In general, when writing most essays, one should use present tense, using past tense if referring to events of the past or an author’s ideas in an historical context.

If you are talking about how we interpret the Bible now, then you would use present. You would say, the Bible “is interpreted” today both factually and metaphorically. If you are talking about when the Bible was written or things that have taken place before the present time, you would use the past tense.

You can use either present or past tense for telling your stories. The present tense is often associated with literary fiction, short stories, students in writing programs and workshops, and first novels. The past tense is used in most genre novels.

The reason most news reports are written in the past tense is because they describe events that have already occurred. Headlines, in contrast, provide an element of freshness. You don’t feel that you are reading stale news – news about an event that has occurred a day ago.

past tense of newspaper is newspapered.

Remember that good journalism most often does not include “I,” “you,” or “we.” Keep in mind that journalism is generally in past tense. Headline (Include a subject and a verb. Remember to use present tense!)

The past tense of the verb lead is led, not lead. One reason for the confusion might be that a similar verb, read, has an infinitive that’s spelled the same as the past tense. But with lead, that’s not how things are. Led is the correct way to spell the past tense of lead.

The reason most news reports are written in the past tense is because they describe events that have already occurred. Headlines, in contrast, provide an element of freshness. In contrast, the headline uses the present tense form of the verb survive.

Always prefer the active tense in news writing, and particularly in intros. The active tense is faster and more immediate; it also uses fewer words.

Journalistic writing is a style of writing that is used to report news stories in a variety of media formats. Obvious characteristics of the style include short, simple sentences and paragraphs that present objective stories based on facts. Journalists use quotes to give the story credibility.

Short paragraphs: For news stories, paragraphs should be no more than three sentences long. Usually, paragraphs are one or two sentences long. This is much different than the writing you have done for your composition and English classes, which emphasizes four or five sentences per paragraph.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to writing news stories that will grab plenty of eyeballs:

1. Write a Great Lede. The lede is your best shot to get readers’ attention.
2. Write Tight.
3. Structure It Right.
4. Use the Best Quotes.
5. Use Verbs and Adjectives Well.
6. Practice, Practice, Practice.