OSSLT OSSLT - Ontario Secondary School Literacy Writing a News Report 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Why do journalists include direct quotes from sources in a news report?
- To increase the article's word count
- To add credibility and provide firsthand perspectives (Correct answer)
- To replace the reporter's own research
- To make the article easier to read
Correct answer: To add credibility and provide firsthand perspectives
Quotes from sources add authenticity and allow readers to hear directly from those involved, which strengthens the report's reliability.
Question 2: What does 'objectivity' mean in news writing?
- Using vivid descriptive language
- Presenting facts without personal bias or opinion (Correct answer)
- Writing only about positive events
- Using statistics in every paragraph
Correct answer: Presenting facts without personal bias or opinion
Objective reporting presents information fairly and without the writer's personal opinions influencing how facts are presented.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a subheading in a news report?
- To replace the headline
- To credit the photographer
- To break up the text and signal a new section's topic (Correct answer)
- To summarize the reporter's opinion
Correct answer: To break up the text and signal a new section's topic
Subheadings divide a longer article into sections, making it easier to skim and helping readers navigate to relevant parts.
Question 4: Which type of language should a news reporter avoid to maintain objectivity?
- Technical vocabulary
- Emotive or biased language (Correct answer)
- Formal language
- Attributive language
Correct answer: Emotive or biased language
Emotive or loaded language can slant a report toward a particular viewpoint, undermining the neutrality that journalism requires.
Question 5: What does the inverted pyramid structure instruct journalists to place at the very end of a news report?
- The most critical facts
- Background context and less essential details (Correct answer)
- The reporter's opinion
- A call to action
Correct answer: Background context and less essential details
The bottom of the inverted pyramid holds background information and supplementary details that can be cut without losing the core story.
Question 6: What does 'attribution' mean in news writing?
- Writing the headline
- Crediting the source of a statement or piece of information (Correct answer)
- Describing the setting of an event
- Proofreading for grammar errors
Correct answer: Crediting the source of a statement or piece of information
Attribution identifies who said something or where a piece of information came from, using phrases like 'according to' or 'said [name].'
OSSLT OSSLT - Ontario Secondary School Literacy Writing a News Report 2
Why do journalists include direct quotes from sources in a news report?