G7

SPECIAL PROGRAM IN JOURNALISM (SPJ)

QUARTER 1 Module 5
“SO WHAT?” MATTERS
Special Program in Journalism
Grade 7 Quarter 1 Module 5

MELC: Establish the angle of a news story by focusing on (a) specific element(s)

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Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
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Published by the Department of Education

Sorsogon City Division

Development Team
Sorsogon City Division

Author: Mylene J. Jeresano

TII, Sorsogon National High School

Editor: Precy B. Enaje

TIII, Sorsogon National High School

Reviewer: Cleofe D. Ariola

EPS English
I. Introduction

A journalist must have a nose for news to produce newsworthy stories. Thus,
it is essential that you cultivate your skill in identifying a story's meaningful angle and
learn to note what stories matter and interest your readers.

In this module, you will:

1. identify the elements of news
2. note the angle of a news story by focusing on specific elements

II. Pre-Test

Accomplish the task and find out how familiar you are with the concepts which
will be introduced in this module. Be sure to finish the Pre-Test. Good luck!

Activity 1: News Elements Puzzle

Directions: Solve the crossword puzzle below using the clues in the box.

DOWN
1. emotional appeal
2. physical and mental
struggles of people
5. significant or major
effect on people

ACROSS
3. fame
4. relevance and
currency
6. nearness in terms of
location, interest, and
appeal
7. new, odd, out of the
ordinary

Score: 5-7 Amazing! You have a good store of knowledge.

4 - below Don’t worry! You’ll soon learn more about these things.

Nice try! You’ll have a better understanding of these things in the succeeding
pages.

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III. Lesson Proper

Vocabulary Building

Activity 2: Palindrome

Directions: Decode the word defined in each item.

1. SWEN  any oral or written report of an interesting and

significant event that happened, is happening, will
happen in the North, East, West, South
2. ELGNA  the perspective from which a story is reported also
known as peg or hook
 involves discovering all relevant facts, selecting,
3. GNITROPER and presenting the important facts and weaving a
comprehensive story
 features or components of a news story
4. STNEMELE  interesting and relevant enough to be published in
5. YHTROWSWEN the media
 the opening paragraph and the most important part
6. DAEL of a news story

Score: 4-6 Amazing! You have a vast stock of words!

3 - below Oh no! You need to improve your vocabulary skills.

That was a good effort! You will learn more about those words as you proceed with the
activities. Now, ready yourself in acquiring new skills as you discover why the “So what?”
of a news story matters.

Lesson Input 1

So What? SO WHAT!
The main idea of a news story and lead is called the “angle.”
It is also referred to in newsrooms as the “hook” because the angle is used
to grab, or hook, the reader’s attention to make them want to read the rest of the
student’s story.
Simply, it is the main point a student learned from their reporting and that
the rest of their story will try to support.
Finding the angle of a news story forces a news writer to be critical of a story
idea and the reporting. A news writer will discover if there is no angle in an idea or
the facts that have been gathered before an editor, teacher or reader will.

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 Writing the lead and angle involves making some difficult decisions. A news
writer must sort through the facts that were gathered from the reporting and decide
what the theme is. There may be several different themes, but the writer must
decide what the central theme of the story will be in the lead.
Then students must consider what form their story will take.
In sorting through a mass of material, Carman Cumming and Catherine
McKercher of Carleton University tell reporters to think about “S-I-N” — which
stands for Significant, Interesting and New. Students should look for either of
those three things from their research and interviews and they will be able to find
a compelling angle for their lead.

“Whammy”
The late Walter Steigleman, a journalism teacher in Iowa, told his students
to look for the WHAMMY. He explained that the whammy is the single fact that
makes your story unique.
Consider the following example based on a news article published in The
Manila Times on January 21, 2015.
John Angelo “Angel” Ortiz, 27, from Riosa village, Tabaco City, Albay,
fulfilled his dream to see and personally hand over his gift to Pope Francis.
That lead has all the required elements. But a “whammy” is provided when
it is learned that Ortiz is a man with cerebral palsy able to meet and give his gift to
Pope Francis:
John Angelo “Angel” Ortiz, 27, a man with cerebral palsy from Riosa
village, Tabaco City, Albay, fulfilled his dream to see and personally hand
over his gift to Pope Francis.
That story also illustrates the human-interest angle, which focuses on an
interesting or unique person.
The whammy in the story is further highlighted in the second paragraph of
the article which reads:
His gift to the pontiff was a cross-stitched image of Madonna
Dolorosa that he made with his feet for more than two months.
[Link]
[Link]

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Activity 3: What’s the Whammy?

Directions: Read the news leads below and figure out the whammy (What makes
the story unique/interesting?) in each example. Underline your answer.

Example:

John Angelo “Angel” Ortiz, 27, a man with cerebral palsy from Riosa
village, Tabaco City, Albay, fulfilled his dream to see and personally hand over
his gift to Pope Francis.

1. A public elementary school teacher in Sorsogon is making efforts to personally

deliver relief packs to families of her students in a village in Prieto Diaz amid
quarantine.
Cator, C. (2020, April 26). Teacher in Sorsogon misses students, visits to distribute aid amid quarantine. CNN Philippines. Retrieved from [Link]
[Link]

2. A grandmother who has “never done anything bad in her life” was arrested by
police last Saturday, June 22, to fulfill her request.
Arcadio, R. (2019, June 26). 93-year-old woman’s wish to be arrested so she can ‘feel naughty’ is granted. Inquirer. Retrieved from [Link]
womans-wish-to-be-arrested-so-she-can-feel-naughty-is-granted

3. Instead of being irked, Daniel Padilla on Wednesday showed kindness to a

tricycle driver who accidentally bumped the actor’s luxury car.
Hallare, K. (2020, August 12). Daniel Padilla keeps cool, shows heart and gives money to trike driver who hit his car. Inquirer. Retrieved from [Link]
padilla-keeps-cool-gives-money-to-tricycle-driver-who-bumped-his-luxury-car

4. The opening of classes for school year 2020-2021 will be moved to October 5,
2020 as approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Education
(DepEd) announced Friday.
Aguilar, K. (2020, August 14). DepEd moves opening of classes to October 5. Inquirer. Retrieved from [Link]
moved-to-october-5#ixzz6Y5t0igNi

5. Sorsogon province recorded its first coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related

death on Monday after an 83-year-old woman, a resident of Gubat town,
succumbed to the disease three days after experiencing symptoms.
Ostria, R.A. (2020, June 30). Sorsogon records 1 st COVID-19 death. Inquirer. Retrieved from [Link]

6. The Russian vaccine being developed against the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) may be available in the Philippines as early as November 2020,
according to the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances
the vaccine project.
Gonzales, C. (2020, August 14). ‘Russian COVID-19 vaccine may be available in PH by November’. Inquirer. Retrieved from [Link]
be-available-in-ph-by-november

Lesson Input 2

Just the Facts, Ma’am?

Your hard news story lead answers the five W’s, yes, but without answering
the “So what?” aspect, your story will read just like an item from the police blotter.

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What makes a news item go beyond just reporting the facts to become an actual
news story?
You must find and focus on the angle that makes your crime, accident, or
fire relevant to your readers. Otherwise, we could just read the police blotter to find
out about the latest accidents at our local gas station or the fires that took place in
the next town over.
Ask your news item to meet several of the following criteria to determine its
newsworthiness:
a. Impact - How many people does the event affect? How seriously does it affect
them? The greater the impact, the more likely that it is newsworthy.
b. Proximity - An event will be more important if it is closer to the readers in terms
of geographical location, interest, and appeal. An earthquake in a far-off land
is not as interesting as one that is close to home.
c. Timeliness - Is the event fresh? Is it new? The news must be timely to be of
use to readers.
d. Prominence - Names make news, and big names make big news. Ordinary
people are intrigued by the doings of the rich and famous.
e. Novelty - This is the new in news, the unusual. The “firsts,” “lasts” and “onlys”
have been the staples of the news business for many years. Something that is
out of the ordinary is news. A pumpkin is not news, unless it is as big as a small
car. We are obsessed with records, too, that indicate, the biggest, longest,
shortest, smallest, tallest, shortest, etc. something.
f. Conflict - Sad to say, but bad news is often more newsworthy than good news.
When war breaks out, it is more newsworthy than when neighbors get along. A
car driving down the street is not news until it comes into conflict with a
telephone pole or a pedestrian.
g. Human Interest – Does the story have an emotional appeal? Is it amusing?
Does it generate empathy or other emotions? Readers will empathize with
stories which detail personal achievement, overcoming adversity, tragedy and
triumph, and heartfelt struggles. These stories often appear in special sections
of the newspaper or at the end of the newscast as a “feel good” story or to draw
attention to something particularly amusing, quirky, or offbeat
h. Audience - Who is the audience? The answer to that question helps determine
whether an event is news at all, and if it is, where it will be played in the paper.

[Link]
[Link]

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Activity 4: Spot the Angle

Directions: Identify the news element used by the writer in the following leads to make
each newsworthy. Choose your answer from the word cloud below. Then, briefly justify
your answer.

NEWS
SAMPLE LEAD JUSTIFICATION
ELEMENT
Example: The lead highlights the
human-interest element/angle
John Angelo “Angel” Ortiz, 27, a man of the story as it appeals to the
with cerebral palsy from Riosa Human emotion of the readers through
village, Tabaco City, Albay, fulfilled Interest the line a man with cerebral
his dream to see and personally hand palsy fulfilled his dream to see
over his gift to Pope Francis. and personally hand over his
gift to Pope Francis.
1. A public elementary school
teacher in Sorsogon is making
efforts to personally deliver relief
packs to families of her students
in a village in Prieto Diaz amid
quarantine.
2. A grandmother who has “never
done anything bad in her life” was
arrested by police last Saturday,
June 22, to fulfill her request.
3. Instead of being irked, Daniel
Padilla on Wednesday showed
kindness to a tricycle driver who
accidentally bumped the actor’s
luxury car.
4. The opening of classes for school
year 2020-2021 will be moved to
October 5, 2020 as approved by
President Rodrigo Duterte, the

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 Department of Education (DepEd)
announced Friday.
5. Sorsogon province recorded its
first coronavirus disease (COVID-
19)-related death on Monday after
an 83-year-old woman, a resident
of Gubat town, succumbed to the
disease three days after
experiencing symptoms.
6. The Russian vaccine being
developed against the
coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) may be available in
the Philippines as early as
November 2020, according to the
head of the Russian Direct
Investment Fund which finances
the vaccine project.

Activity 5: News Hook

Directions: Examine the leads taken from several news articles on Bayanihan 2. Note
how the angle varies although the news articles report on the same issue. Pick the angle
of each story from the pool of options. Then, Identify the specific news element the writer
focused on in establishing his chosen angle.

 Extension of special powers

 General purpose of Bayanihan 2
 Financial aid to lockdown areas
 Allocated fund for Bayanihan 2
 Bayanihan 2: Health sector benefits

SAMPLE LEAD ANGLE/ELEMENT

1. President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday signed the ANGLE : _______________
Bayanihan to Recover As One or Bayanihan 2, which
seeks to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. ELEMENT: _______________
[Link]

2. President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Friday the P165- ANGLE : _______________

billion Bayanihan to Recover As One bill, or Bayanihan
2, which allows him to realign funds to further improve ELEMENT: _______________
the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
[Link]

3. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a ANGLE : _______________

measure that extends special powers for handling the

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 coronavirus pandemic and provides a P165.5-billion fund ELEMENT: _______________
for addressing the health crisis.
[Link]

4. Health workers battling the coronavirus pandemic will ANGLE : _______________

be entitled to several benefits, such as special risk
allowance, regular testing, life insurance and sickness ELEMENT: _______________
benefits, under the Republic Act 11494 that was
signed by President Duterte last Friday.
[Link]
recovery-efforts-approved/

5. Families in areas to be placed under localized lockdowns ANGLE : _______________

will receive financial aid under the 'Bayanihan 2' law as
the government shuns region-wide community ELEMENT: _______________
quarantines that may disrupt economic activity.
[Link]
bayanihan-2

IV. Assessment (Posttest)

Posttest

Brace yourself for the ultimate test! Let us see whether you have learned from the
module. Good luck!

Chicken and Feather

Directions: Identify the specific news element focused on by the writer in each lead to
establish the story’s angle. Link the item in Column A with the correct option in Column
B. Then, match your answer in Column B with the appropriate description in Column C.
Write the letters only.

COLUMN A COLUMN B COLUMN C

Lead Angle Description
__ , __ 1. Bicol’s Regional Peace and Order A. Impact A. presents what is
Council (RPOC) has ordered tighter new, odd, or out of
control of the region’s border with B. Proximity the ordinary
Quezon province after Bicol
B. centers on issues
recorded its highest spike in COVID- C. Timeliness
19 cases. concerning
[Link]
D. Prominence physical and
__ , __ 2. Just when most residents of Metro
mental struggles
Manila are confined in their homes
E. Novelty of people
amid the modified enhanced
community quarantine, an ostrich C. taps on the
F. Conflict nearness of the
was spotted merrily running down a
street in a Quezon City subdivision issue in terms
G. Human
on Tuesday. location, interest,
[Link]
in-quezon-city-subdivision
Interest and appeal
__ , __ 3. Two separate explosions believed to
be carried out by the Islamic State-

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 linked Abu Sayyaf group rocked D. stresses the
downtown Jolo in Sulu yesterday, significance and
leaving at least 14 people dead and major effect/s of
75 injured, authorities said.
[Link] the issue
bombings

__ , __ 4. Former Manila Archbishop Cardinal E. focuses on the

Luis Antonio Tagle, who is currently emotional appeal
the Prefect of the Congregation for of the issue
the Evangelization of Peoples, has F. features issues
tested positive for COVID-19. about famous
[Link]

__ , __ 5. Over 10,000 jobs in government personalities

agencies will be available during a G. highlights
week-long online career fair to be relevance and
conducted by the Civil Service
currency of the
Commission (CSC) starting today.
[Link]
grabs-csc
issue
__ , __ 6. A Marine trooper and five communist
rebels were killed in an encounter
between the military and members
of the New People’s Army (NPA) in
Brooke’s Point, Palawan, early
Thursday.
[Link]
clash

__ , __ 7. An off-duty nurse who just passing

by helped a homeless woman
deliver a baby on a sidewalk in
Barangay Bangkal in Makati City.
[Link]
woman-along-makati

__ , __ 8. Cynthia Barker, the Filipina mayor of

Hertsmere in Hertfordshire,
England, has died, September 14,
her brother confirmed. She was 58.
[Link]

__ , __ 9. A portion of the Sorsogon City

Coastal Road connecting the city's
baywalk, Rompeolas, to Barangay
Balogo officially opened for traffic,
the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH) announced
Sunday.
[Link]
coastal-road-partially-opens/story/

__ , __ 10. A grade 2 student in Barangay

Cabatang in Bohol has to climb up to
a small tree house for an internet
connection which he uses to attend
his online classes amid the COVID-
19 pandemic.
[Link]
climbs-tree-for-internet-signal-online-classes/story/

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V. Enrichment/Additional Tasks

Enrich Your Learning

Clip ‘em

Directions: Clip ten news articles on the controversial Manila Bay Rehabilitation
(either from daily broadsheets or the internet). Examine the articles using the
matrix below:

HEADLINE LEAD WRITER/SOURCE ANGLE ELEMENT

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

List ‘em

Directions: Given the issue, list at least two possible angles under each specified
element which you intend to report on. These story angles will serve as your guide
in crafting your lead/s in the next lesson.

Example:

PROXIMITY:
a. What preparations do students in Sorsogon City do to cope with the demands
of the new normal in education?
b. Does the local government of Sorsogon have projects intended to assist
students during this pandemic?

ISSUE: New Normal in Philippine Education

1. IMPACT:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

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 b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

2. PROXIMITY:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

3. TIMELINESS:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

4. PROMINENCE:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

5. NOVELTY:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

6. CONFLICT:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

7. HUMAN INTEREST:
a. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

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VI. Key

ACTIVITY 1 ACTIVITY 2 ACTIVITY 4

1. HUMAN INTEREST 1. NEWS 1. HUMAN INTEREST
2. CONFLICT 2. ANGLE 2. NOVELTY
3. IMPACT 3. REPORTING 3. PROMINENCE
4. PROMINENCE 4. ELEMENTS
4. TIMELINESS/IMPACT
5. TIMELINESS 5. NEWSWORTHY
5. PROXIMITY
6. PROXIMITY 6. LEAD
6. TIMELINESS/IMPACT
7. NOVELTY
ACTIVITY 3 ACTIVITY 5
1. A public elementary school teacher in 1. A: General purpose of
Sorsogon is making efforts to personally Bayanihan 2
deliver relief packs to families of her students E: Timeliness
in a village in Prieto Diaz amid quarantine. 2. A: Allocated fund for
2. A grandmother who has “never done anything Bayanihan 2
bad in her life” was arrested by police last E: Impact/Timeliness
Saturday, June 22, to fulfill her request. 3. A: Extension of special
3. Instead of being irked, Daniel Padilla on powers
Wednesday showed kindness to a tricycle E:
driver who accidentally bumped the actor’s Prominence/Timeliness
luxury car. 4. A: Bayanihan 2: Health
4. The opening of classes for school year 2020- sector benefits
2021 will be moved to October 5, 2020 as E: Impact
approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, the 5. A: Financial aids to
Department of Education (DepEd) announced lockdown areas
Friday. E: Impact
5. Sorsogon province recorded its first
coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related CHICKEN AND FEATHER
death on Monday after an 83-year-old woman,
a resident of Gubat town, succumbed to the 1. A, D 6. F, B
disease three days after experiencing 2. E, A 7. G, E
symptoms. 3. F, B or A, 8. D, F
6. The Russian vaccine being developed against D 9. B, C
the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 4. D, F 10. G, E
may be available in the Philippines as early as 5. A, D or C,
November 2020, according to the head of the G
Russian Direct Investment Fund which
finances the vaccine project.

Note: Teacher may consider answers provided

keywords of the whammy are underlined.

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VII. References

Books

1. Bulusan, F. 2016. Camous Journalism within your reach. Manila: Lorimar

Publishing, Inc.
2. Cruz, J. 2010. Campus Journalism and School Paper Advising (2 nd ed). Manila:
Rex Bookstore, Inc.

Digital Image

1. [Link]
and-magnifying-glass-vector-21307781

Software Application

1. Dicitionary-Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from: [Link]

Online Articles/Webpages

1. [Link]
2. [Link]
3. [Link]
4. [Link]
5. Barcia, R. (2020, July 9). Bicol tightens border control after spike in COVID-19
cases. Rappler. Retrieved from [Link]
control-coronavirus-cases
6. Gonzales, C. (2020, August 4). Ostrich spotted running carefree in Quezon City
subdivision. Inquirer. Retrieved from
[Link]
in-quezon-city-subdivision#ixzz6Y6tln0uT
7. Pareño, R. (2020, August 25). 14 killed in twin Jolo bombings. The Philippine
Star. Retrieved from
[Link]
bombings
8. Lalu, G.B. (2020, September 11). Cardinal Tagle tests positive for COVID-19.
Inquirer. Retrieved from [Link]
tests-positive-for-covid-19
9. Marcelo, E. (2020, September 14). 10,000 government jobs up for grabs –
CSC. The Philippine Star. Retrieved from
[Link]
grabs-csc
10. Mangosing, F. and Miranda, R. (2020, September 3). Marine, 5 NPA rebels
killed in Palawan clash. Inquirer. Retrieved from
[Link]
clash#ixzz6Y70dMlbu

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11. Aguilar, K. (2020, August 19). Off-duty nurse helps homeless woman deliver
baby in Makati. Inquirer. Retrieved from
[Link]
a-woman-along-makati
12. Eclarinal, C. (2020, September 15). First Pinay mayor in England dies. ABSCBN
News. Retrieved from [Link]
mayor-in-england-dies
13. Cabuenas, J.V. (2020, August 30). Sorsogon City Coastal Road partially
opens. GMA News Online. Retrieved from
[Link]
coastal-road-partially-opens/story/
14. Garcia, M.A. (2020, August 24). Grade schooler climbs tree for internet signal,
online classes. GMA News Online. Retrieved from
[Link]
climbs-tree-for-internet-signal-online-classes/story/
15. Aguilar, K. (2020, September 11). Duterte signs Bayanihan 2 into law. Inquirer.
Retrieved from [Link]
2-into-law
16. Ismael, J.J. (2020, September 12). Duterte signs Bayanihan 2. The Manila
Times. Retrieved from
[Link]
bayanihan-2/767473/
17. Ranada, P. (2020, September 11). Duterte signs Bayanihan 2 law that extends
his special powers. Rappler. Retrieved from [Link]
signs-bayanihan-2-law-extending-his-special-powers
18. Kabiling, G. (2020, September 14). Duterte signs Bayanihan 2 law: P165-B
fund for COVID-19 response, economic recovery efforts approved. Manila
Bulletin. Retrieved from [Link]
bayanihan-2-law-p165-b-fund-for-covid-19-response-economic-recovery-
efforts-approved/
19. Romero, A. (2020, September 14). Palace: Residents affected by local
lockdowns to get aid through 'Bayanihan 2'. Philstar. Retrieved from
[Link]
affected-local-lockdowns-get-aid-through-bayanihan-2

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