By Fred Itua
Writing is a skill. You can refer to it too as an art. While some folks are born with the skill, others acquire it through serious hard work.
In print journalism, possessing or learning some basic skills in writing guarantees a successful and seamless career. If you lack these basic skills, you will either have a sluggish and tiring career or cave in to the pressure of the job eventually.
For the purpose of this essay, I will classify the art of writing for newspapers into three categories- News, Feature and Analysis.
News writing
In news writing, one has to take into account not only one’s audience. The adopted tone in which the piece is delivered is very vital. Readers, no matter their societal classifications, must be able to align with the flow of a news writer. As we often forget, in news writing, there are three key elements that must be adhered to: Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity.
As already explained, news writing is about telling a story quickly and concisely. News writing has its own structure. It’s called the inverted pyramid. This usually serves as a guide for a writer in filling information in the story.
Using the inverted pyramid means starting with the most important information, then putting the next most important item.
Start with the most important point, and flow in that manner. As a news writer, you must start with the facts and then add the background. This is where the application of 5Ws and 1H comes in handy. This means the writer must include the who, where, what, why, when and how of a story.
So, there you have it!
Feature writing
A feature article is a non-fiction piece of writing that focuses on a particular topic. Nigerian journalists often piece together old news stories and term it a feature article. There are usually no new angles or information provided, beside rehearsing tired narratives. This style goes against all the rules of writing a compelling feature story.
Unlike news writing, drafting a feature story requires more artistic skills. A feature is a longer piece of writing than a news story. Again, features come in many different types and are widely used in magazines, newspapers and online.
Feature writing often covers an issue in greater depth than a news story would do. Most times, it gives more details than a news story. It also looks at an ongoing story from a different perspective.
The purpose of a feature story is to provide a detailed description of a place, person, idea or an organisation. Feature writers often use a particular style of writing. The use of literary terms helps in this regard.
These terms include similes and metaphors, onomatopoeia, imagery (figurative language), climax and more. If you were a student of literature in secondary school, a firm understanding of figures of speech will help you navigate the world of feature writing.
News analysis
According to Indeed, a credible educational website, an analysis “is a detailed examination of a topic.”
Unlike news and feature writing, news analysis involves performing research and separating results into smaller, logical topics to form reasonable conclusions. It often goes beyond surface reporting and goes deeper into the underreported details of a particular issue. It presents a specific argument about the topic and supports that argument with evidence.
In writing an analysis, journalists are permitted to covertly embed their biases and sentiments in the article. A writer must, however, be careful not to delve into opinion writing and mistake it for critical news analysis.
In conclusion, anyone who aspires to be a good writer must invest in self-development. Mediocrity will seldom take you far. Stay up to date. Read as often as possible. Avoid plagiarism and give credit when necessary.
Be creative and avoid unnecessary verbosity. Settle for a diction that will convey the right message to your readers.
Above all, be open to correction and scout for good mentors to guide you through the turbulent route of print journalism.