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Final Essay Assignment: Writing Styles

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Final Essay Assignment: Writing Styles

The purpose for writing or reporting and the type of media are some of the key factors

that determine the style of reporting or writing that journalists use. As a result, a style of writing

that suits Television or radio broadcasting may prove inappropriate when writing press releases

(PR) or for the Internet. Every form of media writing is informed by its own guidelines that

dictate how information is not only packaged but also presented to the target audience. The

common forms of media writing include beat writing or reporting, feature writing, public

relations (PR) writing, writing for the Internet, and broadcast writing. Understanding the

differences and similarities, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each type of media

writing requires an analysis of the different types of media writing.

Broadcast Writing

Broadcast writing, which involves writing or reporting for television or radio, is different

from the other types of media writing. The difference arises from the fact that broadcast writing

usually has a word limit, something that does not happen in print reporting. The reason for this

word limit or restriction is that the journalist writes with the speaker in mind. Given that news in

television and radio broadcasts is read out loud, the writer must recognize that the speaker must

breathe when reading the news. As such, brevity is important when writing for television or

radio. For instance, writers are required to limit their sentences to not more than twenty words

each to ensure that the news reader will not have to gasp for breath in the middle of the sentence.

It is worth noting that listening is a more passive activity than reading, and, as such, listeners

have a much more different mindset compared to readers (News Writing: PowerPoint

Presentation).
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Consequently, listeners are not as patient as readers and will not wait for long to be

informed about what happened, to whom, where, and how (5Ws + H). As such, presenting the

most essential details in the first few sentences before divulging the other details is key to

capturing the listeners' attention. However, this does not imply that print readers do not wish to

understand the important details of a news story first before deciding whether to continue reading

the story or not. The main difference in television or radio broadcast is that the listeners require

the most vital details of a news story to be presented in a few, punchy, short, easy-to-understand

sentences.

Feature Writing

In simple terms, feature writing involves conducting an in-depth investigation into a

specific event or news story, or an element of a news story. Feature stories are usually long,

sometimes taking several pages in newspapers and magazines or over thirty minutes on

television or radio. Further, compared to press releases, for instance, which are often short and

straightforward, features present bigger challenges relating to structure, which journalists writing

for broadcast or the Internet do not experience. The reason for these structural challenges that

feature story writers experience is that this form of media writing involves in-depth research,

which results in a lot of information. While collecting information is a key part of feature

writing, it is not enough on its own. A feature writer must complement in-depth research with

solid writing. Unlike writing for television or radio broadcast, which requires the use of short and

punchy sentences, writing feature stories allows the writer to make use of longer paragraphs

consisting of a mix of structurally simple and complex sentences.

Similarly, feature stories, including news features, backgrounders, profiles, and

investigative pieces, generally call for a keen eye for detail. However, it should not be lost on the
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writer that the main reason for writing a feature story is not just to narrate; instead, it is to

describe and elaborate by providing concrete and sensory detail (Feature Writing: PowerPoint

Presentation). It is vital for the writer to keep their writing tight, given the large volume of

information that may be at their disposal. For instance, the writer must ensure that their story has

a solid structure that helps them create suspense at the beginning before divulging vital

information bit by bit to the listener or reader. Additionally, the writer must understand that not

every story must be told just because everyone has a story to tell. As such, feature writers must

first determine whether the story they want to write about is worth telling or not.

Writing for the Internet

Just like newspapers and magazines, the Internet is majorly a print medium. As a result,

the writing style that one employs when writing for the Internet differs from, say, broadcast

writing. One of the problems associated with writing for the Internet is the limitations of

computer screen size. Research has established that reading a printed page is relatively easy

compared to a computer screen. Studies have also revealed that reading from the screen of a

computer is about twenty-five percent slower than on a printed page in, say, a newspaper. These

findings explain why many people still purchase newspapers and magazines rather than reading

the same article on their gadgets that are equipped with multiple multimedia-supported tools

(Writing for the Internet: PowerPoint Presentation).

Those writing for the Internet should recognize that individuals visit news sites on the

internet for information, not leisure, and will move on to other pages if it takes too long to access

the information they are looking for. Thus, the writer should present their news stories on the

Internet in such a manner that captures and retains the readers' attention fast, which requires solid
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writing and presentation. To this end, the writer should use bullets and lists, subheadings, and

important hyperlinks for readability purposes.

Public Relations Writing

Public relations (PR) writing incorporates elements of persuasion and journalism. While

journalists engage in public relations writing, individuals working in organizations and

government agencies also engage in public relations writing. However, given that public

relations writing is designed for broadcast and publication, the writer must write their pieces in

such a way that gives their write-ups credibility. It is also important for writers to write while

keeping news columns or broadcast space in mind. Similarly, while persuasion is a key element

of public relations communications, the writer should ensure that whatever they are writing is

real news to ensure that it will be published or broadcasted.

When writing public relation pieces, whether journalistic, promotional, or organizational

articles, the writer should ensure their bid to persuade does not involve the use of propaganda

(Public Relations Writing: PowerPoint Presentation). Using the third-person tone, as well as the

inverted pyramid style, will help avoid impressions of bias or self-interest. A key difference

between public relations writing and other types of media writing is that it includes dates of

releases, company logos, and the details of the contact person, usually at the end. However, the

rules of grammar and proofreading that apply to the other types of media writing are applied to

public relations writing.

Beat Reporting/Writing

There is no much difference between beat writing or reporting and the other types of

media writing. The only factor that sets beat writing apart is that it focuses on a particular topic

or area, referred to as a beat. The main rationale of beat writing is that a journalist cannot be
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capable of writing about anything and everything and, as such, specializing in one area such as

politics, legal affairs, or sports enhances effective writing. Unlike public relations and feature

writers, who write on a broad range of topics, beat writers only focus on particular topics in

which they are well-versed and experienced.

While beat writers need to have an in-depth understanding of the subject matter, they do

not have to know everything about a certain topic; just enough knowledge to pose intelligent

questions during interviews and write insightfully. Just like in the other types of media writing,

beat writing requires objectivity and accuracy. A beat writer should also the people that matter in

their field of specialization. They also have the ability to write in an easy-to-understand language

that demonstrates their knowledge of the subject matter.

I believe that writing for broadcast has the most opportunity to convey messages to the

audience as the key details of a story are presented in short, punchy, easy-to-understand

sentences. Given that listeners are much more impatient and are unlikely to spend much time on

non-essential details, I believe that writing for broadcast ensures that the news story is

summarized in a few sentences that satisfy the audience’s needs. Feature writing interests me the

most as it involves research and writing in longer, complex sentences, something that I am good

at. I would majorly focus on human stories in my features as I believe that they garner a wider

audience. I also prefer using lots of detail when explaining things and, as such, my abilities

would be best utilized writing features.

Conclusion

In conclusion, accuracy, objectivity, and precision are essential in all types of media

writing, whether writing for public relations, the Internet, features, or for broadcast. While the

different forms of media writing have different guidelines or requirements, writers must have
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solid writing skills for effective writing. However, the levels of detail required in each type of

media writing is different. For example, public relations writing is brief and straightforward

while feature stories are typically longer and incorporate a lot of information. However, it is

worth noting that every form of media writing is informed by its own guidelines that dictate how

information is not only packaged but also presented to the target audience.
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References

Beat Reporting: PowerPoint Presentation.

Feature Writing: PowerPoint Presentation.

Public Relations Writing: PowerPoint Presentation.

Writing for the Internet: PowerPoint Presentation.