Journalism has always been an invaluable part of our culture, but with the breakneck speed at which tech and information are swarming us, it’s more important than ever for your writing to be airtight in order to communicate effectively.
Journalism also doesn’t require a degree to succeed in. Our guide to the four Cs alone won’t make you an expert, but you can opt for journalism courses to get the same benefits of education and experience as a degree, such as the ones found at //schoolofjournalism.co.uk/.
Context
Perhaps the most important aspect of journalistic writing is context. If your information isn’t properly grounded within the wider framework of history, societal trends or events that are continuing to unfold, you’ll quickly lose your reader.
A lack of context indicates shallow, uninformed writing and is often written off as an attempt to grab attention or clicks. Always keep the ‘why’ in mind when discussing the ‘what’, providing a clear, coherent roadmap of events to your reader.
Clarity
The last thing you want in your writing is ambiguity and confusion. You’re not crafting a nail-biting equivocal end to your novel; you’re presenting impartial facts to readers. Journalists are pledged to upholding truth in society, so don’t mix up impartiality with ambiguity. We’ll leave you with some words NOT directly quoted from Einstein to reiterate our point: ‘If you can’t explain something to a six-year-old, you really don’t understand it yourself’.
Coherence
Structure and organisation are just as important as the actual information being communicated. Remember, form and function. If readers are stumbling across awkward or inappropriate wording, you’re more likely than ever to lose their attention in the online world. Try to construct seamless, effortless writing that the eyes can glide over and assimilate.
Completeness
Not that our other factors aren’t also important for credibility, but completeness is especially important for fostering trust from your audience. Seek out multiple sources, check every fact, then check again, and offer up an array of different perspectives to an event in order to remain accurate, insightful and impartial.
