Hi
I’m trying to figure out by looking at a simple news report how it is structured. I hope someone can help me with a practical guide that I could use for any simple article.
As I see it, an article has the following general outline:
- A headline encapsulating the core idea (may be in the form of a pun)/a hook
- First Paragraph…Matter -of-fact statement that summarizes an event/gets to the heart of the matter/issue/a contention
- Second Paragraph…Source of the matter/Who has done what?
- Third Paragraph…Background on the matter leading up to some contentious issue
- Consequences/repercussions of the issue on others/environment etc
6/7. Expert opinion quoted on the situation as it stands and what actions are being taken. What should be done that isn’t being done. - Matter-of-fact statement on the consequences if action is not taken (no quotations)
I look forward to your feedback. I am looking for a practical method I can apply any time and get the proper order. Who? what? where? when? why? and how? doesn’t help straighten out the information. There must be a better technique than that.
davidmich
Canal project proposed to reduce capital’s smog
1.Experts are questioning whether a proposed canal from Beijing to Tianjin would reduce the capital’s smog, as a new study suggested.
2.A bluebook by the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences said the 160 km canal, also capable of carrying ships, would start in southeast Beijing and end in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin.
3.This is not the first time the idea of building a canal has been brought up, but it has attracted attention because the bluebook said the canal may help reduce smog.
4.The microclimate effects the canal may have on Beijing can humidify the capital’s air, reducing fine particles from such sources as industrial spray and dust, said the bluebook.
5.“But research results have shown that visibility decreases as the humidity grows, when the concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns that can penetrate the lungs - stays at the same level, which means moister air may not always be good,” said Chai Fahe, vice-president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.
6.He said it is laudable that experts from all areas are working on this issue, but every proposed method needs supporting data that have been scientifically demonstrated before jumping to a conclusion.
7.“Such a large body of water would certainly help regulate the microclimate of Beijing, but the water would have to be good quality and the project should not damage the existing ecosystem,” Chai said.
8.The seawater directed into the canal would salinize soil along the canal. The water coming from the Bohai Sea, if poor quality, would not help improve Beijing’s environment, Peng Yingdeng, a researcher from the Beijing Research Institute of Environmental Protection, told Beijing News