4th March 2025
‘People don’t care what you know until they know that you care’: what makes a great article, with The Guardian’s Jamie Fahey
Hello everyone,
Where should your students go for insight and advice when they’re writing a strong news story? The answer is: this week’s episode of Ask the Expert.
Our guest is Jamie Fahey, production editor of The Guardian, who puts together the front page, often writing the main headlines you see at the top of the paper at the newsagent.
Given a news or feature piece is rather different from school coursework which students might be more used to writing, I thought Jamie’s tips for structuring a school newspaper or magazine could act as a useful checklist.
So, what does Jamie say makes for a great article?
- The first impression a great headline gives
- The Five W’s: Who, What, Why, Where, When
- Decent quotations from reliable people
- Background and context
- A meaningful conclusion
The entire episode is full of great advice and stories, in particular about Jamie’s love of indoor football (the subject of his book, Futsal), his hometown of Liverpool – and a clever headline.
Watch the full episode here
Enter Shine 2025!
If you’re keen to enter Shine this year, have questions or need more support, we’re here to answer your questions at shine@stationers.org
Register with the Shine School Media Awards and we can provide guidance and encouragement from now til our entry deadline in May.
Best wishes,
Richard Chapman
Chair, Shine School Media Awards