Magazine Journalism - Lecture 8, 03/03/14

Reviews, interactivity and reader response;

Reviews;

There are a number of different formats when writing an article; a review is the simplest one. It can be anything from a book, film, work of art or live performance and is used to tell consumers;

• WHAT IT IS
• IS IT ANY GOOD?

Any review that is written must have two elements, one is a description of what the item is that you are reviewing and the second must be a comment on whether it is any good.

You can make any comment because you will have legal protection and will not be sued for libel. In defence you will need justification for making the comment, it has to be a true statement of which can be proved.

Unfortunately gonzo (which is good in its place) has crept into reviewing, with many reviewers using it as yet another opportunity to show off their talents. This can sometimes go beyond the reviewers own personal preferences and reaction to the work which is no good for professional journalism. Readers want a service and do not care what you think about the item.

The question in the readers mind is “does it do what it says on the tin”?

Contrast with the highly professional reviews in Sight and Sound magazine (British Film Institute). This magazine is written for an expert audience. The magazine reviews every new release. The style used is fundamentally classical as you can see from this typical and unexceptional example.

The magazine actually separates the “what is it?” from the “it is any good?” typographically, using italics to differentiate between the two.  It starts with a summary of what the film is about (synopsis), the actors starring in the film and the length of the film etc. It then continues on to pass a balanced and informed opinion on whether the film achieves what is has apparently set out to do.

All professional review writing should follow this two part structure. In the press aimed at consumers the second part of “is it any good?” is often done as a system with a number of stars, normally out of five which rates the subject on different elements. 

Another elaboration on this basic format is the FEATURE REVIEW which involves reviewing a host of products under a single heading, for example; Young British film makers. This sort of feature review supposedly detects a new trend in culture and can be situated successfully in the arts and cultures sections of newspapers and magazines.

Reader response; “A friend dropping in”;

A big part of the work of the features department which has grown out of readers’ letters, these are a feature within their own right which are written up and edited by feature writers.

Reader response has become more important in recent years, the aim is to get “WIN” and “FREE” on the front cover as this will attract readers. Elements such as horoscopes, agony aunts, newspaper bingo and cash prizes are also used as this will set the tone of the paper, magazine or radio show which then builds up reader loyalty.

There are a number of developments and “featurisation” that are prominent in magazines and newspapers;

• Letters
• Agony Aunts
• “How to…..” advice from experts
•  Diet
•   Health and Beauty
• Fantasy Football league (Daily Telegraph)
• Crossword, quizzes and other ‘coffee break’ fillers
• Prize competitions and give away
• Cover mounts
• Horoscopes

The importance of reader response has grown drastically in recent years due to the potential of the internet. Readers can now respond instantly through e-mail and attached ‘have your say’ reply forms on web pages.

An example of this is Femail, otherwise known as The Daily Mail online. The front page of this is primarily reader response.