What makes a news story different than a feature story?

Blog 10: What makes a news story different than a feature story?

A news story informs readers about facts and who, what, where, when, why, and how. A feature article will also have the same underlying standards as a news story but allows the writer to go in more depth on the topic. More quotes, more people, more visuals, more content. A news story is breaking news and will usually have a lot of dates and times while a feature article takes a deeper look into things. A news story usually has a deadline and is time dependant where as a feature story can be recorded and written and saved for the right time to publish it. News stories must be breaking, if it happens that day, a news story must be written and published that day. A feature can take more time and go more in depth on what has happened and is not time dependant.

News stories contain just enough detail to give the reader a clear picture of what has happened and just of the story in general. Feature stories are more about reader interest rather than time dependency. Facts in feature stories are more elaborate, more interpreted, and contain more emotion and context. Feature stories are something the writer can choose what to write about and news stories are derived by what is going on in the world and community today. Techniques on the writing process are slightly different in each as well. You will need to do background research for both types of stories. Feature stories will often contain anecdotes, description and a lot of attributive verbs and quotes.

What makes a good obituary? Why do readers/viewers read and watch them?

Blog 9: What makes a good obituary? Why do readers/viewers read and watch them?

An obituary is a news story and you need to apply the same type of content and standards as you would for other stories. The lead is important, probably the must important aspect to an obituary. A good obituary will have the who, what, where, when, how, and why in the lead. You must include the time and place of the funeral, the time and place of the burial, visitation time, survivors, date and place of birth, achievements, occupation, and memberships. There are five safeguards for obituary writers to follow in order to make a well written obituary. You must confirm the spelling of names, family members and deceased. You must check the addresses, and you may have to contact the mortuary about correct addresses. You must check the birth date against the age to see if person’s birthday was before or after date of death. You must verify obituary with family or mortuary that will go to the newspaper. You must check your newspaper’s library for stories about the deceased but make sure not to find stories on someone different with the same name. Obituaries are well written when the author mentions a distinguishing characteristic of the person’s life. Usually whatever it is that distinguishes the deceased can be used to make the lead that much stronger. Some other things to remember that make good obituaries are choosing your words, try to avoid much of the language found on mortuary forms. You must also be sensitive to the family, in giving the cause of death. Some families will not want the cause of death to be on there and you must take that into consideration. Also the writer has to be sensitive in handling embarrassing information so don’t put it out there that the deceased was either a homosexual, had AIDS, or any other diseases that the public does not need to know about.

Readers will read obituaries to see who has passed on in the community. Readers are also family and friends of those who have deceased. They want to read it to see what reporters have to say. A lot of people will read obituaries first when they open the paper. Readers want to see if anyone of significance has passed on and local community members to see if he/she knew the deceased.

What makes a speech or meeting story interesting? How can a writer prepare?

Blog 8: What makes a speech or meeting story interesting? How can a writer prepare?

A speech or meeting story is interesting because to the people in the community, and to the subject, this story is the most important item in the newspaper, radio, or television report of the day. All speech and meeting stories require careful reporting and writing. Covering speech and meeting stories have a lot of technical questions and thoughts. You may want to use a video camera, recorder, or digital camera to help cover the story. You must think visuals, sound, and light.

To prepare for speech and meeting stories you must review previous stories on the subject and to check online for any important information pertaining to the subject and topic. A backgrounder on the speaker is very important to do and will make writing the story that much easier. Some speeches won’t require as much background research as others, as long as you are well informed on the speaker and subject. What’s important with this type of story is to be as well prepared as you can. Sometimes you won’t have enough time to do background information before the speech so you may have to wait until after the speech to do that. You must be able to identify the speaker correctly. Middle initials are important. Messing up the name or address or any other information on the speaker will harm your reputation and credibility. Preparing for a news conference story is similar to a speech story on the basis that you must know the speaker and his/her background and why the news conference is happening. In preparing for meeting stories you must know who the people are that are holding the meeting and why they are there for the meeting. You may have to contact some of the key people to find out why they are meeting. You then must study the issues before arriving to be knowledgeable on the matter before you listen to what the people have to say in the meeting.

What makes a good feature?

Blog 7: What makes a good feature?

A good feature will have the same elements of a news story but will go beyond what the news story has. A good feature will have more people and more facts. The context will also be more in depth than a news story. A good feature will also have more photos to give it an easy read and more reader friendly. A good feature will have an element of surprise. The way you write your feature is important, again, to tailor to your audience. You must grab the reader’s attention quickly for them to continue reading because not everyone reads features. If the topic is something of significance to the reader and say for example the topic is country music. You want to write in country music language to tailor to country music lovers, not say, rap lovers.

A good feature will be written the way you want to tell the story. There are few ways to structure a feature but the way you decide to tell the story will make it that much better. So a good feature will have great preparation going into it, and a strong sense of how you want to tell the story. To have a great feature story, you must engage the reader very fast and have a strong theme to the story. Correct grammar and writing play a huge part in features. It’s important for the writer to fall in love with the topic or to be clear on why he/she is writing it.

What makes a good lede?

Blog 6: What makes a good lede?

According to the book, “to determine a lead – a simple, clear statement consisting of the first paragraph or two, you must first recognize what goes into one.” A lead must contain the basic principles of what makes a story newsworthy. The principles are relevance, usefulness, and interest. The lead must give the readers some sort of explanation to questions such as “so what?” and “who cares?” A good lead will contain six basic questions. These questions are who, what where, when, how, and why. If there is something that makes a particular story standout or makes it more newsworthy then the lead must have that! A good lead will have what is most important first. If there is a fire you want to have when and where and leave the how it started after lead or at the end.

When writing leads you should write a few of them and say it out loud to yourself to see how it sounds. A good lead will also gear towards your readers. You want to hook them in, telling them all in important information and write it in a way to tailor to your audience or readers. If you can do all of this you will have a good lede.

Why do numbers matter in writing stories?

Blog 5: Why do numbers matter in writing stories?

Numbers is a huge aspect in writing stories. Certain numbers are to be typed out numerically or in words. It all depends on the situation and what the number is dealing with. If a journalist uses numbers in the wrong way, which can seriously damage one’s reputation or even career. As a journalist, you want to uphold your reputation and credibility. If these mistakes were published it could damage the whole organization’s reputation. Using numbers the right way will help the reader’s better understand your story. Numbers are used differently throughout journalism and it matters if you use them correctly because you do not want to confuse the reader.

What makes a good profile?

Blog 4: What makes a good profile?

A profile, to journalists, is a way to further know the subject or person that will be written about. Even if you know the person, you need to know them better before starting to write anything. A good profile will contain background and biographical information. In order to obtain this information we must do some intensive research. A profile is a great piece to do before interviewing someone. Being prepared will make the profile that much better. Profiles can and will set the scene for the piece of writing or interview. If you know that the person is an animal lover, than you can express that before an interview or even in the lead. The profile should set the scene for what’s to come. A good profile will have a lot of biographical information that can somehow tie into the story or help ask questions in interviews. A good profile will allow the reporter to get inside the story more and to be more prepared.

What makes a news story different than a feature story?

A news story is usually much more of a hard news story where a feature story is much more of a soft news story. In a regular news story a journalist would usually write in the inverted pyramid style of writing. This means that the story would have all the facts from the beginning and these facts would also be the most important facts. The point is to put the most important facts first and end with the least important. Feature stories are usually much longer than a regular news story. In a feature story however the facts are spread throughout the story. A feature story is a special story about a special topic so if a person chooses to read it they are most likely going to read the whole thing so there usually is not such a need to put all the most important facts in the lead alone.

What makes a good obituary?

When a person dies people want to know certain things about that persons death and they can find it all in a good obituary. A good obituary starts off with the most important information first. The most important information would be how the person died. That would be the information you would want to include in the lead of the obituary. You would also want to include where he or she died. Next you should give background information to who this person was exactly. Important details to be included would be if the person had any children, spouses, or family that was close to them. Also you would want to give and information about any achievements the person received during his or her lifetime. To end the obituary you might want to end with a quote about the person taken from a close friend or relative.

What I learned

I learned a lot in this class. I learned all about media, concepts I never knew but mostly I learned about writing for media of course. I always liked writing, and prided myself as a good writer but writing for mass media is completely different and a new challenge that I have yet to conquer. I will keep working at it, however, because I do enjoy it.

I really learned a lot on the field trip because it brought everything we have been learning to reality. I also enjoyed all of the videos we watched of news and real reporting, it made everything we were doing seem more real and exciting.

Another great thing I learned is about current events. I never knew anything about current events and when I say never, I mean it, it was a joke among my family that I didn't even know who the president was. This class forced me to stay updated, and I now receive updates on my phone from the New York Times. I really enjoy being informed and I will keep the updates.

What I learned in this class:

I have gained a lot out of the class; however, it has definitely helped me improved my news writing more than anything else. It may seem self explanatory, as the class is entitled, 'Writing for Mass Media,' but I understand the structure and meaning of a well written news article far more than I did prior to taking the course. Moreover, the class has taught me a large amount of simple grammatical errors that I have been making throughout my career as a writer, therefore improving my general writing ability as well. Although this may be the cliche response, the course truly did help me develop into a better writer and student. On a side note, the field trip to the WPRI-TV station really helped me get a feel for the newsroom, which I hope to be one day be employed in.

What are some ethical problems faced by journalists?

Former Editor-in-Chief of CBC News once said, “Every news organization has only its credibility and reputation to rely on.” Journalists are known for pushing the limits when it comes to writing their stories. When a journalist oversteps his/her boundary, it not only poorly reflects the quality of the journalist, but the reputation of the company. Often journalists are called out on crossing the line, and it can unfortunately mean serious consequences. Some problems that journalists deal with include truthfulness, impartiality, and decency. As to avoid slander and libel, a story must be completely accurate. With absolute accuracy, a journalist cannot be charged with libel. Likewise, a journalist must be wary of his/her word choice. Discriminatory words, intentional or not, can destroy a journalists reputation very quickly. Lastly, a journalist must decide whether all the information they have gathered is worth disclosing; sometimes it can negatively affect themselves and others.

What makes a good multimedia piece?

The ever growing mass media has led the world to internet stories as opposed to newspaper and magazine. That being said, writing a multimedia piece, if done well, attracts a far larger audience. When a reader initially looks at a story, if he/she isn’t drawn in right away immediately, odds are he/she will not continue reading. Creating a good multimedia piece doesn’t take great writing to be considered ‘good.’ There are many other ways to get the audience to read on through the end. A large part is incorporating appealing visuals. Having other attractions to the eye instead of words -- videos, pictures, graphs, etc. These visuals can pique the readers interest in the story and lead them to further reading. Likewise, utilizing the high speed internet by adding outside links attracts the audience too.

What is good public relations?

Public relations is crucial in maintaining the relationship between the media and said company, organization, or celebrity. With that in mind, a public relations representative will issue statements to the public after certain events or mishaps, and is the medium between what the public and the employer he/she is representing. Good public relations entails a variety characteristics. One of which, is informing the client of the actual happenings of the company and what they need to hear, as opposed to ‘sugar coating’ things and telling them what they want. A PR writer also attempts to include persuasion, as to attract the public or avoid slander. Likewise, good public relations is shown through improving and strengthening relationship over long term periods. To continue with a good reputation for many years keeps the customers and clients with the company, which is the main goal overall.

What I learned in this class..

I learned an inexplicable amount in this class, predominantly how to write a good news article for all different mediums of the media, whether that is print, online, public relations, etc. I feel as though I have become somewhat of a professional at the inverted pyramid type of writing and am able to focus in on the most pertinent of details when writing an article. I am now able to understand which information is more important, that should be included in a lede and which information can be used further in the article. I’m really pleased with how I have developed as a writer through this course. As a creative writing and communications double major, I was already successful in creative writing and have enough practice with it through my personal blog, but now I can write for the medias, which has given me more confidence and has broadened my writing horizons.

What are some of the ethical problmes faced by journalists?

Writing about sensitive topics comes the issue of ethical problems, something journalists often face. They must look out for portraying people or companies…countries even in a negative light or invading the privacy of their subject. There is a fine line between all of these different issues, including, plagiarizing and bribery. Good journalists learn how to avoid these different scenarios and are able to complete their best work without infringing upon questions of ethics. Journalists should learn to evaluate the riskiness of their decisions and make rational decisions.

What makes a good multimedia piece?

The internet is becoming more and more of a feeding ground for our every day lives, influencing how people access and absorb information on a daily basis. It is quick and effective, which goes along great with the busy fast paced lives of individuals in this day and age. Considering the length of a story, most readers prefer a short online news article that save them time and allows them to get the information they are in search for. If possible, the writer should opt in using lots of lists and bulleting, that way it draws the eye of the reader and can be an even quicker way for them to get their information. Web stories should also use hyperlinks; utilizing the aspects the Internet provides which is the ability to create an interactive experience for users. Readers also are given the opportunity to respond to what they read, comments are encouraged to help different online news sources improve their site but also allows for readers to interact with one another over a certain topic.

What is good public relations?

Journalists report, and one of the most important things they keep in mind is to be objective in the eye of the public who can get turned off by bias work. Public relations writers on the contrary, tend to persuade audiences to a certain position by using facts and convincing people to change their self made accusations or further strengthen ones views. Unlike a lot of journalists, public relations writers tend to work for a specific company, organization, or client rather than a large and general news corporation. Public relations writers who tend to do well are those who do not ignore hard facts, and even tend to use the ones, which are possibly harmful to their cause. This way, they make their client appear in the best light possible, even taking into account negative aspects that can be more realistic for a reader.

What makes a good radio/TV news story?

Even though it is obvious that stories within the news, radio, and television all have the same objective in creating good news, they all go about it differently. Radio and television have time restrictions and tend to be more censored in what can be talked about as opposed to print. Written news has more leeway in that they may be limited on space, but the stories still tend to be longer. TV and written news have the ability to use visuals to aid in their articles but radio on the other hand does not. Radio has the ability to use audio (TV as well) where as printed news does not.

What makes a news story different form a feature story?

A news story gives hard facts and is in some cases a retelling of an incident or informative on an event or situation that is in the midst of taking its course. A feature story on the other hand can be a variety of topics. Some examples are a profile on a specific person, analysis of an opinion or current issue; for instance, writing about women’s portrayal in the media and your personal opinions on the topic, you would need to be sure to include quotations from a unbiased professional. Other types of features include, background information on local, national, or international events, human-interest stories, humorous reflections, personal experience, etc. It’s clear that as opposed to a news story, a feature article can go more in depth and appear more opinionated on a variety of topics.

What makes a speech or meeting story interesting?

What makes a speech interesting is how the reader draws in the audience. Everyone wants to listen to a person who speaks with conviction, like they know what they are talking about and are informing you and helping the audience to learn rather than just talking at them. A speech needs to engage the audience, rather than being monotone and boring, someone who writes and reads a speech needs to keep the audience’s attention. Keeping the attention of those you are speaking to be most important, because that is what the speech is meant for in the first place.

What makes a good lede?

Lede needs to be concise and to the point, making sure that all pertinent and necessary information is given to the reader within the first two sentences at most. The lede is important because it leads the reader into the story, drawing them in and making them want to learn more about the article at hand. A lede is the information packed part of the format used in writing articles, this format is known as the ‘inverted pyramid’. When a journalist creates their lede, they need to be conscious of the information they are incorporating, using too much information, meaning, facts that aren’t entirely necessary can take away space needed for necessary information. The lede is essentially the most important part of the article because its purpose is not only to inform the reader quickly giving them the basic jest of the article, but it is meant to draw the reader in to want to read more.

What makes a good feature?

A good feature story is much like a regular news story. However, it is not written like a regular news story. A feature story is a story on something that is of very large importance such as some famous persons death. However the story can also be a story on a very big event like the olympics or perhaps a local event. Good feature stories have a beginning that draws in readers, a transition that might repeat it in the middle and quite often an ending that comes back to the beginning. Feature stories can be told in narrative fashion or by sliding from event to event even though not in chronological order. Writers must make sure to be careful how they transition from beginning to middle and end. This type of story may have more detail in earlier paragraphs than you would see in a hard news story.

What makes a good lead?

A lead in a story is defined as a simple, clear statement consisting of the first paragraph or two of an inverted pyramid story. An inverted pyramid story is a story that starts off with the most important information and ends with the least relevant information. The most important information that most if not every lead should contain is defining the who, what, where, when, why, and how. The lead is what draws the reader in and makes them want to continue reading the story. The lead needs to be something that will grab the readers attentions right away. Background information can be important in a situation where the reader knows a person in the story or perhaps that person lives very close to where the story took place. However this information should not be included in the lead because in the grand scheme of things it is simply not the most important facts. Just because the background information may be relevant to some people does not mean it is relevant to everyone. News journalists need to write a story for every demographic and not just one group of people.

Why do numbers matter in writing stories?

Numbers in news media can cause severe confusion but can also help emphasize the significance of the number. Replacing the number with the actually respective word can help simply a story with a large amount of different numbers. However using numbers like percents can help cause misunderstandings within the story if they add normal numbers with the percents. There are many important rules about numbers that journalists should follow to help them avoid confusion in their story.