Newspaper Articles: Structure, Genres, and Features
The Newspaper Article
A newspaper publication is defined as a source of information that is published at regular intervals. Today, the terms newspaper and journal are often used synonymously.
Newspapers are typically organized into sections, although these can vary. Common sections include:
- National News
- International News
- Local News
- Regional News
- Opinion
- Society
- Culture
- Entertainment
- Sports
- Economics
- Television & Radio
Secondary sections may include supplementary information (agenda, weather, portfolios) and hobbies. Generally, journalistic texts fall into three main genres: informative, opinion, and mixed.
Informative Genres
The informative genre is the quintessential form of journalistic dissemination and consists of objective reporting of events of current interest to the reader. Informative genres include news, reports, and interviews.
News
News is the most characteristic genre of journalism. It consists of reporting a recent event of general interest. The journalist should reflect what happened objectively, without commenting on the events. News is usually brief and concise, focusing on the most important information. A news report should answer these questions:
- Who (the author or protagonist)
- What (the event)
- When (the time it occurred)
- How (the manner)
- Where (the place)
- Why (the cause)
The newsworthiness of an event is determined by its human or social dimensions, or its unusual nature.
News Structure
Headline: A short sentence that encapsulates the essence of the story. It is distinguished by a larger font size and the use of bold, highly visible text. Often, the headline is accompanied by a subtitle. Its functions are to draw the recipient’s attention, inform them of the news content, and reveal the issuer’s intentions.
Lead (Entradilla): A summary of the most significant aspects of the news. It can be separated and noted with a different type of letter (bold or italic) or appear in the first paragraph of the body without typographical distinction.
Body: The body consists of paragraphs that are added to the lead, supplementing the information. It begins with the most important data and leaves the more dispensable details of the event (antecedents, consequences of the news, marginal data, etc.) for the end. This structure, where paragraphs are ordered by decreasing interest, is called the inverted pyramid. This allows for easier reduction of the story for space reasons.
The Report
A report recounts events of current interest related to a topic. It is an extended news piece that allows for a more personal style. The author’s byline is included, adding research information and relevant documents pertaining to an event or some aspect of the news. Its interest lies in addressing the topic, not necessarily in its immediacy. Reports often include interviews, data, supporting graphics, photographs, and maps that extend the information or capture the reader’s curiosity.
The Interview
An interview focuses on one or more individuals, allowing for a detailed understanding of their opinions and thoughts. It is based on a question-and-answer pattern.
Types of Interviews
- Statement Interview: Questions are asked to a character on a general theme. It presents a certain interest in dialogue without comment.
- Feature Interview: The interviewee is a personality of interest. Narrative is used interchangeably with dialogue, and these interviews are often lengthy to cover the interviewee’s remarks.