Journalism Essentials: Media, News, and Opinion Genres
Understanding the Press: Role, Genres, and Communication
The press serves as a powerful instrument of influence in society, fulfilling the triple role of informing, entertaining, and shaping public discourse. These functions are grouped into distinct sections, primarily classified as Informational Genres (e.g., news, reports, interviews) and Genres of Opinion (e.g., editorials, articles).
Information and Media Landscape
The most important means of information include radio, television, and newspapers. Journalistic communication is typically unilateral, where the active issuer controls the communication, and the passive, anonymous receiver must rely on the veracity of what is transmitted.
Elements of Journalistic Communication
- Emitters: The source or sender of the message.
- Receivers: The audience or recipient of the message.
- Messages: The content being communicated.
- Codes: The systems used to convey meaning, such as linguistic (language) and iconographic (images, symbols).
Key Journalistic Sources
- Internal Sources: Information gathered by the news organization’s own staff.
- Environmental Sources: Information from the surrounding community or public.
- Institutional Sources: Information from official organizations, governments, or corporations.
- Spontaneous Sources: Information that arises unexpectedly.
- Confidential and Anonymous Sources: Information provided under conditions of secrecy.
Informational Genres in Journalism
Informational genres focus on presenting facts and events objectively.
The News Report: Quintessential Journalism
The news report is the quintessential informational genre and must meet specific requirements:
Essential Requirements for News
- Truth and Objectivity: News must be based on facts and remain neutral, avoiding subjective assessments.
- Impersonality: The reporter’s personal opinions should not be present.
- Reader Interest: This is divided into several factors:
- Currency: Timeliness of the event.
- Proximity: Geographic or emotional closeness to the audience.
- Social Relevance: Impact on society.
- Human Interest: Relatability to human experience.
- Unusual or Novel Fact: Uniqueness or novelty of the event.
- Clarity, Conciseness, and Correction: Good news is clear, brief, and accurate.
The Six W’s of News Reporting
A comprehensive news report must answer these six fundamental questions:
- Who?
- What?
- When?
- Where?
- How?
- Why?
Structure of a News Report
- Headline: A concise, relevant summary of the content, often with specific typography.
- Subheading (or Kicker/Deck): An antecedent or post-title providing additional context.
- Lead/Intro: A synthesis or summary of the news content, typically not more than 100 words.
Crafting the News Body
The body or development of the news expands on the lead with detailed information. It typically follows an inverted pyramid structure, presenting the most important information first and then progressively less important details. Language is crucial: use appropriate descriptive vocabulary, avoid evaluative adjectives, use past or present tense verbs, avoid overly complex syntax, and exercise restraint in expressive resources.
Common Distortions in News Reporting
The integrity of news can be altered in various ways:
- Placement and Length: The extent and location in the newspaper (e.g., front page vs. inside) can influence perception.
- Biased Headlines: Headlines that offer a partial or interested vision of the content.
- Abuse of Typographic and Rhetorical Resources: Excessive use of bolding, italics, or figures of speech to manipulate perception.
- Subjective Language: Use of subjective and evaluative adjectives, euphemisms, or hyperbole within the text.
The Report and the Chronicle
Reports and chronicles are expanded news stories that often include opinions from participants and witnesses, and may incorporate personal observations or interpretations.
The Journalistic Interview
The interview is a type of journalistic story that can have two main variations:
Types of Interviews
- Pure Interview: Reproduces questions and answers verbatim.
- Interview Report: A narratively prepared interview that portrays the character in their environment, behavior, and context.
Genres of Opinion in Journalism
Genres of opinion reflect current events through analysis, commentary, and personal viewpoints.
Editorial
An editorial is published daily in a fixed location and presents the official point of view of the newspaper on highly current topics.
Op-Ed or Column
An op-ed or column is a critical reflection on current issues, articulating values from the author’s own point of view.