Foreword
Journalism is all about telling stories. We have a variety
of formulas to write stories—chronological, the inverted pyramid, kabob. These
different styles are used to best communicate news to our audience (the general
public). Stories vary in length, depending on the type. Print journalists
communicate through writing, either in print or online.
This is an example of a crime story.
Example
Setup:
There is a thief on the loose and the news media needs to
inform the public about the incident.
Story:
Jack and Jill were
robbed late last night in their suburban home. Several pieces of jewelry as
well as two laptops were taken. This
robbery is the third one of it’s kind this month. The suspect is still on the
loose. Police are asking for anyone with information. (Initial story
written by the journalist.)
Analysis
This is a very basic narrative story, identifying the “who,
what, when, where,” though not “how” or “why.” As Kotahi mentioned in her post,
these questions are basic in journalism. Persuasion is at work in pathos (a
little) in appealing to the audiences emotions about this story. This could
perhaps work as a pitch to editors or possible as a quick online update.
Retelling the Story
This is now for a general public audience.
Jack and Jill were
robbed on Friday Oct. 15 around 2 a.m. while the couple was asleep in their
suburban home. Several pieces of jewelry and two laptops were taken.
“We didn’t even hear
him come in,” Jill says. “He silenced the alarm and feed our dog a treat so she
didn’t bark.”
Police say that this
is the third break in this month, and they have no leads at this point.
“If anyone has any
information we would greatly appreciate it,” Officer Smith says. “The break ins
have not been violent so far, but we want to catch this thief to prevent the
robberies from continuing or escalating.”
Please contact
555-5555 with any information.
I added dialogue and more detail to appeal to the audience’s
pathos more. The quote from the victim makes the story more real. The quote
from the officer adds ethos. I also included a call-to-action, which is
attempting to be directly persuasive.
I think you did a good job showing how a real journal article could very from writer to writer. Both examples you gave sound similar to what I would actually read in a newspaper.
ReplyDeleteit was interesting to see the different appeal between your first and second story. it was the same story but the persuasion was extremely different. you could see the difference and when you would use the different styles of writing.
ReplyDelete