News Item

News Item .

Factual text which informs the readers about events of the day which are considered newsworthy / important .

Social function of news item is :

To inform readers , listeners / viewers about events of the day which are considered newsworthy / important .

Generic structure :

Newsworthy Event ( s ) : Recounts the events in summary form

Background Event ( s ) : Elaborate what happened , to WHOM , in WHAT circumstances .

Sources : Comments by participants in , witnesses to & authorities ’  expert on the event .

Significant Grammar Features :

Short

Telegraphic information about story captured in headline

Generally using Simple Past Tense

Use of Material Processes to retell the event

Using Action Verbs , e . g . : Were , run , go , kill , etc .

Using Saying Verbs , e . g . : Say , tell

Focus on Circumstances

Use of projecting Verbal Processes in Sources stages

There are some rules that can help to make newspaper headlines more comprehensible .

The passive voice is used without the appropriate form of “ be ” .

Example : Town ‘ Contaminated ’

Complete Sentence : Town is contaminated .

It is unusual to find complex forms , generally the simple present form is used

Example : Fire Destroys over 2 , 511 acres of Forest in 2003 – 2004

Complete Sentence : Fire has destroyed over 2 , 511 acres of forest in 2003 – 2004 .

The present progressive tense is used , usually to describe something that is changing / developing , but the auxiliary verb is usually left out .

Example : World Heading for Energy Crisis

Complete Sentence : The world is heading for an energy crisis .

To refer to the future , headlines often use the infinitive .

Example : Queen to Visit Samoa .

Complete Sentence : The Queen is going to visit Samoa .

Headlines are not always complete sentences .

Example : More earthquakes in Japan .

Complete Sentence : More earthquakes happened in Japan .

News Item :

A Korean Force Of Nature

Newsworthy event	In just 3 years , Korean pop star Rain Has built a huge domestic following of ( mostly ) female fans with a string of chart - topping singles , & now he ’ s ready to branch out overseas .
Background events	Rain picked up MTV Asia prizes this year , played his first solo concert in Japan in July & has lined up sold - out gigs in Hong Kong & Tokyo . But the engine of Korean pop - culture dominance in Asia is the soap opera , which is why Rain is forecast for TV this fall . The decidedly boyish singer will play a macho K - 1 fighter who falls for his brother ’ s lover in a series tentatively titled A Loved to Kill . Though the show is set to air first in Korea this October , the astounding popularity of Korean TV dramas around the region means that the pop star could soon become a familiar face throughout Asia . But why stop there ? Rain ’ s managers believe he could be the first Korean star to break into the U . S . market . Park Jin Young , the pop impresario who discovered & trained Rain , is a talented dancer &  songwriter who has worked with U . S . artists like Mase & Will Smith .  Since setting up camp in Los Angeles last year , Park has been shopping his protégé around to U . S . production companies . Rain almost managed to score a track on rapper Lil ’  Kim ’ s latest album – but the plan fell apart after Kim was convicted of perjury & had to start serving a jail term ,  according to Jimmy Jeong , an executive at Rain ’ s management company .
Sources	Just a minor setback , says Jeong : “ We ’ re targeting the global market .  Rain ’ s too big for Asia . ”

Dogs To Herd Geese From Central Park

Newsworthy event	NEW YORK ( AP ) - - City officials will use border collies to drive geese away from Central Park ' s lawns & meadows next month .
Background events	A Howell , N . J . , company , Geese Police Inc . , employs dog handlers who are educated on the behavior of Canada geese & their migratory , nesting & breeding habits . The collies , bred to herd sheep , have a natural instinct to round up geese . The Geese Police pilot program , funded by the New York City ' s  Department of Parks & Recreation & the Central Park Conservancy management organization , will last through April . As with all wildlife that inhabit / migrate through city parkland , Canada geese are protected from hunting & attack by humans , parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said Monday . But their increasing presence can damage grass & leave parks fouled by droppings , Benepe said .
Sources	" The Geese Police pilot project is an innovative & humane effort to manage the growing geese population in Central Park , " he said .