Focus on Words

UNIT 11
Off The Hot
Watch and Listen
The main aim of a news report is to pass on information to the reader. Before a
journalist starts, he makes sure he has all the facts. Then he concentrates on how he can
best present them in way which will hold the reader’s interest.
A good report starts with a quick summary of the story. It presents the most
important information. It should keep the reader in suspense; make him want to read
on to find out more about the story.
Then the report should go over the background to the story adding more details to
the facts presented in the opening paragraph.
Most news reports ask to be taken seriously, therefore quite formal language is
normally used when writing them. However, this is not always the case. Some
newspapers are famous for using informal language in order to make their reports more
sensational. Before you start writing, think of your audience and ask yourself what
style of writing they would appreciate most.
Finally, a news report needs a good headline -something to attract the reader’s eye
and make them want to read it.
The choice of vocabulary, grammatical style and punctuation depends on its
purpose and expected audience.
When you are writing you think who is going to read the work and why you are
writing it. Then it is decided what the overall style should be, for example, literary,
academic, formal, informal, etc.
<strong>Focus</strong> on Words
1. Arrange the words to do with the media.
The media: broadsheet, journalism, circulation figures, deadline, coverage, off the
record, popular press, pose a question, privacy, ratings wars, scoop, sound bite, source,(
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