Malaysian Deputy Health Ministry urged every woman to carry a condom to protect against HIV, a news report said.
“This is not to debate them but to protect them. Women are the first ones to get exploited by their partners (whom are infected by HIV-positive)” Abdul Latiff Ahmad was quoted as saying by Sunday Star Newspaper. “But this just a suggestion, it’s up to them”.
Abdul latiff made remark to coincide with the International Aids Memorial day, which was celebrated openly for the first time in Malaysia, in bid to reduce stigma for HIV-victim. In the past the event was held behind closed door.
Last year, 745 Malaysian women were identified as HIV-positive and 193 were diagnosed with AIDS, he said in the report. Officials have said nearly 81000 Malaysian have been infected with HIV, less then 10 percent are woman, but the number is steadily rising.
Malaysian Aids Council president, Adeebah Kamarulzaman, was quoted as saying besides sex workers, many women who contract HIV are housewives, were infected unknowingly by their husbands. “It’s not that people don’t know that condoms can protect them. But there are some men who don’t care to take precaution, even though they know they have HIV” she said.

Definition of News Item
News item is a text which informs readers about events of the day. The events are considered newsworthy or important.

Generic Structure of News Item
1. Main event
2. Elaboration (background, participant, time, place)
3. Resource of information

Language Feature of News Item
1. Focusing on circumstances and
2. Using material process

News item text which is composed daily news has generic structure; newsworthy event, background, and source. As the news item about Camp Rock 2 premiere bellow, we can see the generic structure.
Newsworthy event is what event happened which considered as newsworthy. Commonly newsworthy event is place in the first paragraph. The announcement of the Camp Rock 2 Premiere is the newsworthy event.
Background event can be the detail information of the stated newsworthy event or the outside background which closely relates to newsworthy event. The information about the soundtrack songs of Camp Rock 2 Final Jam and the plot of movie is the background events.
Source is the closing statement which can be from the participants, witness, or the official authorities. The statement of Joe to MTV that songs were really cool is the source of this example of news item text. Now see the following example of news item about the premiere announcement of sequel Camp Rock 2, The Final Jam

Camp Rock 2 The final Jam will Premieres on Disney Channel
It was announced on Tuesday that Disney Channel movie with tourmate Demi Lovato, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," will premiere on September 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
On July 27, long before they watch the sequel to the 2008 flick, fans can pick up the soundtrack, featuring 15 original songs that a press release promises will span genres from hip-hop to rock to pop.
The flick will not only have more summer lovin' between real-life couple Lovato and Joe Jonas as Mitchie and Shane, but there will also be a little friendly rivalry between the Camp Rockers and a group of musicians at another summer camp, Camp Star, including a love interest for Nick Jonas, played by Chloe Bridges.
The JoBros promise the movie's music will be every bit as entertaining as its plot, which has been kept a secret since the movie was shot. "The songs are really cool," Joe told MTV News.

An unidentified man became a hero in Argentina on Tuesday February 09 after security cameras captured him pushing a stalled van off the railroad tracks as a train bore down on the vehicle.

The video shows the man jump of the back of motorcycle and push a white van across the tracks before leaping back across tracks as the train narrowly missed him.

After a brief discussion with the man driving the motorcycle, he got back on the motorcycle and
the two drove away.

News item text which is composed daily news has generic structure; newsworthy event, background, and source. As the news item about Camp Rock 2 premiere bellow, we can see the generic structure.
Newsworthy event is what event happened which considered as newsworthy. Commonly newsworthy event is place in the first paragraph. The announcement of the Camp Rock 2 Premiere is the newsworthy event.
Background event can be the detail information of the stated newsworthy event or the outside background which closely relates to newsworthy event. The information about the soundtrack songs of Camp Rock 2 Final Jam and the plot of movie is the background events.
Source is the closing statement which can be from the participants, witness, or the official authorities. The statement of Joe to MTV that songs were really cool is the source of this example of news item text. Now see the following example of news item about the premiere announcement of sequel Camp Rock 2, The Final Jam

Camp Rock 2 The final Jam will Premieres on Disney Channel
It was announced on Tuesday that Disney Channel movie with tourmate Demi Lovato, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," will premiere on September 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
On July 27, long before they watch the sequel to the 2008 flick, fans can pick up the soundtrack, featuring 15 original songs that a press release promises will span genres from hip-hop to rock to pop.
The flick will not only have more summer lovin' between real-life couple Lovato and Joe Jonas as Mitchie and Shane, but there will also be a little friendly rivalry between the Camp Rockers and a group of musicians at another summer camp, Camp Star, including a love interest for Nick Jonas, played by Chloe Bridges.
The JoBros promise the movie's music will be every bit as entertaining as its plot, which has been kept a secret since the movie was shot. "The songs are really cool," Joe told MTV News.

This is another example of news item text. News item text has main function to tell the daily newsworthy. News item text has generic structure; newsworthy event, background event, and sources. Sources can be the statements of participants, authority, and witness. Bellow is the example of news item text.

Taufik Hidayat Quiting National Badminton Team

After 13 years of service, which culminated in an Olympic gold medal, shuttler Taufik Hidayat announced Friday his resignation from the national training camp in Jakarta.

“My decision to resign is final. It’s not an impulse or emotional decision. I’ve been thinking about quitting the national team since 2004, after I won at the Athens Olympics,” he said. “However, people kept on encouraging me to stay in the national team, considering my potential and my youth. Therefore I stayed until 2008.”

In 2001, Taufik threatened to quit the training camp because of Mulyo’s exclusion. Mulyo is his mentor. He only rejoined the national team after the PBSI agreed to reinstate Mulyo. In 2004, Taufik made yet another threat to quit, and again backed down from it.

“It’s time for younger players to take the baton. I’m giving way to them. It’s all about regeneration in Indonesian badminton,” he said.

Note: this example of news item text is arranged from Jakarta Post

Tombs with Mummy Found in Egypt

CAIRO – Archaeologists have unearthed 57 ancient Egyptian tombs, most of which hold an ornately painted wooden sarcophagus with a mummy inside, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said Sunday.
The oldest tombs date back to around 2750 B.C., during the period of Egypt’s first and second dynasties, the council said in a statement.Twelve of the tombs belong the 18th Dynasty, which ruled Egypt during the second millennium B.C. The 18th Dynasty includes such well-known pharaohs as Tutankhamun, Akhenaten and Queen Hatshepsut.
The discovery throws new light on Egypt’s ancient religions, the council said.

Taken from msnbc.msn.com/id

A news item text is composed to tell the newsworthy event of the day. News item text has generic structure; newsworthy event, background, and sources. This example of news item text about the finding of 57 tombs in Egypt has detail generic structure as follow:

Newsworthy event; the news of finding of tombs with mummy in Egypt

Background; the tombs has the oldest date around 2750 B.C. It was the period of Egypt’s first and second dynasties.

Source; the council said that the finding of the tombs threw new light on Egypt’s ancient religions

Malaysian Deputy Health Ministry urged every woman to carry a condom to protect against HIV, a news report said.
“This is not to debate them but to protect them. Women are the first ones to get exploited by their partners (whom are infected by HIV-positive)” Abdul Latiff Ahmad was quoted as saying by Sunday Star Newspaper. “But this just a suggestion, it’s up to them”.
Abdul latiff made remark to coincide with the International Aids Memorial day, which was celebrated openly for the first time in Malaysia, in bid to reduce stigma for HIV-victim. In the past the event was held behind closed door.
Last year, 745 Malaysian women were identified as HIV-positive and 193 were diagnosed with AIDS, he said in the report. Officials have said nearly 81000 Malaysian have been infected with HIV, less then 10 percent are woman, but the number is steadily rising.
Malaysian Aids Council president, Adeebah Kamarulzaman, was quoted as saying besides sex workers, many women who contract HIV are housewives, were infected unknowingly by their husbands. “It’s not that people don’t know that condoms can protect them. But there are some men who don’t care to take precaution, even though they know they have HIV” she said.
(Source The Jakarta Post, June 01, 2008)

Generic Structure Analysis
News worthy event: Malaysian women is urged to carry condoms to protect HIV.
Background event 1: International Memorial Day was held openly in Malaysia to reduce stigma for HIV victims.
Background event 2: The number of Malaysian women who are infected with HIV is steadily rising.
Source: Malaysian Aids Council president said that there were some men who did not care to take precaution even though they knew they had HIV

An Indonesian housemaid has been executed in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of killing her employer, the Saudi Interior Minister said.
The woman was beheaded in the Southern Asir province in what was the second execution in the country.
The maid was earlier found of suffocating her female boss and stealing her jewellery. Rape, murder and other serious crimes can carry the death penalty in the conservative desert kingdom.
Last year, Saudi Arabia, which follow a strict intepretation of Syaria, Islamic law executed more than 130 people.
(Taken from: BBC News)

Generic Structure Analysis
Main event; an Indonesian maid was beheaded in Saudi Arabia.
Background 1; the maid was found guilty of suffocating her bos.
Background 2; serious crimes can carry death penalty in Saudi Arabia.
Background 3; Saudi Arabia executed more than 130 people last year.
Resource; the Saudi Interior Minister statement.
Language Feature Analysis
Focussing circumtances; law of serious crimes.
Using material process; behead, execute, carry, etc

News Item Text

Definition of News Item
News item is a text which informs readers about events of the day. The events are considered newsworthy or important.

Generic Structure of News Item
1. Main event
2. Elaboration (background, participant, time, place)
3. Resource of information

Language Feature of News Item
1. Focusing on circumstances
2. Using material process

Indonesian Migrant Worker dies in Malaysia
An Indonesian migrant worker Munti Binti Bani has died on Monday after being hospitalized for several days due to alleged torture by her employees in Selangor, Malaysia.

Antara state news agency has reported that Munti had been treated at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah hospital since last Tuesday and died on Monday at 10 a.m, local time. Munti was found unconscious with her hands and feet were tied in a bathroom in Taman Sentosa housing complex last Tuesday. She was suffering from major wounds on her body and had apparently been beaten with iron.

Munti's body will be sent tomorrow to her hometown in Pondok Jeruk Barat village of Jombang, East Java after undergoing autopsy at the hospital. “We express our deep condolences as there is yet another worker who was tortured and passed away at the hospital,” Indonesia's Ambassador for Malaysia, Da'i Bachtiar said in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. “The Embassy will arrange for all compensation, including insurance, she deserves to receive,” Da'i said.

He added that Munti's employees Vanitha and Murugan had been detained and were undergoing questioning at the local police office. “We hope the police can uphold justice and punish them should they be proven to be involved in the case,” he said.

Landslide in Bukittinggi
Two people died while four others were wounded in a landslide at a yard behind a house near Teleng market in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra on Tuesday.

Killed were 3-year-old Yusuf, who was the son of a kiosk owner at the market, Bujang, and 22-year-old Meli, who was a visitor to the market. The injured were rushed to the Achmad Muchtar and Yarsi hospitals.

Bukittinggi Deputy Mayor Ismet Amziz said Tuesday it was suspected that recent heavy rainfall had caused the landslide.
Source: thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/10/two-die-bukittinggi-landslide.html

Generic Structure of News Item
1. Main event: News item text presents the daily newsworthy. In this example of news item text, the first paragraph is the main event. It informs the reader that a landslide happened
2. Elaboration: The second paragraph of this example of news item gives further explanation about the main event that the two victim were 3 and 22 years old while the injured were brought to hospitals
3. Resource of information: The last paragraph is the official statement from the expert or the authority which strengthen the news of the main event

Growing Number of High School Student Smoking
A survey has found about 13 percent of first-time smokers in the country are junior high school students. It also revealed 89 percent of young female employees were smokers.

The survey was conducted in five major cities across the country, including Surakarta in Central Java.

Muhammad Syahril Mansyur, the Surakarta Health Agency’s respiratory illness division, said that the finding of the survey showed an alarming growth rate of Indonesian smokers. "This situation is a cause for concern,” he said. “It appears the country’s younger generation is uneducated about the health risks of smoking.”

The Indonesian anti-tobacco campaign has reportedly been deemed as ineffective as the government refuses to sign the international convention on
tobacco control. It said that cigarette producers contributed to a large amount to state revenue and gave jobs to thousands of workers.
Rearranged from:
www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/11/12/growing-number-school-students-smoking.html

What is a news item text? A news item text is a text which is grouped into the text genre of narration. The main function of narration is is telling stories or informing about events in chronological order. The order in the narration can be based of time, place and the events them selves.
Referring to the high school graduate standard, news item text should be completely studied in the first class with narrative and recount text. These three text types explore the way on how a story or event is retold to others.
News item text is written for public information of what is the newsworthy of the day. Basically, a news item text tries to answer the 5Ws and 1H questions; what, who, when, where, why, and how relating to the newsworthy.
Due to the different generic structure of text types, though news item is in one group of narration genres with narrative and recount, understanding the structures on how the news item composed is absolutely important for better understanding on text genres which are different from one type to another. The following example of news item text is taken from the jakarta post which is best in revealing what news item is and how it is structured.

Three Die after Attending Marriage Ceremony
Three residents were killed, while dozens of others were wounded after a pickup truck they were taking to attend a marriage ceremony overturned in Jingkang village, Banyumas Regency, on Sunday.
The pickup was carrying 30 passengers, mostly women, when it failed to ascend a steep road on its way back from the ceremony.
As a result, the passengers were squeezed. The wounded passengers were later rushed to the Ajibarang regional public hospital.
Local police are investigating the cause of the accident.

After reading above example of news item text, it is clearly that news item text is written to inform the newsworthy. It is socially important to know that there was an accident of pickup which caused three died.
Additionally the generic structure of above news item is as follow:
1. Main event; the main event is the three died in an accident of the pickup after attending marriage ceremony
2. Elaboration; it can be a background, participant, time, and place relating to the accident. It is the detail information for the accident which informs on how the accident happen and who are the victims.
3. Resource; it can be a witness or statement/treatment of the authority.

News item text which is composed daily news has generic structure; newsworthy event, background, and source. As the news item about Camp Rock 2 premiere bellow, we can see the generic structure.
Newsworthy event is what event happened which considered as newsworthy. Commonly newsworthy event is place in the first paragraph. The announcement of the Camp Rock 2 Premiere is the newsworthy event.
Background event can be the detail information of the stated newsworthy event or the outside background which closely relates to newsworthy event. The information about the soundtrack songs of Camp Rock 2 Final Jam and the plot of movie is the background events.
Source is the closing statement which can be from the participants, witness, or the official authorities. The statement of Joe to MTV that songs were really cool is the source of this example of news item text. Now see the following example of news item about the premiere announcement of sequel Camp Rock 2, The Final Jam

Camp Rock 2 The final Jam will Premieres on Disney Channel
It was announced on Tuesday that Disney Channel movie with tourmate Demi Lovato, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," will premiere on September 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
On July 27, long before they watch the sequel to the 2008 flick, fans can pick up the soundtrack, featuring 15 original songs that a press release promises will span genres from hip-hop to rock to pop.
The flick will not only have more summer lovin' between real-life couple Lovato and Joe Jonas as Mitchie and Shane, but there will also be a little friendly rivalry between the Camp Rockers and a group of musicians at another summer camp, Camp Star, including a love interest for Nick Jonas, played by Chloe Bridges.
The JoBros promise the movie's music will be every bit as entertaining as its plot, which has been kept a secret since the movie was shot. "The songs are really cool," Joe told MTV News.