In Depth
Humor Scores Serious Points
By Elizabeth Jensen
So why did the chicken cross the road? To get viewers and readers to pay attention to gloom-and-doom environmental stories, of course.
Melting icebergs and dying polar bears are sad and scary stories; eyes glaze over when clean coal technology is dissected; and a few scientists just take themselves a bit too seriously. For some journalists, clear and concise writing isn’t enough, so they are using humor to get media consumers to tune in to complicated, oftentimes, grim subjects.
Humor “helps audiences connect with the story by letting them see the humanity in it. Everyone somewhere in their bones laughs,” said Debra Schwartz, chief executive of Dash on Deadline, a free-lance writing service specializing in science, environment and education journalism. She added, “When we can help each other laugh at ourselves, then there’s an emotional connection to the story that doesn’t exist when you’re hammering someone over the head. I don’t think laying a guilt trip on somebody is a way to make them productive.”
Schwartz, the Beloit, Wis.-based author of “Writing Green: Advocacy & Investigative Reporting About the Environment in the Early 21st Century,” will lead a Friday Society of Environmental Journalists conference panel on how, why and when to use humor in environmental writing.
A lot of science, energy and environmental material “is very dry and drab,” said Tom Henry, a writer and columnist for the Toledo Blade in Ohio, who has been covering the environmental beat since 1993 and will be on the panel. Journalists, he said, “have the power to inflame a community needlessly or put them to sleep” when they should be paying close attention. Humor can be one way to bring nuance to a story as well as to whet readers’ appetites for more details, he added.
Grist.org, which calls itself “a beacon in the smog,” has been using a humorous approach to its environmental posts since 1999. Newsweek called the Seattle-based site — which reaches about 750,000 users a month and features a “Things That Are Funny” category and a “Clarity-O-Meter” alongside serious policy coverage — “the ‘Daily Show’ of the green space.”
In a tip sheet for the SEJ panel, Grist senior editor Katharine Wroth offers examples of ways to use humor, from incorporating rhymes and wordplay and “writing for yourself” and what you think is funny, to a suggestion to “Butcher your sacred cows.” No topic, she writes, is so important that it can’t be tweaked: “Methane in the atmosphere? Not so funny. Bovine burps as a source of said methane? Now we’re talking.”
She also suggests going “for the unexpected,” citing a recent Grist slideshow of famous environmentalists’ mustaches, which the site used as “a chance to highlight key thinkers doing important work on sustainability — in a way that caught people completely off guard.”
Another good tool, she says, is to ask “WWJSD” (What Would Jon Stewart Do?), suggesting that journalists “Imagine Jon Stewart or some other comedian you admire delivering your story. How would he or she spice things up? What unexpected, unserious angle would he or she focus in on?”
But not all humorous approaches have to be pure stand-up comedy routines, say Henry and Schwartz. “You don’t have to be an entertainer to write in a sequence of threes,” said Schwartz, referring to one technique of using “Small, bigger, bigger” or “Big, smaller, smaller” formulas.
“What you’re really trying to do is lighten up your writing a bit,” says Henry. He wrote a story once about efforts to eradicate emerald ash borers by peeling back the bark on some trees and releasing pheromones, “but I don’t say the trees are sluts, or anything like that,” he noted.
Deciding when humor isn’t appropriate is also key, he said, noting that “Humor usually doesn’t fly when you’ve got someone being prosecuted in court,” or there’s a spill or disaster. “You don’t want to be accused of being flippant. That’s always the danger.”
“It is possible to offend somebody unintentionally,” said Schwartz. “Sensitivity is the order of the day. Sometimes humor can have a hard edge that turns people off.” She occasionally uses a bit of humor at the top of a story to engage her readers before getting to the nitty-gritty details of her topic.
And not everyone gets it. She once wrote a story about textiles created from spun petroleum with a lead along the lines of “Save oil, go naked.” An editor didn’t understand, and the story was rejected, but Schwartz still thinks it was a good approach to a materials science story, “which can be really boring.”
Leave a comment
Comments 65
scary games
I suggest you check out my very cool web site where you can play the best scary games .
world of warcraft gold
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it'll do even better in those areas, but for now it's a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod's strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
cabal alz
Now and then I'll stumble across a post like this and I'll recall that there really are still interesting pages on the web. ^_^. Thanks.
tibia gold
Thanks for the share, I have been readin online all day and this was actully worth reading. Thanks
rappelz rupees
very good article,thans for your sharing
shaiya gold
Thanks for your helpful Post, I hope you have a good day!
ragnarok zeny
Informative information and excellent posts you have!
commercial cleaning services
Wonderful to read!
perfect world gold
That's great.very helpful,thanks a lot
Toledo Electrician
Thank you for a great post
Clarksville electrician
Great post!
Statesboro Electrician
Great post!
Lago Vista Electrician
Excellent job.
imitation watches
Thanks for your visiting this www.glamoursell.com online store.
Addicting Games
Great post!
Swiss Replica Watches
Thanks for your visiting this www.watchau.com online store.
Walnut Creek Electrician
Great post!
Andrew A. Sailer
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Swiss Replica Watch
Thanks for your visiting this www.hello-free.com/freebies online store.
Mesquite electrician
Good post, thanks
wholesale nfl jerseys
Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
oyunlar
Sorry for the huge review, but I'm really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it's the right choice for you.
Praveen-Techperk
Yeah, it’s good, very useful, thanks :)
guzel oyunlar
If you're still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you'll know which is right for you.
online film izle
I come and read constantly. very nice blog
online film izle
I come and read constantly. very nice blog
Link Building Services
Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it's been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing
can i get a loan
Where is link?
Domaci Porno
I must say that overall I am really impressed with this blog.It is easy to see that you are passionate about your writing. If only I had your writing ability I look forward to more updates and will be returning.
Buy Links
I love the expression. Everyone needs to express there own opinion and feel free to hear others. Keep it up :)
Back Pain Relief
One of the better posts on the subject I have read - so thanks.
arka sıradakiler izle
You did the logo. I want to do something like that.
arka sokaklar izle
Know whether the site is opened too late.
fatmagülün suçu ne izle
I come and read constantly. very nice blog.Thank you.
geniş aile izle
I added Google Reader to your site when I have spare time try to follow.
öğretmen kemal izle
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It is the old what goes around comes around routine. Did you acquired lots of links and I see lots of trackbacks??
dizi izle
link please :(((
dizi seyret
You did the logo. I want to do something like that.
dizi izle
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It is the old what goes around comes around routine. Did you acquired lots of links and I see lots of trackbacks??
online film izle
link please :(((
youtube clips
Great wordpress blog here.. It's hard to find quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! take care and see you soon
Webdesign in Singapores
Gosh! this is amazing how do you get all these people to your site? You must be doing something right! Keep going! brother.
antivirus firewall software
Great post... I found this via google, google ftw!
Backlinks
Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.
how to make a website free
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass' favor.
Gregory Despain
This is really a very cool blog, thanks a lot for this! I've read a great deal about this topic in the past and I agree with you.
Kvepalai vyrams
Thank you for great article. I had a very good time reading, and there were few things I was surprised by.
Link Building
Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!
Full Tilt bonus
This is the best blog I've ever seen in my life! I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to share your this with everyone.
Link Building
Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.
Computer Repair
Thats some nice informationDo you have any more posts?.
Corporate Credit
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I'm looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks
Soccer
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy.
Link Building Services
Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it's been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing
Sohbet
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it'll do even better in those areas, but for now it's a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod's strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Matthew C. Kriner
Excellent post once again! I am looking forward for more updates:)
Burton Hayness
This is such a fantastic resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing internet websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It's the old what goes around comes around routine. Regards...
Carroll B. Merriman
Hey I really like your comments very much. I viewed your blog on Google and I am confident you will get lots of visitors.
Jocelyn Schiffer
Hey, Thanks for this nice post.
As an owner of online business this information is very helpful to me. I own Discount mp3 players store and I'm learning different methods to increase the amount of customers of my store.
I find that Any information can be useful for marketing if you can find some creative ways of using that information.
Thanks for this post, it was very helpful.
Regards
Alba Lippy
I think your blog is great.Just keep on!I think I will come back on one day.
imbracaminte
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass' favor.
Rayna Saldvir
l want to say this blog is kinda awsome .I always like to hear something new because I have the similar blog in my Country on this so this helps me a lot. I did search on the issue and found good number of blogs but nothing like this. Thanks for writing so much in your blog.. Greets., Rayna Saldvir
Buy Backlinks
Kudos to you! This is a really good blog here and I love your style of writing. How did you get so good at blogging?
Buy Links
Love the blog here. Nice colors. I am definitely staying tuned to this one. Hope to see more.
Seo Services
I agree with your thoughts here and I really love your blog! I've bookmarked it so that I can come back & read more in the future.