You probably spend just as much time following what is on the media as you do any other task. In today’s world, it has become almost impossible to ignore what the media publishes or broadcasts. The fact that social media is here with us makes such attempts an exercise in futility. For this reason, your job or training may require writing good media essays. You shouldn’t worry yourself sick if you have no idea how to go about this issue. Simply continue reading to learn how to write such a paper.
Choose an engaging topic
The first thing to do is to choose an engaging topic. Go for a topic that you can build upon seamlessly in a way that keeps the reader glued from the first letter to the last punctuation. Once you have your topic, the next issue would be to settle on a thesis. The thesis is crucial since your entire paper will be based on it. From the moment you start writing, you should refrain yourself from veering off topic. Keep yourself within the confines of the issues that you are trying to address on the paper.
Get reliable sources
Next, you would need to be ready to embark on a bit of research. Well, this involves plenty of work. However, you cannot base the media essay on just about any source that you encounter. For this reason, you should choose your sources carefully. Confirm that they are experts and authorities on the type of issue that you wish to address. Use the Internet to find reliable sources for your research. Nevertheless, don’t limit yourself to the Internet. Visit the library and read books. Alternatively, send emails to the most acclaimed sources.
Start with the introduction
Now that you have the topic and a list of reliable sources, you should focus on the introduction. This part of the essay should inform the reader what you want to talk about on the paper. It must be interesting. More importantly, it should offer enough hints to keep the reader glued to move to the rest of the essay. Otherwise, the reader would only skim through or set it aside for a more interesting one. Make sure that the introduction features background information that is linkable to the subject of the essay.
Focus on the body
The body comprises more than 90 percent of the essay. For this reason, it needs your attention the most. The body offers you a chance for articulating all the ideas and arguments that are in your head. All that you researched should make its way to this part of the essay. What is more, you should not hesitate to feature some direct quotes, but only if they are from the reliable sources mentioned above. As you do all that, remember to use connectives, as they are critical in linking different ideas from one sentence or paragraph to the next.
Credit your sources
In writing a good media essay, you should avoid plagiarism at all costs. Otherwise, your examiner abhors plagiarism. Consequently, you may receive a low mark in case the examiner discovers plagiarized content on your essay. Use the right software to check for plagiarism. More importantly, cite your sources. It costs you nothing to name the person who said what you included in the paper. However, the rewards far outweigh any inconvenience you may have experienced while writing the paper or doing your research.
In conclusion, remember to create an outline that the media essay will follow. Work with a structured plan, as it helps you to make your arguments constructively and logically. Base the entire essay on a question that you are attempting to answer. Make sure that you apply formal tones and use language that the reader is familiar with and can understand easily. Do not leave your arguments hanging. Instead, support them fully. Also, check the authenticity of the sources you cite in the paper. Lastly, summarize all your arguments in the conclusion.