An explanation of the unique attributes of newswriting and how it differs from other types of writing

1. By Prof. Mark Grabowski
markgrabowski.com

2. Movies create false stereotypes
about journalists…

3. Journalists are part of the media. But
not all media is journalism…
A license is not required to practice journalism!

4. Journalists make mistakes, which hurts
the profession’s reputation…

5. Major elements of journalism
• Truthfulness
• Accuracy
• Objectivity

6. Truthfulness
• Journalism’s main objective is to tell the truth
• It is not the truth in the absolute or
philosophical or scientific sense but rather a
pursuit of “the truths by which we can operate
on a day-to-day basis.”
• No fiction. No fabrication. No exaggeration.
• Process entails gathering and verifying facts.
Conveying that info in a fair and balanced way.

7. Gathering info
• Go out into the world, observe what’s
happening
• Talk to sources: people who have first-hand
knowledge or expertise on a topic. People
who participated in or witnessed an event
you’re covering.

8. Sources
• Interview people, ideally in person.
• Don’t use anonymous sources. Provide full
names of sources and details -- it’s about
transparency so readers can make decisions.
• What constitutes a usable source? Most
prominently, a person who is an authority or
expert on the subject at hand. If it is not
obvious that the person is an expert, help the
reader understand why he or she is an expert.

9. Accuracy
• As the old journalism saying goes, “If your
mother says she loves you, check it out.”
• Just because something sounds or looks right,
doesn’t mean it is.
• Double check all names, dates, numbers,
quotes, etc.
• Don’t assume anything. Don’t make up info.
Don’t embellish.

10. Objectivity
• We strive to be objective. Of course no one is
bias free. But be aware of your biases and
avoid them.
• Talk to both sides.
• Gives those criticized a chance to defend
themselves.

11. Stick to the facts
• While some forms of journalism (columnists,
editorial writers, sports to an extent) do allow
a journalist to express his/her opinion,
newswriting does not.
• Newswriting is just about reporting the news,
which means sticking to the facts, getting info
from reliable sources and attributing all
opinions to qualified sources.

12. Keep yourself out of story
• As a news reporter, your job is to be an
objective observer on the sidelines
• The story is not about you
• Write in third person, never first person
• Avoid editorializing, which is not acceptable in
newswriting
• All opinions must be attributed to qualified
sources

13. The story is not about you
• No one cares about your personal feelings or
thoughts. You’re not writing a first person
essay. You’re not blogging for
ThoughtCatalog.com.
• In order to be a journalist, you must be
interested in more than just your own
feelings; you must want to know about the
world that exists outside your own head.

14. Beware: opinion can sneak into stories
Not only in obvious words like good or bad and
similar expressions of approval or disapproval,
but in characterizations (usually adjectives or
adverbs) like many, few, usually, important,
effective, influential, overweight, pretty,
controversial, fortunately, or even very. A word
should be avoided if some people might
disagree with it or have a different opinion of
what it means.

15. For example
“Many students” might mean something very
different to you than to me. Instead of writing “A
great many students attended the speech,” write:
“Every seat in the 610-capacity auditorium was
filled, and more than 100 more people watched on
a video monitor in the lobby.”
Instead of writing that a car was driving “fast,” tell
us how fast. Finding out the specifics takes effort
and ingenuity. Journalism is not for lazy people.

16. For example
If you’re writing a profile story about a brilliant
student, don’t say “she’s brilliant”. Rather, quote
professors saying she’s super smart. Show, don’t
tell. Provide evidence – does she have a perfect
4.0 G.P.A.? Was she accepted into Harvard
Medical School? Did she get a perfect score on
her SAT?

17. Avoid conflicts of interest
• Your obligation is to the public. To inform the
public. It’s not to make your source look good
– that’s PR. It’s not covering something
because someone paid you – that’s bribery.
• Don’t cover people you are related to,
romantically involved with, good friends with.
Don’t cover people who have authority over
you, such as a boss or current professor.

18. Be curious
• So how do you find stories and sources? Talk to
strangers.
• Be dogged. Don’t just email someone and wait to
hear back. Send another email if you don’t get a
timely response. Call them. Go to their office. If
they don’t want to talk to you, find someone else
to interview.
• Don’t be passive in gathering info – it won’t
magically land in your lap. Good reporting takes
effort.

19. Writing Style
Another way journalism differs from other types of
writing. Some important guidelines to follow…
• Always write in third person, never in first person
• Write in appropriate tense (usually past tense,
assuming the events you are describing occurred
in the past).
• Don’t use big words, but use strong words and
concrete words.
• Avoid cliches.

20. Writing Style
• Avoid semicolons.
• Avoid run-on sentences.
• Avoid exclamation points.
• Don’t use Oxford or serial commas
• Use only one space after each sentence.

21. Writing Style
Remember: Journalism is not free writing. It is a
profession, or at least a craft, and like any craft,
the work one does is produced within the
confines of a certain framework. And it’s that
framework that students must learn if they are
to succeed in the course and/or work as a
journalist.

22. Important terms
• Story: a particular article (also sometimes
called “piece”)
• Pitch: your idea for a story and details about
it.
• Headline: the title of a story
• Byline: the name of the story’s author
• Lead: the beginning of a story (and arguably
most important part)

23. Important terms
• Sources: people you interview for your stories.
Can sometimes also be documents.
• Beat: a reporter’s assigned area of
responsibility, e.g., city council, police,
education, sports.
• Newsroom: The place, usually a room in a
newspaper, magazine, TV station or news site
headquarters, where news is produced by
journalists.