JOURNALISTIC WRITING

The hallmarks of journalistic writing are:

 Simplicity and Brevity
 Precision
 Objectivity and Factual
 Fairness and Balance
 Inverted Pyramid

Simplicity & Brevity

 Journalists should write with simplicity--in such a way that audiences can easily understand the
content without having to read it multiple times. The goal is to break down even the most complex
concepts and write them in our own words so that everyone “gets it.”
 Writing with brevity (short and to the point) helps create simplicity. The longer a sentence is, the
more difficult it is to understand. Also, audiences don’t like long paragraphs because they look too
overwhelming to read. Journalists therefore strive to keep sentences shorter than 20 words, and
paragraphs no more than 2-3 sentences, in general. Some paragraphs are only one sentence long,
which if fine.

Example of a wordy sentence full of redundancies:

 The musicians’ future plans for their recording studio would require their studio executives to totally
demolish and completely rebuild the facility at a cost of five million dollars, which is something the
studio president, an elderly divorced woman named Myra Curtis, vehemently refused to do.
Sentence revised for simplicity and brevity:
 The musician’s plans for their recording studio would require executives to rebuild it for $5 million,
which President Myra Curtis refuses.

Another way to achieve simplicity is by writing in the active voice, which simply means using this format:
subject, verb, direct object. For example:
 Passive Voice: The article was written by Murray.
 Active Voice: Murray wrote the article.

Passive voice sentences are avoided because they are longer, more difficult to understand, and sometimes
make it unclear as to whom did what. That can be particularly problematic in journalism because it’s our
jobs to make it clear to audiences who is responsible (whether good or bad) for the events of the story.

Precision
 Precision means that each word should be used as it was intended by its original “dictionary”
meaning. Meanings often evolve over time, but in journalistic writing, we stay true to the book.
There should also be no slang or abbreviations.
Here are a couple of examples: “cop” and “kid.”
A cop is a slang term for a police officer, and a kid is, by definition, a baby goat.
 Journalists should therefore not use them unless for their intended meanings. When in doubt, look it
up: a dictionary is a journalist’s best friend.

Objectivity & Factual

 Objectivity means the absence of personal opinion. A journalist’s writing should be based on facts,
observations, and interviews with expert sources, or those knowledgeable of the issue. Write in third
person (he, she, they), not first person (I, me, my, our, we), to stay removed from the story in order to
be fully objective. Don’t write about what you think, believe, or feel, but what you see and hear. The
 only opinions which should be included are the sources’ opinions, and you must attribute all opinions
properly so that readers know who said what.
 Journalists avoid adjectives and adverbs because they tend to insert opinion. Instead, writers should
opt for specific nouns and active verbs that best illustrate the facts.
Example of not staying objective:
 Cassidy Martin is so intelligent and talented that she will definitely become a success after
graduation.
Intelligent and talented are adjectives – not facts. They are purely subjective terms. What one person
considers intelligent or talented is not necessarily true for another person. Also, “she will definitely become
a success” is not a factual statement because there is no way of predicting that. Instead, a journalist would
focus on the facts, and let the reader form his own opinion.

Example of objective writing:

 Because Cassidy Martin has held a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and won five national awards for
her artistry, her classmates and teachers voted her “Most Likely to Succeed.”
Every element of the sentence is now verifiable and factual, with no opinions.
Another way writers convey important elements of a story is through sources. We interview people with
knowledge of a story so that they can share their opinions and experiences as they relate to the story topic.
For example:
 Lauren Thames, a counselor at Martin’s school, said, “Cassidy is such an intelligent and talented
student that we have no doubt she will become a huge success.”
You want to interview sources who are knowledgeable about the story, and include their comments, either as
direct or indirect quotes. The key is to properly attribute their comments so that readers know who said
what.

Fairness & Balance

 Fairness and balance are achieved by ensuring that both sides of a story are addressed and receive
equal coverage. Some stories even have more than two sides! Journalists should never take one
person’s version of events at face value. Sometimes, of course, a source on the other side of a story
will either refuse to be interviewed or won’t return phone calls. Once a reporter has given every
source ample time to respond, he can move on with the story. However, he must include a disclaimer
in the story, such as:
Repeated calls to Jonathan Windsor were not returned, or Jonathan Windsor declined to be interviewed for
this story, or when contacted for this story, Jonathan Windsor replied, “No comment.”
Whichever statement you use, it must be accurate. By including a disclaimer, you are letting readers know
that you made every effort to achieve balance and fairness in the story. Based on that information, the reader
will formulate his own opinion as to the source’s motivation for not responding.

Inverted Pyramid
 Journalistic writing is most often written in a format called the Inverted Pyramid, which arranges the
information in descending order of importance, or newsworthiness.
 The most important information should come first, such as the Who, What, When, Where, and How.
The important details of the story should follow. After this, other general information should be
included.
THE LEAD:
The most important information
THE BODY:
The crucial information

THE TAIL:
Extra
information
In summary, here are tips to remember:
 Use short, simple words that most will understand
 Use short sentences and short paragraphs
 Eliminate unnecessary words that create redundancy
 Use active voice sentences
 State facts, NOT opinions
 Do NOT stereotype: sexism, ageism, racism, etc.
 Arrange information from most important to least important

WHAT IS JOURNALISTIC WRITING?

 Journalistic writing is the writing style news organizations use to assemble a story. A news story has
a hierarchy of information, beginning with the main points at the top of the piece. News articles
follow a specific set of guiding principles, like the Associated Press style (also known as AP style),
for grammar and vocabulary. While newspapers and television were, until recently, the primary
outlets for reporting current events and human-interest stories, journalists now write for a variety of
online media outlets and podcasts.

8 Tips for How to Write Like a Journalist

 Journalists follow a formula for crafting a story. The same approach can be applied to any style of
writing, from high school writing assignments to novels. It’s a way of disseminating information in a
way that makes sense to readers. Follow these eight journalistic writing tips for your next reported
story:
1. Gather the information. Gather the information you need to construct your story. In non-fiction,
like in journalism, this may require visiting the location where the story takes place, interviewing
witnesses and people involved in the event, and using online search engines for further research.

2. Find your angle. Every news story has an angle—the theme and focus of the piece that makes it
newsworthy. A human-interest story will have a different angle than a hard-hitting political piece.
News stories reveal their angle in the first paragraph. Find the angle of your story and present it in
the first paragraph, page, or chapter.

3. Write a strong lede. Every story needs a great opening. In news writing, this is called a lede. This
opening paragraph delivers the story’s essential information by answering the five W’s: who, what,
where, when, why. These are the building blocks of any good story, whether it’s a fictional
narrative, technical writing, or a content marketing article. Lead with a strong summary of events
that hooks the reader from the top.

4. Structure your information. Good journalism presents the information of a story in order of
importance, in what is known as the inverted pyramid structure. The most important information, the
lede, is at the top. The next section is the body of the story that contains other supporting details.
The bottom section, the point of the pyramid, contains any extra information that might be
interesting to an audience. Even in creative writing, it’s important to lead with the who, what, why,
where, and when of your story to let the reader know what the story is about.

5. Use quotes. Good journalism usually includes interviews with people involved in a story. This
provides different perspectives and keeps the reporter in the role of an outside observer, similar to
the third-person point of view in a short story or novel. If you’re writing a non-fiction book, quotes
are essential to create a well-rounded piece. In fiction, your characters will provide quotations
through dialogue.
6. Write simply. Journalists use short sentences to deliver a story. News writing often uses the active
voice as opposed to the passive voice—i.e. “She drove the car” rather than “The car was driven by
her.” The active voice is more direct, uses fewer words, and has a quicker tempo. To hone this skill,
think like a copywriter. In copywriting, the main objective is to write simply with a clear, concise
message.

7. Verify your sources. Telling true stories requires a journalist to gather information from numerous
sources. Reporters need to verify the information from their sources to ensure accuracy. In freelance
writing, when you turn in your story, you should always provide links to where you found
information and a phone number for each person you interviewed.

8. Edit your work. A newsroom is a fast-paced environment with a steady stream of stories passing
from writers to editors before they go to print. All writers should do a spell check and edit their work
for clarity and content. Take a cue from news writing and have a professional editor refine your
story before you publish.