2.2 Evaluation of news script

This is my evaluation for unit 2.2

 

2.2 Evaluation

For unit 2 I had to produce a news script for a BBC radio 1 news beat. To construct my news script I first researched several different online and on air news sources such as BBC news, Sky news, Daily Telegraph online, Absolute radio news and BBC newsbeat. This was so I could get an understanding of how they are constructed and how they are spoken on air. I learnt a lot about the pacing and types of language news sources use to target the audience. In my planning I made sure I found a wide range of news topics and sports headlines so I could get experience in writing different types of stories. Using feedback from my tutor I added audio inserts for outside broadcasts into my script e.g. ‘’ GOTO AUDIO NAME: R1 Thai election’’. I also added some emotive words into my script such as ‘’sadly passed away’’ in relation to Nelson Mandela’s death.

I believe that my script follows the conventions for a radio 1 news beat because as mentioned above I’ve used audio inserts and spelled some words out phonetically such as ‘’The Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra (Yin-glak Chinn-a-wat)‘’ .  I have also kept the news stories unbiased which would fit in with the conventions of the BBC as opposed to some news stories from TV channels such as Fox news. To appeal to my target audience I have made sure that my news stories are relevant to them and used language which most people would understand. Some of the words I’ve used such as “illegitimacy” and “laundering” might not be regularly used by the majority but I decided to keep in line with convention and not dumb down stories. The style of my script is informative yet does not contain more detail than is necessary. I’ve tried to keep it in line with the kind of news I listen to and read.

I have learnt many things from this assignment such as the importance of varying sources and how to use phonetic spelling for the news readers’ benefit. Most importantly I have learnt how to comb through long articles to pick out the key information which would be suitable for broadcast on radio. I’ve learnt that choosing the right story for your target audience is also important, as the wrong story won’t have any relevance to listeners. For example a news story about local affairs would have no place on a national stations news. If I were to undergo this task again then the main thing I would do differently would be working in a swifter manner. I now have the basis to write a script from and will make sure to use the feedback I got from tutors and class mates from the start. I can always look to improve my writing abilities to make each future script better than the last.

David Burd