You need to write a soft news story about a high school football team’s season. Here are some of the facts you’ve collected.

Mason High School football team won state championship
Score was 56-34
Colors: red and yellow
500 fans came to game
Played Sutter High
First championship ever
Game played on Monday, December 1
It was 32 degrees outside
They traveled 60 miles to the game
Quarterback is a senior
You’ve also interviewed two players, the coach, and one of the team’s most dedicated fans. Create a quote for each of these four people. What did they have to say about the game?

Write up the story, turning it into a soft news story. Don’t forget to create a headline in the soft news style. Your story should be a narrative about the game, with a paragraph-long introduction and conclusion. Present the facts in the body of your story, adding sentences and words that describe the game. Choose an organizational strategy and build your story around that form. Don’t forget to work the quotes from your interviews into the body in a way that supports your story. Since this is a soft news story, you can and should be creative. But remember, your story should be realistic, too. Journalists don’t make things up!

Once you’ve written a first draft, keep it handy – you’ll be revising it later on in the course.

Next, take your story and present it as if you’re a reporter on the nightly news. Record your news presentation. Make sure to speak clearly and make eye contact with your “audience.”