A newsflash is a brief news story that interrupts radio or television programing to tell listeners of a major breaking event. It is not to be confused with a bulletin, which typically offers developed stories. A newsflash has very few liberties; it must inform and keep the audience updated, but not delve into analysis or give opinion. The word is also used to describe a short item appearing in a newspaper or magazine.
Often used to introduce a more complex story, this section of an article is an important opportunity for writers to catch the attention of readers. A narrative flash lede can work well in this context, particularly if it provides a compelling and descriptive anecdote that entices the reader to read further.
The nut graph is the second paragraph of a news story, and it is an important part of the inverted pyramid style of writing that most journalists use. It ties together the facts introduced in the lead, explains their significance and shows how they fit into a larger picture. Using a timeline can help readers to follow the progression of events in a given time frame.
In the US, a newsflash can be referred to as a bright or a bumper (see break). A similar term is flash, which is also the name of a kind of news story that interrupts a television program. Other terms include churnalism, which refers to journalism that consists of rewriting press releases without original reporting and is done solely to fill space on newspaper pages or in newscasts.