FPO for Writing for the Mass

Media, 9e
Cover James G. Stovall

Image
Chapter 1
Sit Down and Write

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 Learning Objectives

1.1 List the components of good writing

1.2 Define the four essential components a
good writer must have
1.3 List some commonly accepted techniques to
improve your writing
1.4 List the reasons mass media writing differs
from other forms of writing

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 What Is Good Writing?

Objective 1.1 -- List the components of good

writing

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 1.1 What Is Good Writing?

– Clear, concise, simple, to the point

– Efficient
– Precise
– Modest

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 Getting Ready to Write

Objective 1.2 -- Define the four essential

components a good writer must have

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 1.2 Getting Ready to Write
(1 of 2)

• Know the Language

– Grammar, punctuation, and spelling
– Vocabulary
• Know the Subject
– Proper research

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 1.2 Getting Ready to Write
(2 of 2)

• Write It Down
– Avoid writer’s block
• Edit and Rewrite
– Clearer, more precise, more readable

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 Basic Techniques

Objective 1.3 -- List some commonly

accepted techniques to improve your writing

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(1 of 8)

• Write Simply
– Simple language conveys a powerful
message
 A penny saved is a penny earned.
 Haste makes waste.

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(2 of 8)

• Use Simple Words

– Fewer syllables is better
 after instead of subsequent
 large instead of substantial

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(3 of 8)

• Use Simple Sentences

– Divide long sentences into several simple
sentences
 “She was shot through the right lung after
confronting a woman married to her ex-husband
inside the Food World store on Bankhead Highway
shortly before 1 p.m.”

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(4 of 8)

• Use Simple Sentences (cont.)

– Divide long sentences into several simple
sentences
 “She was in the Food World store on Bankhead
Highway. Shortly before 1 p.m., she confronted the
woman married to her ex-husband. That woman
shot her through the right lung.”

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(5 of 8)

• Practice Brevity
– Watch for words, phrases, and sentences that
do not add to the written content
 “It is a general truth that short words are not only
handier to use but more powerful in effect; extra
syllables reduce, not increase, vigor.” – Henry
Fowler

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(6 of 8)

• Eliminate Jargon, Clichés, and

Bureaucratese
– Avoid technical language
– Avoid overused words, phrases, and clauses
– Avoid unnecessary and imprecise phrasing

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(7 of 8)

• Use Familiar Words

– Understand your audience
• Vary Sentence Type and Length
– Using only one type of sentence is boring
– Avoid placing subject at end of sentence

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 1.3 Basic Techniques
(8 of 8)

• Nouns and Verbs

– Build sentences around nouns and verbs
– Best verbs provide action and description
 Examples: excite, forgive, explore
• Transitions
– Tie writing together

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 Writing for the Mass Media

Objective 1.4 -- List the reasons mass media

writing differs from other forms of writing

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 1.4 Writing for the Mass Media
(1 of 2)

• Professionalism
– News writing
– Different forms of writing have different
demands
– Honesty

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 1.4 Writing for the Mass Media
(2 of 2)

• The Changing Media Environment

– More sources of news, information, and
entertainment
– Audience participation
– Reporting at breakneck speed

© 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.