TELL IT LIKE IT IS

Practical advice to help achieve civic clarity in writing.

Poynter Institute senior scholar Clark returns with another warm and witty book on writing in these dark days of misinformation and propaganda. Organizing the book into three sections, the author’s goal is “to offer a succinct and practical guide to writing with clarity, honesty, and conviction,” and he focuses on what he calls the bright light of “public” writings by journalists, scientists, economists, storytellers, and poets. Clark begins with an example of good public writing: the instructions for an at-home Covid-19 test. The directions featured short paragraphs, simple words, lots of white space, and clear typography, delivering an effective message. The author ends each breezy chapter with a “Highlights” section of examples and suggestions—e.g., “Read your sentence aloud to see if you can follow it.” Short is always good when explaining complex issues. Avoid jargon, and use as few numbers as possible. Clear charts and graphs can be helpful. Write with the reader’s interest in mind. Let first drafts “cool off for a while.” An apt analogy is a “powerful but underutilized tool in the writer’s workbench.” In the second section, Clark turns his attention to telling good stories in the public interest. He explores the differences between reports and stories and the importance of writing in service of public ritual and working on making important information interesting. The last section focuses on honesty and candor in public writing and how writers can “develop a sense of mission and purpose.” Clark also reminds us that readers benefit from both showing and telling. He discusses the need for neutrality in public writing and the poison of propaganda as well as the best way to debunk information without calling more attention to it. He explains why he likes the semicolon and “one of the most useful and underappreciated words in the English language: that.”

A common-sense refresher course on clear, informative writing.