Writing Skills

Unit 1 Syllabus
1.Fundamentals of Media Writing: Descriptive, Narrative, Objective and Reflective
2.ABCD of Media Writing: Grammar and Vocabulary
3.Writing for News And Non-News Mediums (print and electronic media)
4.Ethics in Media Writing

"Writing" is the process of using symbols, letters of the alphabet, punctuation and spaces to communicate thoughts and
ideas in a readable form and it is a medium of human communication that involves the representation of a language with
symbols. Writing is a form of human communication through set of visible marks/symbols that are related, by convention,
to some particular structural level of language.

Media writing is the art of conveying information, stories, and ideas through various forms of media. It is process of
creating written content for various forms of media, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, websites, social
media, etc. It encompasses a variety of styles and formats, including news writing, feature writing, script writing, and
copywriting, among others. The goal of media writing is to communicate information effectively and engage the target
audience

From newspapers and magazines to online platforms and social media, the world of media writing is diverse and ever-
evolving. First, it emphasizes information. The major purpose of writing for the mass media is to present information.
Secondly, writing in a media environment usually means writing for a mass audience which means writing in a manner that
is easy to understand.

Purpose of Media Writing:

Writing serves as a means of exchanging information and knowledge across different domains and cultures, allowing
individuals to foster connections and create meaningful engagement with others.

1. To inform: Dissemination of information is the primary function of the news media. Newspapers, radio and TV
provide us news from around the world and keep us informed.
• Inform the reader about facts
• 5 Ws and 1 H (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)
• Provide information in logical order
• When writing about processes, use signal words like firstly, secondly, thirdly, lastly
• Can do contrasts pointing out at similarities or differences using signal words

2. To entertain: The most common function of mass communication is entertainment. Radio, television and films are
basically entertainment media. Even newspapers provide entertainment through comics, cartoons, features, cross
word puzzles etc., Entertainment through radio consists of mainly music and also drama, talk shows, comedy etc.
Television has become primarily an entertainment medium. Even highly specialized channels like news, nature and
wildlife channels also have a lot of humorous and comic content. Among all media, films are perhaps the only
medium concentrating or entertainment.

3. To Persuade: Most of the mass media are used as vehicles of promotion and persuasion. Goods, services, 51 ideas,
persons, places, events – the range of things that are advertised through mass media is endless. Different media
have different features and reach. Advertisers and advertising agencies analyze these features and depending
upon the nature of the message and the target audience, choose where and how the message should be placed.
• Writing to convince people with your opinion or to do something
• For example- Speeches, advertisements, reviews, newspaper editorials
• Give people closer perspective to your beliefs by supporting with evidences
• Arguments can either have a logical or an emotional approach
• In logical approach, facts and figures are used, whereas emotional approach is driven by emotions

4. Transmission of culture: Any communication leaves a direct or indirect impact on an individual. It becomes part of
one’s experience, knowledge and accumulated learning. Through individuals, communication becomes part of the
collective experience of groups, audiences of all kinds and finally the masses. Mass communication plays an
important role in the transmission of culture from one generation to another.

Types of Media Writing:

1. Descriptive Writing
2. Narrative
3. Objective
4. Reflective
1. Descriptive Writing: Descriptive writing paints a picture for the reader, by describing the topic. Think of a tourism
related article, you might have never been to Kashmir, but a descriptive article will help you experience it through the
power of words. It may describe the place, the people, the food and the weather. There is very little scope for any sort
of analysis in this case. Most of the travelogues lie in this category.
In short:
• It gives description of everything by creating a picture for readers
• The main purpose of this type of writing is to describe in a detailed, personal and subjective manner
• The reader can feel all his senses work
• Describes a character, a place, an event, an object or an action
• Effective writing makes you feel you are almost there.
• Areas of Usage: Poetry, novels, diaries writing, plays, journals/magazine writing
Highlights-
• Answers ‘what it is like’
• Uses figures of speech
• The writer makes the readers feel, hear, and visualize the situation the way he wants
• It describes places, people, events, situation, or locations in a highly – detailed manner (to show)
• It aims at helping the reader understand the meaning of an unfamiliar term or clarify the meaning of an abstract or vague
term or to completely understand the situation or scenario.
• Example:
My dog’s fur felt like silk against my skin and her black coloring shone absorbing the sunlight and reflecting it back like a
pure dark mirror.
Key Term- Imagery
• Words can be chosen to create more than just meaning: they create feeling, too. Some words (or phrases) are able to
create a particularly vivid sense such as a picture, a sound, a taste, etc. This effect is called imagery.
• Example: I heard the popping and crackling sound as mom dropped veggies into the frying pan and soon the salty greasy
smell wafted towards me.
Example: She was waiting for me, a white face behind a dusty window. She smiled, her painted mouth unfurling as a red
flag caught in a sudden breeze. Her hair was dyed dark-auburn. Her legs were a Mesopotamia of varicose veins. She still
had the tatters of an extraordinary beauty. She had been making pastry and the grey dough clung to her hands. Her blood-
red nails were cracked and chipped.
2. Narrative Writing: Narrative writing works on a time based or temporal order. This simply means that all the facts are
laid down in a story format, with events happening one after another. A skilled storyteller is the one who is able to
structure the story so that the reader’s interest is raised to a climax before coming to a conclusion or end. The
narration could be in first person or third person, and could use non linearity to build the story, i.e., he or she may
refer to something that happened in the past, to incite more interest of the reader. A story teller may also use other
tools such as pictures, lyrical songs etc. to weave the narrative. Think of a fictional piece of writing and you have your
example of Narrative writing at its best.
In short:
• Can be broadly defined as storytelling either real or fictional by introducing a topic, giving more details, then transitioning
to another paragraph.
• The main purpose of this type of writing is to tell or narrate a story.
• The writer creates different characters and tells you what happens to them.
• The writer uses first person narration, even dialogues.
• Narrative writing is mostly personal, imaginative, and self-expressing.
Highlights:
• Writing is characterised by a main character who engages with a problem or event in a particular way
• Inclusion of dialogues, written in first form
• Use of metaphor, imaginative language, and figure of speech
• Has a plot, character, setting, climax, and an ending
• Usually told chronologically and in past tense
• Areas of Usage: Novels, short stories, poetry, fairy, tales, autobiographies, anecdotes, screen scripts, play, legends, songs,
etc.
• Sample
• It was a hot sunny day. I finally visited Disneyland. It was a dreamland. It was my childhood dream to visit there. Being
there was like dream come true experience. On entering, the very first thing that I said was, “Oh wow! What a wonderful
place!” People were walking and enjoying their time with all the Disney characters. Children over there were so happy and
excited. I believe that it is a must visit place for everyone. -The writer is sharing his or her personal experience and
emotions. It is a narrative style of writing.
Difference Between Descriptive and Narrative Writing:
• Descriptive-shows; Narrative-tells
• Descriptive-what one sees, hears, smells, tastes, feels, etc.; Narrative: has a story, plot, characters, etc.
 • Example: Thomas slammed his fist on the table. He raised his voice and his face turned red. (D) Thomas was really mad.
(N)

3. Objective Writing: When writing is done to inform by stating hard facts or information without adding any fluff or
flowery language it is called as objective writing. Objective writing is done to ensure no bias is introduced through
feelings, ideas or use of flowery language.
• Objective writing is writing that uses facts to record what happened.
• You can verify or prove it through evidence and facts Ex. sky is blue, water is wet.
• If you are writing objectively, you must remain as neutral as possible through the use of facts, statistics, and research.
• This type of writing is best used when you as a writer need to present unbiased information to an audience and then let
them determine their own opinion.
• Literally meaning 'uninfluenced by personal feelings in representing facts,' objective writing strives to do just that.
• News reports and school textbooks often use objective writing.
• It's important to differentiate objective writing from subjective writing, which is writing that one cannot evaluate,
calculate, or verify. Subjective writing might express feelings, opinions, and judgments.
• This would come in handy for writing a personal essay or an opinion column for a paper, but should not be used when
the goal is to simply inform the audience.
Ex. Dogs are best pets (objective or subjective?)
• Lettuce is gross (objective or subjective?)
• Rosa was excited to see her aunt (objective or subjective?)
How to Write Objectively:
• To keep your writing objective, try to follow these tips:
• Be specific instead of vague or general. Rather than writing: 'almost everyone voted for him,' write: '82% of the company
voted for him.'
• Do not use opinionated, prejudiced (preconceived notion), or exclusive language. Rather than writing: 'men and girls,'
write: 'men and women.' Keep both equal, and keep both genders listening to you.
• Avoid using first person to keep it more professional and less about you. Rather than writing: 'I believe…' try using a fact
or credible source to prove your point like: 'According to Smith (1999).'
• Try not to over exaggerate your writing. It can help to never use words such as 'really,' 'always,' 'never,' or 'very.' These
words can make your writing appear falsified or weak. Rather than writing: 'the race was really close,' be more
informational by writing: 'the race was close enough to demand two recounts.
• A writer can use both, but one should be able to distinguish which type of writing is which. To make it easy, let's simplify it
to:
• Objective writing-fact-driven
• Subjective writing-opinion-driven
• For objective writing, you should be wondering: Can you prove it? Has the writer proven it? Is this the writer's opinion, or
is it factual information? Consider these questions for the following example: 'The company's president is an idiot. Anyone
can see that.
4. Reflective Writing: Reflective writing is a form of academic writing that involves analyzing an experience and sharing
your thoughts on it. It can help you learn from your experiences, review your progress, and consider how you can
apply what you've learned.
In short:
• When given an assignment to write an essay or summarize a piece of literature, you are often limited in personal
response and opinions. If you are looking for a different point of view when analysing, you might try reflective writing.
• Reflective writing is writing that is formal or informal about a subject matter after it has been presented in literature or
other media, using emotions, memories or thoughts.
• Reflective writing is often used as a reaction to what has been read or to pull knowledge from a specific event, piece of
literature or lesson that has been presented. It can be used to determine key points or to form new ideas about a subject.
• It is a key strategy that can help improve writing by making thoughts more developed and precise, as well as enhance
critical thinking.
• Example-reviews, critiques, etc.
• Avoid re-explaining the experience
• Interpret and evaluate the experience from your perspective
• Explain how did it make you feel

ABCD of Media Writing:

i. Accuracy of Facts
ii. Brevity of Matter
iii. Clarity of Content
iv. Discernment of Events
A for Accuracy : The first characteristic feature of communication is accuracy, which includes accuracy of information as
well as accuracy of expression. One must assure oneself of the accuracy of information before communicating. For
example, if a person has to write a report or give an oral presentation, he/she should repeatedly check all the facts that
need to be included in the report/presentation. Any factual error will put a question mark on the reliability of the report or
presentation and thereby reduce its effectiveness. Moreover, facts have to be recorded carefully and appropriately.

Accuracy of expression demands that there should be no errors of grammar, spelling, punctuation, or usage. One has to be
careful about grammar and punctuation mistakes and should review and revise the draft thoroughly for these errors. If a
person is making a professional oral presentation, or taking part in a conversation, meetings, or discussion, he/she should
take care of punctuation, accent, intonation, and nonverbal mannerism. Accuracy is essential for a professional and
technical communicator.
Accuracy of expression also demands ‘precision’ in the use of words, phrase, sentences, and paragraphs. One must be
certain that one is expressing one’s ideas precisely and exactly so that the reader/ audience are able to understand without
confusion or misunderstanding.

• Accuracy is all pervasive

• Must develop good habits for obtaining accurate information
• Pay attention to the details of the information they obtain
• “Getting it right”
• Constantly competing against one another to be the first to have the fastest breaking news reports • Caused some
reporters to compromise with accuracy
• Journalists can lose their credibility
As per Reuters Handbook of Journalism, “Accuracy is the heart of what we do. It is our job to get it first but it is above all
our job to get it right.”
How to Ensure Accuracy?
● Check facts for accuracy of information

● Revise your draft for grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation errors

● Take care of your pronunciation, accent, intonation, and no verbal mannerism during oral communication

● Use simple, familiar, and exact words

● Avoid difficult and unfamiliar words

● Use words carefully with proper discretion

● Avoid excessive Jargon

B for Brevity: Brevity is the quality of being brief but comprehensive in expression. You must try to be brief as possible and
give maximum information in the minimum number of words possible. Nobody has the time to read or listen to long and
dull discourses. Lengthy documents or speeches and presentations with unnecessary details bore readers or listener. A
document can be made brief and concise by avoiding wordiness and repetition.

How to achieve brevity

• Shorter articles tend to work better because most people struggle to read long documents
• Paragraphs should be concise
• Stick to one concept per paragraph
• Brevity in video and audio
• Keep it short and simple (KISS rule), avoid needless words
• Writing only what is absolutely necessary
• Be brief, but not at the expense of completeness
• Utilizing multi - syllabic, complex words that very few people understand – NO
• Keep it short and simple (KISS rule), avoid needless words
• Writing only what is absolutely necessary
• Be brief, but not at the expense of completeness
• Utilizing multi - syllabic, complex words that very few people understand – NO
Write Less, Say More
• Write in a verbose manner does not show you as intelligent.
• People often make a mistake in thinking that writing long-winded sentences with big words makes them appear smart.
• Writing a lot or using big words is not required to sound smart.
• Make your points in a quick and shrewd manner.
• Not to say less, but to communicate a message more concisely.
• Example • Wordy style: A computer performs several important functions, which include performing fast and accurate
calculations.
• Concise style: A computer performs fast and accurate calculations.
Elimination of words:
• “The field of technology” and ”the technology industry” BECOMES “technology”
• “the amount of total sales increased” BECOMES “sales increased”
• “have a tendency to” BECOMES “tend to”
• “some of the people” BECOMES “some people”
• “I am writing in regards to” BECOMES “I’m writing about”
C for Clarity: Clarity in communication is the quality of being specific and easily understood. Clarity is achieved when the
communicator has communicated his or her meaning to the reader or listener. In technical communication, clarity
contributes to communicative effectiveness. You will not be able to achieve your communicative objective if you are not
clear.

Since clarity is the art of making your meaning clear to your audience, it is essential for you to understand your audience
before you try to communicate. Audience adaptation can only come from a proper audience analysis. Audience analysis
involves defining your audience in clarity can be achieved terms of their background, subject competence, linguistic
competence, and by suing direct familiarity with the topic or content of your communication. A better understanding of
your audience will give clarity of thought as we as clarity of expression.
Clarity involves both clarity of expression as well as clarity of thought. The secret of clear expression is clear thinking.
Sloppy, illogical, or incomplete thinking cause lack of clarity in technical communication.
Key to ensure clarity
• The key to clear writing is understanding the subject
• Avoid all kinds of jargon
• Use specific words
• Check the time sequence to ensure clarity of thoughts
• Include transitions• Example: He will meet you soon. What does the word soon mean here? Does it mean tomorrow or
the say after tomorrow, or the next month? The reader will definitely be confused. A better version will be: He will meet
you by March 15. Checklist for achieving clarity
• Do not use indirect expression
∙ Use specific word and phrase
∙ Avoid exaggeration
∙ Avoid ornamentation
∙ Use direct sentence
D for Discernment: It is the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. It is the act or process of
exhibiting keen insight and good judgment.

Discernment on the other hand is assessing a situation objectively, with no emotional attachment, to decide appropriate
and right for the masses. A writer has to judge the situation and need of the reader before writing any story. Discernment is
assessing a situation objectively, with no emotional attachment, to decide what is appropriate and right for the masses. A
writer has to judge the situation and write accordingly.
• Journalists think critically.
• They often tell sources that they will contact them again with more questions about a topic or event.
• Balance a story – fairness, balance, objectivity.
Fairness (both-sides journalism)
• Making sure all viewpoints are included in a story.
• Reporters discern which viewpoints are more important than others in conveying the truth about a topic or event.
• If some facts detract from that truth, or are unfair, ethical journalists leave them out.
• Must remember there are usually two sides – and often more – to most issues, and that those differing viewpoints should
be given roughly equal space in any news story. Can a reporter ever be an unbiased observer?
Balance
• Balance doesn’t mean getting two equal sides of a story.
• It means discerning which side is more accurate and then gathering facts to make that case by detecting motives of
sources and getting expert opinion to support or refute them.
Objectivity
• Reporters discern whether they have any biases that might taint a story and, if so, how they might adjust for that when
filing a report.
• Objectivity means that when covering hard news, reporters don’t convey their own feelings, biases or prejudices in their
stories.
• They accomplish this by writing stories using a language that is neutral and avoid characterizing people or institutions in
good or bad ways.

Importance of Vocabulary

Vocabulary can be defined as knowledge of word and word meanings. The definition of vocabulary is much more complex.
Word has two forms which are oral (listening and speaking) and print (reading and writing).
Every good mechanic has a toolbox full of tools. Some tools are used more than others, but everyone has a specific
purpose. In much the same way, writers have a “toolbox.” This “toolbox” is constantly growing and is filled with items like
grammar, punctuation, and capitalization rules; figurative language; rhyme; rhythm; and…vocabulary. Just as really good
mechanics can pull out the right tools to make a good engine even more powerful, good writers can pull out the right tools
at the right time to make good writing even more powerful. One tool that can “power up” your writing is a strong
vocabulary.

Common miss spelt/error words

● Quite, quiet

● Accent, assent, ascent

● Carrier, career

● Then, than

● Stationery, stationary

● evolve, involve

● accept, except, expect, aspect

● their, there

● loose, lose

● your, you’re

● Since, for

● Bring, take

● Fewer, less

● Could, should, would

● Their, there, they’re

● Its, it’s

● Assess, access

● To, too, two

● Adapt, adopt, adept

● Advice, advise

● Affect, effect

● Allude, elude

● Discreet, discrete

● Council, counsel

● Compliment, complement

● Beside, besides

● Eminent, imminent

● Palate, pallete

● Principal, principle

Grammar
Parts of Speech
NOUN – person, place, thing, or idea / The (noun) smiled.
Nouns can be common or proper
 ● Common nouns: man, book, city, team

● Proper nouns: Justin, Lord of the Flies, New York, New York Giants
Nouns can be concrete (things you can see or touch) or abstract (things you can’t see or touch)
● Concrete nouns: dishes, desks, discs, doorknobs

● Abstract nouns: love, justice, guilt, anxiety

Nouns can be subjects or objects
● A subject noun names the person, place, thing or idea that is doing the action or is being talked about.
Our family loved spending afternoons in the park.
An object noun is used as the direct object, indirect object, or object of the preposition.
We would often eat our lunch there.
A predicate noun follows a linking verb or a form of the be verb and repeats/renames the subject.
● Our favourite game was football.
PRONOUN – substitutes for nouns and function as nouns
Personal pronouns – refers to specific people, places, or things
● I, you, be, she, it we, they

● I want to go home.
Indefinite pronouns – do not substitute for specifics
● everybody, some

● Everybody speaks.
Relative pronouns – relate groups of words to nouns or other pronouns
● who, whoever, which, that

● The book that won is a novel.

Interrogative pronouns – introduce questions
● who, which, what

● Who will contribute?

Demonstrative pronouns – identify or point to nouns
● this, that, such

● This is a problem.
Intensive pronouns – a personal pronoun + self/selves
● himself, ourselves

● He himself asked that question.

Reflexive pronouns – same form as intensive but indicate that the sentence subject also receives the action of the verb
● They injured themselves.
VERB – action or state of being
Janie __(verb)__ five miles.
Transitive verbs pass the action on to a receiver (person, place, or thing)/object
The receiver is the object
● I threw the pen.
HINT: if there are questions left (who, where, what), it’s probably transitive
Intransitive verbs don’t pass the action on to a receiver
Linking verbs link subjects to word(s) that describe the subject
● Any form of the be verb (am, is, are, were, was, be, being, been)
The answer is three.
Verb Phrases consist of a main verb and a helping verb
● Helping verbs = can, could, did, do, does, had, has, have, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
She had always been thinking of her future.
ADVERB – modify/describes verbs, adjective, or other adverbs; answers the question HOW? WHEN? WHERE? or TO
WHAT EXTENT?
HINT: -ly ending is a clue that it’s an adverb
Adverbs have 3 forms: positive, comparative, and superlative.
● Positive
Performing fleas train vigorously. (“Vigorously” modifies the verb “train” without making any comparisons.)
● Comparative
Jumping frogs train more vigorously than performing fleas. (“More vigorously” modifies the verb “train” and compares how
“frogs” train to how “fleas” train.)
● Superlative
Fido’s flea is the most vigorously trained insect in the world. (“Most vigorously” modifies the adjective “trained” and
compares one “flea” to all other insects.)
Good vs. Well
● “Good” is used only as an adjective

● Well” can be used as an adverb (many different meanings) or an adjective (only meaning “fit” or “healthy”)

● Her health was good. “Good” is an adj. describing her health.

● Decker trained well. “Well” is an adv. telling me HOW Decker trained.

ADJECTIVE – modifies/describes a noun or pronoun; answers the questions WHAT KIND? HOW MANY? WHICH ONE?
The (adjective) girl/boy is very (adjective).
4 Types of Adjectives
● Demonstrative: points out a particular noun
This kitten is mean, but that cat is meaner.
● Compound: made up of more than one word
Scar-faced Bronty is no scaredy-cat guard.
● Indefinite: gives an approximate number/quantity
Some cats enjoy having many mice around.
● Predicate: follows a linking verb and describes the subject
A frustrated kitten is unpleasant and unpredictable.

Forms of Adjectives
● Positive: describes noun/pronoun without comparing it to anything - Frozen yogurt is a light dessert.

● Comparative: compares 2 nouns/pronouns -Frozen yogurt is a lighter dessert than ice cream.

● Superlative: compares 3 or more nouns/pronouns - Frozen yogurt is the lightest dessert of the five on this menu.

PREPOSITIONS – show position or direction

● Gives more information and explains things. Explains relationships.

● Prepositions always exist in phrases

● A prepositional phrase can be left out of a sentence and the sentence still makes sense.

● A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition

● A phrase contains a subject or a verb – not both

● Without prepositions, we lose visuals in writing as well as our orientation in time and space.

CONJUNCTIONS – connects ideas or joins words, phrases, or clauses

Connects words, phrases/clauses, and sentences
Allows us to say more without repetition

INTERJECTIONS – word or phrase used to express strong emotion or surprise

● Shows intense emotion

● Exists in single words or VERY short phrases.

 ● Usually set off with a comma, exclamation point, question mark, or period.
Examples:
Ahhh! Oh. Hey, Oh my gosh! Huh? Oh, man! Dude! Dude. Dude?

Writing For News And Non-News Mediums:

Unique nature of the medium and the way in which it is received by the public demand newspapers, radio, television and
online media to adopt different reporting style. For example, we receive a newspaper everyday and it remains unchanged
throughout the day. We can reread the story as much as we want. But in case of Television or Radio, the timing is
important. The news need to have immediate feel. Reporting must be done on things that are happening now. Each news
medium embodies a unique regime of content creation.The processing of news in our brain is different in case of broadcast
media and that in a newspaper / online media. Broadcast media like TV or Radio give only once chance to see/hear and
understand the story. If anyone misses the particular visual, in case of TV, or audio, in case of Radio, then the whole news
may not be understood. Whereas in case of the newspaper, even online media the reader can linger over a story or go back
and re-read if something is not clear.

The difference in script for news and non-news programs lies in their tone, style, and content. News scripts are typically
written in a factual and objective style, with a focus on current events and delivering information to the audience in a clear
and concise manner. Non-news programs, on the other hand, can have a more creative and subjective approach to
storytelling, with a greater emphasis on entertainment value and engaging the audience emotionally. The script for non-
news programs may also include dialogue, character development, and other elements not typically found in news scripts.

Writing for print

- Write simply
- Use simple words
- Use simple sentences
- Economies on words
- Do not use jargon
- Avoid adjectives
- Tie-together-avoid jolts
- Be specific
- Avoid repetition and redundancies
- Cut out unnecessary words
Writing for the Ear and Eye
- In broadcast writing, be brief: whether news, an essay, a novel, short story, or other form-can is as long or as short as it
needs to be for optimum effectiveness, a broadcast writing is constrained by time. A radio or TV may have to fit into
30seconds, not more than 100 words.
- Retain an informal tone: formal structures can be for some documentaries and news/talk shows.
- Be specific: vague, generalized action or information tends to be confusing and might lead to switch stations. No
ambiguity, simple and clear.
- One to one medium: tone should be informal and so the presentation.
- Personalize: demographics are essential to understanding and reaching a specific audience. Try to relate the style and
content of your writing to that audience and as much as possible, to each individual member of that audience.
- Be natural: avoid confuse flowery language with high style, and simple, uncluttered sentences with low style.

WRITING
News story
News story is any updated piece of information in newspapers. It has to be accurate and unbiased. Outdated information
loses the worthiness or the value of the news story. News stories are collected by the reporter and scrutinised by the
editor. All the news stories that turn up on the editor’s desk may not necessarily appear in the newspaper. The news value
of a news story is taken in to serious
account. There are lot of factors that determine the news value or the news worthiness.
Outcome or Impact
If the consequence of an event or an issue affects a large number of people, it becomes news. A bus mishap killing twenty
people has more news value than a bike accident killing one person.
Timeliness
Timeliness determines the value of news. A bank robbery of two crore rupees that happened one week before, has less
news value compared to the same worth fifty lakhs or around an hour before. The nearness of the time is always
considered to be significant
Proximity
The factor of proximity suggests the nearness of the place where an incident occurs. An earth quake in Africa is of less
newsworthy for Indians, compared to a tremor of same magnitude in any part of India.
Prominence
Even an ordinary event associated with a prominent public figure carries high news value. The picture of morning walk of
American president in Delhi during his visit in India or a quarrel between two ministers has big news value to occupy in the
front page of a news paper
Novelty
Unusual events are always news worthy. A tree of dates in Kerala, a cat killing a dog etc. evokes news value. There is a
general statement regarding the novelty of the news which goes like:if a dog bites a man, it is not news, but if a man bites s
dog, it is news because there is strangeness in it. The novelty creates wonder in readers.
Human Interest
The incidents of crime, sex scandals especially of public figures, the presence of
mysteries in some events etc. are of perennial human interest so that such news
gets maximum frequency
Tragedies/calamities
Natural disasters and wars killing thousands of people remain as news for some days as they carry news value
Predictability
The result of elections, some international matches, intelligence warnings on possible terror attacks etc. evoke human
anxiety and curiosity so that the news value of such items remains high.

THE STRUCTURE OF A NEWS STORY

All the news stories are structured in an anti-pyramid style so that the major details of the story can be emphatically
presented in the beginning and the successive part goes with minor details of lesser importance. It helps the reader to just
know the crux of the story in the beginning itself so that he can save the time if he is running short of time.
HEADLINE
The headline should be simple and direct sentence. It is written in simple present and active voice capable of being
understood easily.
LEAD
Lead refers to the first paragraph of a news story. The lead provides the substance of the news story. The most important
part of the story is included in the Lead paragraph A lead could be written in many ways taking in to account which part of
the story is very newsworthy. In news where the prime minister dies, the important part is ‘who’ dies. So, the Lead
paragraph becomes a who Lead. In the same way, there are many Leads like who lead, what lead, when lead, where lead,
why lead and how lead (these five Ws and one H are the basic elements of a news story) a news story is supposed to
answer or satisfy all the five Ws and one H.

In general, news stories are organized using the inverted pyramid style, in which information is presented in descending
order of importance. This allows the audience to read the most crucial details quickly so they can decide whether to
continue or stop reading the story. From an editing perspective, using the inverted pyramid style makes it easier to cut a
story from the bottom, if necessary. Invented more than a century ago, the inverted pyramid style remains the basic
formula for news writing .

Feature writing
A feature story is a creative, sometimes subjective article designed primarily to entertain and to inform readers of an
event, a situation or an aspect of life. A Feature story is a piece of news item written with a particular intention. So, it can
be rather subjective as the righter enjoys more freedom to insert his or her personal views in it, in contrast to a new story
where only objective facts are
meant to be passed to the audience. In an ordinary news story, the reader can never pass on any special comments of his
own as it is not permitted. His duty is to inform an event as such as it really happened. But, in feature writing, personal
comments on a particular topic are entertained, along with anecdotes, quotations etc added to it so as to highlight the
views of writer. The intention could be to inform, or entertain or both, i.e infortain (information + entertainment). In
feature writing, the topic need not necessarily be on a current issue. It could be of any general topic of interest. So, the
factor of updating needed for news story never comes here.
- Focus should be on the topic and the topic should appeal to the audience. The feel and emotion that the writer creates
determine the success of the feature.
- Be clear what the feature should do. Is it to inform, persuade, evaluate, evoke emotion, observe, analyze?
- Accuracy is important. Make sure that the details are correct.
- Write for the audience. Know the audience’s taste and write.
- Interviews should be detailed and it would be better if the writer can meet the interviewed rather than talk on the phone
so that the interview can be flavoured and detailed.
- Use Anecdotes (Life incidents), quotations and stories to make the feature attractive.
- Use the same tense form of the verb throughout the feature unless the situation demands so that the language will be
stable for the audience.
- Write in Active Voice. Avoid lengthy, complex sentences and paragraphs. Use Active Voice of the sentence. (The person
who does an action is mentioned at the beginning of the sentence).
- Collect details from various sources before writing a feature. Update information and talk to experts on the topic before
writing.
- Check the grammar & spelling before sending for publication.
STRUCTURE OF A FEATURE
Headline: Headline often decides whether the feature has to be read or not. So, it should be as catchy that the reader
should tend to start reading. Though the content is very fine, an unattractive headline my deter the reading
The introduction: The introduction should be so persuasive that the reader should be motivated to enter in to the body of
the story and move further.
The body: The body of the feature should reflect the details of the story. Different kinds of views on a particular issue or
topic could be represented without losing the underlying and unifying rhythm and tempo of the story.
Conclusion: The conclusion usually takes a definite perspective and a standpoint on a topic and tries to convince its
audience by the detailed descriptions and analysis made by the writer.

Article writing
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating news,
research results, academic analysis, or debate.
An article
- Gives information
- Interpret a recent trend
- Analyse a current situation
- Attempt to predict the future of a particular issue.
- While Writing an Article the writer should have accurate information. Credibility is important.
To ensure this the writer must do extensive research, check the authenticity of the sources and make sure the sources are
quoted accurately
- Article analyses, interprets and provides arguments for and against an idea.
- It provides back ground information, present an update condition and goes on to predict the future.
- They usually provide some important information, interpret a trend, analyse the situation and predict the future of a
particular issue.
- Accuracy and consistency are needed because credibility is the prime quality of an Article.
- An Article writer should have overall view of the topic and he should be able to substantiate his points through examples
Articles appear on the editorial page of a newspaper. Unlike Features, it is a
seriously written document with scholarly approach. The topic is presented after
the detailed study and deliberations on the topic. The writer thoroughly and
comprehensively reflects upon the various aspects of the topic with the support of
deep knowledge on it. Articles try to educate and inform rather than to entertain.
The conclusion is also added in the end in a sober style. So, an article is expected
to be written with sense of credibility and accuracy after extensive research in to
the topic. The article contains the element of analysing and judging a current
situation as well as the prediction of the future based on the analysis of the
situation in question.
STRUCTURE OF AN ARTICLE
An article consists of headline, introduction, body and conclusion
HEADLINE: The headline should be catchy for the reader
INTRODUCTION: the Introduction is also called the Lead paragraph. As its very name suggests, it leads the reader to take a
decision on whether to move further or not. So, presenting the topic in a tempting way is very important
BODY: The Body of the article comprehensively analyses and discusses the topic in great detail
CONCLUSION: The conclusion of the article can be a summing up of the analysis or a Prediction of the future of the topic, in
terms of its significance

EDITORIAL WRITING
Editorial can be called the conscience of a newspaper or the mirror of its opinions. It can also be called the voice of a
newspaper. It is a well- studied and carefully structured composition in a sober style with a serious approach on a
significant issue. It provides the newspaper to present its policies, views, perspectives and stand points regarding many
burning current issues. It should be
very objective, unbiased, expertise and logical point of view. It tries to influence public opinion so as to make its readers to
subscribe to its own perspective. It informs as well as calls in to action.
Editorials can be broadly classified as interpretative editorials (enriching the dimension of the readers’ knowledge by
interpreting various aspects of an event), Action-oriented editorials (calling for an action from the part of public or officials
due to the seriousness of an issue) Critical editorial (strongly criticising something) and Humorous editorial (adding to the
humorous perspective to an issue)
THE STRUCTURE OF AN EDITORIAL
An editorial consists of a headline, an introduction of the topic, a body of serious critical analysis and a powerful conclusion.
Editorial Writing 5 Steps
Here are a few things you should consider while working on your editorial piece:
● Choose your topic wisely
For maximum impact, choose an issue that has been making the headlines recently. For instance, if the Presidential
elections are around the corner, focus on a particular political topic. Additionally, be very specific about the issue you wish
to focus on. You might have a lot to say about a dozen issues, but save your knowledge for later. Narrow down your area of
interest with as much precision as is possible.
● Declare your agenda outright
An editorial without an unequivocal opinion is bound to fall flat on its face. Right at the very beginning, define your agenda
in clear terms. Make sure that you state your opinion or thesis coherently. Remember those research papers and thesis
statements you wrote in college. It’s time to refresh your memory and concentrate on thesis statement writing skills. The
essential structure of a thesis statement in an editorial remains the same, only the language is more informal and
journalistic.
● Build your argument
A good editorial expresses your point of view while a great one manages to persuade others to join your camp. In order to
persuade people, you need to have a sound argument based on facts and analogies, not vitriol and diatribe. Once you have
stated your thesis, acknowledge contradictory opinions and explain why you disagree with them. Feel free to use facts,
statistics, quotations and theoretical explanations for criticizing your opponents’ views. Rejecting them outright without
any explanation screams of cowardice and unprofessional ethics.
To build a foolproof argument, you will need to achieve a balance between content and style. Not only will you need
substantial data, you will also need to structure it coherently.
● Strengthen your argument with analogies
Nothing disarms your opponents better than cultural, social or political analogies. For instance, if you are writing about a
controversial issue like secret surveillance, look for similar instances in other countries and how they tackled the problem.
You can use such an analogy to your benefit by highlighting both the similarities and the differences. This will also be a good
time to speak about the ultimate consequences of a policy/law if appropriate action is not taken by concerned agencies.
● Provide possible solutions
So, you have made a case for your views and demolished your opponents’ claims. The journey doesn’t end here. An
editorial is primarily meant to indulge in constructive criticism i.e. even though it critiques one point of view, it must be able
to provide a possible alternative. Say, your editorial attacked the efficacy of steps taken by the government to curb
domestic violence in a particular region, conclude your piece by discussing other viable options. Once again, build an
argument and talk about why these proposed steps are better than the ones already in place. Don’t mistake an editorial for
an opportunity to indulge in mindless criticism; instead, use it to offer a better vision for the future.

MIDDLES
As the very term itself suggests, middles comes in the middle of an editorial page. That it is positioned below the article and
above the Letters to the Editor. To put in another word, they occupy the centre of an editorial page. Contrary to the tone of
article, middle is presented in a humorous and satirical tone at major political and social developments. As a satirical piece
of writing, they try to expose the hypocrisy of politicians or the drawback of highly appreciated projects and ridicule the
stake holders of main stream political and social spheres.
Unlike the satires which are meant for the humiliation of those who are targeted, Middles are not meant for deriving
entertainment alone. Instead, they direct the attention of readers to serious issues by provoking them to think. But, for this
purpose, they are employing the humorous side of the topic. Nevertheless, they do not apply any scholarly treatment with
serious tone and style as articles are preoccupied with.
Op-ed-pieces
As the very name indicates, Op-ed is the abbreviation of opposite the editorial page. Unlike editorial, it is written by
someone who is not part of the News paper’s editorial Board. The Op-ed page is a light piece, compared to the editorial.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

It provides a platform for the readers to communicate to the newspaper. Through the letters to the editor, the writer is
given space to express his own views and comments on a particular issue to a wider reading public. They should be brief,
short and up to the point. Since they are individual comments, the writer should include the writer’s name and address.
The writer will be ultimately responsible for any objectionable comment. The space given by the newspapers for the
readers to
respond to the public issues show the social commitment and responsibility of the
newspapers.
BOOK REVIEWS
It is a special kind of analytical writing by the experts who are specialised in making in-depth analysis of a particular book
dealing with a particular subject. Many books in literature, politics, sociology etc. are published in newspapers as book
reviews. Through book reviews, the readers get familiar with many books newly introduced in the market. The reviewer
must have in depth and comprehensive knowledge of the subject the book deals with and should be able to evaluate and
judge the book in terms of its significance and impact on the reader. The reviewer has to dwell upon the content, the range
and the scope of the work and how it becomes important for a reader. The book review should contain an overall
assessment of the book and its author. The impact of the subject, the
background against which it was written, the style of writing, the approach adopted etc. also come under the assessment of
the book. A review should be in such a way that the readers should get a real critical understanding of the book. The
bibliographical details in the book review help the interested readers to locate the book easily.

FILM REVIEW
Whenever a new movie is released, film reviews on that film find place in the newspapers to draw the peoples’ attention
towards its peculiarities. These reviews prompt them to decide whether to go to watch it or not. But, the review should
never be like an advertisement falsifying the reality and misguiding the theatre goers. Instead, it has to be an objective
depiction of its features in an unprejudiced, concise and specific way. So, the writer at least should watch it directly and
analyse it. The writer’s personal view of actor or director of the film, both positive and negative, should never colour the
content of the review. The first paragraph of the film review should include the name of the film, its characters, its setting,
the directors and the genre it belongs. The second paragraph
has to handle the summarised version of the story of film in such an attractive way that may draw the attention of the
readers. The following paragraphs will deal with the reviewer’s comments and analysis about the relevance of the story,
technical quality, relation to the society etc.

INTERVIEW- here are roughly three perspectives one can use:

● Literal: write down the questions, followed by the literal/ only slightly rephrased answers (the classic Q and A);

● Narrative: describe what the interviewee says in third person;

● Hybrid: leave out the questions and combine narrative statements with direct quotes.

Writing Ad copy
- Use clear, simple English
- Pay attention to the verbs
- Be as specific as possible, but don’t let too many details get in the way of the Advertising message.
- Be precise in the use of the language.
- Use personal pronouns when appropriate
- Don’t be afraid of contractions
- Inspire confidence in the product and the advertiser
- Give the audience all the information it needs
Writing for PR
Don’t be flattering: exhibiting a submissive attentiveness or compliance, not thanking too much, not
continually apologizing, not saying please more than once.

Media Ethics:
Ethics are morals that a person lives by. Ethics are principles that a person uses as a guide when deciding between what is
right and what is wrong.

Media ethics in journalism are a set of principles, or a code, that a journalist uses when reporting news. Media ethics are
code of conduct prescribed by press to guard and protect the professionals and profession entirely These are specific
ethical principles and standards of media, including broadcast media, film, theatre, the arts, print media, and new media
that promote values such like universal respect for life, rule of law and legality.

Need for Media Ethics:

• Media practitioners need ethical code to safeguard themselves from committing any offence against the society.
• It helps to set standards of moral context w.r.t. what is avertible and unacceptable in gathering, processing, and
dissemination of a wide varieties of messages through mediated communications.
• Major subsets are: journalistic ethics, advertising ethics, and public relations ethics.
• The fundamental objective of journalism is to serve the people with news, views, comments and information on matters
of public interest in a fair, accurate, and unbiased: and decent manner and language.
• In 1948 the United Nations made the Universal Declaration of Human Rights laying down certain freedoms for the
mankind. Article 19 of the Declaration expresses the most basic of these freedoms, thus “Everyone has the right to freedom
of opinion and expression’, the right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek and receive
and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.
• Article 19 (1)(a) of the Constitution of India guarantees to the citizen, the right to “Freedom of speech and expression”.
• Media has a great impact on society and hence it must not lose sight of its privileges, duties and obligations. Journalism is
a profession that serves.

Fundamentals of Media Ethics:

1. Media persons’ duties to societies: Should work in public interest
2. To profession: Must adhere to the professional code of conduct, must understand normative practices in their profession
and then make decisions ethically.
3. Duties to audiences: Newsmen/non-newsmen should respond to the needs, motives, and interests of the audiences at
large
4. To self: Should not be self-serving, yet must respond to personal ethics

Salient Features of Journalistic Ethics:

1. Truthfulness: Honest representation of all information intended for the public. Accuracy and honesty in information that
is reported.
2. Privacy: Everyone has right to maintain privacy, i.e. the extent to which we want to discuss ourselves in the public space.
It protects all men and women against spying. The journalists however, are often intrusive and often cross the lines. Eg.
Marital problems of stars, sexual orientation of celebrities are common in news.
3. Confidentiality: Duty of journalists to keep the names of people confidential who have provided them the information.
Otherwise, people won’t be able to tip the reporter fearing action. But, there is irresponsible journalism done in the name
of confidentiality using words like unnamed sources, other sources, to frame anyone to achieve an agenda.
4. Personal ethics: Acceptance of free gifts from groups or organisations that fall under your news coverage marks conflict
of interest.

The media all over the world has voluntarily accepted that code of ethics should cover at least the following areas of
conduct.
General guidelines:
1. Honesty and fairness; duty to seek the views of the subject of any critical reportage in advance of publication,
duty to correct factual errors; duty not to falsify pictures or to use them in a misleading fashion
2. respect for privacy;
3. duty to distinguish between facts and opinion;
4. duty not to discriminate or to inflame hatred on such grounds as race, nationality, religion, or gender; some codes
call on the press to refrain from mentioning the race, religion or nationality of the subject of news stories unless
relevant to the story; some call for coverage which promotes tolerance;
5. duty not to use dishonest means to obtain information;
6. duty not to endanger people;
7. duty to follow general standards of decency and taste;
8. duty not to prejudge the guilt of an accused and to publish the dismissal of charges against or acquittal of anyone
about whom the paper previously had reported that charges had been filed or that a trial had commence
9. duty to not withhold information that affects the story in adverse manner
10. Truth and accuracy - Getting facts right, strive for accuracy, give all relevant facts and ensure they have been
checked.
11. Fairness and Impartial - More stories are two sided, stories should be balanced and add context, impartial writing
build trust and confidence.
12. Humanity -Writer should not harm, what we publish or broadcast may be hurtful but one be should be aware of
the impact of our work and images on the lives of other.
13. Accountability - when one commits errors, one must correct them. one must listen to the/understand the concern
of the audience.
14. Independence - must be independent voices; one should not act, formally or informally on behalf of any
organisation that might constitute a conflict of interest and this also include not accepting favours/kickbacks/gifts
from concerned parties.
15. news, editorial, columns, should serve the best interest of reader listeners, audiences instead of owners or
publications
16. Treat everyone same - Ignore biases race, gender, age etc
17. Avoid sensationalization
18. Avoid commercialism- do not Sacrificing news values for ratings
19. Avoid plagiarism and violating copyright - It is using another work without crediting source, or recycling old stories
etc. or making copies of artistic work without permission.
20. Defamation- It is the false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another as by slender (oral) or libel
(written)