Journalistic Genres: News, Opinion, and Report Writing
Journalistic Genres
News Reporting
News: Reports of recent major events, encompassing social, cultural, economic, and other relevant aspects.
Interview Statements: Conversations aimed at informing the public about a person’s opinions.
Documentation: Information about an event, providing context and details.
News Report: Addresses a recent and relevant event, or a past occurrence of continued interest. May focus on human interest, social issues, or opinions.
Common Features of News Reports:
- Character information, with a predominant referential function.
- Application of objectivity, leading to the selection of impersonal discourse.
- Accessible language and style for a broad readership.
- Use of specialized keywords depending on the subject matter.
News Structure: Can include photographs, drawings, or diagrams. Varies in length and type depending on subject and nature. Organized by principles of relevance:
- Headline: Composed of the banner, main title, and subtitle.
- Lead: The first paragraph, containing the most relevant information.
- Source: Attribution of the news to a credible source.
- Body: Explains the situation in detail, including background, consequences, and reactions, often incorporating direct or indirect quotes.
Types of Reports
Chronicle: Covers events occurring within one day, exploring their antecedents and consequences. Information is linked to the journalist’s interpretation.
Interpretive Report: Connects events that occurred at different times. Includes the reporter’s assessment and analysis.
Interview Profile: Presents statements by the interviewee, interspersed with descriptions, biographical data, and comments from the journalist.
Opinion Journalism
Editorial: Represents the newspaper’s viewpoint. Editorials and glosses are shorter variations, reflecting on current affairs.
Critique: Analyzes and evaluates a work of art or culture, providing information and judgment.
Article: Expresses personal opinions about reality. Includes subtypes such as columns, open forums, comments, and article-essays.
Common Stylistic Traits of Opinion Pieces:
- Reference to the author through possessive pronouns and first-person verbs.
- Evaluative vocabulary: nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and other constructions.
- Use of periphrasis of obligation, attributive structures, and declarative verbs.
- Direct appeal to the reader.
- Incorporation of expressive resources.
Op-Ed: A text expressing opinions on specific facts or situations. The author is cited and takes responsibility for their views, aiming to influence readers.
Types of Op-Eds:
- Column: A brief text, often less in-depth.
- Open Forum: Expresses the views of individuals and specialists outside the newspaper.
- Comment: Addresses national and international policy issues.
- Article-Essay: Offers a reasoned discussion on humanities, science, or politics, not necessarily tied to current events.
Textual Features of Op-Eds:
- Combines exposition and argumentation.
- May include narratives relating to real situations open to interpretation.
- Some pieces approach literature through artistic style or fictional elements.
Subjectivity and Objectivity in Journalism
Features of Subjective Writing:
- Use of first-person singular or plural.
- Rhetorical questions and exclamations.
- Subjunctive, imperative, and modal verb combinations.
- Verbs of opinion or feeling.
- Adjectives and nouns with value judgments.
- Figures of speech like hyperbole, hyperbaton, and dilogy.
- Emphasis on appealing and expressive features.
Features of Objective Writing:
- Use of third-person singular or plural.
- Prevalence of the indicative mood.
- Declarative intonation.
- Adjectives with specified values.
- Adjectives and adverbs defining nouns.
- Use of state verbs.
- Referential or representational function.
- Avoidance of figures of speech that lend themselves to subjective interpretation.
Connectors
- Enumeration: first, then, in addition, finally, firstly, secondly, thirdly, on the one hand, on the other hand.
- Synthesizing: to synthesize, in short, in brief, in conclusion, finally.
- Addition: additionally, also, in that sense, in this regard, incidentally, furthermore, moreover, even more, and what is more, by the way.
- Opposition/Contrast: in other words, however, in contrast, nevertheless, on the contrary, although, yet, anyway.
- Cause/Consequence: because, therefore, so, thus, consequently, accordingly, otherwise, if not.
- Condition: on condition that, provided that.
- Time/Space: when, at the time, then, later, across the street, in front of, behind.
- Valuation: in my mind, personally, in the background, in particular, of course, certainly, from my point of view, I think, fortunately, unfortunately, no doubt, probably.
- Exemplification: for example, in particular, especially, e.g., as shown.
- Theming: regarding, as regards, with respect to, with regard to, concerning, about.