Types of feature writing in journalism pdf

This type of story has its basis upon timely news happening with a humaninterest angle is called a news feature often a news happening can be made much more interesting or newsworthy by writing it in a semi feature sort of thing. Jan 22, 2010 the best journalism engages as it informs. It exposes wrongdoing so it can be corrected, not because journalists and their patrons benefit from exposure. Types of feature stories for journalists thoughtco. Fake news has given the press a bad reputation, and the mass media is perceived as biased. According to a 1949 textbook on feature writing, the feature article is a. There seems to be a growing negative public disposition toward journalism. Subject journalism and mass communication communication. May 21, 20 remember, feature is not an opinion column. Journalism from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia journalism is a discipline of writing. These skills the students will use repeatedly over the course of the year.

According to a 1949 textbook on feature writing, the feature article is a creation of the. To accomplish this goal, we will examine popular mass media and alternative broadcast, audio, print, and digital news organizations and sources, and read each others writing. The monograph may also be used as a student text, providing a quick guide to features of style and their rationales. Column is the creative expression covering all fields of journalism. Feature writing caven masuku, gweru, zimbabwe introduction a good feature writer is neither wordy nor flowery. News writing u ii e e iiieueoa you are a reporter for the leaguetown press, the student newspaper of leaguetown high school. Newsoriented journalism is sometimes described as the first rough draft of history attributed to phil graham, because journalists often did record important events, however producing news articles on short deadlines. Think of the feature as the journalistic equivalent of an essay, it will then be. Harrington in 1912 to modernday understandings of this type. They might work at newspapers, magazines, websites or for tv or radio stations. If your objective is freelance feature writing, a staff job for a while will enable you to build a network of contacts. These stories focus on hardnews topics but arent deadline stories. When journalists write features, they often use a hook, a type of opening that grabs a readers. Journalism is a form of writing that tells people about things that really happened, but that they might not have known about already.

Feature writing english 304 is designed to help you enhance your reading and analytical skills in reading and writing of works in narrative journalism. Introduction to journalism student activities book by dianne smith publisher. Soft news, humaninterest storiesdoes not have to be related to a. Chapter 1 defining investigative reporting what makes it. From this perspective, there is an overview of the territory where the journalistic activity takes place and, consequently, the productions originated from it.

Pdf on jan 1, 2006, olusola oyero and others published writing feature articles find. A columnist develops a following because his readers feel they can gain knowledge, insight and entertainment from reading his writings. Ef fective magazine writing is accessible, interesting, lively, colourful, grabbing and relevant. Feature feature article feature storyan umbrella genre of journalism in newspapers, onlineeditions and magazines, with different subcategoriestypes. The interpretative nature of feature writing requires that a feature writer posses more. When articles or scripts succeed at this, they often are cast as what is known as features or contain elements of a story. Accuracy and fairness are the hallmarks of thomson reuters journalism. To teach the value of listening to the written word. Jan 05, 2010 for the last three weeks of the term we will explore the world of feature writing.

People who write journalism are called journalists. Sep 18, 2017 the world of journalism has changed because of fake news, social media, and the technology age. You may use statements attributed to individuals as direct or indirect quotes. Feature writing can stand alone, or it can be a sidebar to the main story, the mainbar. Rhythmcreate rhythm to you story bymixing sentence length. A feature story aims to educate and entertain the readers. This project seeks to identify how the different categories of people in the society use.

For the last three weeks of the term we will explore the world of feature writing. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. To evaluate the varied types of such information in feature writing. Feb 21, 2015 this journalism lecture focuses on the basics of feature writing. True, very few newspapers would put a feature on the front page where a lead story ought to be although it has been known, but many writers would say that a lot. Column writing is very different from other forms of writing because unlike straight news and feature writing, columns have dedicated readerships. There is no need to put a conclusion on a news story. Here we will discuss in detail the different types of feature stories in journalism these are informative features personality sketch personal experience etc. The writer can be a journalist or an expert in the particular field about which he or she is writing.

Informational interviews deal with an authority whose opinions on certain subjects, facts about things or comparison are of significant value. How to teach students to use all five senses to gather detail for a feature story. It may be very closely related to the so called new journalism. Newsoriented journalism is sometimes described as the first rough draft of history attributed to phil graham, because journalists often did record important events, however producing news. Feature stories, on the other hand, are soft news because they are not as timely, not as swiftly reported.

Doublecheck facts, figures, names, dates and spellings. Students who win an award or who do something significant such as scoring 1600 on sat or qualifying for olympic games. It may be longer and indepth compared to a straightforward news story. Different kinds of feature stories university interscholastic. From the given information, write a news story as you would for the high school newspaper. If you were a journalist writing a feature story, you might start with description or an anecdote. Part of a journalism 101 lecture from jamie lynn gilberts jou 217 featureeditorial writing class at durham technical community college. Feature writing is the primary form of writing that concordias student newspaper produces. Investigative reporting is not paparazzi journalism. Feature feature article feature storyan umbrella genre of journalism in newspapers, onlineeditions and magazines, with different subcategories types.

This journalism lecture focuses on the basics of feature writing. Different forms of journalistic writing mass communication talk. Watchdog journalism investigative reporting is watchdog journalism. Neither accuracy nor fairness must ever be sacrificed for speed. A feature story is a piece of nonfiction writing about news.

Part of a journalism 101 lecture from jamie lynn gilberts jou 217 feature editorial writing class at durham technical community college. To conceive, report, write and revise several types of feature stories. The different types of journalism freelancewriting. Home a guide to reuters operations text reporting and writing basics. As there are many types of journalism but some type of journalism is most important like.

Before one starts crafting a feature article, he must master the nutty gritty of writing so that even the. Niblock argues that the proportion of feature journalism in british newspapers has. In contrast to objective news stories, columns are characterized by voice, personality and opinions of the writer. A very common type of feature is the profile that reveals an individuals character and lifestyle. It also contains personal opinion of the writer, which is not welcomed in other form of news story writing. This article is about journalistic feature stories. It uses quotes liberally and allows the reader to see the story through detailed description and vivid writing.

Feature also permits the coverage of diverse kinds of issues which may be. Personality interviews are interesting because of the individual rather than the subject matter. Journalism helps to explain the events that impact our lives and is developed in a number of forms and styles. Reporting and writing basics handbook of journalism. If youre writing about a person, here are some facts. Pdf feature journalism has developed from being an insignificant. The bestknown kind of feature story is the humaninterest story that discusses issues through the experiences of another.

Writing style differences in newspaper, radio, and television. Whatever be the type of publication a journalist writes for, the basic approach is the same. Jan 06, 2018 journalism lecture on types of print journalism. This type does not use many of the fiction writer s devices, since its purpose is to inform more than to entertain. This type of story has its basis upon timely news happening with a humaninterest angle is called a news feature often a news happening can be made much more interesting or newsworthy by writing it in a semifeature sort of thing. Feature writers have the extra time to complete background. It presents people and their problems, concerns, or achievements in a way that brings about interest, sympathy or motivation in the reader or viewer. While somewhat dated, this book explicitly frames a strategy for approaching the kinds of researchbased, public affairs features this course encourages. Can be either an informational or a personal profile feature. The students will learn the steps of writing an effective feature story including interviewing, taking notes, writing the lead, and deciding on an overall theme to the piece. Students write a draft and a final paper as part of the unit. A unit that explores the writing of the feature story indepth and looks at the different types of feature stories profiles, backgrounders, etc. If youre even luckier the work placement might lead to a staff job. Characteristics and types of feature linkedin slideshare.

Tum back to the lifestyle or feature sections, thumb through several mag azines and you will see. May 09, 2018 as there are many types of journalism but some type of journalism is most important like. A sidebar runs next to the main story or elsewhere in the same edition, providing an audience with additional information on the same topic. The world of journalism has changed because of fake news, social media, and the technology age.

A column may pass the projected judgements, make recommendations and may write freely without following the accepted boundaries of news writing. Suggested reading the art and craft of feature writing, william blundell, plume, 1988 note. Here we will discuss in detail the different types of feature stories in journalism. Effective writing essentials of journalistic style. Facts for this type are usually obtained from interviews, library research and personal observation. He is precise and straight to the point and is guided by the abc of journalism that is accuracy, balance and clarity.

To learn to constructively critique and be critiqued. This course will teach students how to write compelling feature articles, substantive nonfiction stories that look to a corner of the news and illuminate it, often in human terms. The basics of feature writing journalism lecture youtube. Pdf feature writing in journalism caven masuku academia. To accomplish this goal, we will examine popular mass media and alternative broadcast, audio, print, and digital. Prepared by one of this papers authors3, the outline above shows the complexity of the issue, declining. News writing, editorial writing, column writing and feature.

In journalism, a column is a recurring feature by the same author in a newspaper, magazine or website. News features are often published in the main news, or a section, or the local news, or b section, of a paper. Mass media is such a versatile field that over the years, journalism has been developed and categorized into many specified types, adding more depth and dimension to the world of media. Writing feature articles covenant university repository. Thus magazine writing requires a different way of thinking, writing and structuring. Feature stories hard news articles are written so the reader can stop reading at any time, and still come away with the whole story. This is very different from an essay, which presumes that the audience will stick around to the end, and can therefore build to a finish. Tim harrower in the world of features pages 112 1 of inside reporting explains feature writing by comparing it to news writing. News features differ from hard news stories in tone and structure but are just as vital to readers experience of a newspaper, website or magazine. Jul 30, 2019 for those who love words and the craft of writing, theres nothing like producing a great feature story. Each journalistic form and style uses different techniques and writes for different purposes and audiences. Background information identifying feature news articles with tips on how to write a feature news story. To examine markets for journalism and learn how stories are sold. Some editors dispute the emphasis on soft writing and refer to it as jello journalism.

Journalistic feature stories can be divided into news features, profiles, spot features, trend stories, and livein stories. It can be personal, colorful, and opinionated, but without deviating from the facts. Dec 02, 2016 feature journalism is a branch of journalism. Science journalism differs from most of the other forms of writing discussed in this book in that the takehome message is always pre sented at the beginning of the article rather than at its end. However, literary journalism is only one type of feature writing. For those who love words and the craft of writing, theres nothing like producing a great feature story. Types of feature stories in journalism study lecture notes. Writing style differences in newspaper, radio, and television news 2 of stylistic features should be a handy reference tool. In addition to the obvious audience in journalism for whom its primarily intended.