Let's Talk About Text, Baby.

        Lecture 3
        We had a guest lecturer this week: Skye Doherty. A well traveled reporter, Ms Doherty was working on Fleet Street, in London, when the News of the World scandal erupted. Hearing her take on what had happened and (better yet) how it happened, was really interesting. I don't want to go into it too much because that's not what this post is about, but hearing about it from someone who experienced it first hand and watched everything fall to pieces was really the best way we could have learnt about it (and if anybody wants to know, feel free to ask me).
        The lecture this week was on text, and how we use it and manipulate it as journalists. Obviously, everyone with half a brain knows what text is (and if you don't, it's what you're looking at right now) but what people don't understand is how clever journalists/columnists/authors/anybody who writes professionally are by being able to twists certain words and phrases in order to draw you in and make you hear what they have to say.

         I'm going to show you the example they showed us on headlines and see if you understand straight away how much of a genius the writer of that headline is:

           For those of you who don't understand... think Mary Poppins. 

           Get it yet? Don't worry, it took me a while too.

           Okay, for those of you who still don't get it, it's a play on the word 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious',from the musical Mary Poppins. Even though the definition (fantastic) is irrelevant (unless it was used sarcastically), you've got to admit that this is pretty impressive. You might sit there for a second, mull it over in your head, realize how they've used word play to draw people in and laugh for a while because you can admit that this was written by a very witty journalist (possibly with a passion for either musicals or nannies).

            I think I may just finish here because, in my opinion, this example pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say. We did also discuss other things such as layouts in the newspapers and online, but I definitely think this was the most interesting part of the lecture. Even more interesting than the girl behind me, who seemed to either be having a panic attack or giving birth and had to be taken out of the theater in a wheelchair half-way through.

             And with that, I bid thee farewell. Goodnight y'all!