Understanding the Media: The Press and Journalistic Genres
The Media: The Press (I)
Mass Media’s Influence
The mass media, including print, television, and computer networks, disseminate information to a mass audience, influencing public opinion and social behavior. In today’s complex society, the mass media play a crucial role in shaping our understanding of the world. They generate a vast amount of information that is transmitted to a diverse and heterogeneous audience.
Characteristics of Mass Communication
This communication process has the following key features:
- One-way communication
- Messages can be objective or subjective
- Communication is established through artificial channels
- Utilizes graphic, iconic, and sound codes in addition to language
Purpose and Functions of the Media
The primary purpose of the media is to inform. This necessitates proficiency in information genres, including the interpretation and evaluation of information, which helps the recipient form an opinion. However, it’s crucial to differentiate between information and opinion to avoid manipulation.
The Press: A Historical Perspective
The Oldest Social Media
The press is the oldest form of social media. Its use of written language allows for a deeper processing of information compared to broadcast media. Due to their reliance on advertising for funding, most large press firms belong to multimedia conglomerates.
Competition with Broadcast Media
Radio and television news media constantly update their news cycles, delivering information immediately to all locations with simpler language and more superficial content. The press, on the other hand, is a product sold to two customers: advertisers and audiences.
Sources of Information
The press obtains its content from various sources, including news agencies, special envoys and correspondents, and archival documentation.
The Language of Journalism: Sections, Codes, and Genres
A Complex Language
The language of journalism is multifaceted. It combines verbal codes with other codes, such as typography and photography. Furthermore, verbal language encompasses different types of texts and registers, reflecting the diverse genres of journalism: information, opinion, and mixed.
Content Organization and Sections
Newspapers organize their content into sections based on subject matter (politics, sports, etc.) and territorial criteria (local, national, international). These sections can be fixed (international, economics) or variable (science, art), adapting to the importance and relevance of news topics.
Linguistic Codes and Genres
Journalistic genres employ linguistic, extralinguistic, and iconic codes. They are traditionally classified as news, opinion, and mixed (chronicle, interview). However, the boundaries between these classifications can often be blurred.
Information Genres
Information genres, such as news and reportage, transmit factual data and events without including opinions or value judgments.
Opinion Genres
Opinion genres, such as editorials, opinion articles, and letters to the editor, offer interpretations and convey personal or collective viewpoints.
Mixed Genres
Mixed genres, including chronicles, interviews, and cultural criticism, combine elements of both information and opinion.
Linguistic Forms and Style in Journalistic Texts
Standard and Cultured Language
Journalism predominantly employs a standard and cultured language, striving for correctness, consistency, and clarity. While information genres demand specific and objective language, opinion pieces allow for a more personal style.
Conciseness, Clarity, and Objectivity in Information Genres
Information genres prioritize conciseness, clarity, and objectivity, characterized by short sentences, precise and denotative vocabulary, the use of the third person, and nominal or passive constructions.
Personal Style in Opinion Genres
Opinion genres, on the other hand, often utilize a more personal and expressive style.
Headlines: Capturing Attention
Function and Structure
Headlines are brief statements, typographically distinct, that introduce news articles or other journalistic genres. Their function is to summarize, define, prioritize, and highlight a specific aspect of the text. Headlines may sometimes be accompanied by an antetÃtulo (pre-headline) and a subtitle.
Style and Purpose
Headlines typically employ a short, precise, and informative style to effectively capture the reader’s attention.
The Interview: A Conversational Genre
Types of Interviews
The interview is a conversational genre that can be categorized into two main types: informational and interpretive. Informational interviews focus on gathering factual information, while interpretive interviews delve into the subject’s opinions and perspectives.
Structure and Dialogue
The interview typically consists of two sections: the presentation and the question-response exchange.
Cultural Criticism: A Blend of Information and Opinion
Reporting and Evaluation
Cultural criticism reports on cultural events and provides an evaluation or critique. It combines elements of information and opinion, often written by specialists in the respective field.
Textual Characteristics
The text is predominantly descriptive and expository-argumentative, with a free structure and a potentially subjective approach.
Information Genres: The News
The Essence of News
News, the most characteristic genre of the media, is an account of current events of public interest. It is presented with objectivity and avoids a personal style, typically written in the third person and using denotative language. News articles are usually signed by the author.
The Inverted Pyramid Structure
The classic structure of a news story is known as the inverted pyramid. It begins with the most important information and progresses in descending order of importance.
Key Components of a News Story
A news story typically consists of two main parts: the lead (introduction) and the body. The lead provides a concise and clear summary of the news, while the body elaborates on the details and is structured into paragraphs.
Other Information Genres: The Report
An Extended News Story
The report is an extended form of a news story that provides additional sources and context. It also follows a structure consisting of a lead and a body, but its length can vary significantly.
Narrative and Expository Style
Reports are always signed and predominantly employ narrative and expository texts, allowing for a more personal style compared to news articles.
Opinion Genres: The Editorial, Feature Article, and Letters to the Editor
The Editorial: The Newspaper’s Voice
The editorial is an article that expresses the newspaper’s official opinion on a current event or issue. It is unsigned and typically appears in a fixed location within the newspaper.
Textual and Stylistic Features
Editorials primarily utilize exposition and argumentation. They often follow a classic structure and employ a cultured and engaging style, aiming to persuade readers while maintaining a calm and measured tone.
The Feature Article: A Personal Perspective
The feature article, which encompasses various types such as columns and commentaries, discusses a topic of interest due to its current relevance or significance. It is signed by the author and covers a wide range of subjects.
Structure and Style
Feature articles employ argumentative, explanatory, narrative, and descriptive texts. They have a free structure, often with captivating opening and closing paragraphs. Writers often infuse their own personal style into feature articles, drawing upon a rich literary tradition.
Letters to the Editor: Public Forum
Letters to the editor are written opinions on various subjects that readers submit to the newspaper. They must be signed and adhere to the newspaper’s guidelines regarding length and content.
Topics and Style
Letters to the editor cover a diverse range of topics and should be written in a clear and grammatically correct style.
Mixed Genres: Commentary, Interview, and Cultural Criticism
Commentary: A Blend of News and Opinion
Commentary differs from news by incorporating personal viewpoints and focusing on current events. It provides analysis and insights based on the reporter’s firsthand knowledge or direct observation.
Style and Structure
Commentary employs a variety of textual types, with a predominantly personal style. Narrative, descriptive, and explanatory comments are common, and the structure is generally flexible.