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Reaching ReadersUnderstanding and increasing
relevance in newswriting
Your responses to news Recall a recent news item…
Which medium was it in? Which topic did it have? Which aspects of the topic did it cover? Which significance did it have to you?
The answers help explain its relevance to you
Why do people want news? a) To keep up with current events To engage and satisfy their curiosity
e.g., culture, distant events, show business, trivia
To learn useful information Things to do, background on a topic, contacts
To project future events “surveillance”: general background and
context
Why do people want news? b) To discuss events with friends To give them a professional edge To relax and pass the time To enjoy lively writing Vicarious experience (travel, “meeting”
people) To learn and compare the views of others
(letters, editorials, etc.)
Journalists choose and angle news Stories are not a simple repetition of facts
Every part of the process is “analytical” Selection, order, prominence, angle, level
The question is not if you angle, but to whom you angle the story and its parts how methodical and aware the process is
Relevance is The amount of meaning or significance
audiences perceive in: The news topic News information
Writing style Practical, social, personal value afterwards
Relevance links new information of unknown value to existing information whose value is accepted
Kinds of relevance Six kinds of relevance for news readers:
Personal: private background, hopes Instrumental: useful, helpful, actionable Social: about friends, relatives, coworkers Institutional: local organizations, government Cognitive: general curiosity about the world Geographical: nearby, known, likely impact
Changes in U.S. news U.S. newspapers increasingly report events
less, and analyze news more. In 1960, 90 percent of front-page election stories
were about events; in 1992, 80 percent of front-page stories included
interpretations, from secondary to significant This change responded to reader surveys
Relevance is complex Combine meanings for complex readership
Suggest links, e.g. in subheads or phrases Writing for the several “readers within” Reader interest plus social significance
Example:
Why increase relevance? Because readers are more likely to…
Start to read the story Read to the end of the story Remember its ideas and information Discuss it with friends and family Use the information in some way
Readers and relevance Readers have very clear, if subjective, ideas
of what they want from news “I know it when I see it” (or don’t)
Readers constantly re-assess the degree of relevance as they scan and read stories
Relevance rewards readers, bringing them back to the paper, section and reporter
Knowing readers Decide obvious categories of reader Develop your own categories Answer about each:
Why are they here? What do they do here? Why do they read the TCA? What do they care about? What information and analysis will help them?
Identifying readers Categories
Demographics: age, gender, income, education Culture and lifestyle
Psychographics: values, activities, motivators Goals What they know What they want to know Their cognitive (learning) style
Demographics Demographics is a “broad stroke” view:
Age Ethnicity Gender Income/SES (socio-economic status) Education
Psychographics Categorizes and understands people by their
attitudes and activities Considered more accurate Predicts persuasion and motivation Research can help new What is important, group values and culture
Basics of increasing relevance a) People are complex: decide…
Their varied interests How the story might resonate, to help angle
Stories are complex: decide… Which aspects readers want are available How each might or might not work Priorities in the hed, lead, flow, close
Adding levels of relevance will resonate with various parts of readers
Basics of increasing relevance b) Try to include parts of the news meaningful
(at least by implication) for the future Try to include aspects with various relevance
for main group, and/or adding touches for other groups
At first this seems artificial and time-consuming, but will quickly seem natural and helpful
Kinds of Relevance Social: related to relationships Aspirational: addresses their hopes and goals Personal: related to situation and history Cognitive: unusual, strange, new Institutional: related to valued organizations Instrumental: practical utility Predictive: suggests future impact Geographical: attract territorial identification
Give readers more relevance in the… Topic
At least two topics in the first glance Art
Photos and graphics (e.g., sidebar) to attract readers Heds, etc.
Show the selected topic and suggest significance Lead
An implied question to outline the story or tease them Sections and paragraphs
Emphasize various aspects of the story Close
Pulls together the story and strengthens the idea
How do we decide relevance? What we were taught, especially “proximity” Conventional wisdom or “professional culture” Feedback from letters/calls Market Research studies News/reader links Experience in the community
Personal Interpersonal Professional
Intuition/hunches Staff meetings/discussions
Is relevance only about readers? Relevance is more than reader preferences
Should also include value to society “Fourth estate” power brings responsibility
“Civic journalism” says news has a duty… to inform readers and improve citizenship to increase and improve the news “dialog”
TCA should decide how it can support society
Finally… Questions? Comments? Examples?