This week’s reading was very useful because it started with
the basics of writing and then worked its way into explaining what we need to
know as writers in this whole new internet crazed world.
The
advice Chapter 10 gave on how and why to write an outline would’ve been very
helpful when I was deciphering what to put into my Spring Faculty Meeting
article. Like most writing, journalism takes special skills because you have to
be able to use descriptive words, use great details, show don’t tell, etc.;
however, with journalism you are required to do that in a very clear and
concise way.
Chapter
11 brought up the importance of making sure to bring in an opposing viewpoint. This
is an important detail that I’ve overlooked in the past, but its necessary to
keep in mind because although a journalist may be simply reporting a story, it
can come off as a biased story. The journalist needs to make sure that both
viewpoints are stated if there is someone that disagrees with the topic at hand.
The
innovative topics Chapter 12 discussed were very relevant to what we are doing
now, and I believe that because of the era we grew up in, people our age have
an advantage over older (more experienced) journalists. Our age puts my peers
and me at an advantage in the journalism community because we are easily able
to participate the social networks and online tasks that the job now requires.
I
was also very surprised by the standards journalists have to follow now while
working online. Although it’s basic reporting and sticking to the inverted
pyramid, I think some websites, such as Twitter, leave out the creative flow in
stories. Journalists have to quickly report the most important parts of their story
in their lead, making sure to leave out little suspense. Journalists also have
to post their stories with the hopes that readers don’t just quickly scroll
past it on their phones.
A caveat about putting in an opposing viewpoint just because there is one. Contrarians and naysayers abound. What journalists want is to accurately represent credible differences of opinion and to make sure that stakeholders (who are affected by the matter at hand) aren't left out of a news account.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the use of outlines. Creating an outline based on the meeting minutes would have been massively beneficial instead of constantly revisiting the full body of information and trying to restructure it.
ReplyDeleteI like your perspective on Twitter and how it really has to attack the main points of a story due to limitations. It might be more difficult to create a creative lead, but trying to condense a story and generate readership is a challenge in itself.
I definitely agree about the idea of outlines. It's something I nearly always did when writing long academic papers, however for some reason it never even occurred to me to write one for the faculty meeting minutes. I think it would have allowed me to get past making sure I had included all of the facts that I wanted to report and spend more time on polishing the article.
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