Limits on Length

Recently, our blog group has focused on writing shorter reviews of archaeological articles. This made me think, how do real reporters do it? How do they fit all of their research and interviews into a limited amount of space? Editors give limits on word count and paragraph number as there is only so much space in a magazine. Therefore, I set out to find a shorter article to see how real reporters effectively write condensed articles. Skimming through today’s National Geographic, Smithsonian, or Archaeology Magazine, you will usually find long articles that span 3-4 pages. However, I think there is something to be said for a shorter article; quicker to read and it saves space, many are more likely to read a short article in its entirety than a long article. Therefore, when I found an article entitled “Mass Grave Mystery,” in Archaeology that only spanned half a page, I quickly read the whole thing and was quite impressed with the amount of information the author was able to get across in such a short amount of space.

The author, Matthew Brunwasser, immediately pulls readers in by setting the scene of this mass grave. He explains that this site was “the most thoroughly excavated ancient site in the country” (Brunwasser, 27).  It was then surprising to readers when the author explained that in fall 2011, archaeologists unearthed a massive unknown grave along the edge of the settlement of Scupi (an old Roman colony). The unlikelihood of such an event is captivating and Brunwasser successfully captures readers’ attention by beginning the article this way. Additionally, little detail has been given about this colony, yet enough background information has been given for readers to make sense of the article. Brunwasser continues to note that the bones all showed evidence of violence in cutting, breakage, and decapitation. Brunwasser then uses quotes from head archaeologist, Lence Jovana, to show her opinion on the find. Bringing in the head archaeologist on this project greatly strengthened the validity of this article and added depth to what could have been a rather brief overview of an archaeological find. Finally Brunwasser brings in another expert in the field of Roman battlefield archaeology, Phil Freeman, to speculate along with Jovana about the cause of such a mass grave. In one final paragraph the possibilities of a mass military execution, or an execution resulting from conflicts against the Roman Empire are suggested as causes for this mass grave. Brunwasser appears to make no speculations on his own, relying on the input from experts such as Jovana and Freeman as to the cause of this mass grave.

            
With limited space, this author wrote a compelling article about the findings of a mass grave in the Roman colony of Scupi. There appeared to be no bias in the article, which was strongly supported by experts. This was, in my opinion, a good example of how reporters today maximize the space they are given to write an article. 

Brunwasser, Matthew. "Mass Grave Mystery." Archaeology Oct. 2012: 27. Print. 25 Nov. 2012.