Keep things interesting..... and relevant!

      Chapter eight of The Elements of Journalism was really interesting because of its practicality. The eighth principle outlined is that “journalists must make the significant interesting and relevant.” But how we do that is extremely important. There are essentially two routes which we as writers can take. The first being the informer where we essentially lay out the facts and that is all. The second is the person who gives gripping detail that unfolds just as though you were reading a book. However, one of the questions posed in the book was what style of writing is better? On the one side you are providing the public with the exact happenings of events and on the other you provide entertainment which is appealing to most everyone. However, there is the belief that neither of these two types of writing is better than the other but that a blend of the two is the best.

      One blend of writing of the two aforementioned styles is known as “infotainment.” The example associated with this was the interview of Monica Lewinsky. During the interview the details of what Pres. Clinton likes sexually was the first priority and then the details of how it all happened unfolded. This is the basic style which infotainment takes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpCv-UT2yCU However, this style of writing has undergone a lot of criticism and has several flaws associated with it. One of the problems is that it has turned into soft news that is more for entertainment than it is for informing the general public. An example of this is the Onion News Network who are only interested in entertainment but provide no news stories that are really relevant. An example was this one about a ninja parade. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtR2m20C2YM&feature=relmfu The book explained that “the second long-term problem with the strategy of infotainment is that it destroys the news organization's authority to deliver more serious news and drives away those audiences who want it.” This is exactly opposite of what any news agency wants. Another problem is that infotainment tends to lean toward the explicit stories of pop culture. Despite the cons this style of journalism is one of the most widely used among television news stations. However, we should ensure that we use this style with care.

      I then wondered if, in the long run, infotainment is not a good style, then what is? The book explained that for individual journalists to succeed in making news relevant and interesting they must generally be self-taught through trial and error as to what works and what doesn't. However, we can make news both interesting and relevant because those who have gone before have succeeded.

An example is Diana Sugg who specialized in medical writing. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.pulitzer08apr08,0,1177356.story One strategy suggested for new journalists to get going is the classic who, what, where and how. The book explains that “if we think of who as character, what as plot, where as setting, and how as narrative, we can blend information and storytelling.”

      There is a reason that storytelling is so popular in that it invokes images in peoples' minds in which they feel a part of the events described in the book. As we strive to create those same images while giving relevant facts, I feel that we can accomplish this principle and make news stories both relevant and interesting.