Journalism

Introduction to Journalism

Broadsheet vs Tabloid

During this exercise we discussed the characteristics of a Broadsheet and tabloid and distinguished the main differences between the two.

Tabloid: A smaller than standard newspaper which focuses on less 'serious' content, such as celebrities, sport and sensationalist crime stories.

Broadsheet: A standard or full sized newspaper that takes a serious look at major news stories.

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What makes a story?

We discussed the important characteristics of a good story, including the most significant news at the moment; crime, celebrities, politics, sports and scandals- anything that spikes human interest. We also brought up the importance of quirky, offbeat/peculiar stories, as these are the kind of stories that catch the attention of the public. A good conclusion we came to was stories reporting on ordinary people doing extraordinary things, as a significant part of a good story is being able to connect to the general public by reporting on stories about real people.

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What makes a Journalist?

As a class we came up with the following attributes that make a good journalist:

• Curiosity- the inclination to find a good story

• Having an open mind

• Clarity and precision- not leaving too many questions in a readers mind

• Composure- a professional attitude

• The ability to write well and grasp big truths

• Being outgoing and persistent 

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Ground rules of Journalism

• Being observant- using active listening with simple but effective questions

• Finding unique points of views

• Inform, engage, shock or amuse the readers depending what kind of story you are writing

• Clear, clarity and concise

• Be willing to meet new people

• Expand vocabulary

• Strong verbs- lose the adverbs

• Active not passive

• Practise fact-driven writing; do not lie or twist a story, tell it in its full truth

• The importance of editing and de-cluttering- try to lose fluff and qualifiers 

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De-cluttering task

As a class we did an exercise to help us become more precise throughout our news writing, by de-cluttering a text and eliminating any 'fluff' (extra words and phrases that are not needed in a piece of writing that make a story harder to understand).

Here is an example of how I made a paragraph more concise and got rid of any unnecessary information. (The brackets around a word are words that are not needed).

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Original text

Use brackets to diagnose ‘fuzz’ in your text. 

(All) writers (will) have to edit their prose, but (the) great writers edit (it) viciously, (always trying) to eliminate words which are ‘fuzz’ – (excess) words (which are) not adding anything of value. Zinsser compares (the process of editing out) ‘fuzz’ to fighting weeds – you will always be (slightly) behind (because they creep in when you aren’t looking for them.) One of my pet hates is the word ‘also’. If you (search and) replace all instances of this word you (will) find you can live without it and (your) writing will improve (instantly.) (Likewise, the word ‘very’.) 

Updated text: 

Writers have to edit their prose, but great writers edit it viciously, to eliminate words which are ‘fuzz’-excess words not adding anything of value. Zinsser compares editing out ‘fuzz’ to fighting weeds- you will always be behind. One of my pet hates is the word ‘also’. If you replace all instances of this word, you find you can live without it and writing will improve. 

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I also created a news story that used these techniques in order to write a good news article:

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Original text:

‘Joseph Foster and his sibling Kate were advancing cheerfully along Wesley Street when they were in minor collision with an HGV which unexpectedly mounted the pavement. It transpired later, when the multi-coloured Volvo truck who was transporting a container containing motor parts to Oxford was being interviewed by a local radio reporter, that the lorry veered to avoid a police car speeding towards him on the wrong side of the road. The spokesman at police headquarters told a different story.’ 

But it was the children's lucky day as they escaped shocked but unscathed. A hospital spokesman at nearby Eddington hospital, run by the Barton NHS Foundation Trust, said the two children were lucky not to have been seriously injured. 'As it was,' declared Andrew Brown, 'they were examined in A and E and allowed to go home. Unfortunately Kate's buggy was beyond repair. 

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Updated text:

Brother and sister caught in collision between lorry and police car on Wesely street this morning. The truck driver claims the Police car was speeding on wrong side of the road and swerved to avoid it. 

Joseph and Kate Foster were walking along Wesely street when a lorry mounted the pavement in attempt to avoid a police car allegedly speeding, whilst on the wrong side of the road towards the lorry.  However, Local Radio reporters interview with police spokesman reveals there was a different story. 

The  pair of escaped the incident unscathed, yet hospital spokesman claims they were lucky to not be seriously injured.  

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Structure of News Writing: The inverted pyramid

We also looked at the inverted pyramid method in order to write a good news article. This method consists of three main aspects of a story- The lead/hook, the body and the tail. This helps to align and structure the most important information to the least important.

The lead

• The most important information

• Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

• Approximately 30 words (1-2 thin paragraphs)

• May include a 'hook' - a provocative quote or question

Here is an example of a good beginning of a lead that I found online:

'Police should be called in to investigate rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse allegations Against Russell brand, senior politicians have said.' - The Guardian 

The body​

• The crucial information

• Argument, controversy, story, issue

• Evidence, background, details and logic

• Quotes/photos/videos that support, dispute or expand the topic

The tail​

• Extra information

• Interesting/related items

• May include extra content in blogs, columns and other editorials.

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News writing

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Rolling news exercise

During this task we were given updates on a hypothetical situation that had happened and had to write a news piece containing a certain amount of words each time we got an update. This particular piece of news was regarding a potential bomb scare in Canterbury.

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Part one: 50 word news story for immediate publication for www.kentonline.co.uk

Canterbury bomb scare shocks locals as public are evacuated from the premise

At 8:30 am this morning, Kent police cordoned off Cathedral gate, Canterbury, due to alleged bomb scare.

After receiving a tip off, authorities have blocked off the area and set to bring in a bomb disposal squad to 'assess the situation'.

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Tweet: Canterbury locals cordoned off, as bomb threat shocks public. Police state that bomb disposal team is set to arrive to 'assess the situation' #Canterburybombthreat

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Part 2: 150 word piece

At 8:30 this morning, authorities received an anonymous tip-off regarding a bomb threat located in Canterbury and have since cordoned off Cathedral gate. Kent Police state 'the site has been evacuated' whilst bomb disposal team have been sent to 'assess the situation'. Police have not confirmed whether the situation is a genuine threat or a hoax, claiming in their newly released official statement, that their main priority is to 'keep the public safe'. We spoke to witness, Bradley Hathaway who was passing by on his way to work and claimed he had overheard a policeman saying the 'fence along palace street had been broken'. After further investigation on the site, our team has confirmed that the fence was broken and guarded by police. Although limited information has been released from Kent Police, they have confirmed that 'no one has yet come forward claiming the responsibility of the threat', urging public to stay away from the scene.

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Part 3: 300 word piece

Canterbury bomb scare takes a turn for the worst as threat is confirmed.

At 8:30 this morning, Kent Police received an anonymous tip off reporting a potential bomb threat in the Canterbury cathedral grounds. Authorities released an official statement, saying a bomb disposal squad were sent to the scene to 'assess the situation', whilst the public were evacuated and the site was cordoned off in order to 'keep the public safe' as police emphasised in their statement.

As of recent updates, at 11am this morning, Kent bomb squad has officially confirmed that there is currently an explosive device in the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral. A statement was later released from Police stating that the situation is 'completely under control', whilst stressing that their main priority at this time is ensuring the safety and well being of the public as they continue to investigate the situation.

Due to no word regarding the anonymous tipper or who placed the bomb, Kent Police are set to launch an official investigation along with the Metropolitan Police as the whole city of Canterbury try to grasp the shocking severity of the situation.

Rumours have made their way through the County regarding the nature of the threat itself, and many members of public speculate that it could be in association with ISIS, due to similar attacks in London last June. There has been no confirmation from authorities regarding these rumours, though it leaves the British public with much concern and many questions. 

Citizens across the country express their concern via social media, including current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who tweeted he was 'deeply saddened by events in Canterbury' and 'praying for a peaceful resolution'. 

More information has yet to be released, but we will be updating on this event as more comes. Make sure to stay alert and keep up to date on social media.

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Reflection: I enjoyed this task as it had more words and I felt like I had an ability to express more, though I did have trouble with the word limit and making sure I got all the information in. I would have liked to expand more on the effect this situation has had on businesses and included some more quotes from interviewees.

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Writing our own news piece of choice:

Our next task was to find a piece of news online and write our own 300 word story about it. I chose an article from BBC news that reports on the decrease of pubs in England and Wales and how it is affecting many businesses across the country. I also interviewed my dad in order to portray another point of view as he is from a different generation and thought his insight would be useful.

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Pubs slowly disappearing sparks outrage amongst British citizens  

According to government statistics, an average of 2 pubs a day are disappearing from England and Wales, whether they are demolished, shut down or simply abandoned. Regardless, this rapidly increasing pub-redundancy has sparked outrage with British public and inspired campaigners to fight for a nationally treasured element of UK culture. 

When an unfortunate chain of events led the beloved ‘Crooked House’ pub located in the west midlands to be destroyed, it prompted feelings of rage and grief among the local community. The pub had caught on fire, when later the remains appeared to be mysteriously demolished without permission, less than 48 hours afterwards. This outrage over the incident must become a ‘catalyst for change’ campaigners state, as they strive to prevent such events from happening. 

While this is a tragic example, many pubs being hut down of destroyed have not been given the same attention and news coverage, which could be a catastrophic loss for many business owners and hospitality workers who face the risk of redundance. 

Campaigners have been described as ‘the hope we all needed’ by Terry Simon, pub owner in Folkestone, as they fight for recognition. James Steven at the Chapel House pub fought for the call for new legalisation to protect public institutions. 

Many onlookers also have shared their opinion regarding this, including Tom Foster, an avid pub-goer from Folkestone who stated, ‘The situation is sad as pubs are a British institution, but I don’t think the younger generation tend to go to the pub anymore, so it is bound to happen.’ 

With the rise of the cost-of-living crisis, it’s no surprise that many businesses are forced to be shut down, however it’s a sad insight into the harsh reality of the rapidly changing modern times we face today. 

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Reflection: I found this task to be an effective way of representing the skills and techniques we had previously learnt into my own original piece of work, yet again did find myself slightly struggling with the word limit and challenged myself to display information in a somewhat precise way.

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Feature writing ​

During this lesson we focused on the main characteristics of feature writing and the differences between news writing and feature writing.

News story

• Tells the reader what the news is upfront

• Gives the most important details in the first or second paragraph

• Shorter and more precise

• Focuses on delivering information immediately

Feature story ​​

• Doesn't give the news straight away

• Hooks audience and keeps them reading until the end

• Ends with the reader feeling satisfied

Critical differences ​​

Timing: Different types of time sensitivity. Media outlets want to publish news stories as quickly as possible after an event occurs, while feature stories are not as time dependent and contain no urgent content.

Style: The writing styles of a news story and a feature story are different. In a news story, emphasis is on content rather than form. News stories are straight to the point.

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Writing our own feature stories

After we had discussed the characteristics of a feature story, we were given the chance to write our own on a topic of our choice. I chose to write about the harrowing issue of sexism in sport, especially in women's only sport. There have been a lot of news stories reporting on unfair treatment and inequality in women's sports so I decided to take a closer look and evaluate the topic. The articles that inspired me to write about this include the following:

-https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66873595

-https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/53593465

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Sexism in sport is still going strong, but why are female athletes hesitant to speak up? 

Inequality and prejudice in women’s sports is an ongoing, rampant cause of disagreement that has been sweeping its way through news headlines recently and is understood that it is a persistent problem hindering the progress and equality of female athletes. 

From the controversial non-consensual kiss that football manager Luis Rubiales planted on a female player in an act of ‘celebration,’ to inappropriate comments made at the World Swimming Championships towards two female athletes, it is evident that these incidents are commonly involved with male co-workers and counterparts in the same work environment with these women.  

This kind of unequal treatment can manifest in other numerous ways, such as pay disparities, limited media coverage and gender stereotypes that undermine female athletes based on their gender. 

Although many sports fans and news readers alike are aware of these prevalent problems there has been minimal effort in attempting to resolve this issue, despite female athletes being constantly victimised by media and the public. In the BBC Elite British Sportswomen’s survey, 65% of respondents had suffered sexism, but only 10% reported it. These shocking figures have only worsened over the past five years since a more recent survey was carried out, as in 2020, 41% had suffered sexism with only 7% reporting it. 

Despite these attempts at vocalising their concerns, the anonymity of the athletes who took part in the survey is a saddening insight into the fear of judgement women face when attempting to vocalise valid concern, to make sure that speaking up does not mean losing out. These women claim to feel like ‘their chances of selection for teams or events would be harmed’ if they stood up and spoke about sexism. 

Another reason worth mentioning for this hesitancy to speak up amongst these sportswomen is the presence of male coworkers in the same field who push the narrative of sexism and negative attitude towards women's sports and often leave with few consequences. 

An example of this is an expansion of the scandal I previously mentioned, regarding sexist remarks made by Italian swim commentators during a live broadcast, objectifying the swimmers, commenting on their ‘performance in bed.’ These inappropriate comments understandably caused somewhat of an uproar amongst many swimming fans, though the commentator’s statement on the scandal was compiled of attempts to victimise himself and remove focus from his clear faults. He referred to himself as ‘already a victim of a regrettable incident,’ in reference to a previous joke he had made which was also viewed as sexist and a form of harassment. 

This incident is a sickening insight into the blatant misogyny men in the sports industry are quick to get away with, whilst female athletes bite their tongue and refrain from speaking up in fear creating even more unequal opportunities and judgement they already must suffer with. 

It is undeniable that women in sports are often penalised in their line of work, whether they are an athlete or reporter, and evidently are still not seen as equals in comparison to their male equivalents. This is a prominent issue that many people, including myself, believe should be targeted and combatted to fight harmful stereotypes and unequal opportunities 

As for the reluctance of female athletes speaking up against these issues, it is important to encourage a sense of honesty within speaking about these issues, whether it be anonymously or publicly.

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Overall evaluation of this week:

I found the sessions we did this week to be an effective way of learning about the art of journalism and the different types of journalism within that. I can now confidently distinguish the key differences between news writing and feature writing as well as the important characteristics of each type of story. Although I found the news writing tasks slightly out of my comfort zone, I found that I was able to grasp the main ideas by the end of the lesson. I enjoyed writing my own news piece, and would like to explore this more. I definitely found feature writing to be my favourite task as it was in a similar realm of what I am used to writing; more creative/opinion based.

Overall, I found this lesson to be a good introduction to Journalism and felt I learnt a lot this week and can apply the skills I have learnt to my writing.

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