By Mr. Paul Vincent Java Gerano, M.Ed-ESLFaculty, Communication Arts in English Department, Assumption Iloilo

JOURNALISM LECTURE

Take a look at the following pictures and reflect on each one.

Now, choose a partner and share your insights together. Focus on the following questions:

• What are the pictures all about?

• Can you identify the place and the individual(s) found in the pictures?

• Do you know the circumstances surrounding the pictures?

What is journalism?

TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS AND PHRASES

• investigation and reporting

• events, issues, and trends

• broad audience

QUIZDIRECTIONS

Identify whether the given situation is journalism or not. If it is journalism, write YES. Otherwise, write NO.

1. Vanz submits to his boss his report of the feasibility study he conducted.

2. Elton files a flash report on TV Patrol about the UFO that is now visible in areas around Mandurriao.

3. Christopher confides to his bestfriend that he saw the murder in the cathedral.

4. Brian tells the whole class that the governor has accepted his project proposal.

5. Kyle writes posts on his blog the anomalies he has discovered in the City Hall.

6. Robert sends a series of text messages to his friends informing them that PAGASA has issued a tsunami warning.

7. Alexis sends a letter to the manager asking him to investigate his employee.

8. Mark makes a video documentary about the backdoor issues in Southern Philippines.

9. Gen exposes in his Sunday column the red-tape practices in the embassy.

10.The principal issues a circular asking all the department heads to observe proper waste disposal in their respective offices.

VOCABULARY BREAK

HIDDEN WORD

INSTRUCTIONS

Guess the hidden word by naming the images shown. Get the first letter of the name of the image as order shown to reveal the hidden word.

1st letter

CEDAR

C

IVORY

CI

TOM AND JERRY

CIT

IRIS

CITI

ZEUS

CITIZ

EGGS BENEDICT

CITIZE

NEFERTITI

The ABC of journalistic writing…

AccuracyBrevityConciseness

Examine this sentence.

The ATM machine is not working.

Quiz : Rewrite the following sentences by removing redundancies.

1. Kindly look at the sky above.2. Hello, good morning! How may I

help you?3. My future plan is to build a big

mansion.4. Kindly enter your PIN number,

then press okay.5. Her bag is red in color.

GRAMMAR BREAK

1. Tom is looking for his key. He can’t find it. He (lost, has lost) his key.

2. He (studied, has studied) his lesson.3. I (saw, have seen ) Rosa in town

yesterday.4. Ow! I (cut, have cut) my finger!5. My mother (read, has read) the

documents last night.

NEWSPAPER

VOCABULARY

Read the following sentences• These were the sordid details about

their affair.• Ancient Celtic monks ruminated about

profound theological problems.• The TV series was so popular that its

influence on popular culture seemed ubiquitous.

• I rusticated at Brighton-by-the Sea.• He imagined his performance in the

play would scintillate, but he stumbled twice and forgot many of his lines.

• Most Europeans are polyglot out of necessity.

• The evil sorcerer placed his anathema on the town.

BEN JONSON

In his work entitled ‘Poetaster’, he distinguishes a good writer from a bad writer.

In fact, he uses the character of Crispinus in what he thinks good writers should do.

In the play, Crispinus, vomits up all pretentious and bombastic words in

his system.

If you have a big vocabulary full of polysyllables – that is fine. It will help you learn. It will help you think. It will help you solve crossword puzzles. But use it sparingly in your writing.

If the reader finds the first paragraph is made up of tortuous sentences and unfamiliar words, he will not read anyfurther.

He does not have the interest or the time to figure out what the writer is trying to communicate.

Each item contains a

sentence with anunfamiliar word in bold letters.

Replace this word with a simple word injumbled letters.

eefofrd

She proffered her hand, and the gallant man kissed it.

OFFERED

dtenisre

Her remarks were interpolated into

the official record.

INSERTED

aft

Charles Dickens had

a peculiar habit ofDescribing

corpulent people in his

books.

FAT

durage An unhappy

candidate remonstrated with

his successful opponent.

ARGUED

rvocnet Missionaries

proselytize and accept new

members to their religion.

CONVERT

DIRECTIONS

Make 10 pairs of complex-common words out of the following.

In journalistic writing…. AVOID verbal deadwoods

an excessive amount of unnecessary words in a script, speech, or other written or spoken communication

PRACTICE

The following sentences are pretentious. Rewrite to make them fit for journalistic writing.

Sentence 1He affixed his signature in the document.

He signed the document.

Sentence 2They are having a tour at the present time.

They are having a tour now.

Sentence 3They were united in holy matrimony in Spain.

They married in Spain.

Sentence 4

He told his listeners that he was born inside the palace.

He said that he was born inside the palace.

Sentence 5The secretary tendered her resignation yesterday.

The secretary resigned yesterday.

In journalistic writing…Shy away from abstract words that soar into the blue and stand for things you can not pin down.

ExampleThe police apprehended a criminal at the bus station.

The police apprehended a kidnapper at the bus station.

Activity

Make more precise sentences by rewriting the following vague sentences.

1. His head was injured by a blunt instrument.

2. Officers removed a gun from his clothing.

3. A large number assembled for the meeting.

4. The noise woke me up last night.

5. She is now in jail because she falsified a document.

Suggested Answers1. His skull was fractured with a hammer.2.  Police took a .32 caliber automatic from

his hip pocket. 3. Five hundred attended the caucus.4. The thud woke me up last night.5. She is now in jail because she falsified a

college diploma.

In

journalism, the art of describing things is very important.

DESCRIPTION

It is a rhetorical mode.

The purpose of description is to

re-createInventvisually present

a person a place an event, an action

so that the reader can picture that which is being described.

The rule is….

SHOW, DON’T TELL!

How does a newborn baby’s hair feel?

DOWNY HAIR

covered in or filled with soft fine hair

or feathers

How does a brand-new car look?

SLEEK

a vehicle or other

object that is sleek

has a smooth attractive shape

How does a snake move?IT SLITHERS

to slide somewhere

over a surface, twisting or moving from side to side

PRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICE

Describe this…

DOG-EARED BOOK

RECEDINGHAIRLINE

PEELING PAINTWORK

CHIPPED

CUP

BLOOD-SHOT

EYES

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PICTURE.

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PICTURE.

HOW ABOUT THIS PICTURE?

LET’S GO BACK TO THE PICTURES SHOWN EARLIER

QUESTIONS • Which picture shows an ordinary situation? Why?

• Which picture shows a shocking situation? Why?

• Which picture is more interesting for you? Why?

WHAT IS NEWS?