A news bulletin is a short radio or television news broadcast, providing the bare facts of stories before more depth is added in a full programme. It requires journalistic writing skills – being clear, concise and factual – and also editing – selecting, checking and prioritising stories.

The most important thing to remember when preparing a radio news bulletin is that the audience must come first. The bulletin’s purpose is to provide a balanced and digestible mix of information that nourishes the listener for the day.

Different audiences (local, regional, national and international) have a variety of interests and needs. The top stories in a bulletin should be those that are relevant to the regular listeners and reflect their worldview. Politics should be highlighted by focusing on how the issues affect the lives of the listeners rather than just politics itself. The voice of the newsreader is also crucial as it creates emotions and can attract or repel the audience. An attractive and clear voice ensures that the audience listens to the news bulletin again.

A good bulletin starts with a lead, a headline that conveys the main story and encourages the listener to tune in. It then follows the inverted pyramid format, introducing the most important facts followed by a nut graph which provides context and helps the reader to understand the significance of the story. The bulletin may then include sound bites – brief audio clips of people talking which are used to add credibility and to help the audience understand more about a particular issue.