文体概述
1.Journalistic English aims at the study of English newspapers, periodicals, radio, television and other media of communication.
2.News is a fresh report of events, facts, or opinions that people did not know before they read your story．
新闻就是针对人们读你的报道以前还不知道的事件、事实或观点的一种全新报道。
News is any event, idea or opinion that is timely, that interests or affects a large number of people in a community and that is capable of being understood by them．
新闻是指人们能及时获悉的事件、观点或见解，它能吸引或影响社会上的许多人，并能为他们所理解。
The definition of news may vary from person to person. Generally speaking, the definition accepted in China’s academic circles as standard is that news is the reporting of recent events.
Hard news includes stories of a timely nature about events or conflicts that have just happened or are about to happen, such as crimes, fires, meetings, protest rallies, speeches and in court cases. testimony. These stories have immediacy.
“Soft news” is defined as news that entertains or informs, with an emphasis on human interest and novelty and less immediacy than hard news.
“Soft news” can also be stories that focus on people, places or issues that affect readers’ lives. These types of stories are called “feature stories.” It isn’t less important than hard news, but soft news may not be news that happened overnight.
If the action or event occurred the same day as or the day before publication of the newspaper, the event is called “breaking news.”
An event that happened the day of or day before publication or an event that is due to happen in the immediate future is considered timely.
Some events that happened in the past may also be considered timely if they are printed on an anniversary of the event, such as one, five or 10 years after the incident.
An event may be of interest to local readers because it happened in or close to the community.
It sounds absurd, but fully illustrates one of the widely accepted news values — the unusual, bizarre (奇异的) nature of a recently happened event.
People who are well-known for their accomplishments — primarily entertainers, athletes or people who have gained fame for achievements, good or bad — attract a lot of attention.
People like stories about people who have special problems, achievements or experiences. These stories can be profiles (人物简介) or unusual stories about people that make readers care about their plight.
Stories involving conflicts people have with government or other people are often newsworthy, especially when the conflict reflects local problems.
3.A news story is composed of headline, lead, body, and before lead, there are dateline and byline. The dateline, which tells readers when and where the story is written, is important. The byline, which gives credit to the writer, is also very important.
The most popular structure for news stories is the inverted pyramid. In the inverted pyramid, the information is arranged in descending order of importance. The most important material is placed at the beginning of the story, and less important material follows.
It allows the reader to read only the lead and know most of the important information. It allows the editor to cut the least important information from the bottom of the story and not worry about leaving out anything of great importance.
- The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.
A headline's purpose is to quickly and briefly draw attention to the story.
There are two types of headlines. Most news stories use sentence headlines although they
may be shortened by omitting certain words. Many feature stories and some very short news stories use phrase headlines or titles which leave out the verb.
Omission of function words, such as articles, conjunction, possessive pronouns, ‘be’ verbs, auxiliary verbs, etc.
8.The lead is a statement of the most significant aspect of an event.
That information ---
the climax of the event,
the theme statement of a speech,
the result of an investigation --- is presented as simply and clearly as possible in the first paragraph.
It sets the tone.
It advertises what is coming in the rest of the story.
It conveys the most important information of the story.
The leads sits atop a news-writing formula called the inverted pyramid, in which information is arranged in descending order of importance. Those following paragraphs explain and provide evidence to support the lead. Usually, each paragraph contains one idea.
who, what, where, when, why, and how.
There are different types of newspaper leads. Generally speaking, they can be divided into two categories:
1). The Summary Lead (综述性导语), which usually gives the story’s main topic and its most important facts and which is usually used in “Hard News” writing.
In a Summary Lead, the five Ws and one H give the substance of the first paragraph and also serve as the framework for the body of the story. But not all Summary Leads answer all the six questions. Some will answer only three or four or five of the six questions.
2). The Delayed Lead (延缓性导语) which is commonly used in the “Soft News” writing and feature stories.
The Delayed Lead is different from the summary lead. The summary lead summarizes the whole story while the delayed lead tends to rely heavily on suspended interest, although it may answer one or more of the Ws.
It may have more attraction for the reader because of its novelty, liveliness, and literary tinge. The following leads of this kind are commonly used in modern newspapers.
The Descriptive Lead tries to paint a quick word picture of an interesting person, place, or thing. It also helps create the mood for the story so that it matches the subject.
The Contrast Lead reaches for the reader’s attention by comparing extremes --- the big with the little; comedy with tragedy; the past with the present.
In order to give a prominent(突出的)position to the objectivity(客观现实),reporters sometimes quote the words of the person involved in the news story. The quotation lead can be divided into two categories: a) full quotation lead b) partial quotation lead
The question lead is used when the story concerns a problem of public interest or a matter likely to provoke(引起)debate among readers.
The personal lead is sometimes written in the first person or in the second person and the reader might feel that he is being directly addressed, which narrows the gap between the reader and the reporter.
The suspense lead keeps the reader in suspense and encourages him to continue reading.
9.A feature story(新闻特写) is an article in a newspaper, a magazine, or a news website that is not meant to report breaking news, but to take an in-depth look at a subject.
A news feature goes way deeper than the headlines — it explores an issue thoroughly.
To write such a story requires plenty of research and interviewing.
Like news stories, the incidents and persons involved in feature stories are real, not created, are facts, not fiction, though many techniques used in fiction writing can be found in features.
The main thing that sets feature stories apart from news stories is the greater amount of detail and description features contain. Three major kinds of descriptions should be contained in a feature story: Describe actions, Describe people, Describe places
Feature stories contain more quotations and dialogue than breaking news stories.
Profile(描述) people who make the news
Explain events that move or shape the news
Analyze what is happening in the world, nation or community
Teach an audience how to do something
Suggest better ways to live
Examine trends
Entertain
There are many kinds of feature stories. Here are some popular types:
- the personality feature(人物特写);
A personality feature focuses attention on one or more people, revealing something interesting or significant about them. It intends to reveal the specific characteristics of the people.
Develops a total picture of the person
Attempts to reveal personality through anecdotes
Looks at mannerisms, actions, dress, experiences.
Facts readers will want to know:1. Name 2. Personality3. Background4. Physical appearance 5. Environment6. Hobbies7. Influence on others8. Anecdotes - the human interest feature (人情味特写);
A human interest feature may include much the same information as a personality feature. But it is usually more specific and has strong emotional appeal.
A personality feature would tell many different facts about an individual whereas a human interest feature might focus on how an individual overcame a specific hardship or accomplished a specific goal. Sometimes a human interest feature tells of a very interesting event but has little news value.
Involves persons rather than things - the personal-experience feature (亲身经历特写)
News stories are usually written in the third person, with the reporter as a neutral observer or outsider.
Feature stories can be written in the first person, with the reporter in the story.
Feature stories can also be written in the second person, addressing audience members directly.
Each style can be effective. - the informative feature (信息特写)
The informative feature paints a background picture. It may be an explanation, a description, a narration or a combination of two or more of these. It explains or describes some news events of the day.
Informative features are frequently found on the front. One of the characteristics of this feature is its extra length. So the write can take this advantage to examine complicated events that would be difficult to explain in a short news story.
Of historical, social, practical interest
Basic purpose is not to entertain but to inform.
10.The basic purpose is to attract tourists by giving information about how to travel in Nanning, as a tourist publicity.
To put it more exactly, this informative feature is a travelogue.
- News stories and features seldom give the reader the clear opinion of the writer. Some newspaper articles, however, purposely state the writer’s opinion. Unlike news stories and features, they not only try to inform or entertain, but also try to convince. This kind of writing is called Opinion Writing.新闻评论
Opinion writing includes:
– the editorial (社论)
The ultimate purpose of most editorials is to convince, whether or not the writer hopes to prompt(激起) his readers to immediate action.
According to the purpose of an editorial, they can be classified into three kinds
In the first kind, the writer may merely interpret an event, offering no specific action.
But he must do more than an interpretative report does. His editorial should add dimension to the reader’s knowledge and understanding of the issue.
In the second kind, the writer may suggest one or more satisfactory courses of action.
In the third kind, the writer may demand action on the part of public officials or exhort (劝告) his readers to take immediate action, pointing out the gravity of the matter.
– the commentary(述评)
Commentary is usually an analysis or explanation of a big event, or a social issue or a current trend at home or abroad.
By analyzing and explaining the event, the author often points out the cause, forecast the consequence, expresses his view, influences the reader so as to prompt the reader to support or oppose a view or an action.
Of course a commentary is usually closely related to a current news story.
– the column essay(专栏言论)
Newspaper columns also express opinions.
Writers of such columns are sometimes famous and influential, so their columns are often headed by their own pictures.
Each columnist has his own style. Some try to be funny; others are very serious.
To really appreciate a column you should read it often and try to understand the basic attitude of the writer.
Remember, unlike a news writer, a columnist doesn’t have to present the facts in a balanced or objective way.
– the review(书评)
Reviews are descriptions of books, dramatic performances, concerts, and other musical performances, films, radio and television programs, lectures, and arts.
The reviewer, using his thorough understanding of the field, measures the success and failure of the work or performance. He compares the given work with others of its kind and judges the ability of the artists or performers.
The review is intended to give the reader relevant information, help the reader understand and appreciate what is reviewed, and also to stimulate and promote cultural activities.
– the letters to the editor (读者来信)
The letter columns are the only parts of a newspaper (with the exception of the classified ads) which are written by ordinary people. While other parts are by professional contributors (e.g. reporters, and advertisers), letters are written by people from all walks of life, and from a variety of social and educational background.
