A news bulletin is a short summary of the main stories from the day, usually read out by a radio or television presenter. These programmes, which are also known as ‘newscasts’ or ‘news programs’ vary in size and format according to the channel/station on which they are broadcast. Some may be live; others are pre-recorded and edited.
As a journalist you will have to decide what stories go in your bulletin and where to place them within the available time. A good starting point is to consider the criteria for what makes a story newsworthy: Is it new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people?
Another important consideration is the pace of each story. A report of a fire, for example, will be written in very short sentences using words which express simple ideas and will have a fast pace; by contrast, a story explaining an involved political controversy is likely to have longer sentences using more complex ideas and will have a slower pace.
It is good practice to write the most important stories at the top of the bulletin and the least important at the bottom. This gives you the best chance of getting the most impact from your headlines, which are a key element in promoting your bulletin to listeners.
It is also a good idea to use grabs of actuality where possible, if the story warrants it. They add variety to the bulletin, giving a change of voice for the newsreader and often help to convince listeners that your story is true.
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