University of Delaware Professor
Ben Yagoda defines journalism as, “uncovering timely and previously not
well-known information that, according to agreed-upon standards, is important;
and conveying it to the public clearly, accurately, concisely, disinterestedly,
and independently.” As a journalist, the stories you write are meant to provide
true facts to readers about issues or news going on in the world today. They
are meant to be truthful, unbiased, and informative. According to Peter Cole,
writer for The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/sep/25/writing.journalism
“journalists write stories for their readers to tell them what is going on, to
inform them, engage them, entertain them, shock them, amuse them, disturb them,
and uplift them.”
This webtext is an overview of
the necessary skill sets to be successful in journalism, specifically,
gathering information through interviews and asking the right questions.
Readers will also learn how to organize that information and turn it into
written work that includes unbiased writing, credible sources, and proper
structure.
Gathering Information
The first step to writing a story
involves gathering information about your topic. In order to do so, you need
people who witnessed the event first hand or have extensive knowledge on said
topic. In writing, especially in journalism, the information you use is the
heart of your writing. Perhaps without details, sources, evidence, one’s
writing will not have the intended impact of informing your audience.
Conducting an Interview
When interviewing someone related or involved with a story,
you are receiving information from primary sources. Before you begin
interviewing someone, you need to make sure you know what questions to ask and
how to ask them. Plan your interview as best you can and think carefully about
the topics you want to cover. It would be helpful to write your questions out
beforehand if you have time.
Using Credible Sources
One of the most important things
in any form of writing when using an outside source is to make sure they are
credible. A credible source is someone or a group of people respected in their
fields of study. A Harvard Law professor is going to be a more credible source
than a freshman at your local community college when looking for information
about law, for example. If even one of the sources that you cite in your work
is not credible, every single one of the other sources in that piece will be
called into question. Credible sources are not hard to come by, but you must
take the extra time to make absolutely sure that nothing your sources are
saying could be called into question for credibility.
Structure of a Story
Before you begin writing your
story you need make sure you organize your information. This means picking out
key points and quotes from interviews, investigative notes and observation to
support your story topic. Unlike an academic essay, the most important
information should be in the beginning of your story and supporting facts
throughout the rest of it. Matthew Speal, writer for Freelance Writing, and Jim
Hall, author of “Beginning Reporting,” highlight some key points to keep in
mind when writing a news story
Conclusion:
Two ways to end a story are with
a quote and a circle ending. A circle ending means you return to a key point or
idea mentioned in the lead. Find a quote that ties your story together and draw
a conclusion from it.
SOURCE:
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