No Train No Gain: Indirection
No Train No Gain: Indirection in Newspaper StoriesReaders come to newspapers looking for help, for information they can understand and use. Greeting them with a dense, potentially haughty voice drives them away. In a time when respect for the press suffers, when readers are suspicious or outright contemptuous of newspapers’ role in the community, speaking directly, with authority and clarity, is all the more essential. There are times when indirection may serve a style purpose. But most of the time, in most of our stories, speaking directly is one more key to reaching and holding readers’ attention.
Permalink | Tuesday, January 22, 2002
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