Different Formats/Writing Journalistic Articles and Blog Posts/Examples

Example

Write: “Professor Gareth Bennett of Trinity College Dublin has found a way to make aircraft quieter while using less fuel, paving the way for a ‘greener’ future. Professor Bennett yesterday signed an agreement with leading aircraft manufacturers, which will see these planes in action by 2018.”

In the above example, readers have learned all about the important news in just 45 words. The story could now be developed with more specific information and quotations throughout the rest of the story by working down the ‘inverted pyramid’ of information (Figure 2). The key here is to add to the story by including content of increasing depth and decreasing breadth as you work your way into the news.

Figure 2: The inverted pyramid of information. Try to work down it by adding more specific detail as you go.

Including quotations from relevant sources will make the story more interesting and add a personal touch as well as credibility, but make sure these quotations say something useful. Try to ensure they add something to the story (they don’t just repeat information already paraphrased beforehand) and make sure they are interesting and easy to understand; there is no point including a quote from someone whose opinion is irrelevant or inappropriate, or if it fails to ignite an interest in the story. Be careful that you are not using a quote out of context and that you include any background information readers might need to understand it properly.

Examples

Write: “Professor Bennett said: “I’ve been flying high ever since we signed the contract; this has been the culmination of some serious work as it has been my dream for the last decade to reduce the carbon footprint we leave as frequent flyers,” rather than: “Professor Bennett said: “These new planes will make less noise and use less fuel.”’

Write: “London Heathrow Airport Traffic Controller, Stuart Richards, said ‘Noise pollution has been a growing concern for 20 years, so this truly is a ground-breaking development,’” rather than: “Toby Hamilton, who flies at least 20 times a year on business, said ‘I’m looking forward to getting on board as soon as the new planes are in operation.’”