"Journalism is literature in a hurry." (Matthew Arnold)
Pre-Quiz
You are going to study a bit about the way newspaper articles are written. First, find out what you already know about the news. Read each of the following statements, and decide whether or not you agree with it.
You are going to study a bit about the way newspaper articles are written. First, find out what you already know about the news. Read each of the following statements, and decide whether or not you agree with it.
1. News articles are only written about disasters, wars, and other catastrophic events.
2. Newspapers print articles that are of interest to readers.
3. News articles can use quotes and opinions from witnesses and observers.
4. News articles are error-proof.
5. If the information is not in the ‘lead’, or introductory paragraph, it is not important.
6. The purpose of news articles is to inform, not to entertain.
7. News articles are not enjoyable to read.
8. The lead of a news article answers the 5w-1h questions. (who, what, when, where, why, and how)
9. The style of a news article is narrative, like a story.
10. News articles contain dialogue.
11. News articles often contain imaginative details or elements of fantasy.
12. A caption is a short piece of text which contains a summary of a news article.
13. All news articles are accompanied by pictures.
14. ‘Headings’ or ‘headlines’, are long, detailed, complete sentences.
15. Locations that are well known do not have to include states.
16. If news articles have mistakes, corrections have to be published.
17. A news article can sometimes be made up of only a lead paragraph, and still adequately cover the information.
18. News articles use a lot of descriptive language.
19. News articles basically follow the same structure as an essay because they are both informative.
20. The skills and techniques used to write news articles, which are non-fiction, and stories, which are fiction, are completely different.
(http://www.abcteach.com/free/w/writing_newsarticle_middle.pdf)
2. Newspapers print articles that are of interest to readers.
3. News articles can use quotes and opinions from witnesses and observers.
4. News articles are error-proof.
5. If the information is not in the ‘lead’, or introductory paragraph, it is not important.
6. The purpose of news articles is to inform, not to entertain.
7. News articles are not enjoyable to read.
8. The lead of a news article answers the 5w-1h questions. (who, what, when, where, why, and how)
9. The style of a news article is narrative, like a story.
10. News articles contain dialogue.
11. News articles often contain imaginative details or elements of fantasy.
12. A caption is a short piece of text which contains a summary of a news article.
13. All news articles are accompanied by pictures.
14. ‘Headings’ or ‘headlines’, are long, detailed, complete sentences.
15. Locations that are well known do not have to include states.
16. If news articles have mistakes, corrections have to be published.
17. A news article can sometimes be made up of only a lead paragraph, and still adequately cover the information.
18. News articles use a lot of descriptive language.
19. News articles basically follow the same structure as an essay because they are both informative.
20. The skills and techniques used to write news articles, which are non-fiction, and stories, which are fiction, are completely different.
(http://www.abcteach.com/free/w/writing_newsarticle_middle.pdf)
Now read the following text and see if you have changed your opinion about the sentences above:
The Goals of a News Article
Most journalists try to follow certain guidelines in their work. These principles of journalism help make sure that when people open a newspaper, they can believe what they read.
1. A news article tells the truth: the journalist writes facts that are, to the best of his/her knowledge, true. A careful journalist only states things that he/she can prove to be true, and will ‘cite’ the source of any uncertain information. example: “According to Mrs. Brown, principal of North Oaks High School, most high school freshmen take Spanish as a second language.”
In the statement above, even if it is later discovered that more high school freshmen take French instead of Spanish, the journalist has not lied. He/she has only claimed that Mrs. Brown says more freshmen take Spanish, which is still a true statement.
2. News is factual. Something that is factual can be proved or disproved. For example, “Last Saturday was a rainy day,” is a factual statement, because it can be clearly shown that last Saturday either was or was not rainy. “Rainy days are depressing,” is not a factual statement, because it is a personal opinion.
3. News articles are objective. They do not reflect the personal opinions of the journalist. Quotes and opinions of witnesses and observers to events may be included in an article, but they must be cited.
4. News articles relate information that affects or is of interest to the public. Some newspapers print articles that are of interest to a smaller audience. When the audience is concentrated in a particular region, such as a particular city or state, the newspaper is known as a ‘local’ paper.
5. The purpose of a news article is to report the facts of a current event or problem. Although many people enjoy reading the news, the purpose of a news article is not entertainment.
6. The language used in news articles is often different from the language that is used in everyday conversation, or in stories or narratives. The style of writing is impersonal, and the vocabulary is often more formal.
(http://www.abcteach.com/free/w/writing_newsarticle_middle.pdf)
Most journalists try to follow certain guidelines in their work. These principles of journalism help make sure that when people open a newspaper, they can believe what they read.
1. A news article tells the truth: the journalist writes facts that are, to the best of his/her knowledge, true. A careful journalist only states things that he/she can prove to be true, and will ‘cite’ the source of any uncertain information. example: “According to Mrs. Brown, principal of North Oaks High School, most high school freshmen take Spanish as a second language.”
In the statement above, even if it is later discovered that more high school freshmen take French instead of Spanish, the journalist has not lied. He/she has only claimed that Mrs. Brown says more freshmen take Spanish, which is still a true statement.
2. News is factual. Something that is factual can be proved or disproved. For example, “Last Saturday was a rainy day,” is a factual statement, because it can be clearly shown that last Saturday either was or was not rainy. “Rainy days are depressing,” is not a factual statement, because it is a personal opinion.
3. News articles are objective. They do not reflect the personal opinions of the journalist. Quotes and opinions of witnesses and observers to events may be included in an article, but they must be cited.
4. News articles relate information that affects or is of interest to the public. Some newspapers print articles that are of interest to a smaller audience. When the audience is concentrated in a particular region, such as a particular city or state, the newspaper is known as a ‘local’ paper.
5. The purpose of a news article is to report the facts of a current event or problem. Although many people enjoy reading the news, the purpose of a news article is not entertainment.
6. The language used in news articles is often different from the language that is used in everyday conversation, or in stories or narratives. The style of writing is impersonal, and the vocabulary is often more formal.
(http://www.abcteach.com/free/w/writing_newsarticle_middle.pdf)