Cómo elaborar un buen artículo periodístico en inglés y en castellano

Newspaper report

This Revision Bite will give you ideas about what to do if you choose to write a newspaper report in the exam.

Writing a newspaper report

Reports usually appear in newspapers. They tell readers about events that have been happening in their local area, or national or international news. Assignments in the Standard Grade writing paper usually ask you to write an article for your local newspaper.

Newspapers are read by people who want information about something that has happened. They want details quickly so reports have to be easy to read and have a snappy presentation style.

When you plan your news story, remember that newspaper reports usually provide the answers to the questions WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN , WHY, HOW?

Look at this example of a newspaper report

Christopher Brodie is this morning celebrating his gold medal success in the paralympics 100m sprint.

Yesterday, in the packed stadium in Sydney, Australia, where the games have been taking place all week, Chris ran the race of his life to cross the line in the gold medal position.

For any athlete a championship medal is the ultimate achievement, but for Chris it was also the culmination of years of determination and courage.The 20 year old was just 5 when he had to have his right leg amputated below the knee. The pain caused by his artificial leg was mot enough to stop the lively youngster from Motherwell running around living life to the full.

When he joined the local athletics club he never dreamt that he would end up an Olympic champion.

Now, thanks to the pioneering work of sports scientists and the doctors at Glasgow’s St Thomas’ Hospital, Chris has been able to take advantage of the latest sports technology, a new prosthetic sports leg.

“The new leg is made of light weight materials and the foot section has as close to normal foot movement as an artificial leg can get,” said Ken Brown, one of the doctors who worked on the project. Chris backed up Dr. Brown’s claim when he said that the new leg allowed for fluid movement and a much less cumbersome running style.

Certainly, the benefits the artificial leg will bring to sports women and men all over the world could be seen yesterday in Sydney, when Chris Brodie showed the world what a powerful combination courage and innovation can be.

Can you identify the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW in this news report?

• Who is the main person the story is about?
• What has happened to him?
• Where did the event take place?
• When did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it take place?

Well done if you spotted that the main person in the story is Chris Brodie, who won the gold medal at the paralympics in Sydney the day before the report was written. He lost his right leg as a child and, aided by advances in sports medicine and his determination to succeed against the odds, has become a world class athlete.

Now study the report again. Look closely for the key features of a newspaper report.

• the headline catches the reader's attention
• the first paragraph gives the main point of the story and answers the question who
• the following paragraphs provide answers to the questions what, where, when, why and how
• the paragraphs are short and punchy, giving information in a clear and concise way
• there are references to what people said, either using direct speech (use of inverted commas indicates what Ken Brown actually said) or reported speech (no inverted commas - the main points of Chris Brodie's speech but not in the actual words he said)
• use of past tense because the report refers to an event which has already taken place
• use of columns in accordance with newspaper presentation

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/english/lit_form/newspaper/revision/1/

Spanish Version:

Hoy en día, escribir un artículo periodísticono es tarea sencilla. La mayoría de las personas prestan atención a los primeros dos párrafos y abandonan la lectura porque habitualmente carecen de tiempo para prestar atención a un mismo texto durante tanto rato.

Afortunadamente, existen diferentes maneras de hacer que tu artículo periodístico sea un éxito. A continuación, te presentamos 8 puntos clave para escribir un buen artículo de revista, según el portal es.wikihow.com

1.    Formula una idea

Antes de comenzar a escribir sobre lo que te parezca, investiga los temas de interés actuales. Puedes chequear los medios locales y evaluar cuales son aquellos que generan más polémica y, en base a esto, decidir cuáles son las temáticas de actualidad que marcan tendencia.

2.    Incluye tu punto de vista

Un tema puede tener muchísimos aspectos, pero eso no quiere decir que debas abarcarlos todos: elige uno y focalízate en esa visión.

3.    Identifica tu público

Una idea para un artículo puede estar inclinada hacia diferentes tipos de revistas basadas en la audiencia y el enfoque. Elige quienes serán las personas que lo leerán: si es para jóvenes, utiliza un lenguaje coloquial, si es para profesionales usa un modo formal y así sucesivamente. Es importante que, sin importar qué publico elijas, cuides la línea y seas educado.

4.    Busca antecedentes

Una vez que hayas elegido la temática completa tu investigación con fuentes legítimas. Estudia todo lo que se ha dicho sobre el tema y tómalo como base para tu investigación. De este modo, también demostrarás que conoces las distintas perspectivas del asunto en cuestión.

5.    El principio debe ser cautivador

Hoy en día, las personas acostumbran a leer únicamente los primeros dos párrafos de un artículo, por esoes importante cautivarlos desde el principio. Las primeras frases deben ser fuertes e impactantes, ya que de este modo te habrás ganado la atención del lector.

6.    Incluye conclusión

Redacta la conclusión. Al igual que el primer párrafo, la conclusión es muy importante. El final de un artículo de revista debe conducir a una resolución satisfactoria para el lector. Es posible que regreses a su párrafo inicial, cerrando el círculo.

7.    Relee

Por más obvio que parezca este punto, releer es un aspecto fundamental a la hora de redactar. Verás cómo encontrarás errores que de seguro hubieran generado grandes problemas.

FUENTE: http://noticias.universia.edu.uy/en-portada/noticia/2013/08/28/1045417/7-puntos-clave-escribir-articulo-periodistico.html