Introduction to Journalism

Junior Composition

What is a Feature article?

A story written with some interpretation that goes beyond just reporting the facts

"Feature articles are not just dry facts, it provides story and information from a unique angle."

Feature

How is this different to an editorial?– An editorial is based on the writer’s opinion and is

meant to encourage the reader to adopt their way of thinking or take action, while a feature is based on facts and provides interpretation of a basic news story.

Types of Features

Human Interest Personality How To The Best Past Event Informational

Human Interest

This is the most common type of feature article.

This type typically reports on someone’s success in spite of great odds.

It may recall a tragic predicament. It may share a continuing struggle supported

only by hope and faith.

Personality

The subject of the article may be famous or not so famous but has done something of interest to others.

This type usually shows how a person gained recognition.

The personality feature is very much like a character sketch.

How To

This article explains how to do something – usually a complex process that most people would not know how to do.

The best how-to articles begin by telling the reader why it is important or beneficial for him or her to know how to do this.

The article explains the steps of the process in enough detail so that another person can do this process.

This article also includes a list of all of the materials needed to do this process.

The Best

The Courier-Journal has a column that publishes reviews of the “best” products of all kinds.

This type of article usually includes the writer’s personal experiences with the product.

It includes proof and examples that the product is the best of its kind.

The article includes information about where to get the product and how much it costs.

The article usually has a catchy title.

Past Event

This article focuses on an historical event or historical celebration.

The article typically includes research but is not like an encyclopedia report. The article serves as a human interest history lesson.

This type of writing is usually puts a “human face” on history. In other words, it lets the reader know something about the people who were part of history.

Informational

This type of article shows insightful coverage of a topic.

It gives detailed information focused on one aspect of a given topic.

The article often refers to sources of research but is not like an encyclopedia report. – Instead, the writer makes a personal connection

to the subject and includes his/her voice.

Common Types of Feature Articles

Human Interest– Human interest stories appeal to emotions. These stories usually

include anecdotes to make the reader sympathize with people in the story. The anecdotes may include biographical data or achievements of individuals who are considered underdogs of society.

Profile– Profile articles are often a reporter's interpretation of a person.

Popular magazines may use question-and-answer sessions to paint a better portrait of the profiled person. Additional sources such as family members and friends may also be quoted in these stories to show how others feel about the individual.

Informative– Informative features contain more research. They are written to

provide the reader with the knowledge that is necessary to do a task or avoid danger.

Developing the Idea

Stories begin with an idea. That raises the question of where ideas come from.

They can come from someone else, of course, but writers who develop their own ideas tend to execute them better.

– They are more enthusiastic, more inquisitive and have more of a sense of ownership (it should be quickly stated; however, that the hammering out of an initial idea can best be achieved in collaboration with others. Two minds are better than one.)

Developing the Idea

You arrive at a good idea by answering the following questions:

– What interests you? What creates emotion: makes you mad; makes you happy/sad; makes you inquisitive?

– Who interests you? – What do you want to look into more or learn about? – How good is the idea: Will it contain information? Will the

information be significant enough to be of interest to others?

Developing the Idea

Write down three ideas you think may be interesting for your publication.

Take your best idea. Write an answer in a word or two to the 5W’s & H, the basic questions each story should contain, if there is an answer: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

Developing the Idea

Partner up with a neighbor. Talk over the idea with your partner, while

considering the 6 elements that make news news. (Proximity, Timeliness, Prominence, Novelty, Conflict, and Human Interest)

As you are reading the basic essentials of your partner’s feature article, ask yourself:– Would I want to read this article? Why?

Developing the Idea

Now that you each have your idea, the next stage is collecting information.

Think of the reporting process as collecting.– Collect facts, impressions, quotations, details, et

cetera

But, how do you know what information to collect?

The Reporting Process

Anecdotes Vignettes

Descriptions Facts Comparison

Contrast Snapshots Flashback

Examples/Non-examples

Tables/Graphs/Charts

Pictures/Drawings Quotations Foreshadowing

The Reporting Process

First create a one sentence summary of your idea for your article.

– Be as precise as possible, but remember that this is just a guideline to begin your research, so do not feel restricted to only researching this topic.

– Your article can may change directions once you have gathered your information and that is not a problem.

Create questions to provide information on your topic.

The Reporting Process

Now, you need to answer these questions.– The most basic way to research for today is the

internet. While the internet is a useful tool, it must be used

wisely. Make sure to check the information gained from a

website. Websites are not under the same Ethical code as other

forms of published material and as such could be providing erroneous or libelous material.

The Reporting Process

The other basic way to gather information is the interview.– First you must figure out what kind of people you

would need to interview for your article. – Who are the experts, who is effected by this story,

et cetera.– Once you have figured out who to interview, you

need to go through the different stages of an interview.

4 Stages of the Interview

1. Arrangements: Spontaneous interviews, except in connection with breaking news, seldom contribute to thoroughness. Call ahead and make an appointment with your respondent.

1. When making an appointment:1. Identify yourself by name and the name of your publication

(name of the paper or magazine, not your story). 2. Give a brief description of your story because the direction of

your story may still change.3. If you are interviewing several persons in connection with

your story, interview the principal person last, because you will be better prepared based on what you learn from the earlier interviews.

4 Stages of the Interview

2. Preparation: Do as much research as possible in advance on the person and/or topic on which you are working.

1. Prepare you questions in advance in writing and bring them to the interview.

2. Bring a notebook to take down answers and quotations.

4 Stages of the Interview

3. The Interview: It is inadvisable to launch right into the interview unless you are only being given a few minutes. Some casual conversation to start with will relax both of you, and you will receive fuller more in depth answers.– Questions should be as short as possible. – Give the respondent time to answer. – Be a good listener. – Try to draw out specifics.– Absorb the atmospherics of the locale where the interview takes place,

with particular attention to what might be a reflection of the interviewee's personality and interests, such as photos of children or bowling trophies or a paper-littered desk or a clean one, etc.

– Note characteristics of the interviewee that might be worth mentioning in your story, such as pacing, looking out the window to think, hand gestures and the like.

4 Stages of the Interview

4. Reconstruction: As soon as it's practical after the interview, find a quiet place to review your handwritten notes.

1. In your haste while taking notes, you may have written abbreviations for words that won't mean anything to you a day or two later.

2. Your handwriting is overall is somewhat poor, so some of your scribbling may need deciphering, and, again, it is more likely you'll be better able to understand the scribbles soon after the interview.

3. After reviewing your notes, make sure to contact the respondent on any new questions that may have arisen.

Now you are ready to begin the Writing Process.

The Writing Process

Think of Journalistic writing as a conversation. Laurence Stone, (Novelist, 18th Century) once said,

“Writing is but a different name for conversation.” Writing is a personal process, so to be effective you

need to engage in a conversation with your reader as you write.

– When you begin to write, ask yourself how you would relay this story to a friend or relative.

– It does not need to be as formal as a standard essay.

The Writing Process

There are 3 main elements within the Feature:

1. Information: Answers all 5W’s & H.

2. Importance: Why is this significant or newsworthy? (Look back at the 6 elements that make news news.)

3. Interest: Does it grab the reader’s attention?

The Writing Process

Pre-writing– Write a new one sentence summary of your article.– Write a lead for your story. This should look and act more

like an Introductory Hook than the basic news lead This does not necessarily need to answer all 5W’s & H like a

normal news lead. Needs to attract

– Create an outline for your story. Use your facts you have collected to set a plan for writing this

article.

The Writing Process

Writing the Rough Draft– Remember that good writing has a beginning, middle and an end.

The feature should be about 200 words. Many people get stuck on the first graf or hook and get frustrated. If you are stuck, try starting with the second graf and coming back to

create the beginning. The middle should come easy because of your outline.

The last graf stick’s in the reader’s mind, so you should make a special effort to have a good final graf. Do not summarize your article. Attempt to capture the essence of your story.

– Try looking at some ways other writers finish their stories.

– Let yourself go and be surprised about what happens. Don’t try to worry about the overall product while writing; that is a task meant to be done during revisions.

Editing, Revising and Proofreading

George Orwell once said, – “A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask

himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?"

All of you should ask yourself these very same questions. Read through your article and also ask yourself these questions:

– Did I repeat any facts?– Did I stray away from my theme sentence on the top of my outline?– Did I follow my plan laid out in my outline?– Are there any phrases or sentences that are overly wordy? Could

I make some of my ideas more concise?

Editing, Revising and Proofreading

After fixing these errors, pass your article to a classmate.

– Assess your classmates article on each element of the feature (information, importance, and interest).

– For each category, give a grade from 1-5.– Give two reasons for each grade.

In total, each article should have three grades (1-5) and 6 reasons for those grades.

Remember:– Information= 5W’s &H – Importance= 6 elements that make news news– Interest= Good intro that grabs reader’s attention

ANALYZING A FEATURE ARTICLE

Title of Article: Author: Source: Audience (Who does the author want to read

the article?): Purpose? (Why did the author write this

article?): List details from the article that help you to understand the purpose:

ANALYZING A FEATURE ARTICLE

Examining the lead - Explain how the article tries to "hook" your interest:

Examining the text features - List any text features the author uses to help make the article more interesting or informative. (Examples - headings, lists, charts, graphs, diagrams, captions):

Examining the conclusion - Explain how the author brings the article to a conclusion:

Headline

The headline performs two important functions. An effective headline:– Grabs the reader's attention and persuades them

to read the article– Highlights the main idea of the article.

Introduction

The first graf outlines the essentials of the subject or theme of the article, it may also:

– Provoke the reader's interest by making an unusual statement.– Provide any necessary background information.– Invite the reader to take sides by making a controversial

statement.– Heighten the drama of an event or incident to intensify its appeal.– Establish the writer's tone– Create a relationship between the writer and the reader.

“I can't write about my topic the way anyone else would, I need to put my own spin on it.”

Body (Details)

The middle section consists of a number of grafs that expand the main topic of the article into subtopics. The usual components are:

– Subheadings.– Facts and statistics which support the writer's opinion.– Personal interpretations.– Opinions (Direct quotes) from authorities and experts.– Quotes and interviews.– Anecdotes and stories.– Specific names, places and dates.– Photographs, tables, diagrams and graphs.

Conclusion

The concluding graf should leave a lasting impression by reminding the reader of the article's main idea.– Should try to be as memorable as possible.

Language

A personal tone is created through the use of informal, colloquial and first person narrative.

Relevant jargon adds authenticity to the information and opinions.

Anecdotes help to maintain reader interest. Facts validate the writer's viewpoints (interpretations). In humorous articles, exaggeration and generalization are used

to heighten humor. Rhetorical questions help to involve the reader. Emotive words are used to evoke a personal response in the

reader. Effective use of imagery and description engage the reader's

imagination. The use of direct quotes personalizes the topic.

Editing, Revising and Proofreading

After your classmate is finished, use this critique to improve your article. Fix the areas that they found deficient.

Proofread your article for spelling and grammatical errors.– Avoid Passive Voice

Make the appropriate alterations to change them to Active Voice.

Editing, Revising and Proofreading

Now you are ready to complete this phase of writing by completing your final draft, making sure to take into account all of your work you have done to your rough draft in this phase of revision.