Writing for Journalism

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Mini Assignment 9

Overcoming Writers Block

Within the article featured on ‘Flavorwire’, a highlight of ’13 famous writers’ advice, offers different view points on what writers block is to them and how they have tackled it. It is important to understand your unique problem and seek for some diagnostics from each of these writers to find a solution that works for you. The following is what I feel can personally help me write and I have brushed over the points that I find discouraging.

A tip I first came across when watching the film Ruby Sparks (A film about a man with writer’s block) is… Just write, even if it’s shit, write. Emphasised in the article by Anne Lamott and Maya Angelou, eventually you’ll get into a rhythm of things and you can go back after to edit, but you can’t edit or progress if you don’t get anything onto the page. Your first piece of writing doesn’t have to be gold, it just has to exist, the process has to exist.

To better refine this writing process, if you can’t even write a single thing about what you want to write about, then take time to write a few hundred words of your memories or dreams or thoughts about something you feel passionate about. Use this exercise daily to create a habit of writing, and eventually you’ll feel more at ease and unconsciously want to write more and more.

However, if you know you’re already able to write, and find yourself writing a story or article and suddenly come to a halt then perhaps Ray Bradbury’s piece of advice is for you. Ray Bradbury has expressed that if you can’t write about a particular subject, then you’re not passionate about it, you’re not enjoying it and if you want to pursue something you enjoy doing, then do that instead of putting yourself through the stress and struggle. “I don’t write things to benefit the world. If it happens that they do, swell! I didn’t set out to do that. I set out to have a hell of a lot of fun.”

Perhaps you struggle with who you might be aiming the writing for. If it’s work, personally I have noticed that I’m trying to conform to particular rules and it’s far outside of my norm. I’m not following my natural and independent way of speaking. John Steinbeck may be the golden nugget I’ve been mining for “Pretend that you’re writing not to your editor or to an audience or to a readership, but to someone close, like your sister, or your mother, or someone that you like.” Perhaps it has been the fear of what an academic might think of my writing that has held me at bay, but when writing to family or friends I don’t fear such things, and can talk and write to no end, albeit often nonsense.

Try breaking down task at hand into smaller, more manageable pieces. There is a constant battle between conscious and subconscious thought, and by breaking things down, you’re finding a middle ground resolution between the two. Take time out between these tasks to do something inspirational and fun as a reward to your conscious level.

These are the solutions I have chosen for myself to put to use, as an amateur writer who has always struggled putting pen to paper I cannot offer anything more. Hopefully this advice has been the answer. Appropriately I have adhered to many of the advice that I have just read and written to help me with this piece, and to my joyous surprise I have ended up writing far more easily than I could have imagined.

Article Source: http://flavorwire.com/343207/13-famous-writers-on-overcoming-writers-block

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Literature Review 8

Chapter 5 - Ethics, Law and Free Speech

John Herbert explains in this section about the key difference between a moral and ethical journalist. A moral journalist must have a view point, a bias, a code of conduct on which he may work from, and only them can he transcend into making ethical choices.

Rather than be governed by simplistic “thou shalt not” rules, ideally journalists should aspire to serve society and its truths. Much like politics and philosophy, a journalist should look further and beyond rules and laws, and search for deeper moral meaning; look to amend what you think needs amending, and be governed by your own moral code.

A reoccurring  point throughout this chapter is that journalism is the bettering of society, the progression of humanity, journalists are the gatekeepers to the lies and truths, and offerings of entertainment and knowledge. In minimalistic terms what I gather from all this information is that journalists are the link between experts and the lay man, and vice versa.

Another highlighting point is self-censorship. As a journalist you have to make choices on what information you do and do not choose to release, this will come with repercussions… loss of job, harassment from government, threats of prosecution. There is emphasis on your own truth, your individuality as a journalist, people will want to sensor you and through peer pressure, self-censorship can easily make itself abundant.

“The importance of journalism ethics is to highlight the fact that good journalism is journalism which, in the appropriate circumstances, asks the hard questions and refuses to be diverted by attempts at media and political manipulation.” (Herbert, 2000, p76)

Bibliography: John Herbert (2000). Journalism In The Digital Age. London: Reed educational and professional publishing Ltd. 74-99.

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Mini Assignment 8

Enhancing Print for the Web

Readers will often find it difficult to hold focus on long articles when looking on the web, a comprehensive study about the gaze pattern of online content concluded that users predominantly scan an F shape. This means two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe, our eyes scan for the headlines first to see what is of interest to them.

Online speed over substance has overruled, with such social media platforms as Facebook and Twitter, our minds are encouraged to scout for the most enticing headlines, so the more controversial the headline, the more likely the reader is to continue reading.

One way which might be good would be to break up the article into different pages, and on each page have a small chunk of writing with an appropriate photograph. Another study has taken place that concludes putting information with a picture increases its believability.

Other ways to enhance copy on the web is to include the use of videos and audio, which are two major features unable to include in a printed copy. This will include desirability tenfold, in my particular article videos of bureaucrats discussing voter apathy would be desirable for people unwilling to read.

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Literature Review 7

Interviewing for Print, Journalism in the Digital Age 

You’re going to need quote’s within your story, they’re a selling point of authenticity and fact. Before going out to an interview, preparation must be involved to ensure a successful outcome. Make a list of information you are wanting to gather from the interview and the purpose of that information. For example, you might want to attach an experts name and opinion to the article because it’s critical to your story.

Once you have a list of the information and ideal quotes you’re looking for, mock up another list of potential interviewee’s. Mark up and rank them based on their pro’s and con’s, and request interviews relating to the lists.

“A good interviewee needs to be accessible, reliable, accountable and quotable”  (Herbert, 2000, p245)

It’s important to build a rapport with the interviewee and put them at ease with the opening questions, so make sure they’re easy going, that way when it comes to the substantial questions they will be more willing to open up. Use psychology and charm to win the information you ate wanting.

Interviewing is like having a conversation, although the interviewer must always hold the reigns and extort the relevant information, asking open-ended questions to keep things flowing. This will require self-confidence. Don’t be predictable and avoid vague general questions.

The best way I can put it it, be a good friend to who you’re talking to, be someone who is there to listen and not judge. Respect what they have to say and don’t make them uncomfortable, all the while be concise and responsible with your goals.

Bibliography: John Herbert (2000). Journalism In The Digital Age. London: Reed educational and professional publishing Ltd. 244-253.

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Mini Assignment 7

The understanding of the importance of reading and research is a key skill being developed throughout the literature reviews and mini assignments. All the knowledge is out there and written in unambiguous, concise texts, and should be recognised that it is easily attained off the back of the students.

Delayed Gratification is one of the more inspirational publications introduced, the well thought out and clear info-graphics highlighting the most important stories and how they developed is halfway like reading a novel.

To further enhance the experience, easier access to a multiple of obscure publications would be desirable. Perhaps there should be an emphasis on really breaking down magazines to better understand the process in which they come together. Much like film students must break down films to understand them, journalism students should do the same with publications.

Other enhancements would be to teach the students on better time management, a lesson that should be and is implemented from a young age, some students may have not developed this skill as well as others and it would be a good idea to engage with this more openly and readily.

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Literature Review 6

Social Media for Journalists Summary

It is discussed that working as a freelance journalist is becoming more and more feasible, shifting from outlet to outlet. It is in this instance, developing a strong online profile within social media can boost your promotion and value as a journalist. Using such platforms as Twitter, Skype, LinkedIn, Facebook and other networking sites in encouraging to meet new and more people, and in turn the more bridges you build for yourself the easier information and stories will transport to you.

As opposed to printed journalism, there has been a shift in medium, there will be more and more demand for editors of blogs, and it’s through the development of relationships that these opportunities will become apparent to you.

The article makes a good point of being aware of how much information to reveal about yourself, and it is perhaps wise to alter between two identities. One identity with the collection of your work and opinion, and another for your more private contacts like friends or family. This may be a consideration if you become a well known, hard hitting, opinionated reporter, one that some people might not enjoy and repercussions of too much personal information could taint your career.

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Mini Assignment 6

VOTER APATHY AMONG YOUTH; IS EDUCATION TO BLAME?

According to a poll carried out by YouGov last year, a surprising 60 per cent of 3.3 million first-time voters said they would not participate in this years General Elections on 7th May 2015. Why are such a large number of votes going to waste?

The last UK general election saw a surprising 65.1 per cent average turnout, although an improvement from the record low in 2001, 59.4 per cent, these numbers have slowly been declining since 1950, which saw an 83.9 per cent vote.

Many of the young first-time voters interviewed complained “One voice doesn’t matter, you need a collective group to make a difference” and “Most people stay with who they know, never give new parties a chance”. When asked what they knew about the parties policies were, they responded with “I’m not sure, I have little involvement with politics”

Bethany, a current primary school teacher, believes an informed electorate is the key to a strong democracy; “We should implement the education of politics as early as possible so our children understand how and who to vote for in the future” Without such education people grow to become apathetic and misinformed about politics. However, Bethany’s peers argue that “it is the parents duty to inform their own children” and worry that its unfair to force politics in school fearing it would be boring.

The British Social Attitudes Survey revealed that 60 per cent of britons claim to be working class, so how can parents be enthusiastic about politics with their children if they were raised the same way?

Written for ShortList

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Literature Review 5

Magazine Production P45-49 

Here is discussed the business of magazines, once you’ve put together your features and have a magazine ready for printing and selling it’s time to consider the following:

Administration, just like any other business, is essential so you can deal with communication and organisation throughout various departments in your publications. This is insurance of smooth operations.

A budget, a production of a publication is a costly endeavour, it’s key to budget appropriately. The cheaper the budget, more so than not, the material produced will be of lower value than a higher budget. Beware of over spending, because no income will mean the end of that publication, try to find that sweet spot between the two. Costs will include, staff salaries and add-ons (such as pension contributions), printing, paper and binding. The bulk of the costs will be going towards the latter, the physical production of the title.

Most income will come from advertising pages (ensuring you’ve including room for advertising space), and actual sale of the magazine. Too many adverts will make the publication less desirable to readers, and too many editorial pieces will decrease overall profit.

Financing a new title requires a business plan to take to investors, this should include:

Executive summary - who will your audience be? How will you establish a profitable title in the marketplace in a saturated market place? Statistics and research showing how big the audience is for the potential magazine. How the business will be run, who are you hiring? What’s your budget?

Bibliography: Jason Whittaker (2008). Magazine Production. USA: Routledge. p45-49.

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Mini Assignment 5

Hello [Commissioning editor],

As a nightlife and event photographer, I follow a lot of forums and chats with others alike, and feel like a concise dedicated publication to those in my field would be a niche success.

There’s an abundance of club photographers spanning the UK alone, but this magazine could cross waters as a worldwide publication. There’s a real passion that resonates within the community, and a biannual mag showcasing peoples works, containing guides, relatable ‘banter’, and upcoming events is sure to become a hit.

This would be the perfect opportunity to advertise the latest photography gadgets and even music, travel. Event photographers are always looking for new gear in an attempt to separate them from the rest and also travel worldwide, so transport deals are ideal. There would no need to dress it up with an abstract name, since there is no other magazine like it, it will be aptly titled ‘Nightlife & Event Photography’

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Literature Review 4

Magazine Production P138 - 143

In this section of the book we are taught the importance of layout. Elegantly put by Whittaker “The point of the grid is to provide a bedrock for the rest of magazine design, not to enforce dull and sterile conformity across every page”

Aesthetics are inherently important to us as humans, they allow us to recognise individuality, help us navigate, and judge. There are some innate rules that we follow when navigating through material, and Whittaker helps us define these rules through the use of a grid.

A common use of the grid is to divide it into 12 columns, although the use of text in all 12 columns would be undesirable, the mathematic properties of the number 12 allows for some useful division and thus creates a desirable starting template for text and images to conform to.

Once set up a magazine with a particular style and layout it will be time to start considering the creation of a template. The template should contain placeholders for all consistencies such as page numbers, logos, header and footer, rather than designing each page over and over.

Whittaker has put plenty of emphasis that being overly consistent can lead to a dull magazine, so whilst retaining some fundamental foundations for professionalism it’s good to mix up the layout of images and text throughout to keep the reader entertained. “Templates should also serve as a launch pad for experimenting with different areas of design.

Bibliography: Jason Whittaker (2008). Magazine Production. USA: Routledge. p138-143.

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Mini Assignment 4

The City Talking

The City Talking is a free monthly newspaper published for Leeds.

The paper consists of stories from within the city and will interview appropriate restaurants, artists, musicians, and just generally interesting people.

The overall tone is very upbeat and intends to inspirational and resonate love for the people in the city.

A headline will often be a quote from within the story as most of the features are interviews, because of this it is atypical to find a standfirst.

A majority of pages are images that are representative of the interviewee.

An example of headline for my article in this newspaper would be…

“WHEN THE SUN KISSED THE HORIZON, OUR ACHES WERE FORGOTTEN”

Not much information is revealed about the story and should arouse the curiosity of the audience to read on.

GQ Magazine

GQ Magazine is aimed specifically at men aged 18-35, and will often include a successful male celebrity endorsement to entice readership.

The colour scheme consists of masculine colours, as a well as a sophisticated black and white consistency throughout for writing.

My article could fit into this magazine as a fitness tip piece as well as a potential ‘shocking’ story, an example of headline would be:

“A POWER GUIDE TO WALKING LONG DISTANCE”

National Geographic Magazine

Being one of the most well known wildlife and nature magazines the audience for NatGeo is non gender specific and aimed at an older generation 40-50-year-olds, however the content can appeal to a much broader audience. The features cover very specific, yet broadly interesting topics, written with as much factual basis as possible.

House style and page design consists of considerably high quality photography work covering the vast amount of pages printed on high quality glossy paper stock and perfectly bound.

Although the stories featured are about much more challenging feats (An example, peaking Everest in winter conditions) than my article offers, an example of my headline would be:

“HOW A GRUELLING WALK CAN ALTER YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE”

Metro Newspaper

The audience for metro newspaper are ‘urbanites’ a particular group of people who live or work in cities, the news exposes stories of worldwide politic interest and uplifting viral stories. 

Like the majority of daily newspapers it consists of poor paper-stock and because it’s free it’s riddled with advertisements to upkeep its production. Black and white print, and some colour photographs typical of tabloids.

My story could easily find itself in this publication, and an example headline would be:

“BROKE STUDENTS ENSUE CHARITABLE WALK FROM LONDON TO LEEDS”

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Literature Review 3

Chapter 7 Language of Print 

There is not much room within a newspaper or magazine, so writing must be clear and concise, short and simply. “Call a spade a spade”. Don’t get hung up on the overuse of fancy words, save them for essays and novels.

Although all newspapers and magazines have their own house styles and will often teach their particular style to new employees, there are still some general guides to follow with each. For mass impact, the selling point of the story should be as universally interesting as possible whilst still remaining appropriate for the chosen publication. Hook in the reader with what’s new, important, interesting and what it means for them. When planning the writing of the body, consider which facts and point to include/exclude, and remember the ‘W’s’… “who, what, where, when, why and how.”

Herbert explains some key points that are universal through every medium of engaging storytelling, such as foreshadowing - giving the reader a heads-up of something that is going to happen later in the story. Personalising, so telling the story through a character, this give the reader someone to relate to.

Another key point within this piece is ‘The Inverted Pyramid’ which stresses having the most important elements at the top and let them tapper out towards the end. Herbert explains, that it is better to use a series of inverted pyramids instead of a singular one, for example…

Lead: summary of story, expansion of intro Second section: new source Third section: background Fourth section: return to source from intro.

So a news story of a murder would go:

Section 1: the intro with the details of an arrest Section 2: the response of the parents of the murdered girl Section 3: details of the three men charged with the murder Section 4: police reaction

Bibliography: John Herbert (2000). Journalism In The Digital Age. London: Reed educational and professional publishing Ltd. 148-181.

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Mini Assignment 3

Shifting boundaries: Objectivity, Citizen Journalism and Tomorrow’s Journalists

In this article Bolette B Blaagaard collects information and interviews to contrast the differences between professional and citizen journalism. Within the student interviews their are opinions of what citizen journalism is defining people who are not educated in journalism and get involved in traditional journalism become ‘accidental journalists’ another way of describing citizen journalism.

There is a particularly interesting point raised when a discussion about a professional journalist who posts a news story to his personal social media account ensues. The point made is that because they are a trained journalists, no matter what medium they choose to post their story to, there will always be that awareness of journalistic practice.

Another point raised is anyone who has an opinion is a journalist, and if a ‘professional’ journalist creates a mistake in this new age of online media there can be quick and opposing critique, stories can evolve and unravel with the input of ‘citizens’ opinions and facts.

The implications this has on journalistic practice is that although it’s great to have a wider view of opinions, and that more people can create larger discussions easier than ever, professional journalist practice is still key to creating concise articles. A well read and researched article is considerably more valuable than an uneducated opinion of a ‘citizen journalist’. Although common people can unearth interesting stories and share unequivocal factual basis, it’s important for a professional journalist to gather all facts, speak to the experts and inject their moral code into an article to do good.

So in conclusion, it seems that the difference is an education of the trade, once educated as a professional. It just means that, due to the boom in electronic platforms for discussion that there is a lot more rubbish journalism as well as great journalism, no matter the background of the individual, it’s all about research and filtering through the abundant information.

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Literature Review 2

Writing features for print, Journalism in the Digital Age

There are two kinds of features: news features and timeless features. News features will have to conform to strict deadlines, whereas timeless features are generally open but will require a “Peg” to get published.

A feature story will be comprised of the following:

1. The Focus. This is what your story is about, this must be specific and relatable. After you have the focus of the story you will move onto the lead.

2. The Lead. The lead must intrigue the reader, look for a new angle on an old story, search for something different and interesting to demand the attention of the audience. Unlike a news story lead that may only require one sentence, the feature story will need a little more setting up.

3. The Ending. The feature story can either end as a summary or a twist. Stick to the facts of what you have seen and heard, don’t let your imagination drift into the world of fictional assumptions.

4. The Body. Whilst writing the body, keep it tightly knitted with the facts that have been gathered prior. The body must been engaging enough to hold the readers attention.

“It’s like going up and down mountains; you reach a peak (major point of interest) then go down into a valley (explanation of the major point you’ve made), then up another peak etc.” (Herbert, 2000, p184-185).

The body must be tightly edited, cut down all unnecessary words whilst keeping it concise, it’s easy to write too much and have the reader lose point of the story.

Suspended interested is a particular way of telling short, humorous stories. Like telling a joke, keep interest throughout without revealing the ‘punchline’.

Bibliography: John Herbert (2000). Journalism In The Digital Age. London: Reed educational and professional publishing Ltd. 182-192.

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Mini Assignment 2

FEAR AND LOATHING FROM LONDON TO LEEDS

I could never afford a ‘Gap Yar’ to the exotic wastelands of India taking selfies amongst the poverty, so in a desperate attempt to rekindle my ego and have a pretentious story to tell to my peers I set off on a journey from London to Leeds. You know how it is… those stagnant days of summer sitting on your arse knowing everyone else is living the dream, I had to do something about it. A couple of days prior to heading off, why not do it for charity? What a selfless act we were to pursue! Ignoring my sarcasm, the journey did end up being a significant one. It became about overcoming short term thinking, and we had to focus on planning for the future. After dragging our limping legs and rotting feet through hundreds of miles of pouring rain, hating each other, sulking, we were sufficiently strengthened. It has given us some kind relation point to other peoples suffering, even if it is a minuscule amount. To be able to empathise with others brings the whole world closer together. However, if you want partake in this stupid endeavour yourself, don’t go to Morrison’s for your hiking gear.

Connor J. Griffin Written for Vice

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Literature Review 1

Magazine Production p86 - 90 

Whittaker talks about the various different types of features and in which kind of publications that they may be found. Ranging from Relationship and Health to Food and Travel style features.

A particular stand out point was the description in which to conduct a an interview if the feature you’re writing is based around a profile, for example a musician you’d want to find an angle of interest which would most likely a discussion about the release of their upcoming single or album.

The goal of an profile feature is to formulate a narrative out of the abundance of dialogue that you recorded during the interview. Whittaker claims that “An article that is packed with too many quotes can actually become quite boring to read” (Whittaker, 2008, p87) to avoid this mistake it would be wise to pick and choose the punchy quotes and alter the rest of the dialogue into indirect speech. Also be consistent, if you’re writing first or third person for example, follow it through.

The article goes on to determine the difference between a feature and a news piece. Generally the writer of a feature will offer their opinion on the matter, the stronger the opinion, the more aroused the reader might be. However in news features, the reader wants an unbiased account of the truth, opinions should be left on the curb.

Now that we understand what types of features exist, it’s important to understand the key differences amongst demographics and how to style your content to suite a particular readership. Whittaker emphasises the consideration of which tense to write in and the vocabulary associated with the publication you may be writing for, this is important as any inconsistencies will leave the reader uninterested or confused.

Bibliography: Jason Whittaker (2008). Magazine Production. USA: Routledge. p86-90.

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Mini Assignment 1

WHEN THE SUN KISSED THE HORIZON, OUR ACHES WERE FORGOTTEN

Uninspired and mentally drained from lack of activity, in a bid to revive ourselves, myself and a friend decided on change. The journey began in central London, arriving in Victoria Station with £8 tents and 15 year-old sleeping bags strapped to our backs we set off to walk 200 miles home to Leeds in our thinly stitched trainers. Preparation involved buying tinned pineapples and printing off directions from Google maps. You might think in hindsight we regret these decisions, but these choices resonate positive nostalgia. What I took most from this journey was an understanding of my personality, emotions ran high and low because of a break from my stagnant norm. Before walking I had upmost concern with focusing on the upkeep of happiness, yet I look back at some painful times with such warmth. It’s unwise to be scared of uncertainty, benefits come from fear of the comfort zone.

Connor Griffin Written for The City Talking.