Concise Writing for Today's Journalist

From The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
Chapter II Elementary Principles of Composition
17. Omit Needless Words

Whether you are writing an editorial, a hard news story, or blogging about the movie you saw last night, concise writing will better communicate your ideas to your readers. Journalists sometimes refer to this concept as “trimming the fat.”

Just as paragraphs should contain no unnecessary sentences, sentences should contain no unnecessary words. Every word should have a purpose.

For most young writers, this is a challenge. Prior to college, a lot of our school assignments called for creative writing techniques-- and we responded with flowery adjectives and wordy sentences.

Words should not distract from what you are trying to communicate. Instead, they should work together to precisely communicate your ideas.

Let's try to improve the following sentences:

1. The fire is still burning out of control.

2. The legislation was supported by the senator.

3. The pilot said the tensest moment of the trip was when he suddenly had to go around a passenger plane that he saw on his radar.

Suggested improvements:

1. The fire continues to burn.

2. The senator supported the bill.

3. The pilot said the tensest moment was when he had to avoid a plane that appeared on his radar.

Examples taken from page 47, Writing and Reporting the News by Jerry Lanson and Mitchell Stephens.