Look, everyone makes these mistakes when they start writing journalism. The trick is catching them early.
Burying the Lead
You spent three paragraphs setting the scene before getting to the actual news. Readers already left. Put the most important information first, then work backward. If your editor cuts the last half of your piece, the story should still make sense.
Writing Like You Talk in Essays
Academic writing uses different muscles. In journalism, cut the throat-clearing introductions and big words that sound impressive but say nothing. One idea per sentence works better than you think.
Forgetting Attribution
Every claim needs a source, even obvious ones. Says who? According to what? The moment you state something as fact without attribution, readers start questioning everything else you wrote.
Overusing Adjectives
Calling something very important or extremely significant weakens your writing. The facts should carry the weight. Let readers decide if something matters based on what happened, not how many descriptive words you piled on.
Ignoring the So What Test
Why does this story matter to readers right now? If you cannot answer that in one sentence, keep rewriting until you can.