A good news story is...

Accurate
Its spelling, names, dates and facts are all correct.
(If you read the Missoulian today you saw this lead and graf 2:)
HELENA - Republican John McCain has taken a double-digit lead over Democrat Barack Obama in the presidential race in Montana, a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows.
Obama leads McCain 53 percent to 42 percent, according to the telephone poll of 700 likely Montana voters taken Monday.) Oops...
It is not misleading; facts are not stacked or given undue importance
It doesn't editorialize
It warns readers when stated facts are in doubt

Clear
It is understandable; readers don't have to puzzle over its meaning
It presents facts as simply as possible; it shows the reporter understands the facts
It avoids jargon; if the reporter must use technical terms, they are defined
It is organized logically; unrelated facts are not joined in a single sentence

Interesting
It shows reporters have weighed the information and used critical thinking skills and news judgment to present the information
It has an "energy packed" lead that draws readers into the story

Complete
It leaves no gaps or unanswered questions
It does not leave readers hanging or confused by omitting important details
It delivers what was promised in the lead. (If you say the meeting was heated, back that up in the story by direct quotes that show just that.)
It includes essential background information to provide context, but it does not begin with the background
It is specific in important details


Swift moving
It generally uses short sentences and paragraphs, but the sentence length is varied to provide rhythm and interest
It does not get bogged down in unimportant details
It uses good quotes that add color