Brad Walter's article for the Sydney Morning Herald is a great example of how to properly interpret an event into an online news article. His online article which served as a wrap up for the annual Rugby League Player's Player of the Year Medal was not only informative but also appealing as it contained all of the necessary elements which make up a good sports article. Firstly, the structure of the article is well balanced as the essence or most important aspect of the story which is the fact that Darius Boyd was the winner of the medal, is explained in the initial 4 sentences followed by a direct quote from the recepient. This chronology of importance is maintained throughout the article with emphasis on the least prestigious award winners identified towards the end of the article.
Photo Source: smh.com.au - Ben Rushton
Walter's uses relevent sources which add to the credibility of his article and complement the information he portrays. Often many journalist will flood the article with quotes from sources that are neither relevent nor inciteful and thus hamper the reader's understanding of the article. Walter correctly gauges medal winner Darius Boyd's perspective on winning the medal and what effect this will have on him personally in moving towards the grand final as well as displaying the opinion of Rugby League Player Association chief executive David Garnsey's view on where the medal stands from as an individual honour in the game.
Despite being quite simplistic, Walter's article demonstrates that sometimes the best approach to take when covering a specific event is to not overstate your mark and be direct in your approach keeping in mind the essential elements in writing a good online news article which are to ensure good structure and use of relevent sources in an attempt to engage and inform the reader.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/peer-group-pleasure-dragons-boyd-voted-nrl-player-of-the-year-20100914-15ayi.html
