M. Grazia Busa - Introducing the Language of the News_ A Student''s Guide-Routledge (2013)

Introducing the Language of the News Introducing the Language of the News is a comprehensive introduction to the language of news reporting Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, the book provides an accessible analysis of the processes that produce news language, and discusses how different linguistic choices promote different interpretations of news texts Key features include: • • • • comprehensive coverage of both print and online news, including news design and layout, story structure, the role of headlines and leads, style, grammar and vocabulary a range of contemporary examples in the international press, from the 2012 Olympics, to political events in China and the Iraq War chapter summaries, activities, sample analyses and commentaries, enabling students to undertake their own analyses of news texts a companion website with extra activities, further readings and web links, which can be found at www.routledge.com/cw/busa Written by an experienced researcher and teacher, this book is essential reading for students studying English language and linguistics, media and communication studies, and journalism M Grazia Busà is Associate Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Padova, Italy This page intentionally left blank Introducing the Language of the News A student’s guide M Grazia Busà First published 2014 by Routledge Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2014 M Grazia Busà The right of M Grazia Busà to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Busà, Maria Grazia Introducing the language of the news / Maria Grazia Busà pages cm Includes bibliographical references Mass media and language Broadcast journalism Language Newspapers Language Discourse analysis Social aspects I Title P96.L34B87 2013 070.101’4 dc23 2013006025 ISBN: 978-0-415-63729-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-63730-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-79706-8 (pbk) Typeset in Sabon by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby Contents List of figures Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Language and texts Linguistic competence Variation in language Distinguishing between formal and informal English A note on varieties of English around the world Students’ activities 10 Further reading 11 viii ix xi 1 Making news 1.1 News as texts 13 1.2 Who controls the news? 13 1.3 Economic factors 15 1.4 News as the work of many 17 1.5 Time deadlines and space-on-the-page constraints 18 1.6 Effects of information technology 19 1.7 The impact of ‘convergence’ on the world of news 21 Students’ activities 22 Further reading 23 13 Defi fining news 25 2.1 Defi fining journalism and news 25 2.2 What is newsworthy? 26 2.3 Objectivity in news reporting: a factor of language, audience and technology 33 2.4 Hard news and soft news 36 vi Contents Students’ activities 37 Further reading 39 Sourcing news 3.1 News stories need sources 40 3.2 Sourcing the news 40 3.3 Interviews 41 3.4 Reporting news sources 42 Students’ activities 47 Further reading 49 40 Conveying meaning through design 4.1 Design as the key to a successful publication 50 4.2 Integrating content, editing and design 50 4.3 Designing a publication for an audience 51 4.4 Redesigning a paper 54 4.5 Meaning through a multimodal layout 55 4.6 Designing multimodal news for the web 58 Students’ activities 59 Further reading 61 50 Structuring the story 5.1 Basic story structures 62 5.2 The Inverted Pyramid 62 5.3 The Hourglass 65 5.4 Narrative story-telling 68 5.5 Impersonal writing 73 5.6 Strategies for connecting paragraphs 75 Students’ activities 78 Further reading 79 62 Headline, lead and story proper 6.1 The components of a news story 80 6.2 The headline 80 6.3 The lead 88 6.4 The paragraphs after the lead 90 Students’ activities 92 Further reading 94 80 Contents vii The tools of the trade 7.1 The ‘kiss and tell’ principle 96 7.2 Well-packaged information 96 7.3 Use of concise, plain language 100 7.4 The passive voice 101 7.5 Use of syntax 104 7.6 An example: describing victims through verb choice and verbal constructions 109 Students’ activities 113 Further reading 115 96 Reporting information and evaluating likelihood 8.1 Encoding attitude and point of view 116 8.2 Use of reported speech 116 8.3 Modality 121 Students’ activities 127 Further reading 128 116 The power of words 9.1 Words as a tool for establishing an ideological stance 129 9.2 The expressive power of the English language 129 9.3 Use of words in news reporting 132 9.4 Use of words to convey point of view 134 9.5 Irony in the news 136 9.6 Representing groups in the news: a way to reinforce stereotypes and promote attitudes 138 9.7 Naming as a way to convey ideology 143 Students’ activities 150 Further reading 151 129 Epilogue 153 Notes References Index 155 158 160 Figures 2.1 Comparison of four newspaper front pages from August 13, 2012: the Independent, UK; the China Daily, China; the Gulf News, United Arab Emirates; the Global Times, China 2.2 The front pages of two US tabloids: the Boston Herald d and the Daily News 4.1 Differences in front-page design in three UK newspapers using different formats 4.2 Terms used in a newspaper page 4.3 An example of a 5-column grid 5.1 Schematic representation of the Inverted Pyramid story structure 5.2 Schematic representation of the Hourglass story structure 9.1 Page 22 of The Times of February 26, 2008, reporting on Levi Bellfi field 9.2 Front page of the Sun of February 26, 2008, reporting on Levi Bellfi field 28 35 53 56 58 63 66 149 149 Preface This book is about the English of the news It focuses on a set of linguistic features and analytical approaches that I, as a teacher of English Linguistics to students of communication, believe are useful to students with an interest in understanding and producing news It offers an account of the processes that produce media language, explores the role of audiences in framing news texts, and explains how different linguistic choices promote different interpretations of news texts It also addresses the changes that are taking place with the advent of online journalism and the new media Whether we are news junkies or low-information people, we are surrounded by news Thanks to the news, we can be updated on what is happening all over the globe We can obtain information on local, national and international current affairs, politics, finance fi and business, often packaged with a healthy dose of shopping advice, sport, showbiz, entertainment, science, technology, cuisine, holidays, lifestyle, fashion and celebrities’ lives Reading, watching or listening to the news fulfils fi our desire and our civic duty to understand what is going on around us; it increases our knowledge about the world and lets us form our own opinions and ideas of current affairs It also provides us with topics for discussion during social or professional events The news comes to us in a number of formats The oldest tool for delivering it is, of course, the newspaper The two other traditional media are the television and the radio These three are probably still considered the most trusted news sources, although they are currently facing harsh competition from the more recent Internet and wireless information technology In fact, the Internet has become the largest and most widespread source of news production and consumption, with thousands of newspapers from every corner of the world available online – many at no cost, some requiring a nominal fee for full access Portable electronic devices, such as smart phones and tablets, have become ubiquitous and are boosting people’s ability to access and read news round the clock The easy accessibility of information from distant corners of the globe for a readership of unprecedented size makes this a golden age for news News 150 The power of words Students’ activities Activity Look at the list of words below Using your dictionary, find fi for each word in the left-hand column a Germanic synonym (e.g.: absurdity – foolishness; acquire – get) Latin/French Origin Germanic absurdity acquire apprehend attempt construct depart exacerbate legislation necessity senile stupefy spectacular foolishness get Activity In a paper you believe to express strong opinions, look for articles that you think are sexist, racist or prejudiced Look at how language is used in those stories Consider naming, the use of adjectives, choice of verbs, etc Activity Read the story in Chapter 5, section 5.5, and analyse how Rebecca Cain and Wilfred Museka are represented In particular, look at the amount and type of information provided about each individual and the number and type of adjectives used to refer to the two individuals and/or their actions Reflect fl on whether this story creates and reinforces a possible anti-immigrant feeling in the readership Activity Section 9.5 of this chapter provided a defi finition of irony as involving an incongruity between the literal and the implied meanings of words However, irony may not be easy to recognize in a text For this activity, take the text ‘Suspicious wives master the art of high-tech spying’ on pages 89–90 and study it to see where you find examples of irony The power of words 151 Clue: A possible way to convey irony is by using pompous language for things of little relevance, and vice versa Activity The headlines below were used in different newspapers on June 26, 2009 to head stories reporting the death of the famous pop singer Michael Jackson The naming strategies used in the different papers assume and promote different responses from their audiences In particular, the way they refer to Jackson implies a certain kind of relationship of the audience with the singer For example, the use of informal or slang expressions signals intimacy; on the contrary the use of formal language signals distance Also, the use of particular names indicates role recognition By looking at these headlines, what kind of relationship you think is assumed and how does the particular name chosen to refer to Jackson indicate that? ‘King of pop’ dies (the Anniston Star) Michael Jackson dies (Daily Times) The King of Pop is gone (the Bakersfi field California) Michael Jackson, pop’s uneasy king, dead at 50 (the Boston Globe) Music loses icon (Press Telegram) ‘We have lost an icon’ (the Indianapolis Star) Gone too soon (the Gleaner) Fade to Blacko (the Boston Herald) Further reading Associated Press Inc., 2009 Associated Press Stylebook and Briefi fing on Media Law, New York, Basic Books Denning, K., Kessler, B., and Leben, W.R 2007 English Vocabulary Elements, New York, Oxford University Press Katsiavriades, K 1997, 2002 ‘The origin and history of the English language’, www.krysstal.com/english.html Kemmer, S 2011 ‘Loanwords: Major periods of borrowing in the history of English’, www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words/loanwords.html Merriam-Webster OnLine www.merriam-webster.com/, Chicago IL, Encyclopædia Britannica Oxford English Dictionary Online 2012 oxforddictionaries.com/, Oxford, Oxford University Press Pape, S., and Featherstone, S 2005 Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction, London, Sage Pennebaker, J.W 2011 The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us, New York, Bloomsbury 152 The power of words Shapiro, F.R 1986 ‘Yuppies, yumpies, yaps, and computer-assisted lexicology’, American Speech, 61, 2, 139–46 van Dijk, T.A 1995 ‘Power and the news media’, in D Paletz (ed.), Political Communication and Action, Cresskill NJ, Hampton Press, 9–36 Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 2002, Springfield fi MA, Merriam Webster Epilogue We have reached the end of this introduction to the language of the news While there is more to learn about the subject, this is a good point to stop, to summarize, and to look ahead News plays a vital role in human affairs It keeps us informed of what is happening in our own country and in the world at large Its importance has been greatly increased by the spread of education, which sharpens and cultivates our curiosity about what happens around us In addition, technology has metaphorically shortened the distance to the different corners of the world, turning us into citizens of the globe All this has increased our need to be informed about the world we live in In the last ten years, major changes have affected news delivery and consumption Ten years ago the Internet was in its infancy, and most people got their news from newspapers, the television and the radio Today, though, more and more people turn to the Internet for news, and, with the Internet becoming more and more widespread, accessible, fast and reliable, people can be connected and stay online at all times Staying connected 24/7 is becoming the norm and the most important factor in the growth of web-based application use The advent of the Internet, and the opportunity to stay informed around the clock have changed the relationship between the newsreader and the news provider Before the Internet, the public and the journalists were accustomed to a 24-hour news cycle, but today people expect to see eye-witness accounts of events as they are occurring This has affected the whole process of news production and journalists’ practices of news gathering and reporting Newspapers face fierce competition from news provided via the Internet by online service providers, press releases and social media To fight for readers’ attention, journalists have to provide content in a form that responds to the changing consumers’ needs Increasingly, they are having to learn to multi-skill, produce stories for multiple formats and incorporate more images, audios and videos in their stories Blogs and social media are being used as tools for news-gathering and dissemination, for investigation and crowd-sourced fact checking The 154 Epilogue conversations that take place in social media infl fluence the news that gets reported Thus, social networks are becoming the fi filters, curators and distribution channels for news, and consumers are active in the newsgathering and distribution process The continuous evolution and adaptation of technology and information systems, the backbone of the news production process, leads to rapid changes in the way news is structured and delivered today Many of the formats currently used to deliver news through the Internet or with web-based applications may be transient, and in a few years may take different forms On the other hand, some of the features that characterize news writing still form the basis for reporting stories Journalists learn news-writing skills as part of their profession and use them for experimenting when new formats come along Some basic linguistic tools that allow writers to present information from a particular angle are widely used in both print and online journalism This book has discussed how, consciously or unconsciously, journalists may promote different interpretations of the news through the linguistic choices they make in their texts Knowing how language is used in the text can help the reader understand how the message is construed and ‘read through’ the news I hope that readers will use this recipe whenever they read news, in whatever format Notes Introduction Adapted from www.clusterconvention.org/fi files/2012/06/Opening_Statement_ FODSA-CMC.pdf Making news These terms are explained in Chapter 4, section 4.5 All the examples in this activity are invented, though they were created on the basis of real stories Defining news Copyright of the Independent News and Media Limited, London, UK Used with permission Copyright of the China Daily, China Used with permission Copyright of Al Nisr Publishing LLC, Dubai, UAE Used with permission Copyright of the Global Times, Beijing, China Used with permission Dancheong g refers to Korean traditional decorative colouring on wooden buildings and artefacts Objectivity is required in so-called ‘hard news’ (see section 2.4), but is obviously not required in editorials, political columns, or art and movie critical reviews, where journalists are purposely required to express their opinions Copyright of the Boston Herald Incorporation, USA Used with permission Copyright of Daily News, L.P., New York, USA Used with permission Sourcing news Copyright of the China Daily, China Used with permission Copyright of www.msnbc.msn.com/ Used with permission See Chapter for a more detailed explanation Used with permission of the Associated Press Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved Conveying meaning through design Copyright of the Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008/2012, UK Used with permission 156 Notes Copyright of Guardian News and Media Limited 2012, UK Used with permission Copyright of Trinity Mirror Group, UK Used with permission Copyright of the Boston Herald Incorporation, USA Used with permission A pica is a typographic unit of measurement corresponding to 1∕6th of an inch It is subdivided into 12 units called points Structuring the story www.nmauk.co.uk/nma/do/live/research?researchModel=1143 Copyright of San Francisco Chronicle, USA Used with permission Copyright of Reading Eagle Company, USA Used with permission Copyright of the Washington Post News Media Services Used with permission Due to copyright constraints, the original image could not be included here, but it can be found at: www.express.co.uk/posts/view/346593/Crash-victim-anaspiring-model Copyright of Press Association, UK Used with permission Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission Headline, lead and story proper A more comprehensive account of nominalization is given in Chapter www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/65500.html For example, this headline also appeared in the following newspapers from the UK: the Independent, on December 16, 1997 (‘Weather: From Russia with gloves’ – where the word gloves is associated with ‘cold’); the Sunday Sun of March 13, 2004 (‘From Russia with gloves’); the www.bbc.co.uk online news service of July 6, 2005 (‘From Russia with gloves’); the www.mirror.co.uk edition of May 22, 2008 (‘From Russia with gloves: Goalie clinches win for Manchester United’, where the word gloves refers to the gloves of the goalkeeper of the Manchester United soccer team) Copyright of Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and Metro Media Group Used with permission Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission The tools of the trade Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission Copyright of Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and Metro Media Group Used with permission Copyright of Los Angeles Times, Tribune Company Used with permission Reporting information and evaluating likelihood Used with permission of the Associated Press Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved Copyright of Daily News, L.P., New York, USA Used with permission Copyright of Yonhap News Agency, Seoul, South Korea Used with permission Notes 157 The power of words The defi finitions of these terms are adapted from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary at: www.merriam-webster.com oxforddictionaries.com www.merriam-webster.com Used with permission of Southwest Riverside News Network Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aussie Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission Copyright of the Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008/2012, UK Used with permission Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission 10 Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission 11 Copyright of News International Trading Ltd Used with permission References Campbell, V 2004 Information Age Journalism: Journalism in an International Context, London, Arnold Conboy, M 2007 The Language of the News, London and New York, Routledge Fairclough, N 2001 Language and Power, Harlow, Longman Fowler, R 1991 Language in the News: Discourse and Ideology in the Press, London, Routledge House of Lords Select Committee on Communication, 2008 The Ownership of the News Volume I: Report, London, Stationery Office fi Ihlström, C., and Lundberg, J 2003 ‘The online news genre through the user perspective’, Proceedings of 36th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science, Hawaii, csdl.computer.org/comp/proceedings/hicss/2003/1874/04/18744 0103a.pdf Itule, B.D., and Anderson, D.A 2007 News Writing and Reporting, Boston MA, McGraw Hill Keeble, R 2006 The Newspapers Handbook, 4th edn, London and New York, Routledge Labov, W 1997 ‘Some further steps in narrative analysis’, Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7, 395–415 Labov, W., and Waletzky, J 1967 ‘Narrative analysis: oral versions of personal experience’, in J Holm (ed.), Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts, Seattle, University of Washington Press, 12–44 Lansen, J., and Stephens, M 2008 Writing and Reporting the News, 3rd ed., Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press Laskj, M.J 2000 The Language of Journalism, Volume One: Newspaper Culture, New Brunswick NJ, Transaction Publishers McAdams, M 1995 ‘Inventing an online newspaper’, Interpersonal Computing and Technology: An Electronic Journal for the 21st Century, 3, 3, 64–90 Pape, S., and Featherstone, S 2005 Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction, London, Sage Rich, C 2003 Writing and Reporting News, Belmont CA, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning Rundell, M 2005 Macmillan English Dictionary: For Advanced Learners of American English, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan References 159 van Dijk, T A 1993 ‘Principles of critical discourse analysis’, Discourse and Society, 4, 249–83 Wilkinson, J 2003 ‘What is media convergence? Different ideas about technology and media’, Media Digest, Hong Kong, RTHK, www.rthk.org.hk/mediadigest/ 200304.html Index Please note that only examples for which there is significant fi discussion have been included in the index Page numbers in italics refer to figures and bold to student activities The entry for the 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony appears in the index before alphabetic entries 2012 Olympic Games (coverage of closing ceremony) 26–9 acronyms 131, 133 action verbs 105–7, 112, 148 active voice 8, 102, 105, 108, 109, 115 actor (semantic role) 104, 105, 107, 112 adjectives: nominalizations 81, 97, 98, 99, 100; quotations 73; sensationalising 32; writer’s perspective 33–4, 135, 142, 150 adverbs 121 advertising 15, 16 affected (semantic role) 104, 105, 106, 108 agent (semantic role) 104, 105–6, 107, 108 ‘Airstrike may have killed Saddam’ 44–5 alliteration 84, 92 ‘alternative’ press 15 America 2, 101, 140 ‘Anguish in the Ruins of Mutanabi Street’ 70–3, 78–9 anonymous sources 44–5, 126 ‘Arctic Sea Ice Vanishes – and Oil Rigs Move In’ 107 attribution of sources 42–7, 47–8, 65–6, 119, 120, 125, 126, 127 audience: broadsheets/tabloids 34–5, 37, 38; communicative purpose 2–3, 4–5, 6, 11; consensus with 25, 112, 116, 123, 136, 139–40; cultural/ geographical background 2, 9, 26–9, 30, 37, 43, 48; design for 50, 51–4; general/specialist 4, 48; interactive news production 21, 153; online news 29, 35, 58, 59 Beckham, David 38 Bellfi field, Levi 144–9 Berliner 52, 54, 55 blame/criticism 33–4, 105–7, 108–12, 114–15, 135, 139–40, 144–9 blogs 15, 21, 153 body copy 56, 80, 90–2, 145 ‘Body found in burning Castro Valley home’ 64–5 borrowed vocabulary 132, 133–4 Boston Herald d (US newspaper) 35, 56, 57 breaking news 37, 40, 57 broadcast media 69 broadsheet newspapers 28, 34, 35, 52–3, 54–5, 57, 145–7 bylines 56, 80 Index ‘Cancelled flights and baggage chaos mar Terminal opening’ 99–100 captions 56, 57 categorization 139–48 celebrities 30, 31, 32, 43 certainty 121, 123; see also uncertainty/ non-commitment children’s stories China Daily (Chinese newspaper) 27, 28, 29 China, newspaper coverage of 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony 27, 28, 29 ‘China’s last emperor’s house demolished’ 42–3 circulation/sales 15, 15–16, 153 circumstance (semantics) 104, 105 clichés 133 coherence 75–8 colloquialism 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 87 communicative purpose 5–6, 11 compact/concise style 19, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100–1 competence: linguistic 1–3 complex noun groups 97, 98–9, 99–100, 114; see also nominalizations compounding to create new words 131, 132 concise/compact style 19, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100–1 connecting paragraphs 75–8, 78, 103, 148 connotation 60–1, 85, 135, 144 contact database 40–1 contracted verb forms convergence/media convergence 21 co-ordinate clauses 75 ‘Crash victim “an aspiring model”’ 73–5 credibility see reliability/credibility criticism/blame 33–4, 105–7, 108–12, 114–15, 135, 139–40, 144–9 culture 2, 9, 30 Daily Mirror (UK tabloid newspaper) 52, 53, 54, 57 Daily Telegraph (UK broadsheet newspaper) 52, 53, 54, 57 deadlines 18, 20 deck heads 82 161 delayed leads 88–9 denotation 60–1 deontic modality 122, 123 design see layout diaries/journals 11; see also blogs dichotomization 139–40 digital texts see online news direct leads 88 direct quotation/speech 46, 116–17, 118, 120–1, 127 Dowler, Milly 31, 144–9 dramatic potential 31–2; see also sensationalism editors 17, 19, 20, 50, 80 electronic texts see online news email: interviews 41 emotional language 23, 54, 56, 60, 69, 72, 85, 118; see also impersonal writing; murder/abduction English 9, 17, 129–32 epistemic modality 121–2, 123–7, 128 ethnic representation 140–1 exaggerated risk 22 fact-checking 18–19, 44–5 false novelty 22 false urgency 22 familiarity 3, 30 formality/register 1–9, 10, 38, 82 format of newspapers see Berliner; broadsheet newspapers; tabloid newspapers free newspapers 16 gender stereotypes – women 141–2 general interest 32 genre 2–3 geographical location 26–9 Germanic words 131, 150 ‘In Ghana’s witch camps, the accused are never safe’ 110–12 global media organisations 14–15, 21 Global Times (Chinese newspaper) 28, 29 goal (semantic role) 104, 105 grammar: formal/informal 5, 6–7; headlines 81–2 greetings grid structures 57, 58 162 Index Guardian, the (UK Berliner newspaper) 52, 53, 54, 57 Gulf News (newspaper published in Dubai) 27, 28, 29 hard news 16, 36–7, 62, 78, 88, 107 headlines 56, 80–7, 92–4, 114–15 ‘Health food? Try the dog’s dinner’ 76–8 homophones 85 hooks (coherence) 76 Hourglass (story structure) 65–8, 78 ‘Hurricane Sandy could bring snow, driving rain to the New York City area’ 124–5 Hussein, Saddam 18–19, 44–5, 86 ideology 26, 139–48, 150; see also point of view impersonal writing 69, 73–5 Independent, the (UK newspaper) 27, 28 indirect quotation/speech 46–7, 116–17, 118–19, 138 informative headlines 86–7 internet corporations 14 intertextuality/wordplay 83–6, 92 interviews 40, 41 intransitive verbs 105, 106–7, 112 Inverted Pyramid style 19, 37, 62–5, 78–9, 88, 89–90 irony 87, 136–8, 150 jargon 101 job/professional titles in attributed sources 42, 43–4, 48 journalism: definition fi 25 journalists: multiskilling/multimedia technology 18, 20, 21; professionalism 15; roles 17 journals/diaries 11; see also blogs ‘kiss and tell’ principle 96 Latinate words 3, 8, 101, 131, 150 layout: characterising genre 36; differs between newspaper formats 35, 52–4, 148, 149; editorial decisions 17; electronic/print text differences 7, 19, 22; multimodal communication 55–8; online news 58–9; in production process 50–1; redesigning 54–5, 59–60 lead (paragraph) 80, 88–90, 93–4, 114–15 linguistic competence 1–3 location 26–9 ‘Man Allegedly Tries to Put Wife in Oven’ 46–7 ‘Man arrested NINE years after air hostess, 19, was killed in car crash on M25’ 103–4 media corporations 14 metaphors 32, 86 Metro (free newspaper) 16 ‘Mexico’s newest icon: 22-year old Miss Universe’ 118–19 mobile platforms 15, 20 modality 45, 121–7, 128 ‘Moment of vandalism may lead to a lifetime in prison’ 91–2 multimedia 18, 19–21, 30–1, 38, 58–9 multimodality 36, 55–9 murder 31, 144–9 ‘Mysterious woman flanking N.K leader highly likely to be his wife: gov’t source’ 125–6 nameplates 56, 58 naming/categorization to convey ideology 139–48, 151 narrative story-telling/journalism 68–73, 78 neologisms 129, 131–4 newspapers: 2012 Olympic Games (coverage of closing ceremony) 26–9; decline in newspaper readership 15; format distinctions 34–5, 38, 52–5, 57, 144–9; funding 15–17; online versions 14, 19, 22, 35, 38; ownership 13–14; sales/circulation 15–16, 153; space on the page 19; timeliness 26 news providers 13–15, 20, 153–4 newsrooms 17–18, 20 newsworthiness 26–33, 37 nominal groups see complex noun groups nominalizations 8, 81–2, 92, 96–100, 113–14 non-commitment/uncertainty (sources) 45, 123–7, 145 Index non-verbal elements see visual elements nouns: formal/informal language 8; naming to convey ideology 142, 143–8, 151; personal pronouns 73; see also nominalizations nut-paragraphs 89 objectivity 33–6, 73–5, 107, 120 off-diary sources 40, 41 Olympic Games closing ceremony (2012) 26–9 omission/leaving out details 22 on-diary sources 40 online news: concision 96; currency/ updates 18, 20, 26, 153; design layout 7, 58–9; funding 16; global audience 29; informative headlines 87; narrative storytelling 68, 69; newspapers 14, 19, 22, 35, 38; screen/print differences 7–8; space on the page 19 opinions see point of view ownership 13–15 paragraphs 50, 75–8, 78, 103, 148 parallel structural patterns 75 ‘Paramilitaries open fire fi on hundreds of monks and nuns at Tibet rally’ 109 paraphrase 46, 117, 119 passive voice 8, 101–4, 108–9, 112, 115, 147 personal names, titles in attributed sources 42, 43–4, 48 personal pronouns 73 perspective see point of view photographs/pictures 17, 19, 30–1, 36, 52, 55, 56 point of view: conveying evaluation 33–4, 105–7, 108–12, 114–15, 134–6, 144–9; ideology 139–48, 150; in impersonal writing 73–5; link with diversity of ownership 14–15; modality 121–7; reported speech 116, 120–1 ‘Police shoot dog on busy NYC street in front of horrifi fied onlookers’ 106 polysemous words 85 process (semantics) 104–5 professional/job titles in attributed sources 42, 43–4, 48 profit fi 14, 15, 34, 41 163 pronouns 73 public as news providers 20, 153–4 puns 85–6, 92 purpose/communicative purpose 5–6, 11 quoting sources 46–7, 116–21, 126, 127, 128, 138 racial representation 140–1 register repertoire/formality 1–9, 10, 38, 131 relational verbs 105, 107–8, 112 reliability/credibility: attribution of sources 42–7, 47–8, 65–6, 119, 120, 125, 126, 127; fact-checking 18–19, 44–5 repetition (coherence) 76–8, 102–3 reported speech 46–7, 116–21, 126, 127, 128, 138 reporters see journalists rhymes 84, 92 ‘said’ as neutral verb of attribution 47 sales/circulation 15, 15–16, 153 seasonality 32 sensationalism 21, 22–3, 31, 32, 35, 52, 57 sentence structures: co-ordination/ subordination 75; direct leads 88; expressing responsibility/agency 104–12; formal/informal language 5, 6–7, 8, 9; nominalizations 82, 98; repetition for cohesion 103 social media: conversational style 7; news production 153–4; see also blogs social role of the media 139–42 social situations: determining formality 1–2 socio-ethnic representation/stereotypes 139–42 soft news 16, 36–7, 78, 89 sources: anonymous 44–5; attribution 42–7, 47–8, 65–6, 119, 125, 126, 127; interviews 41; online news 14; quoted to convey emotion 73–5; quoting 46–7; reported speech 46–7, 116–21, 126, 127, 128, 138; types of 40–1 space on the page 7, 19, 22, 59–60; see also concise/compact style 164 Index spoken language/speech: characteristics 1–2, 3, 5, 6–7, 8; reporting 46–7, 116–21, 126, 127, 128, 138 stereotypes 139–42 story proper see body copy structure 78, 80, 91–2; Hourglass 65–8, 78; Inverted Pyramid style 19, 37, 62–5, 78–9, 88, 89–90; narrative story-telling 68–73, 78 sub-editor 17; see also editor subjectivity see point of view subordinate clauses 75 summary line/blurb 82 Sun (UK tabloid newspaper) 147–8, 149 Sun Tiexiang 43 ‘Suspicious wives master the art of high-tech spying’ 89–90, 150–1 synonyms 60, 76, 130–1, 141, 150 synthetic language 81, 92, 93, 101, 113 ‘tabloidization’ of news 16, 21; see also sensationalism tabloid navigation format 59 tabloid newspapers 34–5, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60, 83, 92, 147–8, 149 technical/specialist texts/language 3, 4, 48 technology: digital sources 41; email interviews 41; multimedia 18, 19–21, 30–1, 38; publication design/layout 51; social media 153–4 ‘Terror Leaders die as prison revolt is crushed by police’ 106–7 time, deadlines 17, 18, 20, 37 timeliness 26, 32 titles (professional/job) in attributed sources 42, 43–4, 48 topics 3, 4, 11, 19, 29–32, 34, 48, 108 transitive verbs 104, 105–6 TV news: online presence 14 ‘Two killed at pro-Tibet rally in China’ 109 typeface 52, 57 uncertainty/non-commitment (sources) 45, 123–7, 145 United Kingdom, newspaper coverage of 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony 27, 28 United States of America 2, 101, 135, 140 variation in language see register repertoire/formality verbal nouns/nominalizations 8, 81–2, 92, 96–100, 113–14 verbs: active/passive voice 8, 101–4; expressing responsibility/agency 104–12; modality 45, 121–7; neutrality 47, 48; reporting verbs 127; strong descriptive meaning 101; verbal nouns/nominalizations 8, 81–2, 92, 96–100, 113–14 ‘Violent woman-hater is main Milly Dowler murder suspect’ 145–6 ‘Visit by President Obama causes traffic fi headaches in Los Angeles’ 135–6 visual elements: defi fining news 30–1, 36; see also layout vocabulary: connotations 60–1, 85, 135, 144; English richness 129–32; genre-appropriate 3; Latin/French origins 3, 8, 96, 101, 131, 150; neologisms 129, 131–4; plainness/ simplicity 100–1, 114; synonyms 130–1; varieties of English 9; wordplay 83–6; see also adjectives; colloquialism; nouns; verbs voice 8, 101–4, 105, 108–9, 112, 115, 147 weather forecasts 123–5 WED (Writing, Editing and Design) 51 ‘Wilson High School student, 17, and man, 18, sold Ecstasy to undercover detective, police say’ 67–8 witty headlines 82–6, 87, 92 women’s stereotypes 141–2 word association (headlines) 32, 84 wordplay/intertextuality 83–6, 92 word polysemy 85 ‘World Agenda: “Prince Jean” and the court of King Sarko’ 136–8 written language: characteristics 7, ... Cataloging in Publication Data Busà, Maria Grazia Introducing the language of the news / Maria Grazia Busà pages cm Includes bibliographical references Mass media and language Broadcast journalism... mind, and they so on the basis of a set of common values that they assume to be shared with the audience The level of sophistication of the language also varies according to the target audience,... newsroom, the place where the news is created, while managers take care of the fi financial and administrative matters of the newspaper, as well as the workplace in general Reporters are briefed and assigned