Do journalists need to be able to write? | DEBATE

Yes:

Back in the day, journalism was about being a wordsmith. And, although those involved in community, social media and SEO don’t require the ability to put together flowing and eloquent prose, I still think journalists need to be able to write punchy copy when required.I say this because if you can’t, it puts you and your team at a disadvantage.

For example, in my role as content co-ordinator at the Guardian (not a writing job at all) I have to write copy for online debates and I might even be thrown a story. If I can’t write that up quickly and efficiently, the subbing process becomes lengthy and you become a burden. With self-publishing increasing (without having gone through a sub), that’s the last thing you want.

No:

Being a good wordsmith can take the pressure off on a deadline, but it is only one of many skills needed as a journalist. You need to know your ‘it’s’ from your ‘its’, but your work is going to go through a sub, a desk editor, back to sub, maybe a senior sub and possibly a senior editor. The mistakes will get caught and ironed out by the person who’s job it is to do so.

The other aspects of the article are more important – are your facts correct and double sourced, have you backed up key points with quotes? Are the names and dates right – these are your responsibility as the person closest to the story – the kinks will work themselves out through the process.

A good journalist is a terrier, someone who digs into a good story and doesn’t let go – if you can’t write in rhyming couplets using iambic pentameter your editor isn’t going to notice if you are delivering scoops and getting exclusives. I would spend any spare time building contacts, understanding your beat inside out and on producing accurate copy quickly, the flair can follow.

What do you think? Do journalists need great writing skills – or will the process copy goes through take care of the mistakes?

CandDChris

An ability to write well is essential. Here are three reasons why.

1) You want your story to be read. You are competing for attention and need to grab it. It doesn't matter how outstanding your investigative skills are if tedious copy turns readers away.

2) You want your story to be understood. Clear, tight copy gets the salient points across, whether it's for news, analysis or a feature.

3) You want to progress in your career. If you want to become an editor, you need to show you know how to write well.

NicolaStewart

"The mistakes will get caught and ironed out by the person who’s job it is to do so". I think this says it all.

Good writing is very important!

newsmary

Yes. Journalism is as much about storytelling as it is about story gathering. Writing for your medium (whether it's print, broadcast, Twitter or any other) is an essential skill.

BathAlex

Agree with Mark.

You read so much stuff where the writer has interesting content, good facts and nice quotes, but has then strung the lot together like they are in pre-school. You find it all the time on blogs, people have an interesting story to tell, but can't tell it very well. If you are a professional journalist then you should be able to set yourself above the average blogger by presenting more thoughtfully written prose.

markhamnolan

@wannabehacks Cheers. Like what you guys are doing, keep it up.

markhamnolan

Even as someone whose job entails more story 'construction' (i.e. from social media building blocks) than old-fashioned writing, the skill of narrative that comes from writing is hugely important. Being able to string a narrative together, being able to assemble a story's constituent parts into a flowing thread that tells a story, comes from years of writing, as does the attention to linguistic detail that a pedantic, careful writer will always bring to the task.

The old 'it's a sub's job to correct my work' line is bullshit. A sub is there to fact-check, check for libel, catch the few mistakes a journalist lets slip through, and cut where a piece runs too long. They're not there to re-write. A story should only have to be written once.

6 comments