Mass Communication & Journalism

  EDITORIAL WRITING An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. It reflects the majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors and business managers. It is usually unsigned. Much in the same manner of a lawyer, editorial writers build on an argument and try to persuade readers to think the same way they do. Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on an issue. In essence, an editorial is an opinionated news story.  There are four basic kinds of editorials:-  Civic editorials  Policy editorials  Big News editorials  Obituary editorials EDITORIALS HAVE FOLLOWING  Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories  An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues  A timely news angle  Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer addresses ...

  COLUMN WRITING The personal opinion of a column writer is expressed on a subject in a column. The writer has a fixed style of writing and he generally writes on fixed subjects and has fixed point of view. However, there are columns in a newspaper where other persons also contribute in audition to the columnist who writes on a variety of subjects such as political, economic or cultural or on sports, radio, films, books etc. A column is written weekly, monthly or bi-monthly, and must be focused on one particular topic. Writer have to be consistent in what he writes, maintain the same tone of voice, and stay focused on the issue at hand. The columnist enjoys the privilege of writing what he pleases and in the manner he wishes. He can make unrestrained and un-inhibited comment on many issues and write about personalities making biting comments on them. Literally a column means a vertical arrangement of items printed or written on a page. Columns are usually those writing which are pu...

 FEATURE WRITING A newspaper feature is an article which finds its impact outside or beyond the realm of the straight news story’s basic and unvarnished (with nothing added) who-what-where-when-why and how. The justification, strength and very identity of the feature lie in its presentation of the imagination not, however, in departing from or stretching the truth (not being completely honest), but in piercing the peculiar and particular truths that strike people’s curiosity, sympathy, scepticism, humour or amazement. THE FEATURE STORY Feature stories are ‘soft news’. A feature assignment is often considered a writer’s reward for handling routine news well. The implication is that feature writing is easy. Actually, it makes more demands on writing ability than the straight news story, because it has no specific format. Feature stories can be news stories. Features can be investigative. Features can be in-depth. Features can be for fun. The subject can be anything: places for a comm...

  WRITING SKILL Writing is an important form of communication. Writing has been view by the writers in several different ways. It has been agreed that writing is a means of communication made possible through graphic symbols, arranged according to certain conventions to form words, which in turn are arranged to form sentences.  TECHNIQUES OF WRITING OF SKILL Good writers use different writing techniques to fit their purpose for writing. To be a good writer, you must master each of the following writing techniques.  Description  Exposition  Narration  Persuasion  Comparison and Contrast  Description: Through description, a writer helps the reader use the senses of feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting to experience what the writer experiences. Description helps the reader more clearly understand the people, places, and things about which the writer is writing. It is the most common form of writing. You will find descriptive writing in newspapers,...

  PRÉCIS – AN OVERVIEW A précis is a formal summary of a given subject. A précis does not seek to persuade in regard to a subject, but simply to present it, be that subject an artifact, a person, an event, or even a concept. It should provide the reader an accurate, brief, and well-rounded impression of the subject. Any opinion the writer may hold on a subject should not be reflected in the writing of a précis. A verbal summary composed in this fashion may also be called a précis. PRÉCIS WRITING  Shortening: A précis is a shortening, in your own words, of a text of written work. You are to describe as accurately and briefly as possible the substance or main ideas contained in a text.  Straight: One of the first (if not the first) difficulties to overcome in writing a précis is getting the facts straight. You should make no statements unsupported by the text. Make sure that all you say about the text is factually correct.  Read Carefully (at least three times): ...