I wrote this years ago for comrades who were interested in writing for our organization's publications. Shortly after, though, I "generalized" the piece so it could be used by almost anyone. This is more or less a "cheat sheet" for writing articles for publication. -- Miles Writing for a communist newspaper is not exactly the same as writing for a “normal” (bourgeois) newspaper. Our responsibility is not only to inform, but also to educate and organize. Purely “straight” news stories are generally not what we do, although there are times when the story speaks for itself and no further commentary is necessary. Objective? To dispel an immediate myth: there is no such thing as an “objective” story. Articles are written by humans, and humans do take a position on things — even when that position is neutrality. The use of certain words to describe people and events are often where perceived “objectivity” is betrayed. In bourgeois journalism, as in communist journalism, the decision on how a person or an organization is described is an editorial decision. However, just because we don’t try to live up to some phony “objectivity,” this does not excuse blatantly skewing the facts. As a writer, you are expected to present the facts honestly and fully, and to not take license with them. Altering the facts or omitting those that don’t fit with a preconceived “truth” is an unacceptable practice. Fact or Truth? As journalists, we are expected to report facts. For us, there is a difference between a fact and the “truth.” A fact is something immutable and not subject to debate. For example, “the sun rises in the east” is a fact. The truth is an analysis of facts and is subject to debate. For example, “capitalism is an exploitative system.” As communist journalists, we report facts and present truths. However, in this balancing act, facts come first. Facts are the material reality that our analyses — our “truths” — are based on. Without the facts in full, we cannot speak or write the truth. KISS When writing, there is one basic principle to remember: the KISS principle. KISS means “Keep It Short and Simple.” (Ha-ha, you thought I was going to call you stupid, didn’t you?) This is especially important for our publications because of the limited space we have to work with. Generally speaking, keep sentences short and to the point (20-28 words is standard). If you can make your point in five words, do that. Using 15 words to say what you can in five only makes you look silly. Avoid run-on sentences. If you want to make multiple points, pick the most important and make that your first sentence, and use modifying introductory words like “moreover” and “in addition” to link succeeding sentences. No “Ifs,” “Ands” or “Buts” (well, maybe “Ifs”) When speaking, we have a habit of starting sentences with words like “and” and “but.” In writing, however, these words should be avoided as sentence starters. “In addition” and “however” are preferred substitutes for “and” and “but.” However, they should only be used on occasion. You should not have two or more sentences (or paragraphs) in a row, or in close proximity to each other, that begin with these words. That said, there are times when “and” and “but” can be used at the beginning of a sentence. Usually, these can be used for short, punchy comments meant to enhance a point being made. When you use these words, however, they should not be set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Style “Style” refers to how certain words, phrases, abbreviations, numbers, formal names, etc., are written. For the most part, you do not have to worry about making sure your articles conform to style; the editor can put your articles into proper style as part of the normal process of preparation. However, it would help the editors if you made yourself familiar with our style. The Party’s publications use a modified version of the Associated Press Stylebook. If you want to know all about what that style entails, you can pick up a copy of the book at most major bookstores for under $15, or you can go to www.apstylebook.com and register online for their service (that costs $20 a year, but also includes the ability to get style questions answered). If you are observant, you can also study articles published by the Party over the last period and see how elements are formulated. Deadlines Deadlines are not guidelines; they are a matter of life or death for our publications. If you agree to take on an article for a Party publication, you are expected to have that article completed and sent to the editor by the deadline set. The editor will generally inform you about when your deadline is, and will occasionally send you reminders. However, the editor is not your mother (a mother, maybe, but not yours), and you are expected to remember when your articles are due. If for any reason you think you might be unable to complete an article by deadline (or at all), please be sure to let the editor know as soon as possible, so that other arrangements (e.g., an extension or a re-assignment) can be made. Do not feel discouraged about having to do this; every person who writes articles has had to do this at least once, including me. Headlines In general, you are not expected to come up with a headline for your article. The editorial board will handle that. However, if you have an idea for a headline, please feel free to share that with the editor. It might very well be used. To Byline or Not to Byline If you are writing an article that is to be bylined, then you can either generate a name yourself (based on your Party name) or you can ask for assistance from the editor on this point. Datelines For articles in WPA, we use datelines. A dateline is the stating of the location and date of where the information presented in the article comes from. Articles that are more local in character, or are covering a topic that is associated with a specific city, use datelines. They look like this: “DETROIT, Jan. 10 — ....” “Inverted Pyramid” and “Hourglass” There are three basic elements to a communist article: lead, body and conclusion. In terms of the first two sections, think of them as an inverted pyramid. The “base” of your story is your lead. The lead is generally the first couple of sentences in the article, and is usually the most factual and informative section. All of the most basic information — the five Ws and one H: who, what, where, when, why and how — should be in the lead. “On October 10, George W. Bush announced that the U.S. intends to send troops to invade Iran and initiate ‘regime change’ in that country.” This is a basic lead sentence; it contains all of the most basic points and tells the reader what the article is about. (There is a second kind of lead: the feature lead. This lead is reserved more for commentary and non-news articles [hence being called “feature”]. This is a more tricky kind of lead to use, because it is also much more free-form, and you should avoid trying your hand at it if you’re just beginning to write articles. However, if your article needs a feature lead, the editor will work with you on it.) Going down from your “base,” you begin to add information to the article to the body, beginning with the most relevant non-lead information and proceeding from there. As you move down through the body of the article, you should begin to think more seriously about whether this or that piece of information is really relevant to the article. Applying this “cut-off” is why an article is seen as an inverted pyramid: as you move down the article, the information should come to a sharp point and not be cluttered by useless information. The last section of an article is the conclusion. The conclusion is the element of communist analysis that is related to the lead. There are two kinds of conclusions: educational and organizing. An educational conclusion is one that takes all of the information and brings it together to make a series of points for readers to consider, understand and, if we do it right, agree with. An organizing conclusion is one that pares down the information to make a single point that will motivate a reader to do something specific, such as attend an event. The editor will work with you on the kind of conclusion to use. Much like in our own analysis and theory, communist articles move from the general to the specific, and out to the general again. Our analysis of events and actions allows us to generalize conclusions or a course of action for current and future activity. This is why, when the lead, body and conclusion are put together in a single article, we no longer have an inverted pyramid, but an hourglass. The hourglass shape of an article’s narrative is important for communist journalism, as it allows both the writer and the reader the opportunity to see the link between analysis and action — between theory and practice — in a written form. “What’s Your Angle?” You’ve probably heard this term before, in movies or books, on television, etc. It comes from the journalist term, “angle.” The angle is the approach you take to writing your article. Generally, one-time news articles have a “straight” angle; that is, they approach the topic directly, giving you all the necessary information up front. However, when you’re covering a topic that spans more than one publication cycle, having an angle for follow-up articles is necessary. For example, say the U.S. bombs Syria. The first article can be a “straight” piece, with the information presented directly. However, follow-up articles would come from different angles: aftereffects of the bombings; environmental damage; how the bombing changed the internal political situation; new developments in the situation (this is the most common angle used); etc. The angle helps to bring the reader back into an “old” (in terms of the publishing cycle) story, from a fresh or previously-unexplored point of view. (Note: One form of the feature lead is the “angle lead.” An angle lead often employs quotes from people involved in the situation, and is used as a lead-in to the angle itself, as well as the overall story. Angle leads are especially tricky, and should only be attempted either after you’ve gained some experience or working with the editor.) “… As Long as My Name is Spelled Correctly” Fact checking is an important part of your article. The names of people and places should be correct when you submit your article; the editor should not have to go back and fix them. If a person’s name is “Aimee Smith,” it should not appear as “Amy Smith” in the article. If you are working from verbal communications (e.g., taking information from a radio or television report), make a point to attempt to research that topic or person in a written format (newspaper, magazine, Internet) before committing it to your article. The same is true for names of locations. If you don’t know how a place is spelled, look it up. The names of people and places in other parts of the world can sometimes be confusing. For example, it is Mao Tse-tung or Mao Zedong? Is it Hezbollah, Hizbullah or Hizballah? Is it Kaddafi, Qaddafi, Gadhafi or …? If you are confused about this, ask the editor what the style is that we use. In the end, most people care less about what you say about them than they do about whether you spelled their name correctly (and, in certain circumstances, use a current photo). There is No Such Thing as Only One Source When you’re writing your articles, look for multiple sources for information and facts. Relying on one source can often get you into trouble, and should be avoided at all costs. The only exception is if you are recounting a story that has already been written about in other publications. “Yesterday’s news” taken from other publications is usually verified before you even see it. Nevertheless, if you plan on going this route (and, many times, you will have to), make a point to see how more than one publication reports on the story. Sometimes, one publication will emphasize one set of points, while another publication will concentrate on others. You may find value in both. “News from Hell” General William T. Sherman once noted that if all the journalists were killed, there would be news from hell the next morning. As amusing as that statement is, he is making an important point: as journalists, we have a job to do. Our job is to report on what is happening, and write about what people want or need to know. This means we should not be afraid to step on a few toes or piss people off in the process of writing. Most times, the person you anger will be more interested in “setting the record straight,” and become willing to give you more information for your story, than cutting off communication with you. Of course, those on the other side of the class line from us are usually not too talkative to begin with, especially when it comes to dealing with “red” journalists, but if you can get them to talk they will generally follow this pattern. The other part of this is that there is no such thing as “no news.” This is a big and busy world, and there are always things happening that are worth writing about. Look through other news sources for ideas. Keep a finger on the “pulse” of the community you live in, and learn to recognize when that “pulse” begins to race. * * * There are, of course, more elements to being a good and veteran writer, but you have to learn to crawl before you walk. These tools should help with that. Questions or comments on different issues are welcome. So, what are you waiting for? Get to work!
Awesome information, thanks.
