Communication and Persuasion in Written Journalism

 A journalist’s job is to communicate and to persuade. It’s all we do, all day, everyday.

The obvious and most public example of communication in this industry is the communication journalists have with their readers. We provide information we deem valuable and important to the public in the form of stories.

Kinda like this...

However, before this communication can occur, there must be communication and persuasion in the newsroom.

There are countless stories and endless information out there in the world. Only a very tiny portion of that can fit in a spread. Although aren’t space constraints online, there is only so much readers will read. So journalists have to determine what they want to write and convince the editors get on board. This often happens during pitch sessions.

But in an environment more like this

During a pitch, one has to use many aspects of rhetoric. I’ve briefly outlined some below.

First, you must know your audience—in this case, the editors. The head editor has the final say on what gets published. Depending on your position, you sometimes report to other managing individuals beneath the head editor. I used to work for BYU Magazine. The main editor is Jeff. Under him is Peter. Under Peter are Mike, Andrea, and Brittany. Then there were the interns. We had to persuade and communicate with all of these individuals for our stories. It could be helpful to know what the editors

favored—Mike loves sports, Brittany wanted stories that taught a lesson.

Next, you must understand the kairos/context of the publication as well as the general audience. Understand your publications ideals and what topics they publish on. Know what is going on in the world will interest readers. It is interesting to think about what your publication as a whole is communicating and how it is being persuasive through the stories that are chosen.

This leads to logos. You have to do your homework and make logical appeals. Know what has been written on this topic, both in general and by your publication. Be well versed in facts about the topic so when you present, you can outline the reasons you think this story should be published.

Pathos comes into play here. You appeal to the emotions of your audience (the editors) by outlining how your story will benefit the readers. (Sometimes you also explain how this story will help the publication, in a business sense.)

However, ultimately your ethos is the most important. Experience will be the most persuasive in a pitch.

In order to communicate the most effectively and be the most persuasive to a general audience, journalists must first communicate and be persuasive in the newsroom.