Journalistic Conventions

8/11/2019 Journalistic Conventions

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JOURNALISTIC CONVENTIONS

Journalistic writing follows certain Conventions andRule of Style. Most readers do not realize what theseconventions are when they read the newspaper,

hear news broadcast, or read news on the website.Yet news consumers expect these conventions tobe followed.


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These conventions include both the basic structuresof the stories and the individual ordering of facts and

even words within the sentence that are regularlyused in certain type of stories.


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INVERTED PYRAMID


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Inverted pyramid is a structure that is most commonlyused for modern American news story for print. For

writer, the inverted pyramid structure means twothings.


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1. Information should bepresented in order of itsimportance, the mostimportant facts coming in

the beginning.


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INVERTED PYRAMID


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Many journalists believe that the inverted pyramidstructure has lost its usefulness and that journalists

should develop and use other structures.


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The argument is that in the age of instantcommunication through television and othermeans, the inverted pyramid is no longer necessary.


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Other objection to inverted pyramid is that itrestricts the creativity of the writer and the writersability to present information.


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Many writers argue that stories are morereadable and even more accurate if they take someother form, particularly using a narrative or

chronological form.


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Despite these objections the inverted pyramid hasremained a standard form for news writing.


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It has gained strength because of its usefulness inwriting for the web.


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Alternatives to the inverted pyramid structures arelikely to grow.

Writers for mass media need to stay flexible in

learning the writing structures that a mediumdemands.


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TYPE OF STORIES

Commonly accepted news values make it incumbenton reporters and editors to cover and giveimportance to certain stories.

These kind of stories are handled so often that a set ofstandard practice governing how they are written hasbeen established


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A disaster story must tell early in the story whetheranyone was killed.Than comes the routine stories concerning

government actions,the courts,crime,entertainment,

sports and weather


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BALANCE AND FAIRNESS

One of the basic principle of Journalism is fairness.

Readers expect journalists to give all people involvedin the news story a chance to tell their sides and offertheir opinion.


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If a news source makes an accusation about anotherperson, standard journalism demands that the

accused person be given a chance to answer in thesame story.Journalists should not take sides in a controversy andshould take care not to even appear to take sides.


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The concept of balance and fairness sometimescome under the name of objectivity.

Objectivity means that a news reporter, editor andpublication should report only what they know theycan find out.


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THE IMPERSONAL REPORTER

Reporters should be invisible in their writings. Theyshould not only set aside their own views andopinions but also avoid direct contact with the

reader through the use of:first person I , We , Me, Our, My, UsOr second person

You and YourOr Third PersonHe, she, his, hers, him and her


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FIRST PERSON EXAMPLE

I glanced at the clockor

My eyes darted to the clockor

The constant ticking drew my glance towardthe clock


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SECOND PERSON EXAMPLE

To make lemonade, you add the juice of lemons towater and sugar.

You need to prepare a wall before applying color.

To calculate the area of a room, multiply the widthby the length.


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THIRD PERSON EXAMPLE

Celia ate her lunch quickly, hardly bothering tochew whole potatoes as she slammed them intoher mouth. Somehow she made it to class in fiveminutes. Phew she thought ( Past Tense)

Celia eats her lunch quickly, hardly bothering tochew whole potatoes as she slams them into her

mouth. Somehow she manages to make it to classin five minutes. Phew she thinks ( Present Tense)


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RELIANCE ON OFFICIAL SOURCE

Much of the information that is presented in the newscomes from official source.These sources are those who are thought to have

experience or knowledge on the subject, not thosewho may have opinion about the subject.


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ATTRIBUTION AND QUOTATION

Journalists should make it clear to readers where theinformation has been obtained. All but the mostobvious and commonly known facts in the storyshould be attributed.Writers should make sure that the attributions arehelpful to the readers understanding of the story.


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The conventions are important to observe if journalistsare to gain the respect of their readers andcolleagues.

Conventions should not be looked on as randomrules that must be followed in the name of accuracyand clarity. Rather they are a set of sound practicethat are extremely useful to journalists in the processof what to write and how to write it.


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JOURNALISTIC STYLEAP STYLE

English being a diverse language gives a user manyways of saying the same thing.8:00,

Eight o clock 8 A.M.Eight a.m.8 in the morning


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NUMBERS

One through nine are generally spelled out, while 10and above are generally written as numerals.Example: He carried five books for 12 blocks.


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Spell out both cardinal and ordinal numbers from onethrough nine.Cardinal tells you how many (showing quantity)

Ordinal tells you order of things(identifying something)Examples:first day one women 10 days21 st year nine years 50 more


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Use commas in numbers with four or more digits,except years and street addresses

1,500 bananas 23,879 students7034 Bay St. the year 1984


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PUNCTUATION

A colon is used in clock time8:15 a.m

Hyphen is used is phrasal adjectivesa 7 year old boya little- known man


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PERCENTAGE

Percentages are always expressed as numerals,followed by the word percent. Example: The price of gas rose 5 percent.


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AGE

Ages are always expressed as numerals.Example: He is 5 years old.


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DOLLAR AMOUNTS

Dollar amounts are always expressed as numerals,and the $ sign is used. Example: $5, $15, $150, $150,000, $15 million, $15billion, $15.5 billion


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STREET ADDRESSES

Numerals are used for numbered addresses. Street,Avenue and Boulevard are abbreviated when used

with a numbered address, but otherwise are spelledout. Route and Road are never abbreviated.Example: He lives at 123 Main St. His house is on MainStreet. Her house in on 234 Elm Road.


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JOB TITLES

Job titles are generally capitalized when they appearbefore a persons name, but lowercase after thename.

Example: President George Bush. George Bush is thepresident.


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FILM, BOOKS & SONG TITLES

Film, Book & Song Titles Generally these are capitalized and placed in

quotation marks. Do not use quote marks with

reference books or the names of newspapers ormagazines. Example: He rented Star Wars on DVD. She read

War and Peace.


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CAPITALIZATION

Capitalize names of holidays, historical events,church feast days, and special events but notseasons:

Mothers DayLabor DayOrientation Week

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fall winterautumn leaveswinter tomatoes


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Capitalize and place quotation marks around thenames of books, plays, poems, songs, lectures orspeech titles, hymns, movies, TV programs and thelike, when the full name is used.The Simpsons Star WarsLucy in the Sky With Diamonds

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Journalistic Conventions