FOCUS ON THE NEWS FEATUREEvents and issues in close-up: the news feature in action

©Martin HirstDeakin UniversityMarch 2012

WHAT IS THE NEWS FEATURE?

Issues-based features are really the bread and butter of feature writing and quite often are written to accompany a developing news story.

feature writing (telling the story), p.255

Tanner, Kasinger, Richardson (2008)

On a current issue in the news Background Analysis Commentary Profile

Adds to understanding

Talks to leading players

Takes the story further

EXPLAIN, EXPLORE & ENTERTAIN

People make the news Events have

consequences What happens next? Trends develop over time

Features

A news feature goes deeper than just a press release. It thoroughly explores an issue. In order to write a feature, youneed to provide research, facts, statistics, and, most importantly,interviews or sources. It takes more time and effort to create afeature than a press release, but the results are often remarkablybetter.

New information or angle Research Facts Statistics Interviews Sources

THREE FEATURES OF A NEWS FEATURE

Backgrounder gives details not presented

in a breaking news item Investigation

delivers new information that takes the story further

Bringing it home takes a national or

international story and localises it for your community

THE INVESTIGATION Hypothesis-based

inquiry Patience and

persistence Never tell your

sources everything Careful and congenial

first contact Nurture with frequent

conversations Sorting and planning

your material Step-by-step approach Can build from a news

feature

Investigative journalism involves exposing to the public matters that are concealed – either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaoticmass of facts and circumstances that obscure understanding. It requires using both secret and open sources and documents.

Hunter, et al. Manual for investigative journalists

FOCUS AND CONNECT

Focus your story. Don't make sweeping generalizations that you don't back up with your reporting. Take out statements you can't support, or continue digging until you can nail it.

Don't make five points that are thinly reported, when you could make two or three strong points that are well reported and fleshed out.

Chris Harvey 2008

MAKE IT MANAGEABLE

Keep your project to a managable size

Try having more than one go at the story

Save an angle for later

Go back to your sources for clarification

Keep the lines of communication open

Don't bite off a topic that's too huge to fully report in a couple of weeks. To write a trend story documenting all the restaurant openings and closings on Route 1 might take weeks or even months to fully report and write, but to write about one restaurant's failure and re-birth could be done in the allotted time.

Chris Harvey (2008)

BITE FIRST, CHEW LATERTHE RESEARCH FILE

The research file is a tool to help you develop your story lines, narrative frame and argument

STORY LINES – the angles and information you are pursuing the ‘known unknowns’

NARRATIVE FRAME – how do you think that the story will be best told – remember your audience and target publication

ARGUMENT – the evidence and opinion you will mount to prove or disprove your hypothesis

THE RESEARCH FILE Synopsis – a succinct summary of your topic

Tell us what your story lines are, what your hypothesis/argument will be and outline your narrative frame

Background – the context Give some history to the case/story – demonstrate that your

hypothesis is sound & based on history / facts / similar events & trends

Current situation – what do you already know Outlines more about your hypothesis and importance / impact / value

of your story lines

Sources – primary and secondary Primary sources – potential interview subjects and people /

organisations who have information you want Secondary sources – previously published material on the topic or

related topics