Professional Communication

PROFESSIONAL WRITING - A1

PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Table of Contents
expand_more expand_less

Table of Contents

DETAILED INSTRUCTION

A. ASSIGNMENT SUMMARY:

In this section, we will revisit the assignment's expectations and the steps necessary to complete the assignment effectively.

 

  1. Assessed criteria:

●      Identify which types of events and issues attract media interest and explain how this influences the style, tone and content of basic documents used in the media and communication industries

●      Identify and analyze different rhetorical styles and content forms used for different purposes in basic documents used in the media and communication industries

●      Apply the professional writing principles of accuracy, style/presentation, content/relevance and timeliness

●      Produce basic documents used in media and communication industries

  1. Assignment details:

●      Requirement: develop news angles for mass media and social channels

●      Format: an outline of 10 news angles for a minimum of 5 mass media/social media channels based on the brief to be announced

●    Objectives:

-        Each news must have these components:

+      Which mass media and relevant section (or specific social media page) that you plan to publish

+      Headline

+      50-100 words description/abstract

+      Optional elements include a lead/visuals

-        All news must follow these principles:

+      Follow writing styles for the target media

+      Have specific news value(s)

+      Have a right tone of voice to trigger reader attentions in the media sections

-        Formatting:

+      1.5 spacing, 12 point font, Times New Roman/Arial, 2cm margins (x4).

+      Name your file using the format:  Assessment1_ Class group number_StudentID.docx

-        You submit the entire text of your Media Kit via Turnitin. The link to your web-based Media Kit will need to be also inserted in that document.

●      Assignment structure:

-        News angle #1: Title/headline - Abstract - Tone of Voice - Publication details

-        News angle #2:...

 

B. KEY TERM DEFINITION:

In this segment, we will take another look at the terminology associated with assignment that is discussed within the context of the course.

 

Term

Definition

Grammar

Grammar defines the ‘rules’ of a language – if these rules are broken, then the use of the language is incorrect – grammar in English is therefore critically important to the credibility of your writing.

Syntax

Syntax refers to the order and pattern of words, and how they are

naturally used in sentences and phrases.

Idiom

Idiom describes the way in which language is used specially within  a culture or group of language users. A special form of idiom is ‘vernacular’ language – i.e. language used by a limited group of people (e.g. a club, a specific social group). Types of vernacular language include cant, cryptolect, argot, slang, anti-language or secret language

Fundamental writing principles
  1. Sender: What do I want to achieve? What are my objectives?
  2. Receivers: Who do I want to talk to? Who are my readers?
  3. Message: What do I want to say? What are the messages I want to get across?
  4. Channels: How shall I say it? What mechanisms shall I use to get my messages across?
  5. Evaluation: How do I know I’ve got it? How will I evaluate my work?

Writing style

Style is the way you establish a relationship with your audience,

using the words, phrasing, sentence structures, and sometimes

idioms that they understand and find credible, which is key to

effective communication.

o House style

o Industry style

o Media style

o Personal style

 

News value

A news value is considered a criteria used by journalists and reporters in assessing the newsworthiness of stories and streams of information. Here are all of them: timeliness, proximity, significance, prominence, conflict, human interest, oddity, currency (relevance), consequence, trend, social justice.

News hook/angle

This is a nuance of a story that renders it appealing, interesting or newsworthy to a certain audience. They are pivotal as they can attract the reader’s attention by tackling the same story that could be irrelevant in one aspect to being hugely relevant in another.

 

C. DETAILED OUTLINE:

In this step, we will discuss in detail each component and its requirements within the assignment.

 

  1. CHOOSING THE NEWS ANGLES:

Based on the client you select, there will be a plethora of news angles to explore. These angles allow you to dissect one singular issue from multiple viewpoints, providing the audience with the most complete perspective about your client and the aspect they want to highlight. To illustrate, the news about an airplane accident can be inspected in the following ways: an article summarizing the aftermath of the event (casualties, injuries, damages), another looks at the reasons for the accident, one newspaper inquires the statements from involved parties (airline, survivors, authorities, etc.), and more. However, each angle should focus on one or two news values and they ought to differ from article to article, creating in-depth coverage for your client.

 

Example: Client - Grab

Angle #1: A heartwarming story between a Grab rider and a passenger - Human interest

Angle #2: Meeting the Grab rider with the most recorded rides, understanding his motivation, method to reaching those numbers and his personal life story - Oddity, human interest

Angle #3: Let Grab take you home: discussing all the benefits that Grab has at its disposal to deliver you to your destination after your “night out” with friends and family - Currency, timeliness, consequence (if people drive drunk)

Charge your account to get a detailed instruction for the assignment