• Writing is central to all media industries.

• Writing is the mark of a well-educated person.

• Writing is a powerful activity. The ability to control and
articulate ideas and information gives you power
over what other people know and think about.

This course is different from all other writing course that

you have had in two important ways:

First, we emphasize information. The major purpose of

writing for the mass media is to present information.

Second, one of the purposes of this course is to teach you

how to write in a professional environment. That is, we
want you to understand what the demands of
professionalism are and what you will need to meet those
demands.

Third, writing in a media environment usually means

writing for a mass audience. Chances are, a lot of people
are going to read or hear or see what you write (not just
your English professor). Understanding that audience is a
big part of learning to write for the mass media.

Finally, there is the concept of modesty. By that we mean

that good writing for the mass media puts the writer in
the background and emphasizes instead the content of the
writing. An audience doesn’t care what you think or how
you feel about what you are writing. The audience wants
information, and it wants that information presented
accurately, completely, efficiently and precisely.
Four characteristics of media writing
And those are the four characteristics of media writing
• Accuracy
• Completeness
• Efficiency
• Precision

Accuracy is the chief requirement of a writer for the mass

media. This is not just a journalist’s requirement. All
writers are expected to present information accurately and
to take some pains in doing so. Many of the procedures
for writing for the mass media are set up to ensure
accuracy.
Completeness means that you should present your
information in a context so that it can be easily understood
by a mass audience. It should be clear and coherent. Your
writing should answer all of the questions that could be
expected by the audience. (Not all of the questions that
could be asked, but all those that it takes to understand
the information.)
Efficiency is one of the most prized writing characteristics.
Efficiency means using the fewest words to present you
information accurately and clearly. Efficiency is difficult to
achieve because
• Most of us write inefficiently, especially on first draft
• Most of use do not do a good job in editing our writing
• The world is filled with inefficient writing, and we often
fall victim to it.
Precision means that as a writer, you take special care
with the language. You know good grammar and practice
it. You use words for precisely what they mean. You
develop a love for the language.As a developing
professional, you should strive to make your writing
• Satisfactory, to your audience and to you as a writer
• Engaging, so that the audience will stop, attend
• Powerful, so you can make a difference in the lives of
your readers and listeners.

TV
Writing a news script for television seems so simple, until you try it
for the first time. Experts in English or print journalism often
struggle with turning stories into tight scripts that are meant to be
heard, not read. While you'll spend your entire career perfecting
your TV news writing style, mastering the basics of how to write a
news script will provide a foundation for success. These news
writing tips help you create strong content for TV news with every
single script:

1. Write for the Ear

Read your script out loud. Is it easy to understand just by hearing it
one time only? Unlike in print, a TV news audience has one shot to
get the story.
That's why words that sound alike but have different meanings
create stumbling blocks for the ear. Words such as "cite", "site"
and "sight" should be avoided if possible. Short, punchy sentences
are easier for the ear to digest than long, complicated sentences
that are full of dependent clauses.
2. Avoid Passive Voice
Passive voice writing jumbles up the usual sequence of subject,
verb, object in active voice writing. This sounds like a lesson from
English class, but it really makes a critical difference in broadcast
news writing.
An active voice sentence is, "The robber fired the gun." You see
the subject, verb and object. A passive sentence is, "The gun was
fired by the robber." The object and verb came before the subject.

Viewers have to wait until the end of the line to know who did what.
Then their brain has to process that information while trying to
keep up with what the newscaster is saying.
Beware of the "by" in a sentence. That's usually a giveaway the
sentence has been written in passive voice.
3. Use Present Tense Where Appropriate
TV news is designed to sound like "now." That's another big
difference between broadcast and print news writing.
A 6:00 p.m. newscast needs to sound fresh, as if the news is just
now unfolding.
But the mayor's news conference you covered happened at 2
o'clock. The natural tendency is to write, "The mayor held a news
conference earlier today."
By shifting the focus of the sentence to the subject of the news
conference, you can put the sentence in present tense and give it
extra punch. "The mayor says he wants to slash taxes by 20
percent. He made the announcement at a news conference..."
That example starts out in present tense for the hook, then shifts to
past tense. It's important not to simply force the present tense into
every sentence you write. It would sound awkward in a 6 p.m.
newscast to say, "He makes the announcement at a news
conference that happens at 2 o'clock."
4. Write Stories about People
This seems obvious, but it's easy to allow a script to veer away
from focusing on the people who are watching your newscast. If
viewers sense your stories don't directly affect them, they will turn
away.

So when the state department of transportation announces a huge

infrastructure improvement project that involves replacing bridges
around your city, you may be presented with institutional
information. But transform it into something personal and
meaningful to the people at home.
"Your drive to work or school will soon be safer and easier, thanks
to a big project to make our city's bridges better." You've taken the
information and told viewers how it could change their lives.
Dissect press kits, graphs and data before you start writing to
determine why your viewers will care about it.
5. Action Verbs Add Verve
In news writing, you can't do much to the subject or object of your
sentences, but you can spice up your verbs. They are the part of
speech that can bring life to your stories.
Look at a story to see whether you can switch a sentence that
says "Residents are requesting information..." to "Residents
demand answers." That easy change adds urgency and action.
Before you get carried away, remember your story still has to be
accurate. "Demand" may be too strong. Try, "Residents want to
know."
Using "is, are, was, were" weakens the impact of the action.
"Residents want answers" sounds better than "Residents are
wanting answers."
6. Be Careful with Numbers
Numbers are hard on the viewers' ears, especially when there are
a lot of them. Make your point with a number or two, then move on.
Instead of, "The company's profit was $10,470,000, then fell to
$5,695,469 a year later," you can simplify the line to be, "The
company's profit was about 10 and-a-half million dollars, then fell
to about half that the next year." The viewer gets the idea without
having to hear every last digit.
It's ideal to take big numbers and translate them into something
meaningful for the audience. Besides pointing out that the electric
company is raising rates by $3.5 million, take the time to say that
the hike means a typical customer will pay $200 more a year.
That's the number that affects people the most.
7. Skip Cliches and Journalese
Even experienced news writers fall into a trap of writing the same
tired words and phrases. Powerful storms always "wreak havoc",
political candidates "throw their hat into the ring" and the moments
after a crime has happened "details are sketchy."
Those empty terms make your news writing seem shallow.
Replace them with words that normal people would actually use in
conversation.
Reporters often use journalese when they are confronted with the
cliches of other professions and merely repeat what they hear. A
police officer may say a shooting suspect "fled on foot". It's a TV
news writer's job to change that to "ran away". The law
enforcement, government and health care industries have their
own way of speaking, which shouldn't be repeated on the air.
Otherwise, your news writing sounds like it came straight from a
press release.
8. Write to Video
Many TV news stories are read as the audience watches video
playing on the screen. Connect the words to the video as if you
were leading a tour group.
That requires you to know what is going to be on screen as the
viewers hear the script. Once you have that information, the rest is
easy.
If you're talking about an embezzlement suspect while the video
shows that suspect walking down the street with his lawyer, say,
"The suspect, seen here on the left walking to the courthouse with
his lawyer." That reference to the video keeps the viewer from
wondering which of the two people is the suspect while missing out
on the rest of the story.
A line like, "Watch what happens when firefighters try to get the
kitten out of the tree," forces the viewers' eyes back to the screen.
Remember, some people have the news turned on while reading
the newspaper or cooking supper. Get their attention riveted to the
television.
9. Sell the Story
Print journalists may groan at this basic aspect of TV news writing.
In most cities, there's one newspaper but several TV stations
providing news. That means in television, a news writer also has to
sell the product as something different and superior to the
competition.
"When the school board said there wasn't any money for
classroom computers, we decided to dig for answers." A line like
that demonstrates that the news team is aggressive, and is taking
action to get to the truth.
"We are the only station with video of the brawl inside the college
cafeteria." A TV station uses its scripts to combat the perception
that all newscasts in a city are the same.
While this isn't pure journalism, this is a basic part of news writing
that is common at most TV stations. Realize that a newscast is
also a television program that not only competes with other
newscasts, but also all TV shows that are on the air in the same
time slot. Sell the coverage as something special.
10. Move the Story Forward
A TV news story doesn't have a "the end" at the bottom of the
script. The end of your script should usually tell the audience what
will happen next to the people involved.
"The school board will take a vote on whether to cut teachers' pay
at its next meeting," lets the audience knows what developments
to expect next. Leaving that fact out leaves the audience hanging.
"We will be at that meeting and tell you the outcome of the vote," is
good to add so that your viewers will return for updates. That line
reinforces that your news team will stay on top of the story and not
just drop it.
That's a lot of effort to put into a 30-second script. Even though TV
news would seem to be all about video, crisp news writing will put
you above others in your newsroom and could be the key to
building your career faster than you thought possible.

Print
The move to digital has meant that print ads are no longer a key part of
the marketing mix, as they were for decades. Think back to the last time a
print ad caught your eye. However, there is still a need for them,
especially if you have a business that relates directly to a print
publication, and with more magazines now available to read digitally, the
ads still have to work well. 
Print ads are not easy to write, and usually should not be attempted unless
you're a professional ad agency copywriter, freelance copywriter, or
creative director.

But if you cannot afford that option, and are a small business owner
managing your own ad campaign, these elements show you how to write
print ads that help you reach customers and get sales:

Start With The Headline

Your headline is the first line of copy your reader is going to see in your
print ads. A strong headline will hook the potential customer and compel
them to read more about your products and services. You may come up
with a great ad that doesn't require a headline, but those are rare. Usually,
you need words to entice the reader. Good headlines from print ads
include:
• How will it move you?
• Wii Fit
 
• Help Make Bedtime Worry Free
• GoodNites Sleep Pants
 
• Power is Nothing Without Control
• Pirelli Tires
 
• It's time to say no to fake food
• Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
You May Need a Subhead
You won't find a subhead in all print ads, but a subhead can often expand
on on your headline and draw your reader in even further.

If the headline asks a question, the subhead can answer it. If the headline
makes a cryptic statement, the subhead can reveal more. Subheads from
print ads include:
• Headline: For nine months, you protected him like no one else could.
• Subhead: Now we're here to help.
• Enfamil
 
• Headline: All New
• Subhead: When was the last time you heard that, and it was actually
true?
The Saturn SKY
• Headline: Feed Their Wonder
• Subhead: Introducing Lunchables Wrapz!
• Lunchables
 
• Headline: The La-Z-Boy Home Theater Collection.
• Subhead: Because customizing your home theater should also extend to
your backside.
La-Z-Boy

Don't Be Afraid of White Space

Just because you're buying a full-page print ad doesn't mean you have to
fill the entire page with text and images. White space is just as important
to your print ads as the copy you write.

White space makes your print ads more visually appealing, which will
pull more readers into your ad. If your ad doesn't invite the reader in, they
won't ever make it to the end.
 
Consider Images Carefully
Images are not always required in print ads, but let's be honest; society is
very visual these days, and a copy-only ad is not going to win over a lot
of people.  But remember, any images you use should go hand-in-hand
with your copy. They're not just for decorative purposes.

Original photos are best for your print ads but you can also use
illustrations if your product is technical and photos wouldn't tell the story
as well.
You can use multiple images as long as they are important to the ad, such
as showing the product's uses. Just don't overload your ad with images for
the sake of dressing it up. And stay away from stock photography, unless
you really have no choice. It's not original, and will not help your brand
stand out. 
 
Don't Ignore Body Copy
Many ads these days are photos and logos, sometimes with a headline.
These ads are not working hard enough. Unless you're a brand like Nike
or Coke, you have a story to tell, and you need body copy to tell that
story. The body of your print ads should be written in a conversational
tone. Don't overwrite your ad.

You have a very limited space to write your copy, so make each word
count. Every sentence should explain what it is you're selling and why the
customer should choose you. Your customer has a problem, such as bad
breath, a boring car or a bulging waistline.
You're offering the solution in your print ads, such as breath mints, a new
sports car or low fat chips.

Most print ads you'll find in magazines keep the copy brief, unless you're
talking about a medical ad that requires legal information on the drug and
its side effects to be disclosed. Take a look at a print ad for any
prescription drug to see an example.
 Print ad copy doesn't have to be long. You're not writing a book and
trying to cram every single copy point about your company into the ad.

Take a look at print ads in the magazines or newspapers you want to

advertise in. Make note of how long the copy is to see what your
competition is doing.

Even if these ads aren't selling what your company does, they are still
your competition because you're competing with them for the customer's
attention. If your print ads are filled with text from top to bottom and
they're placed next to an ad with images and brief copy, your ad is likely
to go unread.

What is Your Call to Action?

What should the customer do now? If you don't tell them, they'll just put
your ad down and move on to something else. Tell them to call now, visit
your website, receive a discount for ordering before a certain date, get a
free trial or offer a gift with their order. You want to make your reader act
now as opposed to whenever they get around to it, which is usually never
without a solid call to action.

 
Include Contact Information
Do not forget your contact information. Don't just include your website
because that is where you want people to go. Put every bit of your contact
information in all of your print ads.You want to give each customer every
possible resource to get in touch with you. Don't just assume everyone
will want to visit your website or call you because they saw your number
on the print ad. Give the customer options so they'll choose to contact
you. Right now.