Journalism Blog- Week 7

Chapter 7

1. I think they should aim at a high school education level. The majority of people is society have gone to year 10. The the language of newspaper's shouldn't get more difficult then the language and skills leaned up to this level. News story language should be easy to read, save the big words for the business papers. Pages 142-143 of the text book suggest that simplicity is a good thing for news articles. I believe the Newcastle Herald hits this mark. I am familiar with the language used and what is meant as is other friends the same age who left school in year 10.
   
2. I don't think they should at all really. It is obvious they need to interpret which events are most important however it shouldn't be one persons decision. It should be based on what they see is the most important to cover for the public interest, not on what is going to make the best story. They should not be able to inject their thoughts, this is the readers job, to make assumptions based on the facts that journalists provide. (Accuracy Pg. 156).
3. It does matter because this will effect what people see as 'correct', right/wrong. This may ultimately effect credibility. The idea of a global language would be useful however. If everyone was to use the same way of writing (spelling, punctuation etc.), it would make a journalist/editors job much easier and the audience could read stories easier across the world. (refer to pg 147).
4. I believe the majority do. There is always 'direct quotes' used, attribution, statistics etc to back up a story. It is however, hard for readers to prove how true these are. This is because we simply accept that what is published in a newspaper must be true.
5. I would publish a notice correcting the mistake anyway. Just because no-one has contacted the paper doesn't mean people are unaware of the mistake. You must keep credibility and also serve the public interests. (pg 156- Accuracy).

• 'Journalism could be said to be non-fiction writing (news) which relies on identifiable sources'. (Knight 2000, 48)
• Use short sentences, use short paragraphs. Use vigorous English, not forgetting to strive for smoothness. Be positive, simple and orderly.
  
• Things that must be dismissed from a news-story: Long explanations, unnecessary adjectives, cliches, elaborate phraseology, 'police speak', confusing statistics/technical info, anything not vital to the story, jargon, complex phrases. Know your audience.
  
• Instead of cutting out paragraphs from the end of the story, space can be saved by eliminating words that are not needed (that, big, small) and by shortening phrases. The key to communication is condensing a message to its simplest form.
  
• Good reporting takes the reader beyond the words used and to the actual event described.
• 'Word choice is central to all discussions surrounding the basics of journalism' (Brennen 2000, 107). For newspapers, the determining factor is whether a word has achieved community understanding and acceptance. Language of news must be learned!
• Writing Style- selection of words to convey mood or feeling. Need style and substance.
• House style- rules of punctuation, capitalisation and spelling. Gives clarity and uniformity to newspaper articles. Can change between publications.
• In Australia there is an industry standard for news writing style. (eg. numbers up to nine are spelt out, numerals for everything else. Proper titles of organisations, contractions are avoided, active voice is favored.)
• Intos are usually written in present tense which the body drops back to past tense. Indirect quote- past tense. Convey matters of substance clearly.
  
• Each sentence should stick to one key idea and the story should answer readers basic questions. A well balanced story might have 6 paragraphs (one sentence in length): Intro- 22 words, Two- 16 words, Three- 34 words, Four- 10 words, Five- 21 words, Six- 29 words. The standard/ideal word average for a sentence is 17 words. The most compelling information should be conveyed in the first few words, put attributes at the end of a sentence.
  
• A story needs to be fair, in the public interest and true. Accuracy is important (factual), needs to be credible to sources and readers. Check dates name spellings, titles. Don't make assumptions, use a sound recorder, as questions in an interview to clarify points, cross-check info with other sources.
  
• A journalist will act as the primary filter between a news event and the story, gaining info through direct observation. A reporter must assess the authenticity of info and discard subjective sources. Reporters should recognise the motives, challenge the source where appropriate, and realise the stronger the motive, the more likely the facts and opinions will be slanted.
• Rumour and unconfirmed reports, if published at all, should be identified as such (alleged).