When you read or hear a story do you feel left out because you don’t know the background? Why do some stories leave us feeling stupid?
Professional sports commentators in press box at American football game. (Credit: SDI Productions/Getty Images Signature)
Journalism can be a powerful tool for change. But a story won’t spur change if it puts people to sleep or leaves them more confused or discouraged than before they read, heard or saw it. To help you tell stories that are engaging and insightful, News Decoder is launching Top Tips. Each week we will share advice from reporters, editors, writers and master storytellers.
In this Top Tip, News Decoder Educational News Director Marcy Burstiner explains why you can slow down to explain things in a story without losing your expert readers or listeners.
Top Tips are part of our open access learning resources. You can find more of our learning resources here. And learn how you can incorporate our resources and services into your classroom or educational program or by forming a News Decoder Club in your school.
There is a term in the United States called “inside baseball.” That’s when someone writes in a way that reflects deep expertise in a subject.
It comes from common sports writing which is intended to be read by sports fans who already know the terminology — what a “ground into double play” means in baseball or a “buttonhook” in American football.
As an infrequent spectator of most sports, such writing irritates me. I like reading about sports — what’s more exciting than a walk-off grand slam (a home run when the bases are loaded that ends a tie in baseball), or a goal one second before the game clock ends? If I hadn’t watched the game at least I can read about it.
But articles filled with undefined terminology leave me feeling ignorant and confused.
Often writers default to terms that only experts and fans would understand because they don’t want to lose those people. The thinking is that explaining all terms will make it a tedious read for someone who already knows, or that it is dumbing down or speaking to the lowest common denominator.
But here’s the thing. When people are confused they stop reading. When people already know, they just skip to the next sentence or paragraph or section. You will keep those people because they are already interested in what you are writing about. The people who come in uninformed aren’t quite sure if they are interested.
Engage your whole audience.
Think of it this way. You are at a party and telling a story to a group of people. Some of them know exactly what you are talking about because they know you and your background. Some had just wandered in and don’t know you or what you are talking about. Those who know you will stay to hear the story. But the people who don’t know you will wander off if you don’t give them the necessary background info.
Or think about telling a story to a child. When you start talking above their heads they will tug at your elbow and ask you to explain, and they will do that over and over. For anyone else listening, it doesn’t make the story tedious. Sometimes, in fact, they learn things that way that they didn’t know, even though they had considered themselves well informed.
In journalism we talk about writing for the person who just walked out of a cave they had been living in for 30 years. What don’t they know that they need to know to understand the story? Do you want them to stay ignorant or do you want to help bring them up to speed?
You don’t need to go at length when explaining terms or giving some background. Just a little definition or metaphor or explanation is necessary. It is a quick aside to make sure the people new to the story can stay with it.
Journalism can create conversations. But we don’t want the conversation to be people who already know speaking to people who already know. When journalism does it job it brings people together through conversations. It informs people of important things that they don’t know about. And it helps them to understand what seems confusing.
Hopefully I didn’t lose you at the top of this story with the sports phrases I used. A ground into double play is when a batter hits a ground ball that turns into a double play and multiple players who were on base are now out. It is a bad thing. A buttonhook in American football? Don’t ask me. I looked it up and still don’t understand it. If you really want to know find yourself a crazy fan.
Questions to consider:
- What does the author mean by “inside baseball”?
- Why will people stay with a story when you stop to explain something they already know?
- Can you think of a story you heard or read that confused you? What about it was confusing?
Marcy Burstiner is the educational news director for News Decoder. She is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School and professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication at the California Polytechnic University, Humboldt in California. She is the author of the book Investigative Reporting: From premise to publication.