Learn2Write

In the earlier blog of report writing (Write the Journalist Way), we discussed writing magazine articles. How is that going for you? In this blog, we will talk about the second aspect of report writing—newspaper articles.

Consider the example below. The following article was published in BBC News on Friday, 17^th February 2023:

Antarctica Sea-ice Hits New Record Low

By Jonathan Amos and Erwan Rivault, London

There is now less sea-ice surrounding the Antarctic continent than at any time since we began using satellites to measure it in the late 1970s.

It is the southern hemisphere summer, when you would expect less sea-ice, but this year is exceptional, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Winds and warmer air and water reduced coverage to just 1.91 million square km (737,000 sq miles) on 13 February.

What is more, the melt still has some way to go this summer.

Last year, the previous record-breaking minimum of 1.92 million sq km (741,000 sq miles) wasn't reached until 25 February.

Three of the last record-breaking years for low sea-ice have happened in the past seven years: 2017, 2022 and now 2023.

What are some of the key features that you notice in the article? First, note the title of the report. See how the prime motive of the content is summarised in the headline. Next, shift your focus to the By-line—name of the journalist(s) and place is mentioned, which gives you an idea about where the report is compiled from.

Note the use of facts and statistics to provide a general idea on what the article is about. In addition, can you tell who the target audience is. In this instance, it is the broader audience (adults as well as young group). Following through the article, you notice the use of alliteration and facts (again).

In the subsequent paragraphs, the article talks about the how much of sea ice is missing in Antarctica, while subtly comparing with previous years (between 1981-2010). Content exudes confidence in the report, persuades one to listen (at the worrying cause of climate change) and presents a strong visual imagery (by including contrasting examples, facts and statistics). It does not end there; the article moves ahead to even consider a way forward: what could be expected (as per research) and actions that could be taken to minimise the damage (all based on experiments and research). Would you not be a tiny bit convinced to at least consider giving the article a serious thought? Sure enough, it moves ahead to compare it to Arctic ice melt and how it could affect our daily lives.

Another critical detail to consider while in the journalist’s shoes is that only factual details are included in newspaper article. Refrain from stating personal opinions. Let us look at the difference:

Example 1:

Continuing from the example mentioned above, consider the following statement:

It is likely this year's record sea-ice minimum has been influenced by the unusually high air temperatures to the west and east of the Antarctic Peninsula. These have been 1.5C above the long-term average.

Researchers think the more positive trends seen over the longer term are probably linked to the presence of an ozone hole over Antarctica and the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Example 2:

Undoubtedly, there are variations in the air pressure causing the winds to be severe, which has influenced the continent’s climate change.

Do you see the difference in the two examples? The first example supports its statements with reasoning based on actual research. It also contains additional technical details related to the research; whereas, in the second example, it seems like stating an opinion without any proof. Which one would you say is more convincing?

Let us look at the key takeaways for a newspaper report:

·      Must contain a title and a by-line.

·      The introductory paragraph must explain the 5Ws (who, what, where, when, why and how).

·      Supporting paragraphs should elaborate the event/incident in a concise, objective and chronological order.

·      Mention only factual details and report in past tense. Using phrases such as It is likely that../Sources close to the incident reported../Police (or any other authoritative body) believe../According to Mr. Doe../Many claim.. etc.

·      The concluding paragraph summarises the key points of the article. It could also include a relevant quote from a related source or shed light on any expected outcome.

Go ahead—read a newspaper article, and slowly claw your way into a journalist’s hat!

In this blog, we are going to focus on report writing. This genre focuses on crisp, concise writing and reflects on a particular purpose. Before writing, it is crucial to understand your target audience because it is designed for a quick and accurate read. There are two types of report writing: magazine article and newspaper article. We start with magazine articles.

The ingredient to flavourful report writing is knowing your audience. Your target audience could vary, depending on the topic of discussion and the type of magazine. For example, if you are writing an article for your school magazine, the target audience would be your classmates, friends and teachers, but if you are writing for a general magazine that is released in your city, it would reach a wider audience; hence, the target would be all children (and adults).  Let us look at an example for clarity.

The following examples are based on the topic, ‘Annual Sports Day’

Example 1: Writing for your school magazine

Annual Sports Day

(By Dave Webber, London)

The much-awaited Annual Sports Day commenced from 08:00 a.m. on 24^thFebruary 2023 in our playground. The indoor halls and stadiums were buzzing like bees for three hectic, colourful and exciting days. After the introductory speech from Mr. Abbott, the event started with excitement and a competitive spirit lingering around the school corridors. Thames House—sincere Congratulations on winning the Golden Cup! All other houses, we look forward to more spirit and zest for next year.

In this snippet, the intended audience is aware of what Golden Cup is, the name of the houses, the playground and who Mr. Abbott is. Continue the article to talk about the number of participants, the name of events, extra-milestone achieved by a House, the healthy competition, prizes, etc.

Example 2: Writing for a general magazine that targets school children from across the city.

Show Sportsmanship, the Heidelberg Way!

(By Dave Webber, London)

Heidelberg School, in Northwest London, displayed one of their best Annual Sports Events from 24^thFebruary to 27^th February 2023. Organised at one of their massive playgrounds, north-west London experienced one of the best competitive vibes. Students ranging from primary to senior school actively participated in various indoor and outdoor events. The annual sports day commenced at 08:00a.m—flagged off by their school principal, Mr. Dennis Abbott.

In this example, the name of the school is mentioned along with the event dates. In addition, the intended audience is aware who Mr. Dennis is.

Once you are aware of your intended audience, follow the structure to maintain a sequential thought flow:

Step 1: Mention a catchy title. Note the title in Example 2. Does it intrigue you to start reading the article?

Step 2: The title should follow a By-Line: name of author, followed by place (include in brackets).

Step 3: Introduction—start the leading paragraph with an eye-catchy quote or a rhetorical question. This would involve the readers. Note the starting lines of the examples stated above.

Step 4: For the body of the article, maintain three to four paragraphs. Depending on your target audience and the aim of the article (whether to inform, persuade or entertain), structure the content accordingly. Consider the following snippet that aims to entertain as well as encourage readers to visit the tourist destination (only the body paragraphs are included):

Sitting between the tall, lush green trees, I gaze at the narrow stretches of hills that exotic animals own; it is named ‘The Animal Corridor’—one of the most unique destinations. Often, while you travel across this stretch, you have to drive so carefully that you can seldom blink; however, if you are fortunate enough, you could witness the exotic animals crossing the road or just leisurely soaking under the sun.

A train of cars anxiously waits. And waits. There she is: a baby elephant, in the middle of the road, in its own territory, running scared. Her eyes are watery, fearing the wrath of men. A few joyously flash the cameras, turning blind to the misery, loneliness and fear of the baby elephant.

This is often an occurrence in the magical corridor, the pride of Assam, where the exotic one- horn Rhino is tucked safe. The world acknowledges it as Kaziranga National Park. Have you ever heard of corridors that animals own? Well, this is truly a unique one.

Step 5: Conclusion—In the example mentioned, a rhetorical question is used to emphasise, pause and think. Sharing a memorable experience is also a good technique to hook the readers’ interest until the end.

These are the key points to consider while writing a magazine article. Are you ready step into the journalist shoes?

Of all the genres of writing in any language, the most easily recognisable and widely used is perhaps the short story. A person’s creativity can be expressed through the various pathways it provides: dialogues, descriptions, interesting characterisations, exciting narration, action scenes, etc.    

From an examination point of view, it is easy, however, to confuse a short story with its cousin, say a narration of an event or a recount. They may contain similar elements. But, while a short story may have all the elements of a recount, the vice versa is not necessarily true. This is where many pupils lose marks. They begin in an interesting manner and have a memorable ending. But the actual telling of the story doesn’t happen well. They miss the plot (pun intended).

A plot is a sequence of events that occurs from the beginning to the end of a story. It tells how the story progresses. It makes up the story arc. In other words, a plot is the story in essence.

There are six elements to any kind of plot:

1. Introduction or Exposition:

The beginning or the exposition is the introduction to the story. It is very important to have this in the story because you will be letting the readers know who the main characters are and where the story is happening. Without it, the reader will be fumbling in the dark, unable to make head or tail of the story.

2.  Conflict or Problem:

Without a problem to solve, what are the characters doing in the story? If they are just going about their business in their lives, then that is no longer a short story. The story is a narration of some events that happened. There needs to be a problem that the characters overcome to be able to go about their regular lives. The conflict is a very important element of a story as that is the reason the rest of the story exists.

Many of you may be confusing a short story with a recollection of a particular time. For example, a fun time at the beach is a recount of a memorable family holiday and not necessarily a short story unless there is a problem that gets solved at the end. So, remember that the next time you write a story!

 3. Rising Action:

The rising actions of a story are the events that complicate the problem or arise due to it. Once the conflict has been introduced, there will be events that ensue thereafter and the characters will get busy trying to solve it. Before they come to the high point or the climax of the story, there will be progressive complications that they need to wade through. The rising action is literally everything that happens before the climax.

4. Climax or High Point:

The climax or the point of suspense of a story is the point where the efforts of the main characters’ endeavour bear fruit. This is the peak of the story where the characters will either solve the problem or give up finding the solution. (Remember, not all conflicts of stories have solutions) This is the highest point of suspense in the story which will keep the readers at the edge of their seats thinking, ‘Will they or won’t they.’ The characters’ actions and choices drive the outcome of the story. You must use every ounce of creativity here to create the necessary suspense.

 5. Falling Action:

Once the problem has been dealt with, the tension in the story will begin to loosen. Things will begin to go back to being what they were. Temperatures will fall and the various questions that arose during the course of the story would have been answered. At this point, the loose ends will be tied. This is the best time to have a look through your story one last time and provide links and tie-ups with parts that didn’t fit anywhere.

6. Denouement or Conclusion:

This is the concluding part of the story. The ‘normal’ needs to be re-established at this point. However, this new ‘normal’ will also include the experiences that your characters went through and the permanent changes that took place to the setting of the story. It will be the ‘new normal.’ It is also an emotional wrapping up by the readers after having known your characters.

But it is also important to keep in mind that the conclusion of a story is not necessarily always happy or satisfactory. Some stories end in tragedy and some stories do not provide a solution to the conflict. In such cases, the readers need to accept the way things are, because, after all, life isn’t always hunky-dory, is it?

You must remember to create a convincing conflict or a problem that gets a believable solution at the end. Even if it is a fantasy story with dragons or talking objects, the ending should be related to the original conflict. It must answer the problem that the story began with.