A news bulletin is a short piece of breaking news (or a brief report of existing events) that’s broadcast on radio or television. It may also be published as a text item in newspapers or online. In radio, a news bulletin is usually read by a host or presenter, known as a newscaster or anchor. The news program can be local, national, or international and can include political commentary, expert opinions, or a variety of other editorial content. It may also include live or recorded interviews of guests involved in the news story or offering analysis and opinion on it.
The news bulletin format varies from station to station depending on the target audience and the news agenda set by its programme director. It can range from a simple, one or two sentence announcement of urgent news to full-blown reports with varying levels of urgency (“Urgent”, “Bulletin” and “FLASH”).
On television, news programs are often presented by a single host (or anchor) segueing into a taped report filed from the field by a reporter and reading it, or by a team of presenters working together in a studio and reporting on different stories simultaneously. Generally, television news programmes are longer than their radio counterparts, with some being up to three hours long.
Writing effective news bulletins requires discipline, clarity, brevity and vividness. Follow the inverted pyramid style of introducing key facts at the top of the piece and supporting information underneath. Avoid biased language by sticking to verified facts and direct quotes, and by staying neutral in your tone of voice.