Compare writing styles-news on Pina Bausch

Compare writing styles-news on Pina Bausch

Postby kacey » Mon Aug 17, 2009 7:54 am

I have found two articles reporting the passing of Pina Bausch. They are from The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/sarahcrompton/5707888/Pina-Bausch-a-bold-and-committed-pioneer.html) and The Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE55T5J620090630).

There is a clear difference in style between the two articles. The Telegraph one is a piece of subjective comments from the writer's viewpoint. It started with “The first time I encountered a Pina Bausch production was on television”. It's like telling a personal story to the readers. Not much data about the late choreographer are included, this piece emphasizes the feeling and experience of the writer.

On the other hand, the Reuters one is more of a factual account of the news. The paragraphs are short and concise, often focus more on the information of Pina Bausch. It is written in the third-person, and when comments are included, they are put in quotes with the sources stated. For example, the last paragraph is stated in this way-"Pina Bausch continually pushed the boundaries of what we call dance," said John Neumeier, the director of the Hamburg ballet company. "I simply cannot imagine a successor to Pina Bausch." So this article is more impersonal.

I found the Reuters article easier to read, as the short paragraphs are easier for readers to digest, especially for those who would only spend a short period of time, e.g. a train ride, to read the news.

However, I don't think there is printed edition of the Reuters. (Please kindly correct me if I'm wrong.) It's a news agency specializes in financial news and markets information. So their readers may read the news on a blackberry instead of a newspaper. Thus, the writing style of the article can really reflect what their readers wanted, i.e., clear and crisp info, with no time wasted.

On the other hand, information shown in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Telegraph) revealed that The Telegraph is now the only remaining national broadsheet-only newspaper in the UK with a high number of average daily circulation. Thus I would say that the readers of the printed edition of The Telegraph would be those who are likely to spend more time to read the news and look for quality commentaries, rather than mere information.
kacey
 

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