Russian Wildfires

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/31/russia.wildfires/index.html?hpt=T2#fbid=7TxrItQXnng
Cable News Network 2010, Russian wildfires leave 28 dead, thousand homeless, Viewed 1 August, 2010

It is important to note that hard news deals with the most current occurrences and are always reported as they happen or as soon as they have occurred. The success or failure of hard news is found its effectiveness in terms of how it addresses the 5Ws, that is, who, when, what, why and where. In view of this, the information about the destructive wildfire in Russia is actually successful as a hard news.

In terms of “who”, the news is very specific and identifies the people involved: the victims and the blaze fighters besides rescuers. In its attempt at answering “what” the news indicates exactly the impact of the wild fire; besides claiming the lives of 28 individuals the wildfire also causes destruction. In addressing the “when”, the news item reveals the time in which the incidence is happening; it is going on now and the news is being updated as new occurrences related to the inferno are witnessed.

Moreover, it gives an update of the status of events; for instance, it states that not less than 28 individuals have been killed and thousands of survivors have been displaced from the affected region. In addition, the news gives information on interventions being taken to deal with the situation. The fact that the news item indicates the place in which the incidence is taking place answers the “where”. The wildfire is happening in Russia; more specifically, it is happening in Moscow. Then news addresses the “why” by giving reasons behind the Russian wildfire. The news states that the fundamental factor that led to the outbreak is hot and dry summer.

Hard news are always presented in such a way that the reader or the viewer can stop reading or viewing at any point while still being able to know the facts in the news. This is a success point in the news about the destructive wildfire. Almost everybody knows the causes of the wildfire and have almost similar expectations of the major impacts of wildfire. In this case, the reader or the viewer does not need to go through the whole news item to know all the facts. In the Russian wildfire news, the reader can decide to go as far as only finding out where the incidence occurs, the kind of destructions caused and how the relevant authorities are intervening. Once the reader has all these facts, he or she can decide not to proceed to the end of the hard news.

The headline of the news about the ongoing Russian wildfire is very informational and offers a precise clue on what the main body of the news talks about. Besides, the photo which been used touches everyones heart.