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In Lesson 1 Journalism 12 students learn how to find and utilize online writing resources, as well as articulate their reasons for taking this course and pursuing postsecondary journalism studies or a career in journalism.

Journalism 12 presupposes that students not only have exceeded the minimum requirements for Grade 11 competency in English grammar and composition, but also have demonstrated, inside and outside class, through various publications, paid or unpaid, a serious and sustained interest in writing. Since postsecondary journalism studies and a career in journalism require an above-average command of written English, this background is essential. For that reason, Lesson 1 introduces students to resources that will assist them in refining their craft.

The free, user-managed online encyclopedia Wikipedia defines journalism as the “discipline of collecting, verifying, analyzing and presenting information gathered regarding current events, including trends, issues and people.” We are then informed that “Those who practice journalism are known as journalists.” Other types of writing include creative writing, which encompasses fiction, drama, poetry, and self-exploratory writing; technical writing, which embraces manuals and related documentation; and business writing. 

In addition to sporting “cousins,” journalism boasts its own “children,” or subfields. Wikipedia lists an array of “journalisms”:

1. Advocacy journalism
2. Alternative journalism
3. Broadcast journalism
4. Citizen journalism
5. Computer-assisted reporting
6. Gonzo journalism
7. Electronic journalism
8. Investigative journalism
9. Literary journalism
10. Muckraking
11. New journalism
12. Online journalism
13. Photo journalism
14. Sports journalism
15. Tabloid journalism
16. Trade journalism
17. Yellow journalism

Wikipedia offers definitions for each and links can be found on the web page referenced above. Please familiarize yourself with these types of journalism since they will be mentioned in the Lesson 1 Assignment.

In addition to the different types of journalism listed above, writers, depending upon their objectives, variously employ five writing techniques: description, exposition, narration, persuasion, and comparison and contrast.

1. Descriptive writing engages the five senses—sight, hearing, touch, smelling, and taste—in a way that enables the reader to experience the people, places, situations, and things about which the writer is addressing. Descriptive writing is the most common form of writing and is foundational to journalism.
2. Expository writing permits the reader to obtain a deeper understanding of the writer’s ideas regarding the people, places, situations, and things about which the writer is addressing. Expository writing is another common form of writing and is also foundational to journalism.
3. By way of narration, a writer unfolds a story. A story consists of fictitious persons called “characters,” sometimes based on real or historical persons; settings and times; a problem that requires a solution; several attempts to solve the problem; and a final, successful solution to the problem, usually revealed during the story’s climax. While narration is foundational to novels, short stories, movies, and plays, some forms of journalism, such as new journalism and gonzo journalism, employ narration.
4. Through persuasion, a writer endeavors to change a reader's position on a subject by arranging facts and opinions in a convincing manner. Some forms of journalism, such as editorials, are examples of persuasive writing.
5. By way of comparison and contrast, a writer identifies the similarities and differences about a subject. Comparison reveals similarities, while contrast exposes differences. Comparison and contrast can apply to people, places, times, and things.

As noted above, journalists normally employ the first two writing techniques, but sometimes the last three too. A study skills resource website contains additional information on writing techniques and other elements of effective studying.
Please familiarize yourself with these writing techniques since they will be referenced in the Lesson 1 Assignment.

Did you know that the Canadian doughnut landmark “Tim Hortons” is spelled without an apostrophe? Did you know that cellphone is one word? Did you know that “sizable” should be spelled in that fashion, and not “sizeable”? Well, if you browse through the The Canadian Press Stylebook or glance at an issue of the Canadian Press (CP) newsletter Copy Talk, then you will learn all about these and other fascinating typographical rules. The CP website features a “Stylebook Tip of the Week.”

While it is expected that Journalism 12 students will already be familiar with parts of speech, you may be comforted to learn that even seasoned, professional journalists keep grammar and other reference books on their desks. The CP Stylebook is the “Bible” of Canadian journalism. Aspiring journalists will no doubt consult this industry-standard reference throughout their postsecondary journalism studies and beyond, into their careers. All submissions for this course must conform to The CP Stylebook, which is the only mandatory textbook for Journalism 12.

Aspiring Canadian journalists will also be pleased to learn that their peers south of the border are equally concerned with properly crossing “T’s” and dotting “I’s.” The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Center for Writing Studies, for example, maintains an online Grammar Handbook that lists parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions; as well as phrases, clauses, sentences and sentence elements, and common grammar usage problems. The rules of English grammar are universal throughout the English-speaking world and are not normally affected by national idiosyncrasies in spelling. Canadian spelling conventions, of course, reflect both British and American usages.

In addition to formal rules of grammar, journalists employ various tips for effective writing and editing. The UIUC’s Center for Writing Studies features helpful online Writing Tips that address topics such as audience, paragraphs, commas, editing principles, parallelism, quotations, thesis statements, transitions, and the dreaded writer’s block. Effective writing depends upon identifying your audience. Journalists can identify their audience by asking questions like the following:

1. Will the subject of this writing project interest your audience?
2. Is the audience sympathetic to your position, adversarial, or apathetic?
3. Is the tone appropriate?
4. Is the diction, or choice of words, formal or informal?

Please familiarize yourself with these questions since audience will be referenced in the Lesson 1 Assignment.

The Poynter Institute is a nonprofit organization that offers professional development seminars for journalists and media leaders. Nelson Poynter, chair of the St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, Florida), founded the institute. Roy Peter Clark, the institute’s Vice President and Senior Scholar, lists “Thirty Tools for Writers” that cover Sentences and Paragraphs, Language, Effects, Structure, and The Writing Life. Clark prefaces his list of tools with the following wry remark:

“As you can see, I’m very impressed with myself. Thirty writing tools require a big workbench. And then I remember that I taught my first writing class 30 years ago, which means that I’m only clever enough to stumble upon one new writing tool per year. I guess an advantage of age is that things accumulate. I hope you find the new tools useful. You don’t have to return them. And you can pass them on.”

In addition to these freely available writing resources, the author of this course would like to offer his own tips, derived from his background in print and online publishing:

1. Use action, instead of passive, verbs to strengthen your sentences.
2. Break up run-on sentences to improve readability.
3. Break up long paragraphs, and mix short and medium-length paragraphs to create variety and hold the reader’s interest.
4. Consistency is a hallmark of the professional journalist and publishing in general.
5. While there are occasions where the repetition of a sentence or thought serves a recognized literary purpose, as a rule, avoid repetition.
6. Again, avoid repetition.
7. Lastly, avoid repetition.

For aspiring web writers, in addition to the previous points, you should keep your page short to minimize scrolling. Create additional pages if you must. More points on effective web writing can be found in Lesson 12: Internet Journalism.

Most writers encounter and must overcome writer’s block, which simply refers to those occasions when words do not flow freely from the mind to quill, as in the remote past, pen, as in the recent past, or keyboard, as today. Professional writers, however, are vast repositories of practical wisdom with respect to overcoming writer’s block. This is especially needful for journalists working for daily and weekly print and electronic publications, as well as radio and television programs. For more information, read the articles by Vicki Vialle and Ginny Wiehardt below.