The Death of Print Media

On Friday 17 May 2019, an announcement was made that The Arizona Daily Star ran out of ink. This is not a truth in reality, but a truth that there will no longer be the sound of the printing presses filling its printing room. Even though the newspaper was only ten years old, it might have had a place in society (Smith, 2019). This is not only a loss for the Tuscon readers who will, since 15 May, no longer be able to read hard copies, but it might also be a sign of the future of many other newspapers.

Printing has the longest of histories and it is difficult to pin down an exact date for when printing started, because of its diverse nature. For me, the first impression of printing came when Martin Luther pinned his 95 Theses on the church door. That was the first time that I became aware of printing and its power. Luther created a change in the way people viewed printing and what could be done about it. He had a profound influence on the German printing processes and the later developed printing presses (Woodard, 2015).

Anyone who has ever worked in the printing industry as a journalist, graphic designer, layout artists, right up to the printer in the print room will know the excitement of that environment. Even the smell of the ink contributes to the excitement. For all these people, it is seeing the final product that is the most exciting event. For a journalist who would see their story in print, and the graphic designer and layout artist who would see the final work, it was a most satisfying experience.

If you are one who loved such an environment, it is not only a loss of a job. It is the experience, of the entire process that is taken from you when the press stops forever. Unfortunately, this might just be the beginning of the end of the printing industry, albeit in a distant future, but the digital world has signed a death warrant for printing for some.

The printing industry, too, is guilty of aiding and abetting, as they have placed many of their print editions online. All of us have contributed as we read these digital editions as it is easier than going out to buy a hardcopy. We should all be concerned about the death of the printing industry.

With the death of the printing industry, the hardcopy disappears, and the digital remains. This leaves the world in a dangerous place where facts can be changed and altered to suit a specific narrative.

References:
The power of Luther’s printing press. By Colin Woodard, December 18, 2015
Final locally printed edition of Daily Star will roll off press Sunday. By Dylan Smith, May 16, 2019
Image https://pixabay.com/photos/newspaper-news-media-spectacles-412452/

Writing as a Visual Instrument

The question is whether it is possible to see writing as a visual aid. It is the norm to use visual images to illustrate the written text, but can it be the other way around? Let’s see if we can visualize that here.

Posters

Most posters have text that explains the visuals. It is the opinion here that, that would constitute the art of writing as a visual instrument. It is important to be able to look at the picture, and then read the accompanying text, which will then be the aid in understanding the poster and its content or context. Thus, one could view this as one example where writing is a visual instrument.

Digital White Boards

The White Boards are excellent indications of how the written word can become a visual instrument. As the instructor speaks, the written word creates emphasis on what is being said. This, too, can be an added benefit to the images being used. In such cases, though, it is pointless to talk about an image, or drawing if there is no text to accompany it.

Flip Charts 

These charts should have written text as well as images. In cases such as these, it is important to be creative in presenting the visuals. This is particularly pertinent to the written sections. Cryptic sentences can be extremely helpful.

PowerPoint Slides

A PowerPoint slide presentation is usually a balance between cryptic sentences as well as images, depending on what you are presenting. Each slide will be accompanied by the images, the written word ad the audio, or the voice of the speaker.

Slide Video Presentations

These visuals are often stacked with written text. In most instances, the text can be animated and presents a very attractive visual. Even though it is presented as a visual presentation, it comes across as an animated movie. The text has to be well prepared to make sense so that it could also be used as a standalone presentation.

In all of these instances, it is important to include writing as a means or a part of the communication. Thus, the conclusion is that the written word can be a visual instrument, especially in terms of its role as part of posters, presentations, and other applications.

Reference:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/healthcarecommunication/chapter/types-of-visual-aids/

Image: https://www.powtoon.com/examples/

Academic Text

The academic text simply means writing that is completed in the academic world. These texts could be specific in that it would be written for a project, a compilation of research material, student essays, essays written for journals, blog entries, conference papers, and many more.

Each of these has an individual structure, depending on the rules of the particular institution for which it is written. This refers to the style of the citations within the text as well as the reference page at the end of the paper. However, in this context, there are general rules to abide by.

What this means is that the paper, article, or essay has to have a general structure. In some instances, an abstract, or an executive summary is required. In most cases, it is acceptable to start with an introduction. Even though the essay or article requires an abstract, or an executive summary, the general rule is that there is still the need for an introduction. The introduction would give background information as well as motivation, or reason for the paper. Thus, the introduction usually ends with an aim, an objective, or a purpose statement.

Three or more paragraphs follow the introduction in a simple essay, which ends with a concluding paragraph. Research documents, or theses, are complex essays, and its breakdown could result in several chapters. Shorter versions will be divided into several headings.

The purpose of breaking down academic essays is to set out a train of thought for other academics to follow with ease. Simply put, it assists with setting out an academic argument, or discussion that could be of value to those who read it. It also serves as logical information for other researches.

4 Specialization Writing Areas

The question would be: What should be classified as specialization writing? A few areas require one to be a specialized writer in order to write these types of pieces or articles. However, if you are an excellent researcher and are aware of the vocabulary that the various disciplines use, it should not be too difficult to write the basics for such a group. Having said that, though, and in many cases where there is no training, it would be all right for you to write these articles and documents at a very superficial level. This applies to all the writings meant for specialized purposes.

Some of the areas that could be covered under specialization writing are as follows:

1. Medical Writing

Medical requirements can vary from the very basics of anatomy, and medical care to the very intricate, in-depth discussions of the medical fraternity. This would include scientific and research-related discussion papers on drugs, disease, regulatory, and promotional articles. The in-depth discussion papers should most probably be left to the individuals who have had training in this area. Included in this particular specialization writing would be writing for the pharmaceutical industry as well. (1)

2. Technical Writing

The technical writer covers areas that are geared to technical aspects such as manuals, electronic equipment, and electrical or other products on the market. Many of these writers would have the ability to write explanatory (or instructional) documents on how parts of machine work. This means that the individual would have a very clear and systematic way of writing. Technical writing would also include scientific writing.

3. Journalistic Writing

One of the most common types of writing is journalistic writing. This could also be termed: News Writing Specialization. (2) It is placed here as one of the most common writing areas, because we deal with it on a daily basis – in newspapers, and even in listening to the audio on radio and television. This too requires a particular way of writing, and one can divide it into reviews, columns, features, and investigative writing. Each of these has a particular way in which to create the final product. For this purpose, training is most often the best way to learn. However, some individuals do have a natural ability to write up an article for a specific newspaper or magazine.

4. “Translator Writing”

Perhaps this could be seen as a non-existent word, but it is merely for the purpose of this short list. The translator is the person who would translate an existing work into another language. This means that the individual did not write the original work, and would therefore only concentrate on getting the original “contents, facts, style, presentation, intention and tone into the target language.”(3) The requirement for such an individual is to be fully competent in both languages.

Writing is part of the life of humans since the beginning of time. It does not matter what the method and means of writing were, it is and remains a vital means of communication.


References:
(1) https://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~swanson/papers/science-of-writing.pdf(2) http://mediaschool.indiana.edu/degrees/undergraduate/specializations/news-writing-specialization/(3)  https://www.iolante.com/en/a-career-in-translation/the-difference-between-writing-and-translating/

The Written Word

Everyone should know one creates sentences by using words. One can speak these sentences or words, and create verbal rhetoric, conversations. Another form of verbal communication is also oral stories. The misinterpretation of words and sentences occurs often, as the hearer hears what they want to hear. This is exactly how gossip starts. People use different words, add to the sentences, and place the emphasis on what they understood.

However, if one writes down these words and sentences, it is not only "verbal" as you read them, but changes to the words become a lot more difficult. The misinterpretation or interpretation of words in different ways is still possible. However, the author or writer could still explain, or qualify the words and sentences. The writing down of words and sentences is vital, as can be seen in the many clay tablets found in historic places. It becomes very difficult to misinterpret many words and sentences when found in written format. The written word, thus, becomes more permanent than verbal communication. 

A further difference between verbal communication and the written word is that the written word gives one more time to say what one needs to say. What one would like to say could fill several books, whereas verbal communication has a limited period – one can only say so much in a given time. More importantly, as mentioned, it is important to write down oral stories, especially if it comes straight from the horse's mouth. The stories would not become distorted or lack important facts.

The written word is extremely important, whether it is for the Internet – that is for digital purposes – or for printed books. It allows for permanency that the verbal word does not allow. What this simply relates to is that the writer of words is an important fixture in the world today. It is also for this reason that these people should be highly ethical, and write what is important, and write is truthful – except of course if it is fiction you are writing.

You can Read Books anywhere

The Writer Writes

Last week I missed out on posting a blog. The reason was that I was working profusely on completing an ebook, as well as a book for my own publishing. The book is a Non-Fiction called Miswak: Salvadora Persica.

The book reflects the use of natural dental care called Miswak. It is a toothbrush that is created from the Arak tree. According to the World Health Organization, it has health benefits for everyone and should be encouraged as an alternative to modern toothpaste and toothbrushes.

I have written the book as a result of my own experience with the toothbrush sticks, and have encouraged one of my Muslim friends to do the same.

Please have a look at the summary and introduction. If you find it to be beneficial, you are able to purchase the book or the ebook on kindle.