News Article Template
පුවත් ලිපිය
News article structure with headline, standfirst, byline / dateline, lead paragraph, body, and pull-quote. Bilingual section conventions.
A Sinhala news article + blog post template
Sri Lankan newsrooms — Daily Mirror, Ada Derana, Sunday Times, Lankadeepa, Hiru News, online-only desks at News1st and EconomyNext — converge on a familiar article shape: headline, standfirst, byline + dateline, lead paragraph (the 5Ws in 1–2 sentences), body paragraphs, a pull-quote midway, and a closing paragraph. This template gives you that complete skeleton.
The same skeleton works for blog posts and longer-form feature articles. The 1500–2000-word features that Sri Lankan media houses publish online follow the same opening pattern; you stretch the body and add subheadings from there.
What's included
- Headline (H1) — the one-line news statement
- Standfirst — the one-paragraph subhead
- Byline + dateline — "By [Reporter] · [City] · [Date]"
- Lead paragraph — the 5Ws
- Body paragraphs with a quote block midway
- Pull-quote (styled blockquote)
- Closing line + author handle
Frequently asked questions
Can I publish the article directly to my blog?
Yes. Use File → Copy as Markdown to paste straight into WordPress, Ghost, Medium, or Substack's editors — they all accept Markdown. For Word-based workflows, File → Download as .docx (or Download as PDF) keeps the formatting. Sinhala glyphs survive every path.
Where do I add the hero image?
Drag the image between the standfirst and the byline — that matches most online newsroom layouts. The inline image editor lets you caption and resize, and the image saves with the document.
Is this format suitable for social media versions?
The headline + standfirst + lead paragraph make a clean social-media pre-post. Copy those three blocks as plain Sinhala (File menu) for the WhatsApp / Viber / Telegram broadcast; copy as Markdown for Twitter / Facebook posts with formatting intact.