Voice refers to the form a verb takes when writing a sentence. A verb can either be in an active or passive form. Active form occurs when the subject performs the action. Passive form occurs when the person or thing performing the action becomes the object of the sentence.
Although there is nothing grammatically wrong with writing in the passive voice, active voice is preferable when writing news. Passive voice can easily confuse the reader and leave them wondering who did what to whom. Active voice informs readers of the action in the order it happened.
In the example above, we see an example of unnecessary passive voice. "Just minutes before the plane was to depart, he was removed from the flight by North Korean authorities, the family has said."
In this sentence, the writer places the actor of the sentence (North Korean authorities) behind the recipient of the action (Newman). Newman is having the action (removed) performed on it by the actor (North Korean authorities). This is a prime example of unnecessary passive voice.
In order to make this sentence easier for readers to digest, we can rewrite it in the active voice. "North Korean authorities removed Newman from the flight just minutes before the plane was to depart, the family has said."
In this form, readers know who did what to whom in the order it happened. This full article for this story can be found on CNN's website.
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