulletin, announce that in the newsflash so listeners are aware to tune into those programmes.
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