Journalistic Genres: Information, Opinion, and Hybrid Writing

Journalistic Genres: Information, Opinion, and Hybrid Forms

Information Genres in Journalism

These genres aim to transmit information as objectively as possible. Major sub-genres usually included in this group are:

• The News

  An objective account of an event where no opinion of the journalist is involved. It is a short and concise text that describes general information of interest. The text type is narrative-expository. News answers who, where, when, how, and why. Its structure is as follows:

  1. Head: A phrase that emphasizes the aspect of the story intended to attract attention.
  2. Input or Lead: A paragraph that encapsulates the most important news.
  3. Body: Several paragraphs that develop and complete the entry information. Its structure, often an inverted triangle, goes from the most interesting facts to less relevant.

• The Story

  A newspaper article that provides objective information about a topic of interest. It differs from news because its extension is greater and the subject does not necessarily have to be topical. Stories combine information and opinion, not from the journalist, but that which is extracted from the data provided. Its structure consists of a title, entry, and body.

• The Interview

  Reproduces the dialogue between a journalist and a person of public interest. There are different types: question-and-answer, opinion, and likeness. Its structure consists of:

  • Introduction: Presents the interviewee.
  • Body: Contains the questions and answers.
  • Conclusion: Journalist's comments.

Opinion Genres in Journalism

These genres involve the interpretation of certain facts and judge values about an issue or event of interest for society. The main sub-genres of opinion are:

• The Editorial

  An expository-argumentative text that reflects the opinion of a newspaper or magazine on a particular current event. It is signed.

• The Article

  An expository-argumentative text explaining the event or events and their value. The journalist is responsible for the content of the work and signs it. Articles are of high literary quality and can become true essays.

• The Column

  A fixed section of the newspaper reserved for a collaborator. It is named after its elongated disposition and differs from the article by its higher concentration.

Hybrid Genres in Journalism

Hybrid genres combine pieces of information with more or less explicit opinions. The main hybrid sub-genres are:

• The Chronicle

  The story of current events developed over one or more days. The writer is presented as a witness to the facts.

• The News-Commentary

  Responds to the questions who, when, where, how, and why, but its editor interprets them through comments.

• The Criticism

  Assessment prevails over information. The author describes the most important aspects of a literary work, film, concert, etc., and gives their personal impression on them.