We'll read it in both classes, with different purposes in mind:
COMM 337: We talked earlier in class about the Capitol Fax blog, which covers Illinois state government and politics for a readership made up largely of state officials and lobbyists, and its policy on reader forum comments. Today we'll read this Illinois Issues profile of Capitol Fax owner-operator Rich Miller and answer the questions below.
COMM 150: We're reading about news this week, and here (IMHO) is what part of what the future of news looks like. This story about Capitol Fax illustrates two non-traditional publications that are still covering news of Illinois state government for a niche readership (actually two overlapping niches) even as traditional mass-market newspapers like the Chicago Trib, the Sun-Times and the State Journal-Register cut back their coverage. Link here to read it.
Both Cap Fax and Illinois Issues are different from the traditional newspaper that came out once a day, in an ink-on-paper format with a little bit of something to appeal to everyone in their circulation area - comic strips, sports, celebrities, horoscopes, fasion, wedding announcements and, oh yes, also some news to lure people into reading the grocery store ads and classifieds - and is now losing ground to competition from the Internet and electronic media.
Cap Fax is a $350-a-year newsletter and tip sheet largely for players in state government and politics. It started in the 1990s, when faxing the newsletter to clients was cutting-edge technology. So it readily embraced blogging when its technology became available a few years later. And now, as you'll read, it's serving as a model for the ink-on-paper journalists.
Illinois Issues is a monthly public affairs magazine sponsored by the University of Illinois Springfield and other worthy non-commercial interests. It sells subscriptions and carries ads, but it is subsidized by those worthies in a marketplace that no longer supports their esoteric interests.
But you don't have to be an academic or an expert to read McDermott's profile, though. It starts with some description of the kind designed to pull in newspaper readers before they move on to sports, obits or the automotive section:
It’s a rainy December evening, and Rich Miller is still keyed up over the day’s top story when he arrives at the small, dark bar at Maldaner’s Restaurant in downtown Springfield. The founder, publisher, editor and sole reporter for the Capitol Fax political newsletter rejects the Jameson’s-and-soda that the bartender automatically offers. “Too early,’’ Miller declares — and he orders a Guinness instead.How does this bit characterize his subject?
And so it goes, down to the "kicker" in the last graf, a quote from Miller ...
“I know my subscribers. They want one ‘spit-take’ a day. You’ve got to give them one of those where they’re drinking their coffee, and they spit it out all over the fax. It’s like, ‘Where the f--- did that come from?’” he says. “They’re all junkies, man. That’s why they do this — they’re political junkies.’’WIth a lot in between. Read it, and answer the questions below.
COMM 337: What "literary" techniques - defined for our purposes here as dialog, description, imagery, characterization and other stuff you thought you left behind in English classes - do you find employed in McDermott's profile? What do they add to (or detract from) the story? How do you plan to use writing like McDermott's as a model in the stories you write for COMM 337? Did you notice the gentle hint, by the way?
COMM 150. In a 2010 online publication called "Riding the Wave," McDermott explained how he has embraced online technology as a statehouse reporter. (Click on "The House vs. the Tornado" and then on the picture of the Capitol building for audio and a slideshow.) How does this reflect the trend of cross-platform convergence? Discuss. Translation: How do you get your news? What does this mean for the future of journalism? Post your thoughts as comments to this item below.
9 comments:
The literary techniques that are being utilized in this article are those of good expalnation and well voiced. He explains the information he is writing as if he is speaking to you instead of just giving you something boring to read.
“I know my subscribers. They want one ‘spit-take’ a day. You’ve got to give them one of those where they’re drinking their coffee, and they spit it out all over the fax. It’s like, ‘Where the f--- did that come from?’” he says. “They’re all junkies, man. That’s why they do this — they’re political junkies.’’-This is a good example of how well Rich Miller writes. He explains what his subscribers are looking for and what they want in an article.
McDermott uses his own voice or the writer's voice to give us a sense of who Rich Miller is. The quotes he get from Miller sets the tone of article. This is the overall attitude or elements of the paper. Miller is the writer for the Capital Fax. Miller is blunt about political journalism. Miller follows polticans in Illinois and about what they are doing. Miller is uses his own voice, more like an opinion on Illinois politics. The article gives you a sense of who Rich Miller really is. McDermott's model of writing gives the reader a sense of who Miller is. It makes writing easier if you have good quotes. A good quote can give the reader a glimpse of who a person is. Making the reader feel like that person is right in front of you.
Proper grammar is essential and Kevin McDermott nails it. It is not a literary trick or device, just good ol' fashion English 101, the meat and potatoes of writing.
Metaphor—speaking of one thing in terms of another—is also used:
To the state’s mainstream media, it’s a straightforward policy disagreement between the two top contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination; to Miller, it’s a labyrinth of political intrigue and comedy
Is it a policy disagreement, labyrinth or both? It depends on who you ask. As for McDermott, he goes both ways.
Does it add or detract from this piece?
It fits the work, and also is well suited to describe the political mess that is the state of Illinois.
This kind of literary tool (or trick) can pull the reader in, and make them think, or leave the reader scratching their head in ignorance. As long as the writer writes for his audience, and thusly understands their make-up, lighting up with lit tricks is just fine and dandy.
How will I incorporate his style into my own?
Grammar, grammar, grammar!!! I will proofread :)
If Doc wants metaphor, alliteration, rhyme, allusion, personification, this, that, the other, he shall have it!
Proper grammar is essential and Kevin McDermott nails it. It is not a literary trick or device, just good ol' fashion English 101, the meat and potatoes of writing.
Metaphor—speaking of one thing in terms of another—is also used:
To the state’s mainstream media, it’s a straightforward policy disagreement between the two top contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination; to Miller, it’s a labyrinth of political intrigue and comedy
Is it a policy disagreement, labyrinth or both? It depends on who you ask. As for McDermott, he goes both ways.
Does it add or detract from this piece?
It fits the work, and also is well suited to describe the political mess that is the state of Illinois.
This kind of literary tool (or trick) can pull the reader in, and make them think, or leave the reader scratching their head in ignorance. As long as the writer writes for his audience, and thusly understands their make-up, lighting up with lit tricks is just fine and dandy.
How will I incorporate his style into my own?
Grammar, grammar, grammar!!! I will proofread :)
If Doc wants metaphor, alliteration, rhyme, allusion, personification, this, that, the other, he shall have it!
@ irdubz - "If Doc wants metaphor, alliteration, rhyme, allusion, personification, this, that, the other, he shall have it!"
The trick is to do this stuff without thinking about it. Kind of like the character in the Moliere play (I think it was Moliere) who set about learning how to speak prose and discovered he'd been speaking prose all his life.
I get most of my news the old fashion way; 10:00 news, radio in the car, and Sunday paper. Occassionaly I will pick up something from the internet. However, I know the time has come for me to become more techonlogical. With more and more information being sent via computer, tweets, facebook and blogs all media is eventialy going to have to come on board. This will eventually make all of us the gatekeepers.
After a while, literary techniques become a natural tackling strategy to craft a good story. I suppose since Miller has been in the business since before 1990, he's considered a professional. Miller and McDermott both use all different types of literary devices, including metaphors, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia among many others, which all create personality for the story. Miller uses simple conversation that his readers can follow. He [Miller] seems to get distracted easily (he doesn't want to look out one of his windows to the beautiful property he has) so he doesn't want his readers getting distracted either. He keeps their attention by using great quotes from people his local readers know. He calls them by their first name, as if he conversates with each of them on a daily basis- and he may which makes it easier to write about them. Quotes, quotes, and more quotes also help to make a great story. Doc loves quotes!
He says, “It’s like hunting — you know, you go to a watering hole, and you wait for the animals to come to you. You don’t go out in the middle of the desert searching for animals.’’
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