FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

In my 205 I was asked to consider how and why my writing changes from one community to another. This essay represents the results of that exploration.

My writing style changes greatly between the communities of academia and newspaper journalism. In both academic and newspaper writing I am compelled to include as much information as possible, yet the two call for completely different styles. I think this difference exists because the two forms of writing have different objectives. The general objectives of a newspaper article are to examine a story or issue, to introduce the public to the issue, and to provide a forum for others' opinions. With a few exceptions, newspapers don't have the time or the space to delve into an issue; instead they introduce it and possibly follow it up later with another story. The general objective of most academic writings I have done is to comprehensively answer a question. This involves a far more exhaustive exploration of an issue. Often in academic writing, the question itself provides the objective and defines the content of the writing. The fundamental differences in purpose between newspaper and academic forms of writing manifest into more clearly defined differences.

The most obvious difference between the two forms of writing is structure. By using the term "structure," I am referring to the length and context of the piece of writing. Structure is an important factor because it sets the ground work for my writing. In academic writing, I try to cite numerous examples or personal experiences to illustrate a point. Newspaper writing requires that I condense my points. The writing is supposed to be simple, yet informative, and is crammed into a few inches of type. Writing to fill six inches of type is quite different than filling six double-spaced pages. Structure also translates into differences in word usage. Because of space constrictions, every word counts when writing for a newspaper. The key is to say as much as possible in the fewest words possible. There is a specific "newspaper style" which calls for short paragraphs, constant attribution of information, active voice, and numerous other writing guidelines.

According to newspaper style, paragraphs should be one or two sentences long, with each paragraph including a complete statement or thought. This allows the reader to move from point-to-point quickly, without becoming bored and losing interest in the story. Information in newspaper articles must always be attributed.