Various Journalist
Genres
L6
Ing. Jiří Šnajdar
2013
Various Journalist Genres
Genres are called in English articles.
An article is written, non-fiction essay.
These non-fictional prose compositions appear in
magazines, newspapers, academic journals, the
Internet or any other type of publication.
What genres are there?
Name the basic features.
Articles divide into two main categories: news and
features. Straight news stories deal with the
timeliness and immediacy of breaking news, while
feature articles are news stories that deal with
human-interest topics or which offer the opportunity
for providing more breadth or depth, context of
history or other explanatory background material.
news articles
A news article is an article published in a print or
Internet news medium such as a newspaper,
newsletter, news magazine, news-oriented website,
or article directory that discusses current or recent
news of either general interest (i.e. daily
newspapers) or on a specific topic (i.e. political or
trade news magazines, club newsletters, or
technology news websites).
A news article can include accounts of eye
witnesses to the happening event. It can contain
photographs, accounts, statistics, graphs,
recollections, interviews, polls, debates on the
topics, etc.
Headlines can be used o focus the reader’s
attention on a particular (or main) part of the article.
The writer can also give facts and detailed
information following answers to general questions
like who, what, when, where, why (the Five Ws)
and how.
Quoted references, references to people are made
through written accounts of interviews and debates
confirming the factuality of the writer’s information
and the reliability of his source. The writer uses
redirection to ensure that the reader keeps reading
the article and to draw her attention to other articles.
For example phrases like “Continued on page 3”
redirect the reader to a page where the article is
continued.
Newspaper reporters write in inverted pyramid style,
with all the most important information in the first
paragraph or two.
feature articles
Feature articles are nonfiction articles that intend to
inform, teach or amuse the reader on a topic. The
topic centers around human interests.
The basic genres:
Column – A short newspaper or magazine piece
that deals specifically with a particular field of
interest, or broadly with an issue or circumstance of
far-reaching scope. They appear with by lines on
regular basis (daily, weekly). They may be written
exclusively for one newspaper or magazine.
Interview
This feature story type article includes the text of the
conversation between two or more people, normally
directed by the interviewer (author). Interviews are
often edited for clarity.
Personality Profile
It is a personal or professional portrait, sometimes
both, of a particular individual.
Feuilleton
Or whether the footnote is specific editorial genre,
usually used in the press as a counter part to the
main article.
Funny processes seemingly insignificant, but
interesting topic and showing ordinary things in a
new light, the author is very subjective and based on
their own experiences.
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, such as a
movie (a movie review), video game, musical
composition (music review of a composition or
recording), book (book review); a piece of hardware
like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event
or performance, such as a live music concert, a
play, musical theater show or dance show. It can be
also very subjective sometimes.
The others genres, the typical for some newspaper
or magazine:
Exposé - These articles use in-depth reporting with
heavy research and documentation. It used to expose
corruption in business, politics or celebrities. It also
called the investigative article.
How-to – How-to… articles help people to learn how to
do something. They provide step-by-step information for
the reader.
Travel literature – Travel articles inform and enlighten
the reader through facts about a region’s landscape,
scenery, people, customs and atmosphere.
In what types of media do they appear?
Which do you prefer reading?
Why?
These genres which we have been spoken about, are in
all types of media (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines).
In newspapers are all types of genres, because recently
they have basic news as headline or flash, or article
about political events. They give information. But
newspapers have their own magazines, where are
advicess for weekend what to do, culture tips, interview
with celebrities etc.
There are film, science, music, garden, house, games,
children magazines etc. There are genres which are
typical for these magazines. In movie magazines are
reviews, in science magazines are articles about new
discoveries… But for example intervies is common
genre for all types of magazines.
In radio are especially headlines in news each hour. As
newspapers had magazines, radio has show, where is
moderator speaking about movies, music etc. The
biggest advantage of television is that they show you
pictures. In other media you could read, you could
listen. When you are listenting to the radio, you have to
use your imagination, but when you watch TV, you can
just lie at your couch and you needn’t even think about
it.
For example review.
It is in magazine, news, television and radio. The
best type of media for review is TV. Because they
could show you piece of movie. They called trailer,
because you can make imagination how the movie
is.
Trailer can be also in the radio, but its only sound.
On the other hand in special movie magazines is
more space for critic of movie. Author of the article
describes his own experiences, plot, actorsentertainment, music etc.
Journalism and Its Ethics
Ethics is very important.
Every journalist should have breeding and instinct.
Every journalist go to sensational story which make
celebration him. But it is not anything. Journalist
must know that some thing can very injure these
people about which story is talking. Journalist must
know when go to story and when not. But only not
journalist ethics, ethics keep in doctors way, jurist
way, police way and politician way.
In all these ethics has been a long time.
Journalist must say to reader true, only true
information. Too journalist must be objective and
even. His information must be serious and credible.
Journalist must write only from his sources.
Every journalist should keep these ethical things.
Very important is distinction between freedom of
speach and protection of privacy.
Very hardly is decision in situation, when a victim
can be aggrieved, for example some information,
facts, photographs which journalist would want to
publish.
In these moments journalist must consider, what is
correct. It very important and very exacting for
person psychic. Journalist stay before this decision
nearly every day. Every day he must consider, what
is ethical and what is not ethical. This is not easy
work.
Some information from the history:
In 1918 is published charta for journalist in France
In 1926 is published ethics profession codex
In 1954 rising International federation of journalist
in Czech Republic in 1998 Syndicate of Czech
journalist issued Ethics codex of journalist (true
information, high professionalism, propriety and
credibility)
Genres in academic writing: Brief reports
Many newspapers and magazines regularly include
short reports of current research that may be of
interest to the educated reader.
For a brief research report, you will probably
include the following stages:
Short summary.
This summarises the main points of the research. It
will include the names of the researchers, where
they work and where the main report is published.
General background.
This puts the research in the wider context by giving
brief details of the subject and the state of present
research.
Purpose.
This explains the purpose of the investigation, and
explains why it was carried out.
Procedure.
This explains how the research was carried out. It
gives details of who the subjects were, how the
data was gathered and any special equipment that
was used.
General background.
This puts the research in the wider context by giving
brief details of the subject and the state of present
research.
Purpose.
This explains the purpose of the investigation, and
explains why it was carried out.
Procedure.
This explains how the research was carried out. It
gives details of who the subjects were, how the
data was gathered and any special equipment that
was used.
Results.
This gives details of any new information that came
from an anaysis of the data. What was found?
Conclusions.
The report concludes by relating the findings to the
wider context and explains why the research is
relevant today.
A brief research report could have the following stages.
Title
Summary
Give the main points of the research, the names of the
authors, where they work and where the results were
published.
Background
Describe the present state of knowledge in the area.
Purpose
Explain the purpose of the investigation.
Why was it was carried out?
Procedure
Explain how the research was carried out.
Give details of who the subjects were and how the data
was gathered.
Results
Give details of any new information that came from an
anaysis of the data.
Conclusion
Conclude by explain why the research is relevant in the
modern world.
This is why the 7 Cs of Communication are helpful.
The 7 Cs provide a checklist for making sure that your
meetings , e-mails, conference calls, reports, and
presentations are well constructed and clear – so your
audience gets your message.
According to the 7 Cs, communication needs to be:
Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent,
Complete, Courteous.
Clear
When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about
your goal or message. What is your purpose in
communicating with this person? If you're not sure, then
your audience won't be sure either.
To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each
sentence. Make sure that it's easy for your reader to
understand your meaning. People shouldn't have to "read
between the lines" and make assumptions on their own to
understand what you're trying to say.
Concise
When you're concise in your communication, you stick to
the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesn't want to
read six sentences when you could communicate your
message in three.
Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can
delete? You can often eliminate words like "for instance,"
"you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I
mean.„
Are there any unnecessary sentences?
Have you repeated the point several times, in different
ways?
Concrete
When your message is concrete, then your audience has
a clear picture of what you're telling them. There are
details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and there's
laser like focus. Your message is solid.
Correct
When your communication is correct, it fits your
audience. And correct communication is also error-free
communication.
Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of
education or knowledge?
Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors?
Remember, spell checkers won't catch everything.
Are all names and titles spelled correctly?
Coherent
When your communication is coherent, it's logical. All
points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and
the tone and flow of the text is consistent.
Complete
In a complete message, the audience has everything they
need to be informed and, if applicable, take action.
Does your message include a "call to action", so that your
audience clearly knows what you want them to do?
Have you included all relevant information – contact
names, dates, times, locations, and so on?
Courteous
Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest.
There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones.
You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind, and you're
empathetic to their needs.
Outline of the selected style of language tools
Metaphors -
simile,
Personification -
embodiment,
Metonymy -
transfer naming,
Hyperbole –
exaggeration,
Irony –
sarcasm,
Euphemism –
understatement,
Outline of the selected style of language tools
Oxymoron -
contradiction with the meaning
of the noun,
Allegory -
visual representation of abstract
concepts,
Epithet –
epitomé (impersonation)