One of the most useful pieces of information I found was how news stories today are based in an order or most to least important. It was interesting to learn some of the ways in which news writing has evolved. The chapter contained many examples of earlier news reporting, and the difference in today’s writing was very evident. Our news stories got right to the point, making sure people can read the important information first, and then the endings of the stories seemed to sort of fade away with the ‘fluffy’ elements. I think that when writing our news articles the order of events is a very important detail to keep in mind.
Another tidbit I found useful was how the chapter told how a reporter should remain objective to the story. In other words that means not to take sides with one view over another. The point of news stories are simply to tell the story, and, in doing so, allow the reader to perceive their own view. The reader shouldn’t be subject to bias views of a reporter, unless it’s in an opinion article.
The chapter also highlighted ways in which to make your article more factual and concise by using “primary sources.” They suggested using other printed sources (newspapers, magazines, documents, etc) and to conduct interviews with people involved first-hand in the story. It’s very useful to use quotes from sources or interviews, but they suggest that we translate the text/verbal rhetoric into easy-to-read parts. The background information can be used for the body of the news story.
Going back to the history of news stories – - earlier stories seemed to have a definite ending, whereas ones nowadays seem to just fizzle out. Lately, more people have been using a sentence or small paragraph to tie in the whole story and result in people pondering the subject matter more. I think that’s a good suggestion because why would someone waste hard-work if not to instill questioning into the reader?
It’s interesting that you focused in on the historical aspect of the chapter. We can indeed learn from where we’ve come from. 20 points.
Your next blog prompt:
The second paper you’ll be writing this semester is an editorial. This means that you need to not only figure out a topic that interests you and has an argumentative bent, but you also need to get informed on the topic. By next Tuesday, February 27th, write a blog entry that presents two “hot” topics that are going on in our school, in our community, or in the area. Present each topic and then give a 3-4 sentence description of the arguments behind it.
Note: You don’t necessarily have to write your editorial paper on one of these topics. Keep in mind that not only will I be reading these, but your classmates may be reading them as well.