Journalism – Writer’s Fortnight

In English class, this week was one where we learnt many new concepts and definitions about journalists and news articles. We looked into some of the most important questions such as- ‘Why do journalists exist?’, and ‘What are different types of news articles for?’ Doing this means that we were able to build a strong foundation for the work we will be doing in the coming weeks when we will also be writing our news articles after hearing different stories and perspectives.

A misconception that I had before this unit was that all types of news articles should be objective, when in reality, though many try to be, there is still some degree of bias toward one side or the other in most articles. I also learnt about a type of news article called an ‘Op-Ed’ (Opposite the Editorial), and after analysing some examples, our class found that this news article is written in the format of a traditional essay, trying to convince the reader to take a specific side on an issue. This type of article often features controversial images and words that have many different connotations. In other words, it doesn’t just state hard facts. Instead, a good Op-Ed uses facts to support their arguments, and we discussed that an even better one can provide a counterargument as well, just like an essay.

We received a lot of new information this week, which we are now consolidating by writing news articles of our own, to implement all the features that each type of article should have. This is a really fun way to guide us through the process of writing an article, as we are not writing about a world issue or a serious political one. We’re writing about stories and characters. Therefore, instead of learning a topic completely foreign to us, we can use the analysis we have already conducted on these stories(as we read them in our last unit), and look for the best evidence for our articles.

Meet A Journalist: Dr Sheshnan “Rama” swami – Questions I would like to ask

  1. Do you change the way you address the reader depending on the article?
  2. I noticed you ended your article, ‘Why are you here? Why am I here’, with a question?
    1. What was your thinking behind this?
  3. How do you structure the introduction for an ‘Op-Ed’ to make it sound credible and formal at the same time?
  4.  What is your thinking behind finding good evidence, and how do you make sure that your sources are reliable?
  5. How does one ask deep and meaningful questions to someone they are researching or interviewing to get the best insight possible?

Human Library Schedule:

Special guest: Learning to walk again: D503

  • How did you feel when your many treatments failed to improve your condition?
    • What kind of mindset did you have while trying to overcome your condition?
  • What were the reactions of your family when they found out that you had MS?
  • Did MS affect any of your relationships outside of your home?
  • What has having MS taught you?

Special guest: When will the world listen to young people? Stories from the front line of human rights advocacy: D543

  • How did you decide to become a part of these movements?

I struggled academically, but outdoor activities saved me: D506

I am interested in this as I am someone who does engage in a quite time-consuming sport, so this was interesting to me.

Special Guest: Life as a criminal psychologist: conversations with murderers and rapists

  • How did you decide you wanted to pursue this field?
  • What is something that surprised you about these conversations with these kinds of people?