It's for you to shape your writing, to make it a compelling read. Here are some tips to achieve just that.
Good stories have a strong structure: They tell the reader at the start what the story is about and why it is important before giving further detail and background facts.
But before you even start, you need to consider your audience and ask yourself if this story is important to your reader: Is it relevant, is it of interest to them, will it affect their lives? If it is and does, they will want to read it.
Background detail gives your story context. It explains why it is important, what happened previously, who were the players and why.
And then there’s facts. Facts are the detail that bring your story alive. Every fact, be it names, dates or numbers, needs to be checked. Nothing loses a story’s credibility more than inaccurate spelling of names, wrong dates or figures.
Good stories have a strong structure. Background detail gives your story context.
Good quotes make your story real. They put a human voice to the hard facts. Quotes from experts give your story gravitas.
Balance is vital. If you quote one side of an argument or controversy, then you need to quote the other side’s view. News stories particularly must be free from bias.
Explain any term that is likely to stop a reader in their tracks. Your audience’s reading experience must be seemless. There must be no point at which the reader has to stop because they do not understand a term or a phrase or an acronym. These must either be explained or the writing made more accessible.
Never lose sight of your audience – ask yourself what do they want to know and what do they need to know – and tell them.