Newspaper

The newspaper enjoys wide readership because of the scope, variety, and depth of
its contents. Although it is not as pervasive as the radio in terms of audience reach, its
impact is undeniably just as much.

BASIC FUNCTIONS OF THE PRINT MEDIUM

1. To inform – designed to make its reader aware of contemporary issues and

events, a newspaper reports significant, interesting, and exciting events to
enhance the people's level of awareness and understanding by pointing out the
what, the who, the when, the where, the why, and the how of a particular
event.
2. To educate – it provides instructional and educational articles that are meant to
teach and make the readers understand the significant events as well as the issues
resulting from them.
3. To entertain – to a lot of people, this function ranks first. Many say that they
read the comic page first for a very simple reason – to have some fun and forget
the usual worries one meets daily. Special articles and human-interest
feature stories are all meant for light reading and enjoyment of readers.

NEWSWRITING AND HEADLINE WRITING

One of the most important functions of the newspaper is the dissemination of

news not only to inform a great number of people about the significant event, but also to
move them to action. There are events that are important and relevant to most and
should be written as news.

A newswriter must have the following characteristics:

1. Genuine interest in people and events
2. Ability to meet and talk with all kinds of people in any situation
3. Ability to speak and write well in the native tongue and in English
4. Knowledge about what news is and what it can do
5. Willingness to work with others
6. Resourcefulness
7. Integrity

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A headline writer, on the other hand, has the following duties and
responsibilities:
1. Observes the basic rules of headline writing
2. Sees to it that the headline tells what the story is about
3. Avoids editorializing, that is, putting one's opinion in the headline
4. Sees to it that the appropriate sizes and types of fonts used in the headline

Newswriting is different from short story writing because the goal of a newswriter
is to report events and trends in plain, clear language. Aware that readers need to find
out immediately what the event is, newswriter go straight to the most important detail
and use short and simple sentences, clear but precise words. To quote, William Shrunk,
Jr. and E.B. White write: "Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome,
and sometimes nauseating."
Professor Armando J. Malay, considered the "Dean" of journalists, says that the
primary duty of a newswriter is to inform. This may seem simple, he continues, but it is
not so, especially since we use a foreign language. He offers some principles for clear,
effective writing.
1. Think first, and then write. To write clearly, you must think beforehand. Figure
out what you want to say, why you are writing about it, who the readers are—then
write for them. Stress the main idea so that the readers will be sure to get it.
Organize the material in a logical way. Begin with something and promising to
the readers and wind up with something the readers will remember.
2. Get to the point. Get the readers in the middle of things. Begin with something
that will make the readers sit up and take notice.
3. Use familiar words. Communicate with the readers, especially the average
readers. If they find the first paragraph difficult and laden with unfamiliar words,
they will not read further. There is no better way to a clear, crisp writing style
than short sentences and short words. Keep the percentage of difficult words (of
three or more syllables) under ten percent. Look at the examples below:

Difficult Words Simple Equivalent

indisposed ill
terminate end
witness see
purchase buy
endeavor try
procure buy/get
summon call
facilitate help
inundate flood

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4. Omit verbal deadwood. Effective writing is concise. This can be done by dropping
unnecessary words from phrases or sentences. Every word should tell. Below are
some examples of deadwood.

for the reason that — because/since

at the present time — now
tendered his resignation — resigned
affixed his signature — signed
held a conference — met
in the immediate vicinity — near

5. Keep sentences short. Through the years, sentences have been getting shorter.
The average number of words in a short sentence is below 20. Readers readily
and easily absorb short sentences. Below is a table showing the effect of sentences
in terms of number of words. Most newspapers observe this.

Very easy — 8 words or less

Easy — 11 words
Fairly easy — 14 words or less
Standard — 17 words
Fairly difficult — 21 words
Difficult — 25 words
Very difficult — 29 words or more

6. Shorten paragraphs. Short paragraphs are better for three reasons. First, they are
very easy on the eye. A long paragraph gives an impression of a gray forbidding
mass. Readers will skip this. Second, short paragraphs act as a brake on the
writer who strings too many ideas or facts together. It also signals the reader that
a new step in the development of the subject will begin. And third, short
paragraphs make for easy reference.
7. Prefer the simple to the complex. To be easily understood, prefer the simple to
the complex—the simple word to the complicated word, the simple sentence to
the complex sentence, the simple paragraph to the involved one.
8. Use specific, concrete language. The three rules for good writing are (a) be
concrete, (b) be concrete, and (c) be concrete. Avoid abstract words as they often
mean different things to different people. Concrete words, on the other hand, are
more specified and help focus the reader's attention.
9. Be positive. State a fact or an idea directly whenever possible. Make definite
assertions and this is often done by following the natural order of thought:
subject, verb, and object.

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10. Use the active voice. It gives snap and punch to writing and makes the sentences
shorter.
11. Use adjectives sparingly. Properly used, adjectives can help one write good
reports. But too many of them result in rich, ornate prose that is difficult to
digest. Experienced editors become suspicious when they spot adjective-laden
reports for they know that oftentimes adjectives merely cover a reporter's lack of
hard facts.
12. Revise and sharpen. Revising is part of writing. A good test for any kind of
writing is to read it aloud. This helps in spotting words that should be changed or
thrown out. Look out for "fat" words that say nothing, for worn-out phrases, for
unnecessary sentences, for paragraphs that do not carry their own weight.
13. Write to express, not to impress. Remember that the purpose of writing is to
inform the readers so the newswriter must use words familiar to the readers.