Journalistic Genres: Types and Characteristics Explained
Journalistic Genres
Introduction
Journalistic text focuses on communicating a story through written form, often used in other media like radio and television. Its primary purpose is to objectively disseminate information about reality, allowing readers to form their own opinions. It can also interpret and comment on reality.
Types of Journalistic Genres
Newspaper texts can be classified into different journalistic genres (or subgenres):
- Informative: Primarily focused on delivering factual information.
- Reporting and Interpretation: Combines information with analysis and interpretation.
- Opinion: Presents subjective viewpoints and arguments.
Informative Genres
News
The news is the objective account of a recent event or occurrence. There are various types of news, including political, economic, social, cultural, and more.
Structure of News
- Headline: Contains the main idea of the news. It may include a sub-headline (above) and a subtitle (below). The journalist’s name or news agency is often included.
- Lead: The first paragraph, containing the most important data, answering the seven key questions (What, Who, Where, When, How, Why, and What for).
- Body: Structured as an inverted pyramid, starting with the most significant details and moving to less relevant information.
Typography and Printing Techniques
- Information is presented in columns.
- Various letter types are used (capital letters, italics, bold).
- Different font sizes are used (larger for headlines, smaller for body text).
Reporting and Interpretation Genres
These genres, also called hybrid journalistic genres, include chronicles, reports, and interviews.
Chronicle
A narrative that combines objective information with subjective interpretation of current events, noting their antecedents and consequences. Examples include war chronicles, court chronicles, and sports chronicles.
Report
An extended story that demands a rigorous approach, including research, documentation, and source verification. Reports differ from stories in their length, the reporter’s opinions, and freedom of expression.
Types of Reports
- By size: Short reports, long-form reports, and investigative reports.
- By subject: Society reports, customs reports, human interest reports, event reports, travel reports, etc.
- By approach: Event reports (static, from the outside), action reports (dynamic, from within), and interview reports.
Interview
A dialogue between two or more people, the interviewer and the interviewee(s). Interviews are based on planned questionnaires to raise questions and find solutions.
Types of Interviews
- Interview programs: The interviewee expresses their views on a specific matter.
- News interview: The interviewee provides information.
- Personality or portrait interview: The interviewee’s statements provide a portrait of their personality.
Opinion Genres
The main opinion genres are the article, editorial, and criticism.
Article
A signed collaboration that presents a subjective point of view on a specific news item. The author, often called a columnist, may have their name and photograph included.
Editorial
An unsigned analysis that subjectively expresses the newspaper’s perspective on a news item.
Characteristics of Editorials
- Expresses the ideological stance of the publishing company (editorial line).
- Deals with current events.
- Takes precedence in the newspaper.
- Follows a specific structure, often a pyramid scheme with the climax at the end.
- Includes elements of objectivity but also incorporates subjective, explanatory, evaluative, and interpretive intentions.
Criticism
An analysis of a cultural or artistic work, often including information about it. Journalistic criticism informs, guides, and educates readers on topics like literature, film, music, and television.