12. WRITING FOR THE SCREEN : GRAPHS, HEADERS AND CAPTIONS
12. WRITING FOR THE SCREEN : GRAPHS, HEADERS AND CAPTIONS Computer graphics are used more and more in newscasts and has become its own genre. For on-set anchoring or during a sequence in a package, the journalist has a visual and synthetic support to deliver heavy information, such as figures. Appearing on the screen, headers and captions bring additional info (name of the interviewees, times, dates). Their form, precise and concise, helps reading. COMPUTER GRAPHICS : SOME ADVICE Computer generated tables, graphs and drawings tell more than linear commentary. These summaries seen at a glance allow the journalist to give out information more rapidly. There are some rules you should respect though : C omplete tables from official sources. When using preexisting tables, the journalist must systematically mention the sources of the data and, if it comes from a poll, the sample and error margin. Official sources often provide captions for titles : Birthrate