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THE OUTSIDERS, S E Hinton
A Sample Newspaper Report
In Chapter 4 we read about the killing of Bob Sheldon, a "Soc", by Johnny Cade. Write a newspaper report of the incident. It is important to write in the style of a real newspaper article. Look at the following example:
AN SBS BUS DRIVER was found dead at his apartment in Clementi early on Saturday morning.
Lim Boon Seah, 42, was stabbed twice in the chest before dying in the living room of his rented HDB apartment on Commonwealth Avenue.
Mr Lim, who was single, lived alone. A colleague, Mr Zainal Abidin, 38, called the neighbourhood police post when Mr Lim failed to respond to his loud knocking at 8.00am on Saturday. Police officers forced the door.
Detective Inspector Vijay Singh, the chief investigating officer, appealed to members of the public for assistance: "We need witnesses. Please don’t be afraid to come forward. You can help us find the murderer."
Mr Lim was a popular driver on the 154 bus route. Only last year he received an award for his assistance to an elderly passenger who suffered a temporary loss of memory and could not remember her destination.
Mr Lim is survived by three brothers and a sister.
1. Write a headline (and possibly a sub-heading as well).
2. Include the following information in your first paragraph:
- give their full names (e.g. Ponyboy Curtis – not Ponyboy!) but after the first time they are mentioned, call them by their surname (e.g. Cade and Curtis are being sought by Tulsa police.)
- give their age (see how this is done above)
- give their occupation (e.g. "Unemployed shop assistant, Lim Ah Mei, …")
5. Your paragraphs should be short – a maximum of 2 sentences!
6. Include at least one short quote from someone you interviewed (e.g. one of Bob Sheldon’s friends, or Cherry). Look at the example above.
7. Get a classmate to read your report and offer advice. Check carefully for errors. Aim for excellence!