The bioresources class at Evan Hardy, a Saskatoon high school, asked us to talk to them about news writing last week.
Because the people who do the news writing are too busy doing the news writing to talk about the news writing, I trotted over there with a PowerPoint presentation to share the broader strokes of the news biz.
News writing is all about communication, I told them. It involves writing the most important stuff first, clearly and succinctly, so busy people can quickly absorb the salient points and then explore further details.
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The first words of a news story, the lead, are not unlike sending a text message, I told the text-proficient urban audience of silent, watchful teenagers. Given limited space, words must be chosen carefully to get the point across, even if those words or acronyms are as simple as OMG (oh my god, for the text uninitiated.)
Typical of anyWPpresentation, on writing or on anything else, mention of tractors, cattle, crops and the fascinating diversity of agriculture crept in. I just can’t help myself. As well, the students were regaled with shining examples of good writing cribbed fromWestern Producerannals.
It’s an unfortunate truism in media circles that internal communication rarely matches the quality of the material published for readers. Back at the office, I read aNew York Times article about a staff memo within Conde Nast, the publisher ofVogue, The New YorkerandVanity Fair, among other titles.
Changes within that company were e-mailed to the staff, none of whom could make head nor tail of it. Among exciting internal changes are “a consumer- centric business model, a holistic brand management approach and the establishment of a multi-platform, integrated sales and marketing organization.”
It’s a head-scratcher. I hope nobody implements that here at theWP.
Or have they?
Next I read a spam e-mail from someone identifying herself as Mrs. Judith Williams, who wants to either give or receive money – it’s difficult to tell – from those on her spam list.
She writes, in part, “I am a very greedy woman with all cost I don’t know much and care about people, since when I have an experience of my it difficult to sleep and give rest later in the year.”
Another head-scratcher.
Evan Hardy students, take note. Keep it simple. Make it clear. And OMG, please communicate.
