Stalking the wily news feature

Stalking the wily news feature

A brief guide to conceiving,reporting, organizing and writinga work of enterprise journalism

What is a news feature?

• Not breaking news


• Not breaking news• Not merely a human-interest story


• Not breaking news• Not merely a human-interest story• Generated by reporter and editor


• Not breaking news• Not merely a human-interest story• Generated by reporter and editor• Freedom to define what the story is

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




• News story — 700 to 1,200 words• Longer magazine story — 3,000 to 10,000

words

Getting ideas

• Reading — newspapers, magazines, books, Internet

Getting ideas


• Talking — friends, family, colleagues, sources

Getting ideas


• Talking — friends, family, colleagues, sources

• Paying attention — carry a notebook!

Is there a story?

• Pre-reporting

Is there a story?

• Pre-reporting• Google, LexisNexis, etc.

– What can you learn?– Who else has written about this?

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

Theme sentence

• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely what your story is

Theme sentence


• A guide to your reporting — cut it out, paste it on the wall in front of you

Theme sentence



• Could form basis of your lede or nut

Theme sentence



• Could form basis of your lede or nut• Could serve as your pitch

Theme sentence



• Could form basis of your lede or nut• Could serve as your pitch• You might have to change it

The nut graf

• Usually the third or fourth paragraph

The nut graf

• Usually the third or fourth paragraph• It places the anecdotal lede in context by

answering three questions

The nut graf


answering three questions • What is the story about?

The nut graf


answering three questions • What is the story about?• Where is the story going?

The nut graf


answering three questions • What is the story about?• Where is the story going?• Why should the reader keep reading?

Whom should you interview?

• Horizontal diversity– Variety of viewpoints — fair and neutral

Whom should you interview?

• Horizontal diversity– Variety of viewpoints — fair and neutral

• Vertical diversity– Variety of sources — key players, expert

observers and ordinary people

Blundell’s six key concepts

• History


• History• Scope


• History• Scope• Reasons


• History• Scope• Reasons• Impacts


• History• Scope• Reasons• Impacts• Countermoves


• History• Scope• Reasons• Impacts• Countermoves• Futures

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




• Keep related material together• Try not to bring sources back for an encore




• Keep related material together• Try not to bring sources back for an encore• Aim for a memorable ending

A generic news-feature outline

• Part one– Lede


• Part one– Lede– Nut graf


• Part one– Lede– Nut graf– Support for nut graf


• Part one– Lede– Nut graf– Support for nut graf– Quote and/or setup for next part


• Part two– Secondary lede


• Part two– Secondary lede– Explication and narrative


• Part two– Secondary lede– Explication and narrative– Flesh out all or some of the six key concepts

• History, scope, reasons, impacts, countermoves, futures


• Part three– Can be short


• Part three– Can be short– “Circling back”



• Quote from person you opened with



• Quote from person you opened with• Quote from another, similar person



• Quote from person you opened with• Quote from another, similar person• Your own attempt to sum up

Too formulaic?

• Not as much as it seems, especially after you’ve done it a few times

Too formulaic?


• Not the only way to write a news feature, but simple and effective

Too formulaic?


• Not the only way to write a news feature, but simple and effective

• Sometimes editors want something different

Reading for journalists

• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing” (much of this slideshow is based on his ideas)


• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing”

• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”



• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”• Strunk and White, “The Elements of Style”



• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”• Strunk and White, “The Elements of Style”• Anywhere good news features are

published

Education

Stalking the wily news feature