Crucial Differences Between Essays and News Articles
"Nevertheless,
your goals as a news writer are different, so what counts as 'good
writing' in the world of journalism is very different from a personal essay."
-Jerz, English Essay vs. News Story
Although I've written far fewer news articles than English essays, I can already notice the difference in writing between the two. Just last night I was writing an article about a band for the Setonian, and while I was writing I was thinking of the differences. Even though a music review is not as much of a journalistic piece as any other article in the paper, it is close enough to realize that the goal is much different than an essay. In the article, I tried to inform the public as much as I could about the album I was reviewing, and I also tried to make not only the album but the entire article as interesting and exciting as possible. Making an essay exciting may get you style points, but the point of an essay is to prove how knowledgeable you are rather than how exciting you can be (and many people tend to take advantage of that). Likewise, using advanced and elaborate words in your essay is a plus, but unfortunately the general public that reads your article may not appreciate it as much as your English professor would.
I have yet to delve too deeply into the journalist realm; nevertheless, I have already discovered the fundamental differences between the aims of English and journalist writing.
-Jerz, English Essay vs. News Story
Although I've written far fewer news articles than English essays, I can already notice the difference in writing between the two. Just last night I was writing an article about a band for the Setonian, and while I was writing I was thinking of the differences. Even though a music review is not as much of a journalistic piece as any other article in the paper, it is close enough to realize that the goal is much different than an essay. In the article, I tried to inform the public as much as I could about the album I was reviewing, and I also tried to make not only the album but the entire article as interesting and exciting as possible. Making an essay exciting may get you style points, but the point of an essay is to prove how knowledgeable you are rather than how exciting you can be (and many people tend to take advantage of that). Likewise, using advanced and elaborate words in your essay is a plus, but unfortunately the general public that reads your article may not appreciate it as much as your English professor would.
I have yet to delve too deeply into the journalist realm; nevertheless, I have already discovered the fundamental differences between the aims of English and journalist writing.
Recent Comments
Leave a comment