A news bulletin is a brief radio or television news broadcast. It usually gives the bare facts of stories before more depth is added in a full programme or newspaper. Composing a news bulletin requires journalistic skills – being clear, concise and factual. It also involves editing – selecting, checking and ranking stories. A news bulletin can be live or pre-recorded and may include interviews with the reporter, expert opinion or commentary and editorial content.

Your audience will tune into your news bulletin to get up-to-date and relevant information about their daily lives. This means your bulletin needs to offer them a mix of news and current affairs stories that are important to them, as well as giving an overview of the global storylines. The top stories you choose to feature will help define your credibility as a credible source of essential information.

Unlike fiction and essays where you can take the time to develop your ideas, newswriting demands that you get to the point quickly. This is particularly true for a news bulletin, where the audience will be tuning in between doing other things. Ensure you have an attractive and engaging tone of voice to keep your audience listening. Whether you read your bulletin aloud or have it pre-recorded, it is a good idea to test it on friends or family before presenting it to your audience. You may be surprised to discover that it sounds too rushed, causing the listener to lose interest or switch off.