EDITORIAL WRITING: HOW NOT TO

A newspaper's editorial space stands out from the rest of the publication. It is where the paper expresses its position on topical issues. And for very good reason, therefore, not just any staff member can craft this highly regarded article. That's why it's so shocking for a newspaper to allow a poorly written article to occupy its editorial page.

And poorly written, in this case, is not in terms of how the article has been laid out, or even grammatical inadequacies.

It is an alarming congruence of inaccuracies and fallacies.

A stupefying display of ignorance and detachment from historical facts.

And a shameful portrayal of journalistic flaws.

The articles seeks to rally one of Kenya's most successful football club, to achieve even more success in an Africa cup competition, after registering successive losses.

These are the main highlights of the article about Gor Mahia:

- 4.0 humiliation at the hands of Egypt's Zamaleck

-during the CAF Confederation Cup quarter finals

-when Algeria's NA Hussein comes calling

- they are the only team in the country to have won the continental tournament then known as CECAFA in 1987

- Thirty years is a long wait

How is it possible for the editor not to know that the Egyptian team is Zamalek, the tournament is still in the group stage not quarter finals, Gor has already played the Algerian team at home, and the next opponent is Angolan side Petro Atletico de Luanda?

The most horrifying misinformation is that Gor is the only team in Kenya to have won a continental tournament, then known as CECAFA in 1987.

How does one even begin to confuse a continental tournament with a regional one?

Even the said long wait from 1987 to 2019 is certainly not 30 years.

And that is how not to go about editorial writing, my not so learned editor!

MEDIA, CLEAR INFORMATION AND VAGUE HEADLINES

Information channelled through the media needs to be unambiguous, if it's to be useful to the audience. The challenge though, can come by way of using a not so straight-forward language like English. And the press in Kenya appears to be prone to linguistic shortcomings, which at times result in vague headlines or even doubtful information.

The heading of the above editorial can leave the reader a bit confused because though it may not be apparent, the chosen words make it open to two interpretations.

Crafting headlines is an endeavour that seeks to maximise the impact of chosen words, sometimes against minimal use of available space.

It thus becomes very necessary to leave out 'empty' words like determiners or definite and indefinite articles such as 'the', 'a', 'that', 'an', etc.

Instead, emphasis is put on keywords that are l'oaded' with 'meaning' and words that convey a powerful sense of 'action'.

After all, news revolves around something happening, and reporting this involves use of words that capture the action well.

Going back to the article above, the chosen action word is 'clear' meaning 'remove', 'act' or do something about changing a situation.

Well, the same word also conveys the sense of something being evidently easy to perceive, and hardly possibly to disprove.

So, is the newspaper calling for the 'clearing' of any doubts around a new polio vaccine?

Or are readers being told there are 'clear' doubts about this vaccine?

I need to 'clear' my mind, (you probably should do the same).

NO NEED TO SPELL IT OUT, EDITORIALS MUST NEVER BE SPELLBOUND BY MISSPELLINGS

The editorial piece represents the voice of a media outlet. It's meant to be authoritative, and designed to be forceful in articulating the issues raised. In Kenya though, one could encounter other small considerations, like the procedure used, not just the substance. But there's really no need to spell it out: editorials must be accorded extra scrutiny, before publication.

If even a single word is misspelt in an editorial, it's very tempting to draw not so flattering conclusions about a publication:

- The editorial department is sloppy

- Proof readers/revise editors are incompetent

- Gatekeeping structures are weak

- A don't care attitude is prevalent

- Professionalism is not taken 'seriouly' I mean, seriously

- There's internal sabotage of the news product, and other allied payback schemes

Suffice it to say that a tiny spelling mistake can deliver a giant blow to the reputation and credibility of a newspaper!