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Article: Speaking of Journalism.
- Article from:
- Columbia Journalism Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the field of nonfiction writing, it's not the style that wins over readers, but the facts -- the writer's ability to discover something special in the subject matter that a lesser observer might not divine. That's why teaching students how to write amounts really to teaching them how to report.
William Zinsser, a former newspaper reporter, prolific magazine writer, and author of many books, took note of the distinction when he was asked to give a course in nonfiction writing a couple of years ago at the New School for Social Research in New York City. So, rather than subject his students to those lectures on how to write leads, "billboards," and query letters, he ...