(Writing Small Stories With a Big Impact.)

Stories involving any kind of crime, violence, scandal, or disaster, always get the breaking coverage and become front-page news. You could argue that the online news space is just one big money-spinning tabloid at this point. And as consumers, we tend to be drawn into all this by our innate curiosity and yes, our penchant for the scandalous and macabre.

A few of these stories a week is palatable, but we’re now inundated with an enormous daily dose of negativity. From wildfires to mass shootings, the news seems to offer an endless diet of disaster. These events need to be covered of course, but there’s a better way to do so. And it’s not just the legacy and independent/citizen journalist news sources, worse still is all the trash online content, disguised as news, that thrives off clickbait.

What kind of effect does this perpetual bad news cycle have on our mental and physical health? And can we as journalists tip the balance by pursuing more positive, or at the very least, less negative stories? Or maybe tackle them in a different way, sans sensationalism? Would anyone read them if we did?

Let’s dig in.

The Power of Sensational Journalism

There is nothing new under the sun, and news outlets have always peddled sensationalist news. The tabloids have thrived on it. “Read all about it,” newsboys would shout, “Headless Body Found in Topless Bar.” Now click bait has taken over the reins and the effect of online fodder is arguably worse. And yes, go right ahead, click on the link there, it was an actual headline in 1983. We’ll wait…

At least back in pre-internet times, when newspapers were the norm, we’d read an article, shake our heads, flip to the comic strip, chuckle, maybe take a go at the crossword, check our horoscopes, then fold up the paper, and get on with our day. No comments section to scroll through, no rabbit holes to tumble down, and no Facebook bickering back then. You’d save that for the pub. The paper would eventually end up lining the parakeet cage anyway, or in 80s Britain, used to wrap your Friday night fish and chips. Yesterday’s news and all that.

And with television nightly news at least, we know the drill by now. It’s all bad news up front, often just one stretched out story if there’s a hurricane. If we’re lucky at the end they’ll throw in a feel good “and finally…” segment about something positive, like a panda giving birth at the zoo. It’s almost like a salve after being battered with distress.

With the digital landscape it’s a very different scenario. We’re constantly bombarded with clickbait headlines whenever we’re online, even when we’re casually checking our social media page bad news pops up uninvited. There’s a term for this; it’s called incidental exposure.

It takes a strong-willed person to resist the urge to click on a juicy, enticing headline. Did you check out that New York Post link yet? You will!

The Power of Negative Journalism

We read the negative story online, but we can’t seem to just leave it right there and go make a cup of tea. Oh no. Instead, there’s the added lure of the comments section. You’ll just take a quick peek, right? See if anyone else agrees with your take on the story. Since “bad news” is designed to trigger strong emotional reactions, the comments section is often a minefield of angry outbursts. Coupled with the impact of the negative news story, after reading the nasty comments, you’re left drained, exhausted, and stressed out. “Are people really like this?” you exclaim to an empty room, as you head for the fridge and grab a beer. You’ll need something stronger if you took the plunge and posted your own comment and were mercilessly attacked for your trouble.

The whole experience leaves a psychological scar, affecting your mood and in some cases even causing physical symptoms, through the activation of the body’s flight or fight response.

A barrage of distressing news can fuel distrust and a feeling of doom, and we misguidedly start thinking that things are worse than they really are. Twisted, slanted stories trigger anger, hate, and cause societal division. You’d think by watching the news that crime was at an all-time high, but statistics show otherwise. It’s just the perception. The same goes for plane crashes. A study even found that people showed an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety after only 14 minutes of news consumption. Such is the power of words and the impact of click bait tactics.

Click to continue.

No News Is Good News Then, Right? 

What I loved about my weekly newspaper reporter role was that we did include positive articles, at least by the bottom of page 4. We’d cover a local couple’s golden anniversary or schoolchildren saving wild birds, or a magician getting accepted into the Magic Circle. These stories also sold papers, as the people involved have families and friends who will buy the issue just to clip that one story.

Positive stories don’t have to be cutesy and fluffy. We can meet in the middle somewhere between hard and soft news. Amid all the clickbait headlines there are some well-written stories out there. Great longform narrative pieces that explore the human condition, stories that cover real issues, follow ordinary people overcoming extraordinary circumstances. We need stories that build us up not tear us apart. Stories that empower rather than ones that leave us nervous and scared.

We can do more. Journalism as an industry can do better. We can evolve and still tackle the big, the bad, and the negative, but with tact, dignity, compassion, and empathy, rather than exploiting disasters and the misery of others just for clicks.

I believe most people are tired of being cannon fodder for the negative Nancys. They’re fed up with click bait stories that offer no real value. Readers are wising up and long for more substance and coverage that really matters.

And reading good news is scientifically proven to be good for you. Good news triggers dopamine release, reduces cortisol levels, improves mood, and strengthens social bonds. Read more about the benefits of good news here.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the negativity that floods the content we consume daily, but once we become aware of the dangers to our health and wellbeing, and start being mindful about what and how much news we consume, we can counteract or even avoid any negative outcomes.

We’re here on this earth to live, experience, create, explore, and help others if we can, not to worry about things we cannot possibly control. So, turn off the news for a day, read some well-researched, thoughtful journalism, and carpe diem, y’all!

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

The post Does Good News Sell? Or Are We Forever Stuck With the Bad News Bearers? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

I’ve written hundreds of articles, filmed undercover, interviewed high ranking public officials, national politicians and celebrities; tackled controversial, hard-hitting issues, and worked as a journalist and producer on two continents. But the story that stole my heart was Boyo’s. It’s one of the few times I know unequivocally that something I wrote made a difference.

(The Art of Good Communication in Journalism.)

Local stories may seem inconsequential or “small” since national and international “big” stories and issues dominate the media. But they are equally important and more effective than we think. While the impact of a larger story is more widespread, a local story is just as powerful. As writers, we don’t often get much feedback after a piece is published. But on rare occasions we get to see the results of our writing firsthand. Those times are precious.

So, you want to hear about Boyo? 

It was the holidays and as a reporter I was rustling up story ideas in the slow news period. This was before social media when newspapers were prevalent, and people posted information in shop windows. I came across a voluntary organization that saved strays and the motto, a “dog is for life, not just for Christmas,” came to mind. Bingo, I had a nice, timely feature, easy to write, and a pleasure to report. 

“Abandoned at Christmas time,” stated the ensuing headline. I wrote about “Dog Helpline” a tiny organization established by a local lady, that had rescued 15 strays over Christmas, including Boyo, an 18-month-old Jack Russell who had been roaming the streets for weeks. Boyo had fallen ill, and a volunteer nursed him back to health. Nobody had claimed him, and he was up for adoption. We arranged a photo of the volunteer holding cute little Boyo. It was a nice piece, nothing major, but I knew our readers would enjoy it.

A few days later, a colleague called saying, “You need to do a follow-up on that dog story. He already found a home.” I immediately called the foster and indeed, a young couple had adopted Boyo. She said the response to the story was “tremendous” and that other stray dogs also had possible new homes.

That was a lovely moment that I will always cherish. My story helped a little stray dog. The little things in life often leave the biggest impression.

As freelancers we’re encouraged to pursue and pitch stories that “grab an editor’s attention,” find an exclusive interview with someone important, discuss a revolutionary new discovery, dazzle with a new angle, and so on. And we tend to go for these bigger, juicy stories to get the sought-after bylines.

But a piece doesn’t have to be about saving the world, or an “out of the box,” flashy, big story. We don’t need to constantly dig for the hard-hitting and sensational. In the words of an old editor, “I’m not looking for Watergate, just get out there and talk to people.”

And that’s local journalism in a nutshell, communicating with people in your hometown. I started my career as a weekly newspaper reporter in rural Wales, and so “small” stories were my bread and butter. I love leafing through my pile of clippings from that time. And yes, I saved most of them, including my original and follow-up pieces about Boyo.

Human interest, “local kid does good” type stories, and of course the “and finally…,” feel-good animal tales, are journalistic gems. If you explore the lives of “ordinary” people, you’re bound to find true, authentic, heart wrenching and inspiring stories, that we all love to read. And if you’re lucky, you might get some feedback and end up writing a follow-up piece.

Here are 5 tips on how to find and pitch small, local stories:

1. Read local newspapers (if they’re still in circulation in your area), and regional magazines. These publications can be dailies, weeklies, monthlies, or quarterlies, independents, and so on. Study them all and familiarize yourself with the types of stories covered. They can be print or online.
2. Scroll local Facebook pages. From planning issues to community theatre, the story potential is endless. Then scan the comments section. For example, during Hurricane Helene I was looking for story angles and people to interview, and social media was a goldmine. People really want to share on sites like Facebook and this is a great resource for interviewees and sources, as well as feature ideas.
3. Get involved with your community, volunteer, talk to your neighbors, connect with friends and local business owners. Stay in the loop. There’s always something going on. What concerns do people have? What makes them happy? Somebody you meet will always have a good story.
4. Start conversations with people you meet, at stores, coffee shops, and in your neighborhood. I seem to have a knack for “making” people talk. Even my dentist and his staff are chatty when I’m a captive audience in the dreaded chair…
5. Attend local events, from folk festivals to vintage car shows. I once wrote a fun reported essay after visiting a Bigfoot festival. When there, be sure to talk to people and get their contact information if you feel they’re a good source. I often conduct some quick, on-the-spot interviews with my phone at events.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

Where to pitch “small” ideas?

1. See if your local newspaper accepts freelance pitches. They probably have full-time reporters, but it’s worth asking.
2. Local magazines and independent newspapers are great places for freelancers to pitch. Read the publications, find out what stories they cover, and most importantly, get to know the editors. Most seem to love stories about local business and business owners, for instance.
3. There are also specialist publications and trade magazines that need stories, so find out if your ideas fit their needs. These can include anything from travel to architecture.
4. You can also pitch small, local stories to statewide publications and nationals. These can be stand-alone pieces or a story that encompasses a wider issue. Many publications seek out articles from different regions and want them just because they’re small, slice-of-life stories reflecting that area’s culture and environment.

Types of Stories

1. Features—Features, also referred to as soft journalism, are evergreen, they’re not time-sensitive like hard news, meaning they have staying power; you can pitch them at any time, and they’ll stay relevant. They will have more impact of course if there’s some kind of peg, like an upcoming event, holiday (such as dogs dumped at Christmas time), and so on. Features are fun to write and research, and ideas are everywhere when you really start looking.
2. Profile Feature—Profiles have been described as a “written portrait of a person,” which sums it up nicely. Find an interesting person (or even a group) in your area and write a piece about their background, career, accomplishments, goals, and so on.
3. Q&A—The Q&A (question and answer) article is an edited transcription of an interview with a short narrative introduction. It involves interviewing one source (someone interesting in the community, a person who’s accomplished something great, or an individual with an unusual job) and is a relatively simple and enjoyable piece to write.
4. Blogs—Blogs are short articles that cover practically anything. They can be published on your own personal or business website or on sites like Medium.
5. Listicles—The 7 Best Local Breweries, Top 5 Staycation Spots in (your city), you get the gist.

File Your Ideas and Contacts

Make a list of all your ideas, the topics you’ve researched, and stories you’ve heard. Keep the information in one document so it’s easy to access. Similarly, when you meet someone interesting, make a note of their name and the nature of your conversation for future reference.

They say charity begins at home but should not end there, and the same can be true of journalism. Start small and local and then branch out to cover the rest of the country and the world … if you want to. Otherwise, there’s no place like home. 

The post Writing Small Stories With a Big Impact: How Local Journalism Makes a Difference appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(5 Great Journalism Podcasts for Writers to Try.)

The fundamental purpose of journalism today remains the same. However, technological advances and digitization have drastically changed the way news is created, disseminated, and consumed. These changes, as well as other factors, have transformed the landscape and industry to such an extent, that it’s getting increasingly difficult to find trusted sources. It’s hard to determine any more if the public is receiving the information needed to become fully informed citizens, and there are many reasons for this. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive in.

Journalism is referred to as the ‘fourth pillar of democracy’ and journalists are supposed to be society’s watchdogs. They’re hired on the public’s behalf, tasked with digging out the truth, asking tough questions, challenging the powerful, and holding those in government, business, and institutions accountable regardless of political affiliation. The journalist’s role is finding and presenting this vital information in an objective, neutral manner. 

In general, these basic journalistic standards are not being met. Mainstream outlets are supposedly regulated by media law and press ethics, yet the problems within the industry are now glaringly obvious even to the casual observer. The legacy media is losing public trust and respect at an alarming rate as a huge number of Americans now find the news unreliable and untrustworthy.

A 2023 Gallup poll shows that overall trust in journalism is at an all-time low. Gallup began tracking trust in American mass media back in 1972, when 68% claimed they had “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the media, and “none at all” was at a mere 6%. In 2023, only 32% of Americans reported they had “a great deal” of trust in the news media, and “none at all” hit a record high of 39%.

And as for political coverage, according to a May 2024 report from the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 53% of Americans say they are extremely or very concerned that news organizations will report inaccuracies or misinformation during the election season. Almost half (47%) worry that news outlets will report unverified information, and 48% are concerned that the media focuses too much on divisions or controversies.

They were once highly regarded as the bastions of reliable news but now people are switching off the mainstream media and seeking alternatives. And there’s plenty to choose from online, including social media sites like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), independent networks, and YouTube channels.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

The news industry itself shares some of the blame, due to the rise of infotainment, homogenous, sensationalist journalism, and the consolidation of news outlets. Digitalization is also a factor, and many traditional outlets just couldn’t compete, and in the past few decades TV news stations have faced massive layoffs and thousands of newspapers nationwide (especially local newspapers) have closed their doors for good.

Many fear that the remaining ‘watchdogs of democracy’ are fast becoming either the ‘mouthpieces of government’ or the lapdogs of corporations.

But what does the ‘alternative news’ media offer? Is it any better?

Amidst the deluge of online content, it’s often hard to distinguish between real news, propaganda, click bait, and AI-generated material. In addition, digitization has created a new wave of journalism and a new kind of journalist. Some independent and citizen journalists routinely and easily outperform their legacy media counterparts in terms of audience numbers and impact. Journalism is being redefined and the title ‘journalist’ is becoming more fluid.

But the internet is congested with content, much of it poorly written, badly researched, and lacking substance. Journalistic integrity has been shoved aside with speed and quantity taking priority. The goal is to churn out as much stuff as possible, in multimedia, easily digestible formats, so consumers can gorge at the endless information feedlot. There’s an abundance of activist journalists and commentators in both legacy and independent news media. They probably far outnumber ‘real’ journalists. On a national level, the partisan bias is not just seeping through but flooding out the pores of some journalists.

Not only are we constantly bombarded with information, but much of it is also irrelevant and designed to provoke an emotional reaction rather than inform us. When we react in such a manner, we’re not digesting information that will serve us, but instead becoming embroiled in a divisive war of words, ideals, and culture. We respond to headlines that often have little to do with the actual story, and we forget the things that matter in our everyday life and local communities. The purpose of some of this content is to provoke a reaction, cause conflict, divide, and create tension. 

The bottom line is that negative stories attract attention and make money. This is not a new concept, of course, we’re all familiar with the saying, ‘if it bleeds, it leads.’ Mistrust in the news media is also nothing new and the industry has always been in a state of flux. The big difference now is the sheer volume of content and information we face daily, from all types of sources and in various formats. It’s unprecedented.

For journalism in general to regain the public’s faith and trust, the industry must first avoid employing activist journalists. Reporting is quite simple. Shelve the thesaurus, tell us what’s happening in simple terms, cut out the metaphors, hold the snark, and cover both sides of a story. In addition, the media should not be sheltering candidates or lobbing tough questions at one side while treating the other with kid gloves. 

A journalist’s job is to report what’s going on, period. They’re not hired to lecture the public, be dismissive and patronizing towards half the population, or to abuse their privileged positions by churning out endless hit pieces.

People are not oblivious and truly crave substance and quality, the basic stuff that even the most mediocre journalists used to offer as a matter of course. While national journalism seems mired in these problems, the saving grace I do believe is local journalism.

The public continues to rely on certain services, such as local news resources, be it television, radio, or local news websites, for their state and community news, weather, traffic, and coverage of local political candidates. Several polls support this notion. A 2024 study by the PEW Research Center reveals that American still hold positive views of local news media. Most U.S. adults (85%) believe local news outlets are at least somewhat important to the well-being of their local community, and 44% of those questioned say they are extremely or very important.

There are efforts underway to continue the work of now defunct newspapers online and the results look very promising.

Again, the basic purpose of journalism is to provide the public with pertinent and accurate reports so that we can all make informed decisions on issues that directly affect us.

If we can wade through the heaps of online trash and sieve out the nonsense, it’s possible to find many journalistic gems. Who knows if the traditional media outlets will survive the digital revolution. But there are journalists both traditional and independent, that truly care about journalistic integrity and will continue to provide quality journalism in whatever format that works. After all, it’s not the delivery method or the platform that’s important, but the quality and accuracy of the content.

________________________

Resources:

• https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/05/07/views-of-local-news/
• https://apnorc.org/topics/media-insight-project/
• https://americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-journalism/purpose-journalism/
• https://news.gallup.com/poll/512861/media-confidence-matches-2016-record-low.aspx

The post What Is the Purpose of Journalism in This Age of Information Overload? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Find Freelance Success Pitching to Magazine Families.)

I’ve been in the magazine industry most of my working life, having started freelancing in my early-20s to help fund my education. At various points I have also been an English teacher in China, a factory worker, and a bar tender. Around a decade ago I landed my dream job writing for a men’s magazine (not THAT that kind of men’s magazine) in London when someone who worked there thought I was funny on Facebook. Yes, things like that really do happen occasionally. It was my first full-time journalism gig. The magazine was mostly about action movies, sport, and rappers. The only problem was, it was on a downward trajectory and cutbacks were inevitable. I was laid off after six months.

From there I worked for a couple of sports magazines, including a new launch which cost the publishing company £7m and folded within a year, before ending up on a very niche hunting and shooting title. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say it takes a special kind of person to do that job, and I wasn’t that person. There was also a lot of worrying takeover talk. I’d been in that position before. I could read the signs, and started looking for a new job. One stood out; Senior Staff Writer at a company I’d never heard of. 

I’m not going to lie, the thing that initially attracted me was the money which was almost double what I was making at the hunting and shooting magazine. I did what any responsible person would do and Googled the new company. I soon learned that the magazine department was just one branch of the company, which was involved in the plastics industry. It also held conferences and exhibitions, performed data analysis, and published white papers. Is that what I would be doing? It sounded both complex and boring. Still, it would make a change from writing about dead animals. It was a newly created position, which meant the company was growing. That would make a welcome change from working for a company heading in the opposite direction which describes most publishing companies. 

In a perfect world, the new hire would be a journalist with a background in chemistry. But that was a pretty tall order. A more realistic alternative would be to either take someone with a chemistry or science background and teach them how to write, or someone with a journalism background and teach them about plastics. For someone who had spent almost his entire career in consumer magazines, these were uncharted waters. But as a fellow ex-consumer journalist once told me, it’s where we all end up. Evidently, he was right.

The trade magazine sector is far less glamorous and you get invited to fewer parties, but the work is more stable. When you reach a certain age you don’t want too many surprises. In consumer publishing, the rug gets pulled out from under you. A lot. One minute you’re on top of the world, winning awards, schmoozing with celebs, and going to red-carpeted film premiers, and the next you are being shut down. It happened to me so often that I thought I was a jinx. 

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can see it was mostly about timing. I just managed to catch the end of the golden age of UK magazines, when the industry was going through its death throes and titles were closing as quickly as the pubs, but the major publishing companies were still throwing money around trying to buck the trend. It was a strange time. It was all very panicky, and a lot of rash decisions were made. 

One of the first things I learned after I made the initial switch is that the trade press is very insular and self-contained. You won’t find many of these publications in the big newsagents. In fact, you wouldn’t find ours in any newsagents, not least because we are digital only. The companies we write about are the same ones spending their advertising budget with us, and our readers are their customers. The more subscribers we get and the more social media impressions our posts get, the more we can charge for advertising and the more money our company makes.

Transferable Skills

On an average day, my first job is to sort through my inbox for useful press releases and collate the most recent industry news from various trusted sources into an email I fire off to my editor-in-chief, who then selects the stories he wants to run in our news sections and on our social media channels. X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) is our main outlet. Our socials are the most front-facing part of the business, which draw people in and encourages them to interact with other departments. 

As a seasoned staff writer, news gathering is something I’m used to. The process is the same, you just use different media outlets. It can be a challenge identifying those outlets at first, but most journalists are trained in such occupational pursuits and it’s a valuable transferable skill.

The plastic industry, like every other, is extremely very fast-moving. There is always something happening. Not just one something, a hundred somethings. My job is to identify the developments of most value to our readers, who are invariably industry professionals, and report on them. It can be overwhelming at first, but after a while you get a handle on things and learn which companies are worth paying attention to. You can follow some stories for months. 

As a journalist, you are always thinking about how you can best utilize and package what you have at your disposal. If something as simple as filing away a press release can save you time later, you do it, and if you come across a particularly interesting story, you might consider contacting one of the companies involved to see if a spokesperson or representative will answer a few questions. They usually jump at the chance of some free publicity.

On previous magazines I was on the phone a lot, usually tangled up in wires as I struggled to record interviews on a Dictaphone which then had to be transcribed later. Everything was time sensitive and I always seemed to be in a hurry. In the trade press, there’s less urgency so most people prefer answering questions via email. This also serves as a written log of your communications. A lot of the data we deal with is very technical, and some of it quite sensitive, so a digital version of a paper trail is a good idea. Not only for legal reasons, but because you can always go back and check something if you need to. Plus, of course, it allows you to simply copy and paste the bits you need. 

Talking to these companies serves many purposes. You are showing an interest in what they are doing and (usually) saying nice things about them, which puts you in their good books. Plus, you might get a jump on your competitors (they exist in every industry and ours is no different) and maybe grab a few precious original quotes to add weight to news stories or features further down the line.

Meat and Potatoes

My main responsibility is writing features. This is nothing new to me. I have written about everything from Chinese UFO sightings to chili pepper farming. The features I write now are very detailed, tech-heavy, in-depth detailing very specific aspects of the plastics industry. They are comprised mainly of news stories and carefully curated press releases. There is a lot of making media requests, researching, chasing images, etc. 

Regarding content, the magazine has to not only be topical but remain objective. Every company toots their own horn in their press communications and makes outlandish claims like being ‘best-in-class’ or ‘world leaders.’ Our magazine tries to avoid using terminology like that and refrain from calling anybody ‘world leaders’ even if they are. This is because we can’t be perceived as giving anyone preferential treatment. It’s a matter of integrity. 

And from a more pragmatic viewpoint, we can’t risk upsetting current or potential advertisers. There are a couple of other writers on the team, mostly freelancers. We never see each other because we are based in different countries, but we maintain a good relationship and help each other out by sharing contacts and material. It makes everyone’s life easier.

When I write a feature, any feature, I follow a formula. It’s the same formula I used when writing the article you are reading right now. You narrow down a topic as much as possible, do some research, decide an over-arcing theme, gather some suitable material, and then stitch all the components together into a cohesive narrative. There are usually have a handful of items I want to include, or points I want to make, and I use them as signposts. Collectively, they form a sort of skeleton. 

Then I simply put meat on the bones, taking advantage of the natural segues which appear during the process. This formula is why I find writing features so much easier than fiction. You may have more freedom in fiction, but there is no blueprint and no structure. Sometimes, the lines get blurred. Writer’s block doesn’t exist in my world. If I am struggling on one project, I switch to another. Writing is writing to me, I just write different things. 

Infuriatingly, my best ideas always seem to come when I am working on something else. I used to jot them down somewhere, but they invariably got lost. To remedy that I started using different Word files for each idea and saved them in a folder on my desktop. Now I have a ton of word documents with just a few lines of text in and no context whatsoever. Some files don’t even have names.

Every magazine has a distinctive house style. At this stage in my career I find it relatively easy to mimic the style of whichever magazine I happen to be writing for that day, but it sometimes requires a period of adjustment. However niche your area of expertise becomes, you will meet people who know more about it than you do. They are completely immersed in it. They are your core readership and you have to keep them happy. You can’t dumb things down too much, but you also have to cater for the more casual reader who may not have such exhaustive knowledge. It’s a thin line. 

Plus, around a third of our readership come from countries where English is a second language so they naturally have a limited vocabulary. This means getting the tone right is vital. We have to be accessible but not too simplistic, and the language we use must invite readers in rather than alienate them.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

Networking

Another aspect of the job that crossed over from my years in consumer magazines is dealing with outside PR agencies. These are usually used by mid-sized companies, as smaller companies can’t afford the expense and larger companies tend to keep comms in-house. As a general rule, the bigger the company, the more resources they devote to public relations. You could debate all day whether they pay more attention to PR because they are more successful, or whether they are more successful because they pay more attention to PR. 

As a journalist you build up a symbiotic relationship with PR executives. You need them to produce content, and they need you to generate the publicity their client pays for. What you don’t need is them trying to push irrelevant content on you. Do any of our clients have any new thermally conductive polymer offerings? No, they don’t Mr Saunders. But one just released a new line of interior EV parts with 55% recycled plastics content (mass balance approach) boosted by a new stripping agent, would that do? It’s the equivalent of asking for a steak and being offered a Pop Tart instead. As far as annoying things PR execs do, that is right up there with sending you an email to ask whether you received their last email.

Pre-Covid, it was standard practice to meet PR execs in person every few weeks and let them treat you to a free lunch or dinner. They have to spend that expense budget somewhere. That kind of thing is probably illegal now. These days you just trade a few quick messages or perhaps have the odd 2-minute video call. Public relations is another fast-moving industry where people switch jobs all the time. You might work with one PR exec for a couple of years, then they’ll disappear only to pop up again months later at a different agency.

In my last couple of jobs I have worked ‘across titles,’ which is industry speak for having one person do three people’s work. Publications which had a bloated staff of 22 six or seven years ago now limp along with a skeleton crew of four, most of whom divide their time ‘across titles.’ The reduced staff also have to take on new, often unfamiliar responsibilities. There are digital versions, websites, newsletters, apps, and social networking channels to maintain. The result is that the quality of content drops. That costs you readers, so profits dip still further, and so it continues. It’s a vicious circle.

Job descriptions themselves have also become more fluid. Being a staff writer no longer means you are focused on writing copy. Now the role might also take in sub-editing, picture researching, designing, laying out, and any number of other duties, many of which you are not actually trained for. But even working across titles is easier on trade magazines because I can use the same resources and recycle the same material. It just appears in different places. 

Perhaps the biggest plus point of all is because the trade press doesn’t chase trends as flagrantly as the consumer sector does, things are much more organized. I know what I will be working on up to a year in advance, which leaves plenty of time to plan and prepare. This all helps the operation move more smoothly, and is just one of the reasons why I will probably stay on the dark side.

The post Making the Switch From Consumer Magazines to Trade Publications appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.” —Austin Kleon.

Ideas are a writer’s most precious commodity. As the above quote rightly states, our main job is finding new stories and figuring out interesting ways to tackle well-worn topics and issues.

But ideas are no good to us if we don’t remember them and they’re never actualized. That’s why we need a system in place to record, store, and organize our ideas in one central, accessible file.

Unfortunately, good ideas have a nasty habit of popping up at the most inconvenient times; while driving, in the middle of a movie, at 3 a.m., or in the shower. We always mean to write them down when we get a chance, but life inevitably gets in the way, and we forget.

As a freelance writer/journalist working from home at the kitchen table, I often scribble down ideas on random scraps of paper, whatever happens to be nearby, the energy bill envelope or the grocery store receipt. Numerous long neglected (and sparse) ‘Story Ideas’ documents also clutter up my desktop. 

It’s like a treasure hunt trying to find my notes. That envelope might easily end up in the shredder or recycling bin, the receipt crumpled into a ball and tossed in the trash. The glorious, potential prize-winning stories lost forever. I’ve flipped through old notebooks and discovered long forgotten ideas scattered among to-do lists and New Year goals.

I wasn’t always so disorganized. As a full-time journalist and producer, I was meticulous about keeping an active and organized ideas file and contact book. Since I worked on a weekly newspaper and later weekly television shows, I needed a constant flow of ideas for potential stories, either to act upon immediately, to pitch at meetings, or keep for future reference. I didn’t have the time for scavenger hunts back then.

So, I’ve decided to devise a simple, but effective system, incorporating methods used in previous workplaces, modern technology, and new processes that fit my freelance lifestyle.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

Back in the day, before I had an iPhone and laptop, I stored materials in a manila folder, including physical notes, idea lists, and newspaper or magazine clippings. Now of course there are many more options for capturing and organizing ideas.

A good system should have one central file where all ideas and notes are stored, and this can be on your laptop, computer, or whatever device you use. Many may still prefer the tangible—a folder, index cards, or a large notebook. This should be clearly marked, well organized and easily accessible.

This way you can streamline the writing process and make the writing life much easier.

As well as a central home for your materials, you also need a method for immediately recording ideas when they arise. There are many ways to do this effectively. You can go old school and use a notebook, but make sure you use the same one, and that it’s small enough to carry around. The iPhone Notes app is my favorite along with Voice Memos to verbally record ideas. Since most of us are glued to our phones all day, maybe the apps are the easier options.

Here are a few more tips to keep you organized and disciplined.

General Ideas File

This is the place to transfer all the notes and ideas you’ve gathered in notebooks and on devices and categorize them. Having a central place, a home—whether it’s a physical manila folder or a file on your laptop—helps you avoid scrambling around looking for scraps of paper or trying to find notes on different phone apps, when it’s time to choose what stories to pitch.

If you’re home when the muse strikes, this is the best place to jot down ideas as they come to you. Many writers keep a notebook and pen by their beds, as ideas can strike in the middle of the night or just upon awakening.

List by Category

In addition to your general ideas file, you can create a separate document or spreadsheet, (however you prefer to list information), under different categories such as quotes, sayings, data, and so on. Most journalists and writers habitually take notes while reading articles, books, or maybe after an interesting conversation. 

This is where you can list these snippets you come across. They could be interesting facts, important data, fascinating people, a link to a scientific study, sayings, and maybe even your feelings about a place, an event, or person. These notes can be used either to reference in future articles, as a central theme, or a story peg.

List by Immediacy

If the idea coincides with a special date, month, or holiday, such as Christmas, Mother’s Day, Black History Month, and needs to be pitched well in advance, then file it accordingly. You can also have an urgent category for other time sensitive stories.

List by Article Types

Would this idea work best as a feature, news item, blog, profile, Q&A, or personal essay? This streamlines the process even further and can save a lot of time.

Include the Details

Jot down the date of your idea and where/how it came up. If it involved a conversation with someone, be sure to include their name and if possible, contact information. You may need to get in touch for a follow up or even interview them for your piece. 

If it’s a quote from an article, list the date, publication, and byline. If it’s a book, include the title and author. If you watched, listened to, or read something online that inspired you, just grab the link and include a few notes to remind yourself why you found it interesting. Many good ideas happen in the moment and if you don’t include your thoughts at the time, chances are you won’t remember them later.

Suggest Publications

Under each idea, jot down some suggestions of publications that are a possible good fit. This is important as you may have just read an article in a magazine that sparked your idea. If you don’t note this detail, you may easily forget in a few weeks.

Keep Clippings

If you do read print publications such as newspapers and magazines and there’s an interesting article, clip it, and save it. You can either keep it in a folder or scan it and include it in your central file.

List Your Articles

Keep a list of all your published articles with links or a scan if it’s print only. In the future, you may want to write a follow up piece, include links in a pitch to an editor, or reference something you’ve written.

As a journalist or writer, your life will become so much easier when all your ideas, facts, information, and article links are stored neatly in one place. 

The post How to Keep an Ideas File as a Journalist appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Do AIs Dream of Electric Deeps?)

I’m no tech expert and do not use generative AI, but as an experienced journalist, I feel a great urgency to discuss its effect on our profession. I firmly believe in preserving the integrity of journalism by keeping humans in full control of each stage of news gathering, from ideation to fact checking. These may be lofty goals as most media company executives are probably chomping at the bit to start replacing people with bots. Others enjoy the fact that AI can perform all their monotonous tasks, freeing them up to enjoy the fun stuff. And I suppose, it does have its uses.

Whether you love it or hate it, we must closely monitor the use of AI in journalism, because it’s not going away, and is rapidly evolving and improving every day. But I also believe in the human spirit and our inherent love of storytelling. This alone could save the industry by ‘keeping it real.’

Since November 2022, we’ve experienced a huge leap in technology with the introduction of generative AI that can create new output, including text and images, which is often indistinguishable from human-generated content. Although most of us have been using AI in some form for many years, there’s a huge difference between spell checking a piece you wrote and prompting ChatGPT to draft a 1,200-word feature article from scratch that you can then claim as your own and monetize.

Maybe a better question would be, do you prefer consuming content created by artificial intelligence or by a human being? And will there be systems and rules in place to distinguish between them?

The business of journalism has been ‘under threat’ from technological advances for decades, with digitalization drastically changing how news is distributed and consumed. At the same time the digital era has democratized journalism, opening doors for independent and citizen journalists, which is, overall, a positive development.

But digitalization has also decimated local print journalism, which is a huge loss. Citizen journalists and local online ‘news’ channels fill in some of the gaping holes left by the declining newspaper publishing industry, which lost almost 60% of its workforce between 1990 and 2016 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. But they haven’t yet been able to replicate what newspaper reporters and magazine writers had the time, patience, and training to produce—thoughtful, thorough, boots-on-the-ground journalism, relying heavily on primary research and sources.

Since the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 the actual creative process of journalism is potentially compromised. And that’s a whole different story.

By now most people are familiar with ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), which has many capabilities—from answering questions and explaining complex topics to creating output such as social media posts, poetry, essays, and complete articles. The responses generated by ChatGPT are based on the data it was trained on, so one of the biggest problems is the bias present during its learning. There are also concerns over false information it may produce and whether compensation should be awarded writers, artists, and musicians whose work was used (without permission) to train the AI models. 

In November 2023, OpenAI introduced an updated version, GPT- 4 Turbo. Other companies have since developed their own models, such as X’s (formerly Twitter) Grok AI. And platforms like Midjourney and Dall-E can generate images in a matter of seconds, including scenes that don’t exist.

AI tools have been around for years and have obvious benefits. For example, I’d be lost without my phone’s GPS. Many writers use Grammarly and transcribing services for interviews. The Associated Press have been using AI in their newsrooms since 2014 and have even made a deal with OpenAI to license their archive of news stories dating back to 1985. They’ve also created a list of guidelines for AI use in newsrooms, which you can read here.

But Chat GPT and its counterparts have pushed the use of AI to another level—creating content. This is where it gets problematic. As an experienced, dedicated researcher and writer, who’s spent years learning and perfecting your skills and craft, would you feel comfortable claiming authorship for a piece you didn’t actually write? And would you fully trust the output of a generative AI model? After all, it would be difficult to cite the source of this information.

What is the Purpose of Journalism?

Journalism is a valuable public service, often referred to as the ‘fourth pillar of democracy’ or the ‘fourth estate.’ According to the American Press Institute the central purpose of journalism is to “provide citizens with accurate and reliable information they need to function in a free society.” https://americanpressassociation.com/principles-of-journalism/

From covering government policies to business dealings, journalism must be disciplined, with the facts presented in a clear, neutral manner, free of opinion and emotion. Being ‘the watchdogs of democracy’ and keeping governments, institutions, and businesses accountable, is a serious responsibility, one we can’t simply hand over to machines. The consequences, including potential conflicts of interest and the use of propaganda, could be quite severe.

AI can be safely used for repetitive tasks like data analysis, outlines, transcribing, and so on. But some people are using ChatGPT and other systems to create first drafts of articles, publishing them unedited, and calling their ‘efforts’ journalistic.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

The harsh reality is that anyone can legally claim the title journalist, and journalism incorporates many forms, including blogs and personal essays. We’re now inundated with such content, and we can assume that much of it is AI generated. Why spend time learning the craft and doing the hard work when a robot can do it all for you? 

Many articles and blogs are poorly researched and badly written but monetized regardless of quality. Content creators don’t care if they’re being disingenuous. Their goal is making money, and they will continue as long as it’s easy and profitable, ethics and morals be damned. But disinformation can also be easily created and distributed through AI systems, and the technology has made it simple to manipulate images and video footage. Soon it will be hard to distinguish real material from fakes, rendering photographic and video evidence untrustworthy, and therefore useless.

But people will soon tire of this bland content with its inevitable uniformity and start craving, even demanding original, authentic work. This should encourage those of us who refuse to use AI for creative purposes, to continue the hard work of producing real writing and journalism.

I believe the whole journalistic process—finding and researching stories, interviewing, writing the first draft, editing and fact checking—should be AI free. I would even advocate transcribing your own interviews as listening after the fact can spark ideas and often the piece will take shape in your mind. Those with decades of experience don’t need AI, we’ve managed quite well without it, and we’ve mastered the craft because we’ve had to learn all the steps. 

Using AI is basically cheating—cheating yourself out of an education through doing and experience and calling yourself a writer or journalist without doing the important grunt work. And if you decide to use AI to write a piece, even if it’s an outline or a first draft (which is where most of the magic of writing occurs by the way) then this should be declared.

I can’t say this enough: We must clearly label human-created journalism and AI-generated content.

AI is good at mimicking humans and can be prompted to write in anyone’s ‘style,’ but they have not and never will experience life firsthand. AI is incapable of original thought and ideas. It merely recreates and spits out content from the information it has ingested. Only a real person can write a compelling, empathetic, and genuine piece exploring and describing the human condition.

Talking to people in ‘real life’ is the best way to do journalism. AI can only work with digital data and information, it cannot go out into the field and interview victims and witnesses, perform on-scene reporting, connect with people, be embedded, nurture contacts, or provide the ‘human touch’ which is vital when covering sensitive subjects. It’s incapable of finding organic leads and gaining the trust of primary sources. And since, in my view, this is what constitutes real journalism—that is, reporting in the community, on the ground, in the field, with the people—then journalism is safe, and we have nothing to fear. At least not yet.

Sources:

• https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/13/23793810/openai-associated-press-ai-models
• https://gijn.org/stories/10-things-you-should-know-about-ai-in-journalism/
• https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/7/19/what-future-for-journalism-in-the-age-of-ai
• https://apnews.com/article/openai-chatgpt-associated-press-ap-f86f84c5bcc2f3b98074b38521f5f75a
• https://blog.ap.org/standards-around-generative-ai
• https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2023/2023-news-deserts-report-penny-abernathy-medill/
• https://localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/state-of-local-news/explore/#/localnewslandscape

The post Is Journalism Under Threat From AI? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(What Is Literary Journalism?)

We may not be familiar with the term itself, but if you spend time online or read magazines and even newspapers, you’re seeing these stories daily. They pop up on news feeds and are peppered all over social media. These articles advise readers on practicalities like what to wear, where to dine, and how to do or achieve something. You’ll learn everything from how to build a bookshelf to why stay-at-home moms prefer yoga pants. Then there’s the much-loved listicle, with topics such as “7 Tips to Conquer Procrastination” or “5 Skills You Need to Be an Effective Journalist.”

These stories are evergreen, informative, and actionable with practical tips, instruction, and demonstrable examples of success, such as before-and-after photos of a room makeover or a beautifully decorated cake. They offer information on such diverse topics as DIY, pets, gardening, finance, health, IT, gadgets, hiking, and so much more.

You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a new trend, but service journalism has been around for decades. These articles have always been popular with readers and remain a staple of print and online magazines and used as “filler” for newspapers.

Service journalism has been referred to as “frivolous” and less important than other journalistic forms, and there’s a morsel of truth to this when you compare it to the societal impact of investigative journalism and hard news stories. Countless blogs and listicles now flood the online space, and we can safely assume that some are written by AI after the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. We’ll leave that issue for another article; but it does complicate matters as this is probably the easiest format to generate with new AI technology.

While it’s true that service journalism won’t have the same hard-hitting effects as news and investigative reports, it does have a distinct purpose and can transform lives. Millions of readers enjoy and appreciate this valuable and useful resource. I bet that most people reading this article have Googled a question in the last few days, such as “how to stop your newly adopted dog from nipping,” (guilty) or the top 10 spring getaways in the US. The content generated by this type of search is service journalism.

Jean LemMon, the first female editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens, claimed service journalism came into being long before anybody put a label on it and offered a thorough description on C-Span back in the late 90s, which still holds true.

“Service journalism is a type of journalism that goes beyond the delivery of pure information,” she says. “It is journalism that requires action.” LemMon then goes on to explain that with “action journalism” we have an expectation that readers will be inspired to want to do something after they’ve read the piece, equipped with the information, advice, and instruction provided.

So, except for sponsored content and obvious clickbait, most service pieces fit neatly under the journalism umbrella, along with well-written blogs, columns, and personal essays. Service journalism has kept magazines in business for a very long time, and they are arguably the most widely read type of article. Major newspapers have editors assigned specifically to service journalism and entire websites are dedicated to the form.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

The same rules and ethics apply to service journalism as to any other kind of reporting. And as a generalist, I treat each assignment with equal care and attention, whether it’s covering a presidential candidate’s political rally or writing a listicle about the 10 best winter coats.

You’ve probably written countless service journalism articles without being aware such a category existed. But having a label can be useful when pitching ideas to publications. How-to articles and listicles are relatively easy to research and fun to write, and this type of content can be a great source of income.

Just remember a service piece should offer helpful, practical advice, tips, and/or instruction, be informative, relevant, and result in some kind of action on the part of the reader. It can take the form of a listicle, how-to article, or even a Q&A style piece.

________________________________

Here are a few resources that may be helpful:

• https://mediablog.prnewswire.com/2018/03/15/11-service-journalism-news-sites/
• https://smartocto.com/blog/solutions-difference-constructive-service-journalism/
• https://www.c-span.org/video/?96579-1/service-journalism
• https://rjionline.org/news/whats-working-service-journalism-is-having-a-moment/

The post What Is Service Journalism? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“Things that are cheap and tawdry in fiction work beautifully in nonfiction because they are true. That’s why you should be careful not to abridge it, because it’s the fundamental power you’re dealing with. You arrange it and present it. There’s lots of artistry. But you don’t make it up.”

—John McPhee

Literary journalism has been described as the ‘fusion of journalism and literature,’ a hybrid genre if you like, blending the narrative style of fiction writing with fact-driven reporting techniques.

(6 Types of Personal Essays for Writers to Try.)

Also known as narrative journalism, new journalism, and immersion journalism, this form of storytelling requires in-depth research, thorough interviewing, character development, scene setting, plot structure, and use of dialogue. It utilizes literary techniques to tell a true story about a person, place, event, topic, or experience. Since the characters and settings are real, this cannot be classified as fiction, but it’s not reporting or journalism in the traditional sense either. It calls for more intimate and firsthand interactions with the interview subject and issues explored, and the use of narrative techniques to recreate the scene and tell the story.

Literary journalism is a form of creative nonfiction similar in style to the personal essay and long-form journalism. The writer can choose first-person narration where they essentially become a character in the story, or they can opt for third-person point of view. Whereas a personal essay is focused on the writers themselves and something that’s happened directly to them, literary journalism documents another person’s life and/or experience, or a current event the writer has researched or observed. Many writers spend months embedded with their subjects, gathering information in the field, much like an investigative journalist, but with a different focus for the end piece.

Unlike news writing, which is formulaic, structured, and straightforward, literary journalism has no set rules. Its fluidity allows the journalist freedom to experiment and develop their own unique voice. The result is a piece that’s expressive and engaging, with dramatic, colorful, and emotive descriptions, anecdotes, and observations. They don’t just tell you the story from the sidelines as a detached reporter, they get into the story, immersing themselves in the world of the subject, extracting the essence of the story firsthand, straight from the people involved. Readers get all the details, including thoughts and feelings, the stuff that traditional reporting leaves out. “Nothing fuels the imagination more than real facts do,” Tom Wolfe told the AP in 1999. “As the saying goes, ‘You can’t make this stuff up.’”

And to use another famous saying, truth is often stranger than fiction.

So literary journalism offers readers a different experience than traditional news reporting and fiction, it’s a creative story that just happens to be true. Topics for literary journalism articles and books can range anywhere from lifestyle and popular culture to crime and social issues.

The History of Literary Journalism in a Nutshell

Among the pioneers of the New Journalism movement in the 1960s and 1970s were writers Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Gay Talese, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, John McPhee, and Joan Didion. Deviating from traditional journalistic formulas, their voices and styles were distinct and unique, earning them great success in publications like Esquire, The New Yorker, and The Saturday Evening Post. Much of their work appeared as essays in serial form that later became books or anthologies.

(5 Things Novelists Can Learn From Journalists.)

However, literary journalism as a style and form existed long before the 1960s, as is evident with the publication of such notable works, like George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London, James Agee’s Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, and journalist and novelist Jack London’s The People of the Abyss.

Where Is Literary Journalism Published?

Literary journalism articles are favored by print magazines such as Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, and Rolling Stone. Narratively, Salon and Slate are just some of the many online venues publishing this genre, and literary journalism is also popular in book form.

Quick Tips on Writing Literary Journalism

1. Use dialogue liberally. Be descriptive. Develop your own voice and never attempt to copy anyone else’s.
2. If you write fiction, then the rule of ‘show don’t tell’ will have been drilled into your brain, and it also applies in literary writing. Build scenes using emotive language and visceral descriptions. We need to bring the reader into the action, so they can experience everything through the writer, see what’s happening, feel the tension, hear the screams, smell the smoke.
3. Tell the truth. This is not fiction, so accuracy is essential. If you embellish then you will lose credibility as a journalism.

Famous Works of Literary Journalism

Frank Sinatra Has a Cold, Gay Talese. 

This was an essay written by Gay Talese and published in Esquire, where Talese profiles Frank Sinatra through interviewing the people around him rather than the singer himself. He never got an interview with Sinatra, and his excuse each time of having a cold became the essay’s title.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe.

Tom Wolfe is probably best known for this 1968 nonfiction book on the 1960s psychedelic culture, chronicling the travels of counterculture icon Ken Kesey and his followers, known as the Merry Pranksters. Wolfe’s book Bonfire of the Vanities was one of the top 10 selling books of the 1980s.

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote.

This book was originally published as a serial in The New Yorker and is the result of six years spent researching the 1959 murders of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas. Based on extensive research and in-depth interviews, Capote tells the story from the perspective of the murderers, the victims, and community members.

The Executioner’s Song, Norman Mailer.

A Pulitzer-prize winning true crime novel that follows Gary Gilmore, who was convicted of murdering two people and was the first person executed in the United States once the ban on capital punishment was lifted in 1976.

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion.

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, published in 1968, was a collection of magazine pieces written by journalist and writer Joan Didion about her experiences living in California.

________________________________

Here is a list of more female nonfiction writers: https://www.thecut.com/2016/04/queens-of-nonfiction-56-women-writers-everyone-should-read.html

________________________________

Resources

https://normansims.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/The-Literary-Journalists.pdf

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-recognize-and-write-literary-journalism#

https://www.gq.com/story/50-best-literary-journalism-books

https://thebookcorps.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/9-amazing-literary-journal-articles/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/tom-wolfe-dead-author-right-stuff-bonfire-vanities-was-88-1111968/

https://lithub.com/are-these-the-best-10-works-of-journalism-published-in-the-last-decade/

The post What Is Literary Journalism? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(5 Rules of Ethical Journalism.)

With an endless supply of quickly produced and instantly accessible internet-based news or “news-like” sources (many of them questionable at best), the voting public are no longer confined to the once highly regarded legacy media, regulated by media law and press ethics. TV network news, newspapers, and even cable news are forced to compete with new online outlets. The proliferation of grassroots journalism in the form of blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels has also had a huge impact on politics and society in both positive and negative ways.

Not only has the coverage itself changed but also the way politicians communicate with the public, with social media sites like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) becoming popular political tools to directly interact with voters, bypassing journalists altogether. In fact, many people get their political news solely from social media sites or TV, radio, or online talk shows. X or Twitter is littered with politics. According to a PEW Research study published in 2022 one third of Tweets posted by U.S. adults between May 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021, were political in nature.

And we cannot ignore the changing demographics and the fact that tech-savvy younger generations are no-longer apathetic but now engaging in the political process more than ever before.

National politics, political candidates (one character in particular), and a handful of issues have come to dominate the news, with the coverage no longer confined to election seasons. With so many news outlets battling for the public’s attention, and the political climate volatile and the country polarized, it’s little wonder that much of the focus is on the most flamboyant, click-bait-y stories that (unfortunately) people are most inclined to read. Personality and identity politics and sensational headlines, popular with tabloid-like publications in the past, are now mainstream. And the kicker is it works, keeping these outlets afloat.

Many believe the media has strayed far off the path of objectivity and impartiality and the news is often accused of partisan bias. Others see things in a different light suggesting this is not about taking political sides but rather fueled by something far simpler: what’s considered most newsworthy and can capture the public’s attention. And yes, there’s also the ‘making money’ angle, and the manipulation of that human need to belong to a group, a team, a tribe, and how outrage sells.

As journalist Ezra Klein states in a Vox article, “The old line on local reporting was ‘if it bleeds it leads.’ For political reporting, the principle is ‘if it outrages, it leads.’” And in his book Why We’re Polarized Klein goes on to claim: “The political media is biased, but not toward the Left or Right so much as toward loud, outrageous, colorful, inspirational, confrontational. It is biased toward the political stories and figures who activate our identities, because it is biased toward and dependent on the fraction of the country with the most intense political identities.”

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The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

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Politics is a huge and red-hot topic that can produce countless articles (and fuel many arguments) so for this piece we’re going to look at political journalism in more general terms.

Thankfully good, quality journalism still exists in both established mediums and among independent journalists. There are plenty of political journalists devoted to their craft, providing vital information on political candidates and their policies, and offering intelligent and nuanced analysis of the issues at stake.

We’ve already looked at some of the changes in political journalism so let’s turn now to the role of journalism in politics and those who do the reporting.

So, what exactly is the role of journalism in politics?

Political journalism involves the gathering, reporting, and analyzing news about the government, politics, and legislation, covering elections, campaigns, politicians, candidates, political parties, issues, and government policies. This occurs on a local, state, and national level and it’s not just about presidential races, soundbites, and controversial issues, although anyone would be forgiven for thinking this. News from the Whitehouse to state governments and right down to city and town councils are equally important, affecting the public on different levels.

The media’s role, especially during elections, is to disseminate information in an objective and unbiased manner. Journalists are society’s watchdogs, with a duty to provide neutral, balanced, and accurate reports of events, expose the truth in government, and to hold those in power accountable. They work on behalf of the people to challenge and scrutinize public officials and politicians representing all political viewpoints.

(5 Myths of Journalism.)

Without balance and fairness in political reporting, media outlets become the mouthpieces of government. As much as possible, each candidate should receive equal treatment and the press has a duty to pursue both positive and negative stories regardless of the journalist’s feelings about the individuals involved. Of course, some candidates are more interesting and newsworthy than others, so we must also take this into account.

Journalists and columnists are free to share their feelings and express their views in opinion pieces and personal essays or if they’re employed as a political commentator or pundit.

Who is a political journalist?

Politics can be covered by general reporters or those assigned exclusively to political issues, campaigns, or a particular candidate.

A generalist would most likely be a reporter at a regional newspaper, who covers the town or city council meetings. Bigger city or statewide newspapers normally employ a journalist or several reporters to cover state government and politics. And national newspapers, such as The New York Times, have teams of reporters covering all aspects of politics, from presidential candidates to the White House. They (and other large publications) always have reporters in the field contributing to live blog coverage and longer, reported pieces, features, and analyses.

Campaign reporters will focus on a particular candidate and travel with them during the election cycle. TV networks, cable news, and radio stations will similarly embed reporters/producers with every major candidate in the run up to presidential elections. These “embeds” on the campaign trail will travel to and report from each campaign stop and event across the country. Each President has their own traveling press corps.

Local and national news outlets, including commercial networks and public television stations, also offer political coverage in the form of in-studio panel discussion shows, live debates, and town hall meetings. And we must remember there are hundreds of candidates running for different offices on the local, state, and national level. It’s not just about presidential candidates. During elections, either presidential or midterms, there will also be issues on the ballot in many states. These ballot measures can range from legalizing recreational marijuana to requiring photo ID for voting.

Freelance journalists and writers also cover political events and issues, and whereas press credentials are not always required, sometimes it’s a definite advantage, so you can avoid having to talk your way into a candidate’s rally (Hillary Clinton) like I had to. Press passes are available through membership in certain journalism organizations including the

American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the National Writers Union (NWU).

And as for independent, grassroots, or citizen journalists, they too have access to most political rallies and campaign events and are free to report however they choose on their favored platform, be it over a podcast or through a blog.

With new technology a different political landscape has emerged, and it’s been fascinating watching the media industry change, adapt, and develop over the past few decades.

A new generation of campaign embeds record practically every stump speech, political rally, and press gaggle during the election cycles. Political journalists from all walks are busy doing their jobs, utilizing both modern technology and time-tested traditional methods. So, it seems politics is being thoroughly covered here in 2023. 

The public has more news choices, access to information and more resources than at any time in history. So, everyone should be fully informed about the political process, after all the information is out there. It just depends on whether they stay in their social media echo chambers or venture into “enemy” territory. Or maybe even look beyond the headlines and dig a little deeper for some solid, ‘outrage-less’ old-school political coverage.

If enough journalists continue adhering to the core principles of journalism—truth, accuracy, fairness, impartiality, and accountability, then we’re on the right road, however rocky it seems at times. But there will always be an element of nostalgia for the “good old days” before social media and “online news” among we journalists old enough to remember those ancient times.

We’ve referred to this following quote in a previous article, but it’s worth repeating. “We’re not here to run the government, we’re not here to run politics, we’re here to report on the people who are involved in politics and government,” says Bob Schieffer, former CBS Chief Correspondent, Washington Bureau, and former host of Face the Nation. “We can’t have a democracy like we have unless citizens have access to independently gathered information that they can compare with the government’s version of events. And when they do that, we’ve done our job.”

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Resources:

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So, what exactly is a Q&A article and why are they popular with both readers and writers?

The Q&A (question and answer) article is an edited transcription of an interview with a simple narrative introduction. It involves interviewing only one source, making the process much smoother and less time consuming than having to coordinate multiple interviews. Since the focus is on the interviewee, readers can enjoy their story unencumbered by news angles, interjections, or any inference that can sometimes sneak into reported articles and features.

The interviewee can be a person with amazing accomplishments or a fascinating career. They can be a famous author, actor, director, or artist. While they don’t necessarily have to be well known, they must be compelling.

A great Q&A requires thorough research. Your subject must have something interesting to say and the ability to say it well. Your finished piece should be simple, well structured, straightforward, and enjoyable to read.

Here are seven tips on how to write a Q&A readers will love.

1. Choose an interesting subject/interviewee

Ask yourself who you would like to read about in a magazine or online publication? For the best results you need to find someone with an interesting story and/or unique viewpoint. You also need to ensure that they’re good talkers, and the only way to do this is to find and read any previous articles or simply call them and chat. After a few minutes on the phone, you’ll know if they’re talkative enough to warrant a full Q&A.

2. Do your research

To extract interesting answers an experienced interviewer knows what questions to ask and how to ask them. This is a skill we must all develop and hone as journalists in general, but for a Q&A it’s imperative.

Thoroughly research your interviewee so you can ask questions that generate compelling answers. If you only get monosyllabic responses, then you have no article. You must delve into your subject’s life and background and find any interesting facts and scenarios. Make sure you ask some basic questions first, but don’t repeat obvious questions that have already been answered in other interviews (if you find any). Try thinking far outside the box and come up with fresh ideas. Put yourself in their position—what would you like to talk about if someone asked you for an interview?

Have a list of questions ready at the interview, but you don’t necessarily have to use them all. This is just your guide, and it can help to get the conversation flowing. Be sure to ask follow-up questions as they arise. This is often when you discover the gems, the scoops. Maybe you’ll stumble upon something they haven’t spoken about before. Your resulting piece will then stand out from any other articles that may be circulating.

3. Record the interview

How will you conduct the interview? You can either interview the person over the phone, in person, or through a video meeting app like Zoom. Just remember to record the interview as you won’t have time to scribble enough notes and probably won’t have the opportunity for a re-do. 

Make sure your recording device is working beforehand by calling a friend or partner. There are many apps available. I’ve used Tape a Call, my MacBook voice memos, and a handheld digital voice recorder. When conducting an in-person interview try to meet in a quiet space with little to no background noise. 

There’s nothing worse than straining to decipher what someone is saying when your main goal is accuracy and authenticity. It also takes longer and ends up being frustrating. This is supposed to be straightforward and fun, remember!

4. Be conversational

This is a conversation not an interrogation, so make sure to keep it light. This isn’t hard news or an investigative piece. For this type of article, you want your interviewee to relax, open up, and feel comfortable talking about themselves. Your research should have prepped you for the type of questions to ask, but easygoing conversations can go anywhere. Have fun with this. 

You’re chatting with a unique individual. These moments are precious, and we’re extremely privileged as writers and journalists to have the opportunity to talk with some of the most interesting people in the world. And it’s perfectly fine to ask your interviewee at the end if she wants to add something or if you’ve missed anything important that they’d like to mention.

5. Transcribe your own interviews to get the best results

This is a personal choice. Transcribing long interviews is nobody’s idea of a fun time, and many writers are comfortable using a transcription service. But I prefer transcribing my own interviews as it’s an opportunity to hear the conversation from a different perspective and I may spot something interesting and pertinent that would be lost or missed if I used a service. While tapping away I automatically edit (by putting big stars and exclamation points by the stuff I like) so by the end of the process, I have the best answers figured out and the piece is almost formatted.

I would also suggest listening to the interview again after transcribing, maybe while doing household chores like folding clothes or ironing (does anyone even iron anymore?). This way you’re hearing the conversation from yet another perspective—the listener. Imagine if this was an NPR interview, what would you include or omit? Have a notebook and pen ready, just be sure to carefully place the iron down first. You might capture some aha moments while starching that crisp white button-down shirt.

6. Edit for length, flow, and clarity

By now, you should be quite the authority on the interviewee and their story and therefore it will be easier to pick and choose which questions and answers to use in your piece.

Edit and structure them in a way that flows. They don’t have to be in sequential or chronological order, it just needs to read well and make sense. Trim down your questions (it’s not about you) and edit out all the excess fluff in the answers, including all the inevitable ums and ahs.

7. Write a catchy introduction

Your introduction or lead should be short, to the point and compelling enough to draw the reader in so they’ll read the whole article. Since you know your subject very well by now, you can easily find some unique angle with which to propel your piece.

For example, here’s the lead of a Q&A I wrote for Videoscope Magazine:

He’s a 6’ 4” South Carolina native who went from playing football for the Clemson Tigers to becoming a famous actor in China. Fluent in Mandarin, he’s the first non-Asian to study at the Beijing Film Academy. He landed a starring role in the $100 million fantasy adventure film Asura, billed as the next Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And his vision is to bridge the gap between the American and Chinese film industries. Now based in L.A., he’s tackling Hollywood. Meet Matthew Knowles, one of the most interesting men in the business.

The trick is to say a lot in a short paragraph. My subject here, Matthew Knowles was a perfect candidate for a Q&A since he has such a unique and fascinating story.

Just one more…

Article Format

Questions and answers need to be clearly differentiated and the format and length of the piece is usually determined by the publication you’re writing for. It can range from using the names of the interviewer and the interviewee (starting off with their full names and then using just initials) to using the letters Q and A in boldface. Or you can boldface the questions and use italics for the answers.

If writing on your own platform, maybe on a site like Medium or your own blog, you can choose from any of these different formats. Just make sure you keep it consistent throughout the piece.

Good luck with your projects and we look forward to reading some great Q&As soon.  

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