NEWS STYLE VS. LITERARY ENGLISH

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the differences between the news and literary English writing styles; identify the ABCs of

journalism.

Many great writers have been known for their dramatic styles, vivid descriptions and the eloquent conversation of their characters. It is obvious, however, that these great writers were not concerned with news style writing or the fundamentals of newswriting. Consider the following quotation for example:

"It is a thing well known to both American and English whaleships, and as well . a thing placed upon authoritative record years ago by Scoresby, that some whales have been captured far north in the Pacific, in whose bodies have been found the barbs of harpoons darted in the Greenland seas. Nor is it to be gainsaid, that in some of these instances two assaults could not have exceeded very many days. Hence, the inference, it has been believed by some whalemen, that the North West Passage, so long a problem to men, was never a problem to the whale."

Perhaps this quotation is famtiliar to you. It is from Moby Dick, which is one of the greatest sea stories ever written. It was published more than 100 years ago and

is still read today. Its author, Herman Melville, was known for his moving literary style.

A modern journalist writing this piece for a newspaper might put it on paper as follows:

"The Northwest Passage, long sought by man, maybe known and used by whales. .

"American and British sailors have reported finding the barbs of harpoons from Greenland in the bodies of whales killed in the North Pacific. In some cases, the wounds were only a few days old. This has led some whalers to believe that whales must use some shortcut from the North Atlantic to the North Pacific."

The preceding contrast shows the difference between literary writing of more than 100 years ago and newspaper English today.

Media writing is geared to the public, not the professor. The purpose is to inform, not to impress. All the frills are stripped away. Unnecessary wording costs the media money in terms of time (electronic) or space (print).

Newspapers are read in a hurry. They are read at breakfast, on the subway, against the blare of radio or television, or over someone's shoulder. Many readers scan the headlines and read only the opening paragraphs of a few articles. These readers have neither the time nor the desire to wade through literary writing. Many may have limited educations. Surveys show that the average newspaper reader has the reading ability of a 12-year-old child.

Does this mean that you have to write for 12-year-olds? No, it does not. We are not speaking of the readers' ability to grasp ideas, but rather of their ability to understand difficult words. There is a great difference. For example, consider the following paragraph:

Gravitation is omnipresent; it is exerted by every body on every other body, no matter how remote or minute. Between two given objects, its force varies directly with the product of the two masses and inversely with the squares of the distance between their centers. Exerting itself throughout the universe, it is gravitation that keeps the cosmos in equilibrium.

This paragraph is obviously too difficult for an adult with a 12-year-old reading level. Yet the adult mind could grasp the idea involved if we translate the paragraph into simple English such as follows:

All bodies attract each other. This is true no matter how small or far apart they may be. The heavier two objects are, the more they pull on each other. The farther apart they are, the weaker this force becomes. In measuring the pull, distance is particularly important, for if you double the distance, the force is cut to one-fourth of its former strength. This force is called gravitation. Because of it, the earth, sun, moon and stars all pull against each other. The forces balance, and everything stays in its proper place.

Almost any idea, no matter how complicated, can be expressed in simple language. As a Navy journalist, you may have to explain some fairly technical ideas to readers who are not familiar with military life. You will have to do it in language they will understand. It is up to you to do the work of simplification, not your readers. If they find your writing is over their heads, they will skip your piece and goon to something that is easier to read. If this happens, you are not doing your job.

Also remember - the story you write for the general news media will probably be read by someone with a Ph.D. How do you satisfy both? A good writer can present the information so that the less educated can understand and so that the more intelligent will not become bored.