How can reporters make difficult subjects simpler for readers, whether the area is science, health, finances or any other complicated area that agricultural journalism covers daily?
Journalists at the Canadian Association of Journalists conference held earlier this year in Vancouver heard some suggestions from Paula LaRocque, assistant managing editor of the Dallas Morning News.
Some of her tips were:
- Remove the jargon. If you need to include some jargon, define it carefully, early in the story. “Seek definitions for the jargonistic terms from your sources,” she advised.
- Use other ways to present the jargon. She said if there’s a lot of jargon and all seems necessary, then break it out of the story. Have a graphic or a box with the terms and explanations.
- Remove unnecessary words. If a shorter word can be used, or one instead of several, use it. If some things are redundant or repetitive, delete them. Get rid of the little words, the participles which aren’t needed.
- Use more active verbs.
- Have clear sentences.
- Use conversational language. “We tend to write that way… when we’re writing our best,” LaRocque said.
- Use familiar language, especially when presenting a difficult concept. If done well, the concept is no longer unfamiliar. “The more people know about a subject, the more they tend to read a story.”
- Select good headlines. LaRocque said the headlines that most successfully convey the information in the story will get people into the story. If people see something familiar to them they’ll go to it, rather than the ones where headlines merely provoke curiosity.
- Describe rather than define. Invoke images, and provide a concept.
- State the significance of the story. By the third paragraph, tell readers why they should be interested. This will keep the readers’ attention.
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Next week: Creating better leads.
