5-2-11 through 5/6/11 - Feature Stories

Your hard news stories are due at the beginning of the hour today.

For reading time: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090122

News stories aren't the only type of material that appear in newspapers and magazines. Longer articles, such as magazine cover articles and the pieces that lead the inside sections of a newspaper, are known as features. Feature stories differ from straight news in several ways. Foremost is the absence of a straight-news lead, most of the time. Instead of offering the essence of a story up front, feature writers may attempt to lure readers in.

While straight news stories always stay in third person point of view, it's not uncommon for a feature magazine article to slip into first person. The journalist will often detail his or her interactions with interview subjects, making the piece more personal.

A feature's first paragraphs often relate an intriguing moment or event, as in an "anecdotal lede". From the particulars of a person or episode, its view quickly broadens to generalities about the story's subject.

The section that signals what a feature is about is called the billboard. Billboards appear as the third or fourth paragraph from the top, and may be up to two paragraphs long. Unlike a lede, a billboard rarely gives everything away. This reflects the fact that feature writers aim to hold their readers' attention to the end, which requires engendering curiosity and offering a "payoff." Feature paragraphs tend to be longer than those of news stories, with smoother transitions between them. Feature writers use the active-verb construction and concrete explanations of straight news, but often put more personality in their prose.

Feature stories often close with a "kicker" rather than simply petering out.

Mon: Topics
Tues: Collect Information/Interviews
Wed: Interviews/Outline Due
Thurs: Write Story
Fri: Rough Draft Due/Peer Edits
Mon: Final Feature Story Due

4-26-11 through 4-28-11

You should have your topic posted to your blog. Tomorrow you should have your interview questions posted to your blog.

Mon: Topic and angle
Tues: Collect information and interview
Wed: Lead due, collect information and interview
Thurs: Write story
Friday: Rough draft of story is due at beginning of hour (peer editing)

Your assignment for Wednesday (due at beginning of hour) is to have your lead and backup (first two paragraphs) completed:

LEAD AND BACKUP: Does the story begin with one long sentence that answers most of the 5Ws and H without going into detail? What questions are left unanswered? Are they answered in the second paragraph? Are more details provided (names, more specific places, times)?

We will do peer edits in class on Friday.

Your finished story will be due on Monday at the beginning of the hour. The story must be at least 600 words in length. You must have three interviews for your story.

4-25-11 Writing a News Story

For reading time, visit the The New York Times

Steps in Writing a News Story

Visit the Lightning Press's page on elements of a story

4-22-11 Quiz

We will take a quiz on news, law and ethics.

For reading time today: http://www.cbsnews.com

4-21-11 Libel

For reading time today: http://www.nationalenquirer.com/

We will do an activity on libel today in class.

Real libel cases:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/elton-john-wins-pounds-350000-for-libel-punitive-damages-awarded-against-sunday-mirror-over-false-claims-about-diet-1502134.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/7328488.stm

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=40626

4-19-11 and 4-20-11 Journalism/Law and Ethics

As a class, we will go to: http://splc.org/ and click on news flashes

1st Amendement Law Quiz (10 minutes): http://splc.org/falawtest/

Student Press Law Quiz: http (20 minutes): http://splc.org/hspresslawtest/

We will take notes on Broadcast Journalism Law/Ethics

1. What are the 5 freedoms of the 1st amendment?


2. What is the Tinker Standard?


3. What is the Frasier Standard?


4. What is the Hazelwood Standard?


5. What is the Frederick Standard?


6. What is the definition of libel?

4-18-11 Journalism Notes

For reading time today: http://www.abcnews.com

Definition:
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.



List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.

TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.




What are the advantages of print journalism?
1.

2.

3.


What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?

1.

2.

3.


Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?