Types of Journalism
The general
field of journalism has become specialized with various types of writing,
depending on the audience and motives of the writers. Distinctions are also
made to separate various journalism
genres as categories of writing. Some types include:
·
Advocacy journalism - writing to advocate
particular viewpoints or influence the opinions of the audience.
·
Broadcast journalism - writing or speaking
which is intended to be distributed by radio or television broadcasting,
rather than only in written form for readers.
·
Investigative journalism - writing which
seeks to add extra information to explain, or better describe the people and
events of a particular topic.
·
Tabloid journalism - writing which uses
opinionated or wild claims.
·
Yellow
journalism (or sensationalism) - writing which emphasizes exaggerated
claims or rumors.
·
Fashion journalism: Fashion journalism is all
about articles or reports related to the fashion world. Journalists are also
known as fashion writers or fashion editors. The primary job is to cover the
latest in the fashion business or develop lifestyle articles. Such fashion
articles can be found in magazines
and newspapers. Today, there are many television channels that cater only to
fashion, which gives ample opportunity for journalists who have a passion to
cover such topics.
·
News journalism: Here, the
primary aim of the journalist is to report news in a straight-forward manner
that covers all the required facts. The style is direct with focus on the gist
of the story with other necessary points. The news style should be concise and
precise. The facts must be crosschecked which makes the news item as authentic
as possible without any media bias.
Here, the news story can be for the print media,
television, radio, etc. Such news pieces often cover politics and social
movements. News stories based on political suppression, public movements or
abuse of human rights
have proved instrumental in effecting many a social change, or giving voice to
the oppressed. Similarly, cultural events are also covered in news journalism.
·
Celebrity journalism: As the
name suggests, the journalist is connected to news and events related to
celebrities from the entertainment world and also includes celebrities from
other fields such as music, sports, dance, art, politics, etc. This journalism
is all about news that is related to their professional and personal life.
Reporting gossip is one of the angles of celebrity journalism, wherein
journalists are often accused of misconstruing news or quotes in a deliberate
fashion. This journalism is particularly popular with newspapers, magazines and
television.
·
Investigative journalism:
This type of journalism is about unearthing facts and studying cases that may
require more efforts, which can take months or even years. Journalists who
specialize in investigative journalism create headlines with news that expose
scandals. Sometimes, persistent follow-up of a story proves beneficial to
uncover some hitherto unsolved cases. This would require in-depth research from
the journalist along with evidence.
·
Sports journalism: Here,
journalists spend hours reporting on a particular sport event. A journalist has
to report the accurate facts and statistics related to that event. Interviews
with celebrity sport stars are yet one of the interesting features of sports
journalism. Although sports-lovers watch the live coverage thanks to the media,
there are many people who still enjoy reading or watching in-depth details
about the event.
·
Citizen journalism: Here, it
is not the professional journalists who are responsible for the news reports.
Any citizen can participate and report news to the media. He/she collects and
reports news to the media and participates voluntarily to offer help to the
media. They bring to notice issues that may have been missed by media houses.
·
Environmental journalism:
There are many journalists who prefer to cover issues related to the environment
and its protection and conservation. Environmental journalists may only report
about the news while some work for a cause.
·
Business and finance journalism:
Here, the journalist or reporter covers in-depth reports about the latest in
business, launch of products, stock markets etc. There are many shows dedicated
only for business news on television whereas in newspapers, one can find a
special section dedicated to this subject.
Journalists today, try new tactics that are very different from the methods used by reporters earlier. Often, journalists are accused of aggressive reporting and media sensationalism, which is a serious issue. The Internet has also provided a medium for people to voice their opinions online. News written for the web is updated minute-by-minute which is referred to as online journalism. Besides, implicit faith of people in the news items has introduced a new form of advertising, i.e. advertorials. In this, advertisers merge their product content in the guise of an article for brand promotion and marketing of products.
A keen news sense and creativity to present the news in an effective manner are obviously the main ingredients in any kind of journalism. After all, it’s all about how you put into words to create an impact that makes a journalist stand apart from ordinary reporters!
Journalists today, try new tactics that are very different from the methods used by reporters earlier. Often, journalists are accused of aggressive reporting and media sensationalism, which is a serious issue. The Internet has also provided a medium for people to voice their opinions online. News written for the web is updated minute-by-minute which is referred to as online journalism. Besides, implicit faith of people in the news items has introduced a new form of advertising, i.e. advertorials. In this, advertisers merge their product content in the guise of an article for brand promotion and marketing of products.
A keen news sense and creativity to present the news in an effective manner are obviously the main ingredients in any kind of journalism. After all, it’s all about how you put into words to create an impact that makes a journalist stand apart from ordinary reporters!
Types of Stories
The Profile
A profile is an article about an individual, and the
profile article is one of the staples of feature writing. No doubt you've read
profiles in newspapers, magazines or websites. Reporters do them on
politicians, CEOs, celebrities, athletes, and so on. Profiles can be done on
just about anyone who's interesting and newsworthy, whether it's on a local,
national or international level.
The idea of the profile is to give readers a
behind-the-scenes look at what a person is really like, warts and all, away
from their public persona. Profile articles generally provide background on the
profile subject - their age, where they grew up and were educated, where they
live now, are they married, do they have kids, etc.
Beyond such factual basics, profiles look at who and what
influenced the person, their ideas, and their choice of vocation or profession.
If you're doing a profile you'll obviously need to
interview your subject, in person if possible, so that in addition to getting
quotes you can describe their appearance and mannerisms. You should also watch
the person in action, doing what they do, whether it be a mayor, a doctor or a
beat cop. Also, talk to people who know the person you're profiling, and if
your profile subject is controversial, talk to some of his/her critics.
Remember, your goal is to create a true portrait of your
profile subject. No puff pieces allowed.
The News Feature
The news feature is just what it sounds like - a feature
article that focuses on a topic of interest in the news. News features often
cover the same subjects as deadline hard-news stories, but do so in greater
depth and detail.
And since feature articles are "people
stories," news features tend to focus on individuals more than deadline
news stories, which often focus more on numbers and statistics.
For instance, let's say you're writing about the increase
in heart disease. A deadline story on the topic might focus on statistics
showing how heart disease is on the rise, and include quotes from experts on
the topic.
A news feature, on the other hand, would likely begin by
telling the story of one person suffering from heart disease. By describing he
struggles of an individual, news feature can tackle big, newsy topics while
still telling very human stories.
The Spot Feature
Spot features are feature stories produced on deadline
that focus on a breaking news event. Often news features are used as sidebars
to the main
bar, the main deadline news story about an event.
Let's say a tornado hits your town. Your main bar will
focus on the five W's and the H of the story - the number of casualties, the
extent of the damage, the rescue efforts involved, and so on.
But with the main bar you could have any number of
sidebars focusing on certain aspects of the event. One story might describe the
scene at an emergency shelter where displaced residents are housed. Another
might reflect on past tornadoes in your town. Yet another might examine the
weather conditions that led to the destructive storm.
Literally dozens of different sidebars could be done in
this case, and more often than not they would be written in a feature style.
The Trend Story
Is there a cool new look in women's fall fashions? A
website or tech gadget that everyone's going nuts over? An Indy band that's
attracted a cult following? A show on an obscure cable channel that's suddenly
hot? These are the kinds of things that trend stories zero in on.
Trend stories take the pulse of the culture at the
moment, looking at what's new, fresh and exciting in the world of art, fashion,
film, music, high-technology and so on. The emphasis in trend stories is
usually on light, quick, easy-to-read pieces that capture the spirit of
whatever new trend is being discussed. In other words, if you're writing a
trend story, have fun with it.
The Live-In
The live-in is an in-depth, often magazine-length article
that paints a picture of a particular place and the people who work or live
there. Live-ins have been done on homeless shelters, emergency rooms,
battlefield encampments, cancer hospices, public schools and police precincts,
among other locales. The idea is to give readers a look at a place they
probably wouldn't normally encounter.
Reporters doing live-ins must spend a fair bit of time in
the places they're writing about (thus the name). That's how they get a real
sense of the place's rhythm and atmosphere. Reporters have spent days, weeks
and even months doing live-ins (some have been turned into books). The live-in
is really the ultimate example of the reporter immersing him or herself in the
story.
Source: web
Click here to get document file
Post a Comment