How to make journalism interesting but not sensational

I'm currently taking the class Media Writing 211, and so I've gained a pretty good idea of how to write a short and boring news article. The little pieces we wrote in class, in the inverted pyramid style, were just a learning tool to introduce us to the world of journalistic writing. They were extremely factual, but painfully uninteresting. Unfortunately, I have read newspaper articles, by professional journalists, that are similarly difficult to read.

I think the key to making an article or piece of reporting interesting is to make it a story. Make the reader want to know more. Appeal to their emotions. Journalism tells the story of human existence. Journalists have to make the reader connect with the subject of the story, through the use of literary techniques and skillful writing.

It's also very important for journalists to report things actually care about. Some stories are less newsworthy than others. This article from Monday's New York Times stuck out to me in particular, both for the horrific nature of the story and its treatment by the journalist. The problem of young men dying from being crushed by corn in silos is an issue I never would have dreamed could exist. Such a tragic experience must be treated with respect, but the journalist also had to make it emotional enough so that people living in a big city would sympathize with the plight of farm workers. The opening paragraph, showing the reaction of a mother who has just been told that her son was killed, was a brilliant way to introduce the story. He also gave very vivid descriptions of the deaths of several young men, and emphasized how the deaths were all preventable, which augmented the tragedy.

As to how to not make a story sensational, I think that sticking to the truth and not using the techniques of yellow journalism or the National Enquirer magazine would be a good start.

The story should be the interesting part, not the headline. If a journalist has to resort to offering secrets or shocking truths to draw a reader in, they should get out of the business. Sensationalism isn't just disgraceful, it's annoying for the consumer. If you're promising an amazing, mind-blowing story, actually deliver one!