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Stalking the wily news feature
A brief guide to conceiving,reporting, organizing and writinga work of enterprise journalism
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What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news
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What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news• Not merely a human-interest story
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What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news• Not merely a human-interest story• Generated by reporter and editor
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What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news• Not merely a human-interest story• Generated by reporter and editor• Freedom to define what the story is
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Is it a newspaperor magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story can appear in a newspaper
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Is it a newspaperor magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story can appear in a newspaper
• Medium-length feature — 1,500 to 2,500 words
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Is it a newspaperor magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story can appear in a newspaper
• Medium-length feature — 1,500 to 2,500 words
• News story — 700 to 1,200 words
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Is it a newspaperor magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story can appear in a newspaper
• Medium-length feature — 1,500 to 2,500 words
• News story — 700 to 1,200 words• Longer magazine story — 3,000 to 10,000
words
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Getting ideas
• Reading — newspapers, magazines, books, Internet
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Getting ideas
• Reading — newspapers, magazines, books, Internet
• Talking — friends, family, colleagues, sources
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Getting ideas
• Reading — newspapers, magazines, books, Internet
• Talking — friends, family, colleagues, sources
• Paying attention — carry a notebook!
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Is there a story?
• Pre-reporting
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Is there a story?
• Pre-reporting• Google, LexisNexis, etc.
– What can you learn?– Who else has written about this?
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Is there a story?
• Pre-reporting• Google, LexisNexis, etc.
– What can you learn?– Who else has written about this?
• Short interviews to refine story and see if sources will be available
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Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely what your story is
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Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out, paste it on the wall in front of you
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Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out, paste it on the wall in front of you
• Could form basis of your lede or nut
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Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out, paste it on the wall in front of you
• Could form basis of your lede or nut• Could serve as your pitch
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Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out, paste it on the wall in front of you
• Could form basis of your lede or nut• Could serve as your pitch• You might have to change it
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The nut graf
• Usually the third or fourth paragraph
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The nut graf
• Usually the third or fourth paragraph• It places the anecdotal lede in context by
answering three questions
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The nut graf
• Usually the third or fourth paragraph• It places the anecdotal lede in context by
answering three questions • What is the story about?
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The nut graf
• Usually the third or fourth paragraph• It places the anecdotal lede in context by
answering three questions • What is the story about?• Where is the story going?
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The nut graf
• Usually the third or fourth paragraph• It places the anecdotal lede in context by
answering three questions • What is the story about?• Where is the story going?• Why should the reader keep reading?
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Whom should you interview?
• Horizontal diversity– Variety of viewpoints — fair and neutral
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Whom should you interview?
• Horizontal diversity– Variety of viewpoints — fair and neutral
• Vertical diversity– Variety of sources — key players, expert
observers and ordinary people
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Blundell’s six key concepts
• History
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Blundell’s six key concepts
• History• Scope
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Blundell’s six key concepts
• History• Scope• Reasons
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Blundell’s six key concepts
• History• Scope• Reasons• Impacts
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Blundell’s six key concepts
• History• Scope• Reasons• Impacts• Countermoves
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Blundell’s six key concepts
• History• Scope• Reasons• Impacts• Countermoves• Futures
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Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material quickly
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Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it as you prepare to write
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Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it as you prepare to write
• Keep related material together
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Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it as you prepare to write
• Keep related material together• Try not to bring sources back for an encore
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Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it as you prepare to write
• Keep related material together• Try not to bring sources back for an encore• Aim for a memorable ending
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part one– Lede
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part one– Lede– Nut graf
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part one– Lede– Nut graf– Support for nut graf
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part one– Lede– Nut graf– Support for nut graf– Quote and/or setup for next part
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part two– Secondary lede
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part two– Secondary lede– Explication and narrative
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part two– Secondary lede– Explication and narrative– Flesh out all or some of the six key concepts
• History, scope, reasons, impacts, countermoves, futures
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part three– Can be short
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part three– Can be short– “Circling back”
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part three– Can be short– “Circling back”
• Quote from person you opened with
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part three– Can be short– “Circling back”
• Quote from person you opened with• Quote from another, similar person
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A generic news-feature outline
• Part three– Can be short– “Circling back”
• Quote from person you opened with• Quote from another, similar person• Your own attempt to sum up
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Too formulaic?
• Not as much as it seems, especially after you’ve done it a few times
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Too formulaic?
• Not as much as it seems, especially after you’ve done it a few times
• Not the only way to write a news feature, but simple and effective
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Too formulaic?
• Not as much as it seems, especially after you’ve done it a few times
• Not the only way to write a news feature, but simple and effective
• Sometimes editors want something different
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Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing” (much of this slideshow is based on his ideas)
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Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing”
• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”
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Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing”
• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”• Strunk and White, “The Elements of Style”
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Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing”
• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”• Strunk and White, “The Elements of Style”• Anywhere good news features are
published