REPORT: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES, FUNCTIONS, STRUCTURE - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The report is a journalistic genre that deals with the narration of events or news on various topics. Initially, it consisted of a written report based on direct observation or extensive research. This information came, in most cases, from a witness who told a story that was later published.

Regarding the origin of the word reportage, it comes from the Italian word reportagio. The first manifestations of this activity are located around the seventeenth century. At that time, the forerunners of journalism, called news writers, visited towns and cities collecting information to later publish it in news gazettes.

According to historical sources, the first report in the format recognized today was that of publisher Horace Greeley (1811-1872). This article was published in 1852 in the New York Tribune. Creeley interviewed a leader of the Mormon movement, and the style used during the interview laid the foundation for modern journalism.

Over the years and the development of technological means, the images began to accompany the texts of the report, reinforcing its content. The media also evolved. The news began to be transmitted via telegraph until it reached the current electronic media. This reduced the publishing time.

Today, the media have sophisticated means of propagation. This has allowed them to have the use of a wider variety of audiovisual resources to accompany the texts. High definition video, audio and photo files, among other resources, are common in the publication of reports.

On the other hand, the job of reporting the news was also subject to evolution. The maximum expression of this process occurred during the 19th century, when a high thematic specialization was evidenced. At that time, reporters - known as war correspondents - had a starring role in the news of European warfare.

characteristics

Limited to the news

The journalistic genre of the report is focused. It deals with answering the who, what, when, where and why questions of the news. So all your material (texts and resources) tries to answer these questions. In this way the news is limited and it is possible to focus the attention of the consumer of the story within its own boundaries.

Current

Because things are always changing, the news contained in the reports is current. In order to locate the reader, or consumer of the news, the media usually label the information with the date of occurrence and with the date of the report. The closer both dates are, the more up-to-date and useful the report will be.

Impartial

Equity is a quality that consists in giving everyone what they deserve. On the other hand, balance is understood as a state of immobility of a body as a result of the balance of all the forces that act on it. In the field of journalistic reporting, both qualities are combined, understood as impartiality.

The way in which the facts are presented in the reports must be devoid of all kinds of subjective interpretation. Regardless of the opinion of the reporter, the news is conveyed in the exact way it is perceived. In this sense, all sources of information are consulted to have all the points of view of history

Exact

The report, due to its character as a story, respects the principle of reliability. To this end, he makes use of detailed descriptions and chronological sequence, among other resources. In this way, it guarantees that the story is as close as possible to what happened, presenting exact data such as names, dates and others.

Accredited

The sources that produce the information are sufficiently credited in the report. People, organizations or state agencies that produce the information are widely mentioned in the information.

Brief

The report should be a short story. Without omitting any details, the stories should be made in a summarized way. This is right in the characteristics of the news reader. In most cases, they have a limited time to learn the information.

Clear

Clarity is one of the most difficult reporting characteristics to achieve in reporting. Starting from the brevity of the writing, it informs with the fewest possible words. Thus, the words used are short and simple, avoiding irrelevant data. Similarly, both the introduction and titles are concise and crisp.

In relation to the body of the writing, it is made up of as few paragraphs as possible. Finally, the texts must be free of ambiguities. Consequently, all the events narrated are accurate and well documented.

Shocking

The content of the report is usually shocking. The events that motivate it cause total or partial shock to the community that reads, watches or listens to them. In general, these stories generate opinions for and against. Thus, the report can cause solidarity, rejection or, at least, controversy.

Types of report

Reports can be classified according to various criteria. Among them we can mention the content, the treatment of the information and the format and their aesthetic and formal characteristics, the support and the diffusion channel are also a division criterion.

According to the content or theme

Taking into account the content or topic, there are judicial reports, events, travel, biographical, autobiographical, society, customs and human or historical reports. In the specific case of scientific reports, these range from medical, astronomical, ecological, to bioethical and economic reports.

According to the t

The modalities in the treatment of the information include informative, interpretive and investigative reports. The former feed on daily events. For their part, the interpreters offer a personalized opinion of the event or the protagonists. And the investigators seek greater depth about the fact.

According to the f

Taking the format as a reference, the reports can be short, large reports, serial reports, documentaries and docudramas. In general, the adoption of a particular format is governed by the event and the audience.

According to their c

Based on the aesthetic and formal characteristics, narrative, explanatory, descriptive and quotation reports can be distinguished. Also, some hybrid modalities are found in this line, such as the daily report, the chronicle-report and the cinematographic report.

According to the s

Taking into account the support and the broadcast channel, one can talk about printed, television, radio and cinematographic or videographic reports. However, there are communication theorists who only recognize two types of reports: the informative or objective report and the interpretive report.

According to this last classification, the informative or objective report is one that develops the news event and includes statements and description of environments. Meanwhile, the interpretive report emphasizes the analysis and explanation of how or why the events have happened.

Features

Report

The informative function is the raison d'être of journalism. By extension, it is also vital for reporting. Thus, one of the basic functions of reporting is to provide citizens with information. It can help them make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.

Millions of people depend on the daily work of reporters to keep them informed on various topics. The world is constantly changing and the technological capacity to transmit information is now almost simultaneous.

Describe

The accurate description of the event is the core of the information. Without a detailed description of the facts, the information does not exist. Sometimes, the situation forces the reporter to introduce an interpretation of the facts that he describes. This implies a certain subjectivity that puts the integrity of the report at risk.

In this sense, some journalism theorists affirm that a certain level of subjectivity is allowed in reporting, especially that which comes from the interpretation of the facts. As an example, they cite war reporters who, in addition to describing the situation, complement it with their point of view.

They ensure that this enriches the description and makes it easier for readers to understand. In some cases, even, the point of view of the reporter provides more detail than the description of the event itself.

Narrate

The story originates with an action. These events involve characters and an environment. The way in which they interacted to generate the news shapes the story that must be told. This narration is detailed, complete and with a sequence similar to the occurrence of the events.

The way of writing the story uses the appropriate connectors to keep the event sequential. This chain helps the reader to answer any questions you may have.

Research

The investigative function of the report represents the framework on which the rest of its functions rest. Taking into account that the vast majority of the events reported come from witnesses, the report is complemented by consulting other sources for corroboration purposes.

Structure (parts)

Header

The headline is the title of the story. It is usually made up of 10 words or less. This title serves two purposes: to present the subject of the report and to capture the interest of the readers, generally through the use of controversial wording that causes an impact.

In the communications industry, the title or headline is considered the most substantial part of the story. In fact, they also see it as a "hook" that draws readers to the information.

In the field of the written press (newspapers, weeklies, magazines), the headline often has other subdivisions. One of them is the headline, which is short (no more than 4 words) and is used as a thematic grouping mark on the page. Under the headline all the information collected in relation to the same event is placed.

After the headline, and forming part of the headline, is the pretitle in which the reader is informed of the context of the information to achieve a better understanding of the news. In these parts the questions are answered: where? and when?

After the pre-title. you can find the subtitle. This part answers the questions: how? and because?. This subtitle complements and qualifies the previous title to make it more understandable.

Lead or intro

The lead is also known as an entry paragraph. Generally, it is composed of 1-2 sentences of less than 30 words with which the article begins. The content of this paragraph answers the questions who ?, what ?, where ?, when ?, why? and how? of the news. The leads have been falling into disuse.

According to historical texts, its origin is located in the North American Civil War. At that time, war correspondents summarized the most important news in the first paragraph. This was due to the shortage of telegraphs to transmit information and the constant interruptions that resulted in incomplete messages.

Body of the notice

The body of the news is the largest part of the report. It is organized in short paragraphs in which the questions outlined in the lead are developed in extensive detail. Additionally, quotes from key people involved or related to the article are included.

These paragraphs are arranged in order of importance starting from the largest or smallest. Thus, the background paragraphs contain information that is not vital and can be ignored. This way of organizing the text helps the later edition of the news. In case it is necessary to eliminate paragraphs, begin with those of the final part of the report.

Example

Throughout the history of journalism, reports have been generated that have impacted the world community both for the facts and for the journalistic style used. Among them we can highlight the case known as the Watergate Scandal, which ended with the resignation of the then President of the United States, Richard Nixon, in August 1974.

This case had, in addition to the news impact, the impeccable performance of two Washington Post journalists, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. These, in order to guarantee the trustworthiness of their report, dedicated themselves to following up on the events and developing an investigative work.

In the end, both activities resulted, in addition to the successful publication of the report, in obtaining evidence against those responsible. This evidence, and others collected during the investigations carried out by judicial bodies, were the cause of an impeachment (request for judicial process against a high public official) in July 1974.

References

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