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Popular media article

What is a popular media article?

Popular media articles are just that! They’re popular, meaning they’re designed to be understood by the ‘average’ reader, not an expert in your field or a specialist. They’re called media articles, as they aim to communicate, to give more depth to topical events, news and issues. Popular media articles are often written by academics or experts in response to a need by the public to better understand and make decisions about a critical issue. This genre of writing is also commonly known as ‘feature article’ or ‘popular science article’.

Why write popular media articles?

Increasingly at Monash University, in units such as SCI1000 and BMS5013, you will be required to write popular media articles as part of your assessment. This type of assessment allows you to communicate your technical understanding to a broader audience. In addition, in many work contexts, you are often required to communicate complex information, inform interested parties and persuade those who are not experts in your field.

Learning to write a popular media article is a great way for you to learn to communicate important information in a compelling way, and to help a wider audience understand new and exciting ideas. Whether you're writing for a magazine, a blog or creating other web content, it’s important to write clear, fact-based content that is captivating.

	Think about your readers. Imagine one or two people in your life that you’re writing for. It could be a friend or family member who is curious about your field, and who is interested in learning more about something you know a lot about. Write your article as if you’re addressing them.
	Don’t dumb it down. Keeping things simple doesn’t mean simplifying. The goal of popular media articles is still to write informative, well-researched and argued content, but written in a way that is relevant and easy to understand.
	Top-heavy is good. You’ve got 10 seconds before your readers start scrolling. You want to put your important information in the first paragraph, as much as possible. Hook your reader so they’ll keep on reading.
	Write stories, not topics. Wherever possible, think about humanising your topic for your reader. Ask yourself: how can the average person relate to and connect with this information?
	Avoid jargon and technical language. Since your audience doesn’t necessarily have background knowledge about the topic, you need to minimise jargon and discipline-specific language. Use everyday language that’s more accessible to a wider audience.
	Keep it short and punchy. Unlike research articles, popular media articles are short, with a clear takeaway message. You may only require one clear idea or viewpoint that you will present in a convincing way.

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Popular media article

What is a popular media article?

Why write popular media articles?

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