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Journalism

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Revision as of 23:52, 23 October 2007 by 193.61.255.85 (talk) (→Seven tips on better writing: Added a period after "...use the active voice".)

A journalist is generally understood to be one who communicates objective truth about current topics to an interested but critical audience. A good journalist is one who realizes that the objective truth is unobtainable.

A journalist must understand the medium he works in. For instance, a newspaper reporter will write correct English.

An excellent journalist will take the extra step for professionalism in reporting, with consideration for truth, fairness, balance, decency and ethics. He will spend many hours researching his subject of choice. If you cannot do this, you cannot be a successful journalist.

Tips for writing

Qualities that most news stories must possess:

  • Topicality (is the subject interesting?; is it current?)
  • Completeness (document the who, what, where, when, how; and if possible, why)
  • Accuracy (use at least two distinct sources for each fact you report)
  • Impartiality (interview all sides)
  • Verifiability (name sources where possible)

Skills

  • research
    • interviews
    • going under cover
    • documentation
    • short-hand
    • background reading
  • composition/recording
  • publishing

Seven tips on better writing

In the 1946 book, Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays, author George Orwell devised 6 easy tips to make anyone a better writer. To paraphrase him, they are:

  1. Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice.
  2. Shorter is better in sentences and paragraphs. If it is possible to remove a word from a sentence, cut it.
  3. Shorter is better in word choice. Never use a long word when a short word will do.
  4. Do not confuse your reader with uncommon words. Never use foreign phrases, scientific jargon or high-tech "buzzwords" if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
  5. Never use cliché metaphors, similes or other figures of speech that you are used to seeing in print. Be original.
  6. Be polite — even when you disagree. Break any of the above rules before you write anything offensive or outrageous. Avoid personal attacks, do not exaggerate the situation, and do not use sarcasm or hyperbole. Otherwise, you risk losing credibility in the eye of the reader.
  7. It is important to capture the most important facts in a new article before divulging into the details. Some readers will only have time to check the first paragraph or so of a news article (Inverted pyramid style).

Courses

How to write a featured Article

See also

Topics

Participants

  • The history of the School of Journalism page indicates who the active participants are.
  • If you are or are going to become a Participant in the School of Journalism, you may list your name here. This may help the School grow and may help the Participants communicate better.
  • Participants:
  1. Dennis L. Kent (talk) Date: 2007-04-27 (April 27, 2007) Time: 165001 UTC
  2. Thunderhead 09:49, 10 August 2007 (UTC)
  3. FWN

Stream

Journalism Stream

Wikinews

Wikinews is a great place to hone your journalistic skills in a live public, neutral environment. Unlike many citizen journalism sites, Wikinews is written in the Neutral Point of View (NPOV), which means reporters there often strive for professionalism in reporting, with consideration for truth, fairness, balance, decency and ethics. There are regular reporters there, which are often credited for their work.

Some Wikinews on-going projects you might be interested in:

Style Guides

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