Saturday, July 9, 2011
The World Is Not Enough !!
The plot to kill sovereignty, to end all freedom. To end the right to dream.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
How to write a news article
The Art Of Writing News
News writing is a key skill for journalists, but it helps with other types of writing as well. That’s because news writing is about telling a story quickly and concisely. Anyone can learn to do this, with a bit of help. Here’s how you can write the news and get your story across. The technique also works well for writing press releases.
News Writing Structure
News writing has its own structure. It’s called the inverted pyramid. This upside down triangle serves as a guide for how you include information in the story. Using the inverted pyramid means starting with the most important information, then putting the next most important info and so on. It can also serve as a guide for writing each paragraph in the story. Start with the most important point, then the next most important and so on.
The inverted pyramid has an interesting history. Before digital printing and desktop publishing, news was laid out manually. If a late breaking story came in and the editor needed to make room, then the editor would order another story to be cut. Having the most important information at the top meant that readers always got the essential parts of the story.
Writing The Facts
Another way to think of the inverted pyramid is that you start with the facts and then add the background. So, how do you know what background to add? It’s easy. You can use the 6Ws. Strictly speaking, there aren’t six Ws, there are actually 5Ws and 1H, but the formula seems to work. That mnemonic reminds us to include the who, where, what, why, when and how of a story.
Why is this? Think about how you tell a story to your friends. You might say: ‘You’ll never believe WHO I just saw!’ Then you might go on to tell the story of where the person was, what they were doing, and why it’s scandalous. We all want to hear about people – and that’s what news is about? Look at any news story and you will see that all of this information is in the first two paragraphs. Anything after that is background to the story.
Let me give another example. If I were writing about a car crash, I would say who was involved, when and where it happened, why it happened and how it happened. Those would be the main points and my story might look something like this:
Two people sustained serious injuries in a car crash at Hill Road at 6am today. The collision happened when Mr. Smith swerved into the opposite lane to avoid a dog in the road. Ms Jones, who was in that lane, was unable to stop in time. Both Mr. Smith and Ms Jones have been taken to the local hospital.
This is not a perfect example, but you get the idea – and now you can write the news too.
Monday, July 4, 2011
More Than A Job--Broadcast Journalism
A look at a career in TV and radio news by the Asian American Journalists Association.
Prannoy Roy - Are News Anchors Obsolete?
A panel of media experts discuss the relevance of TV news anchors in the digital age. While some argue that news anchors create a degree of trust, others suggest that social networking sites like Twitter serve the roles that anchors once did.
-----
The Paley Center for Media's International Council 2009 NYC brought together the industry's top innovators from across the globe for the most talked about media event of 2009.
From newspapers to magazines to television, the traditional media business model is under siege. Can creating quality news content still be a sustainable business in the global digital economy?
This session features Tony Burman (Managing Director, Al-Jazeera English), Les Hinton (CEO, Dow Jones), Jon Klein (President, CNN/US), Christine Ockrent (Journalist and CEO, Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France), and Prannoy Roy (President and Managing Director, NDTV). David Carr (Columnist, The New York Times) moderates.
-----
The Paley Center for Media's International Council 2009 NYC brought together the industry's top innovators from across the globe for the most talked about media event of 2009.
From newspapers to magazines to television, the traditional media business model is under siege. Can creating quality news content still be a sustainable business in the global digital economy?
This session features Tony Burman (Managing Director, Al-Jazeera English), Les Hinton (CEO, Dow Jones), Jon Klein (President, CNN/US), Christine Ockrent (Journalist and CEO, Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France), and Prannoy Roy (President and Managing Director, NDTV). David Carr (Columnist, The New York Times) moderates.
The Growth and Future of Online Journalism
Professor Rosental Alves talks about how online journalism is growing, and speculates about the future of the expanding medium of the Internet.
Len Downie, Vice President at Large, The Washington Post
(July 10, 2009) Len Downie, Vice President at Large, The Washington Post, evaluates the hurdles confronting print journalism's transition to the web - including mass layoffs and buyouts and falling advertising revenues. He also proposed several innovative models for the industry, including institutional or philanthropic support, micropayment systems and new media formats.
Tom Brokaw
NBC Special Correspondent, Tom Brokaw, delivers a lecture on "The Future of Journalism", sponsored by the Poynter Fellowship in Journalism at Yale.
Neveen Joshi - Hindi Journalism
Naveen Joshi has been associated with journalism for the last 30 years. He has seen the growth of Hindi newspapers from being a poor cousin of English print media to a position of power and influence. Read by crores of Indians every day, content and look of a Hindi newspaper today reflects the aspirations of the reader but still they have yet to become a complete newspaper, feels Naveen Joshi, who is the Editor of Hindi daily Hindustan. Some exercpts from his interview last year with Kashif-ul-Huda of TwoCircles.net:
Changes in Hindi newspaper coverage:
Indian middle class is going through a big change, aspirations of these readers who want to move ahead in life is reflected in Hindi newspapers. Lifestyle, eating habits, reading habits and a different political climate is all covered by Hindi newspapers of today.
Naveen Joshi is the Executive Editor of Hindustan Dainik for Uttar Pradesh. [TCN Photo]
For example, when Muslims came under pressure on terrorism charges especially Muslims of Azamgarh we sent a reporter there for few days to understand the pain of being Muslims in today’s world.
Similarly, Dalits are treated very poorly, even though a Dalit leader Mayawati is the chief minister of the state. Fortunately, I work in a newspaper where I can raise these issues of equality, terrorism, communalism, and casteism. So, everyone wants to condemn the politics of caste but we try to understand the reasons for this politics and also explain that it is needed to a certain extent to bring lower castes community at par with other social groups.
Women also have their own identity and the language that we use now is sensitive to these issues.
Covering Muslim issues:
I do not claim that we cover all Muslim issues adequately. In our team, in media, there are very few people who understand Muslim issues or Dalit issues. It is one thing to have sympathy but how to write about them accurately is a challenge. Even now, our reporting on Muslims is focused on their festivals like Eid and Prophet’s birthday. When we write on Muslim topics, we write with caution because when we write on Islam or say something based on Quran then we get criticized. So we try to avoid those topics or at least not deal with them head-on.
Hinduization of Hindi newspapers:
We use imagery from Indian mythology to popularize our content. Yes, some of the images we use are from Hindu traditions and I can understand why someone might object but we have to be a bit liberal about its usage. Islam is also part of Indian culture but many times Hindu images will get used but I don’t think it is such a big issue.
Impact of TV channels and internet on Hindi newspapers:
Hindi and other language newspapers are still increasing their readership because of increasing literacy in villages. In urban areas, the power of printed words is still there. More importantly, newspapers still performs the job of opinion makers which TV news is not able to do. We, the language media, don’t feel electronic media is our competition since our society at this time needs opinions, ideas, views and dissent that seems to be missing from electronic media. So I don’t see any threat from TV news or internet news for the next 10-20 years.
Challenges of a daily newspaper when news is accessible 24/7:
See, take the example of the last Lok Sabha election results. Everyone knew the results but still order for the next day issue of our newspaper increased by 11,000. So more people wanted to read the newspapers to read our analysis of the results, to understand the reasons for the result as it turned out.
Secondly, electronic media is still not able to capture news from small towns and remote districts. Those news you can find only in language newspapers.
Recognition to Hindi media:
Till ten years ago, Hindi journalists were not given due recognition, they were made to wait or returned back while English journalists were given prompt interviews but this is not the case anymore. Now, opinion-makers, decision-makers, and highest officials in the government read Hindi newspapers first and then English newspapers. Hindi newspapers in Hindi heartland are taken seriously.
Hindi journalism of today:
We do all what any English newspapers will do. In fact, now English newspapers follow our lead because they do not have the same penetration that we have in the society. We have a concept of “preparation” i.e. prepare our readers for future by telling them how to take care of health, teach them about new technologies, religion, personal finance. The idea is to prepare them about what is to come in future, this is something unique to us and you won’t find that in an English newspaper. But we are also rooted in the present and run various series, e.g. on agriculture.
Covering international news:
Hindi newspapers continue to be highly localized. They usually do not have much national or international news. And if you look at district editions they do not have news from even other districts of the same state. But now situation is changing and there are attempts to include more national and international news and to become a complete newspaper.
On Hindi writing:
Thirty years ago there was much emphasis on the language. Our editors used to tell us that a journalist should have command over language so that he can easily communicate with readers. Now, our Hindi is corrupted. Hindi grammar has been replaced with English grammar. Newspaper language has become difficult, got removed from the public, and distant from original Hindi.
Naveen Joshi is also a creative writer and has published three books
Changes in Hindi newspaper coverage:
Indian middle class is going through a big change, aspirations of these readers who want to move ahead in life is reflected in Hindi newspapers. Lifestyle, eating habits, reading habits and a different political climate is all covered by Hindi newspapers of today.
Naveen Joshi is the Executive Editor of Hindustan Dainik for Uttar Pradesh. [TCN Photo]
For example, when Muslims came under pressure on terrorism charges especially Muslims of Azamgarh we sent a reporter there for few days to understand the pain of being Muslims in today’s world.
Similarly, Dalits are treated very poorly, even though a Dalit leader Mayawati is the chief minister of the state. Fortunately, I work in a newspaper where I can raise these issues of equality, terrorism, communalism, and casteism. So, everyone wants to condemn the politics of caste but we try to understand the reasons for this politics and also explain that it is needed to a certain extent to bring lower castes community at par with other social groups.
Women also have their own identity and the language that we use now is sensitive to these issues.
Covering Muslim issues:
I do not claim that we cover all Muslim issues adequately. In our team, in media, there are very few people who understand Muslim issues or Dalit issues. It is one thing to have sympathy but how to write about them accurately is a challenge. Even now, our reporting on Muslims is focused on their festivals like Eid and Prophet’s birthday. When we write on Muslim topics, we write with caution because when we write on Islam or say something based on Quran then we get criticized. So we try to avoid those topics or at least not deal with them head-on.
Hinduization of Hindi newspapers:
We use imagery from Indian mythology to popularize our content. Yes, some of the images we use are from Hindu traditions and I can understand why someone might object but we have to be a bit liberal about its usage. Islam is also part of Indian culture but many times Hindu images will get used but I don’t think it is such a big issue.
Impact of TV channels and internet on Hindi newspapers:
Hindi and other language newspapers are still increasing their readership because of increasing literacy in villages. In urban areas, the power of printed words is still there. More importantly, newspapers still performs the job of opinion makers which TV news is not able to do. We, the language media, don’t feel electronic media is our competition since our society at this time needs opinions, ideas, views and dissent that seems to be missing from electronic media. So I don’t see any threat from TV news or internet news for the next 10-20 years.
Challenges of a daily newspaper when news is accessible 24/7:
See, take the example of the last Lok Sabha election results. Everyone knew the results but still order for the next day issue of our newspaper increased by 11,000. So more people wanted to read the newspapers to read our analysis of the results, to understand the reasons for the result as it turned out.
Secondly, electronic media is still not able to capture news from small towns and remote districts. Those news you can find only in language newspapers.
Recognition to Hindi media:
Till ten years ago, Hindi journalists were not given due recognition, they were made to wait or returned back while English journalists were given prompt interviews but this is not the case anymore. Now, opinion-makers, decision-makers, and highest officials in the government read Hindi newspapers first and then English newspapers. Hindi newspapers in Hindi heartland are taken seriously.
Hindi journalism of today:
We do all what any English newspapers will do. In fact, now English newspapers follow our lead because they do not have the same penetration that we have in the society. We have a concept of “preparation” i.e. prepare our readers for future by telling them how to take care of health, teach them about new technologies, religion, personal finance. The idea is to prepare them about what is to come in future, this is something unique to us and you won’t find that in an English newspaper. But we are also rooted in the present and run various series, e.g. on agriculture.
Covering international news:
Hindi newspapers continue to be highly localized. They usually do not have much national or international news. And if you look at district editions they do not have news from even other districts of the same state. But now situation is changing and there are attempts to include more national and international news and to become a complete newspaper.
On Hindi writing:
Thirty years ago there was much emphasis on the language. Our editors used to tell us that a journalist should have command over language so that he can easily communicate with readers. Now, our Hindi is corrupted. Hindi grammar has been replaced with English grammar. Newspaper language has become difficult, got removed from the public, and distant from original Hindi.
Naveen Joshi is also a creative writer and has published three books
Digital Media
Prof. Rosental Alves, Knight Chair in International Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin talks about the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.
digital media journalism
Emilly Bell, first director of Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University's School of Journalism, speaks to EL PAÍS in ONA 2010 (Washington, October, 30th) about how it is important to teach students to understand the web and the technological tools within. She also explains the crucial role of social media in journalism and how big media need to improve the efficiency in doing digital contents
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)