por We explain what a report is, its characteristics, functions, parts, and we give several examples.
What is a report?
A reportage It is a narration or report through which an attempt is made to delve into a publicly known event, including new information or presenting new perspectives. That is, it is a tool used to expand a piece of news on which you want to emphasize.
Mainly, the report belongs to the informative genre, in which the humanization of the story, the narrative structure and the use of quasi-literary language prevail, all without losing sight of the honesty of the facts described.
For the optimal writing of a report, the journalist must delve into the events of the news, contacting the protagonists and witnesses of the event. He must inquire about the background, collecting information and analyzing the causes and reasons for it.
All this, with the aim of knowing deeply the fact in order to finally expose it to the audience, giving it different perspectives.
Likewise, the report brings together techniques and methods from different genres, such as articles, news and chronicles, among others. This being one of the reasons why it is considered, within informative journalism, as the genre that grants the most freedoms.
Characteristics of a report
Some of the most outstanding features of the report are the following:
Documentation
For the preparation of a reliable report, it is necessary to carry out a documentation process beforehand, with the aim of investigating, gathering testimonies, evidence, important dates, names, visiting the place where the event occurred, and any other type of data that can be collected. . Thus enabling the construction of an overview of the situation as objective as possible.
Objectivity and veracity
The facts and data discussed in the report must be objective, verified with various sources and truthful, that is, they conform to reality.
Freedom
For the writing of a report, the journalist can include linguistic resources characteristic of other genres such as essays or novels, among others. In addition, it is totally free when selecting the theme to develop in it.
Style
The style by which a report is presented is entirely in the hands of the journalist, it is for this reason that there are different approaches or points of view on the same event or news.
shocking
The content of the report is usually shocking. The facts that motivate it cause total or partial shock to the community that reads, sees or listens to them. In general, these stories generate opinions for and against. Thus, the report can cause solidarity, rejection or, at least, controversy.
Temporality
A report can be based on news from the past, it does not necessarily have to be current.
Graph
In most cases, the report is accompanied by an image, photo or graphic.
Structure of the report (parts)
The fact that the report is a genre that has great freedom, both in its style and in its structure, means that there is no fixed structure when writing them. However, there are some parts that are found in most of the reports, which are exposed below.
Qualification
The title, title or headline, is usually considered one of the most important parts in the preparation of a report, since its purpose is to capture the attention of readers.
To achieve this goal, the title can use different stylistic resources, such as double meaning, paradox, metaphor or antithesis, among others. In addition, it can contain subtitles, highlights and summary.
Finally, the length of the title is usually less than eight words, for this reason creativity and originality must be used to make it attractive and in turn transmit information.
opening or lead
The opening or lead is used as an introduction to the text, and its objective is to stimulate the reader to read the entire report. For this you can use resources such as contrast or irony.
In addition, to achieve a good opening, it is preferable that it does not contain facts, but rather makes a gradual presentation of the topic to the reader, motivating him to continue reading.
development or body
The development or body is the part where the journalist focuses on transmitting the event on which the report is based.
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.
end or conclusion
The end or conclusion is used to close the report, and as in the other parts, it does not have a specific structure for its elaboration.
It is for this reason that the end of a report can include a summary of the text, introduce a question, or quote a phrase from the interviewee.
Functions: what is a report for?
Inform
The informative function is the raison d’être of journalism. By extension, it is also vital to 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.
Describe
Without a detailed description of the facts, there is no information. Sometimes the situation forces the reporter to introduce an interpretation of the events he describes. This implies a certain subjectivity that jeopardizes the integrity of the report.
Investigate
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 facts recounted come from witnesses, the report is complemented by consulting other sources for corroboration purposes.
Types of report
There are several different types of reports, below are some of the most important.
Objective or informative reporting
The objective or informative report has the particularity that it is based solely on data, testimonies of people or details of environments, among others, thus ruling out the opinion of the journalist.
They are generally built with graphics or illustrations based on surveys or official reports, and statements from people associated with the topic under development.
interpretive report
The interpretive report seeks to delve into the reasons that generated the event about which it is going to be written, the present and the future of it. Additionally, it grants the journalist the freedom to present value judgments or personal interpretations, based on the information obtained from the event.
Consequently, both the structure and the linguistics used to write an interpretive report have complete freedom.
Investigative or demonstrative report
These types of reports are characterized by being objective and truthful, requiring the journalist to carry out exhaustive research work on the fact that is going to be written.
In addition, it has the particularity of having irrefutable information and data from sources, which are generally kept anonymous, but which the journalist fully trusts.
social report
Social reporting is used to deal with everyday issues, such as new habits or behaviors of social groups. They generally focus on some news, and describe the impact that this fact generates in a certain social group.
Examples of reports
Here are some newspaper report titles, along with their respective links.
Adventure in search of the best coffee in the world.
Getting old: a report on what really matters.
Barnett, the most powerful sports agent in the world.
Good practices when traveling by motorhome to reduce our ecological footprint.
References
The DNA of scientific journalism: The interpretive report. Retrieved from biblio.flacsoandes.edu.ec
The reports of Francisco Correal: Between journalism and literature. Retrieved from redalyc.org
The news and the report. Retrieved from iespugaramon.com
MANUAL TO PREPARE A JOURNALISTIC REPORT. Retrieved from academia.edu