The qualities necessary for effective factual communication in print products
Different kinds of factual communication in print:
Leaflets contain a lot of information, they are usually used to advertise or are used to make people aware of certain topics. Leaflets are usually free and can be picked up in places such as restaurants, tourist centres, or dentists.
Instruction manuals are very useful for users as they provide information on how to put together or use a product, for example, a microwave, mobile phone, or computer. They also usually include warnings about the product. They can be quite small in size and can fold out and contain pictures or diagrams.
How-to-Guides are quite similar to instruction manuals however they tell you how to make or do something for example some how-to-guides tell you how to create a website or how to drive a car. How-to-guides can be found on the Internet with simple how-to steps for a person to follow. wikihow.com is a very useful how-to-website.
Factual journalism covers all aspects of relevant topics that are true. Most journalists report on social events or of the world such as war or even wildlife. Factual journalism is given out in all different media types whether it is magazines, newspapers, websites or even social networking. National Geographic are very factual based when it comes to journalism, as they usually report on the lives of people, wildlife or locations from all over the world.
“A reporter should hold to a central principle of being a first-hand witness. Press conferences and official statements may be useful but they are no substitute for raw facts.”
Kate Adie, the BBC’s former chief news correspondent.
When reporting on an event or topic a person must research their findings and then make sure the information is true, reliable and not biased as if this information was published without solid proof the journalist could get in trouble for providing false information.
Companies such as BBC and National Geographic have websites which upload different stories and information and also include pictures and videos. People can visit these websites and browse through a huge amount of different information written by various journalists. There is also the option to take part in competitions and participate in journalism opportunities.
Blogs are another form of factual communication as they are usually a discussion or opinion published on a website such as Tumblr or WordPress. Each writer owns an individual and personal blog with the ability to publish information, pictures and videos. People also have the chance to follow other blogs and also leave comments and likes on posts.
Different kinds of tools available to producers of factual communication in print:
Producers of factual communication in print have many tools available for them to display what kind of print they are trying to achieve, these tools also help them to aim their print at a particular audience.
For example, women’s magazines such as ‘NOW’ magazine use bright colours and very large fonts to lure women into reading the magazine. Colours such as pink and purple are used on the cover of the magazine as these colours are usually associated with women therefore it shows people who the target audience for the magazine is.
Generally on women’s magazines there are supporting illustrations such as photographs of celebrities or the latest fashion item, this also makes women want to read further into the magazine as they see a photograph on the cover and it makes them want to read more.
Sometimes in these magazines there are photographs of a celebrity wearing a particular outfit and then another image of that outfit at a cheaper price, stating to women that if they read on they can achieve the same outfit only cheaper, this is also a very clever technique that is used in print as it encourages women to read further on in order to gain a bargain.
Some magazines and newspapers use by-lines these are smaller headlines that are still written in bold, bright text. By-lines are usually written in such a way that they encourage women to read into the stories that are displayed throughout the magazine. Persuasive words such as “You won’t want to miss this” or “Shocking stories” are used this is a common technique with factual print as it encourages people to buy the magazine due to the luring by-lines.
Newspapers usually take a different approach to magazines for example the New York Times layout is very plain and simple still containing a large title however there a very few images, colours and luring statements. Newspapers such as the New York Times usually aim at a more sophisticated audience therefore they try to keep their newspaper very sophisticated and simple and the title text is very traditional. However, newspapers such as The Sun, which is a tabloid use a different approach, similar to gossip magazines, which use catchy and almost abusive headlines.
Legal constraints and codes of practice:
Ethical constraints are not necessarily illegal however they have to be carefully considered in the media sector. This is to make sure the product doesn’t offend somebody based on their age, gender, religion, sexual orientation or anything else. There are professional codes of practice, which producers and publishers have to follow. They have to consider what is deemed a moral issue when showing work to the public. The ‘BBC Agreement’ states that the BBC and also independent producers are conducted on a fair basis.
“The effective operation of this Code depends upon both the BBC and independent producers which it commissions being reasonable in their dealings with one another, with both parties abiding by the principles contained in the Code and undertaking to operate them in good faith.”
From 2005-2007 investigations were conducted on the News of the World as they had been suspected of phone hacking in order to pursue stories for their newspaper. It came out that they hacked the phone of Milly Dowler a young school girl who had been abducted, the News of the World accessed Milly’s voicemail and also deleted messages. This led the police and Milly’s family to believe she was alive but she wasn’t.
Some producers of factual print can encounter serious problems such as harassment this has been widely looked into within media as it is a common occurrence especially with celebrities. In 2013 Harry Styles pop icon and member of One Direction took multiple members of paparazzi to court stating they had been “harassing” him.
“The injunction against “Paparazzi AAA and others” prevents them from pursuing the singer by car or motorcycle, placing him under surveillance, loitering or waiting within 50 metres of his place of residence to monitor his movements or take photos of him in such circumstances.”
In my opinion in order to prevent these occurrences producers of factual print need to thoroughly consider the problems that can occur when producing factual print and also need to refresh themselves with the concept of various acts in which they should follow.