Show, don't tell

From Rapidian staff*: "Show don't tell" plays like a broken record for every creative writer.  Says Wikipedia, "Show, don't tell is an admonition to fiction writers to write in a manner that allows the reader to experience the story through a character's action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the narrator's exposition, summarization, and description."

While journalism (especially written) and creative writing are different, they both derive strength from showing rather than telling.

In the case of citizen journalism, many contributors report on a topic they are already interested in. Perhaps you support the classes that GR Institute for Information and Democracy has to offer. Maybe you are passionate about animals rights or the arts scene. Regardless of what your interest is, you're trying to open more pairs of eyes to the subject. Stating something is fantastic or using a subtler descriptor is just not going to cut it; it's a slippery slope from telling to editorializing.

To avoid preaching only to the choir, reporters show by quoting and researching.

Examples

1. Winter in Grand Rapids is really cold.
   or
   Historically, January is the coldest month. The average temperature in Grand Rapids hovers around 22 degrees, give or take, and windchill knocks it down another 5-15 degrees.
2. Harvest Health has tasty milk.
   or
   Harvest Health carries milk produced by grass-fed cows. The majority of cows in the United States are grain-fed, and animals' diets can be reflected in the flavors that their products take on."
3. The Electric Cheetah is a really green restaurant.
   or
   Interview and quote the manager about The Electric Cheetah's green initiatives, any difficulties or surprises in implementing them.

Visual data can also encourage readers to think about information differently. Below, Stephanie Condon of CBS News' Political Hotsheet put together these word clouds of two opposing speeches on national security given by President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney. She used Wordle, a free word cloud generator that scrubs through submitted text to create an image with varying sized words based on how often those words are repeated in the text.

Other interesting tools for finding and presenting information are UMapper, Google Maps, Livestream, Twitterfall for trending topics in the Twittersphere) and Happn.in for trending Twitter topics in GR. Being worth a thousand words, pictures are the ultimate embodiment of "show, don't tell." Don't forget to use photos as an extension and supplement to your article.

Skeptics don't trust simplifications, so let the information speak for itself. Your execution is the bridge between your audience and your topic. Make it a strong bridge.
 

*Each week, a member of the Rapidian staff will publish a piece relating to goings-on at The Rapidian, developments in the world of citizen journalism and tips for making the most of the site.