What Makes a Good Obituary?

When writing an obituary, the writer should apply the same standards as for other stories. The author should begin by answering these questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. A distinguishing characteristic of the persons life should be mentioned; such as volunteer service, and unusual or important job, service in public office, or having a name of historical significance. Writing approaches can be varied for obituaries and life story as for any other news story. When writing an obituary, all facts should be checked, such as the spelling of names, addresses, and the deceased’s age against the birth date. The funeral home should always be called to confirm the death as well. The writer should also avoid words that are meant for a eulogy, for those words are not appropriate in a news report. The writer should also be careful with religious terms in order not to offend. When including the cause of the death, the reporter should make sure to contact the mortuary, the family, the attending physician, and the appropriate medical officer; only leaving out the cause of death if none of these sources release the information. It’s also important to consider the cause itself, if it’s something a family may not want published then the reporter should not insist. The most important thing for a reporter to consider when dealing with obituaries is that they are very sensitive and complicated reports, and should be handled with a lot of care.