Stalking the wily news feature
A brief guide to conceiving,
reporting, organizing and writing
a work of enterprise journalism
What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news
What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news
• Not merely a human-interest story
What is a news feature?
• Not breaking news
• Not merely a human-interest story
• Generated by reporter and editor
What is a news feature?
•
•
•
•
Not breaking news
Not merely a human-interest story
Generated by reporter and editor
Freedom to define what the story is
Is it a newspaper
or magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story
can appear in a newspaper
Is it a newspaper
or magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story
can appear in a newspaper
• Medium-length feature — 2,000 to
2,500 words
Is it a newspaper
or magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story
can appear in a newspaper
• Medium-length feature — 2,000 to
2,500 words
• News story — 700 to 1,200 words
Is it a newspaper
or magazine story?
• Lines have blurred — “magazine” story
can appear in a newspaper
• Medium-length feature — 2,000 to
2,500 words
• News story — 700 to 1,200 words
• Longer magazine story — 3,000 to
10,000 words
Getting ideas
• Reading — newspapers, magazines,
books, Internet
Getting ideas
• Reading — newspapers, magazines,
books, Internet
• Talking — friends, family, colleagues,
sources
Getting ideas
• Reading — newspapers, magazines,
books, Internet
• Talking — friends, family, colleagues,
sources
• Paying attention — carry a notebook!
Is there a story?
• Pre-reporting
Is there a story?
• Pre-reporting
• Google, LexisNexis, etc.
– What can you learn?
– Who else has written about this?
Is there a story?
• Pre-reporting
• Google, LexisNexis, etc.
– What can you learn?
– Who else has written about this?
• Short interviews to refine story and see
if sources will be available
Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely
what your story is
Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely
what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out,
paste it on the wall in front of you
Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely
what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out,
paste it on the wall in front of you
• Could form basis of your lede or nut
Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely
what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out,
paste it on the wall in front of you
• Could form basis of your lede or nut
• Could serve as your pitch
Theme sentence
• A sentence (or two) explaining precisely
what your story is
• A guide to your reporting — cut it out,
paste it on the wall in front of you
• Could form basis of your lede or nut
• Could serve as your pitch
• You might have to change it
Whom should you interview?
• Horizontal diversity
– Variety of viewpoints — fair and neutral
Whom should you interview?
• Horizontal diversity
– Variety of viewpoints — fair and neutral
• Vertical diversity
– Variety of sources — key players, expert
observers and ordinary people
Blundell’s six key concepts
• History
Blundell’s six key concepts
• History
• Scope
Blundell’s six key concepts
• History
• Scope
• Reasons
Blundell’s six key concepts
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•
•
History
Scope
Reasons
Impacts
Blundell’s six key concepts
•
•
•
•
•
History
Scope
Reasons
Impacts
Countermoves
Blundell’s six key concepts
•
•
•
•
•
•
History
Scope
Reasons
Impacts
Countermoves
Futures
Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material
quickly
Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material
quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it
as you prepare to write
Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material
quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it
as you prepare to write
• Keep related material together
Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material
quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it
as you prepare to write
• Keep related material together
• Try not to bring sources back for an
encore
Organizing and writing
• Step one — read through your material
quickly
• Step two — re-read slowly, organizing it
as you prepare to write
• Keep related material together
• Try not to bring sources back for an
encore
• Aim for a memorable ending
A generic news-feature outline
• Part one
– Lede
A generic news-feature outline
• Part one
– Lede
– Nut graf
A generic news-feature outline
• Part one
– Lede
– Nut graf
– Support for nut graf
A generic news-feature outline
• Part one
– Lede
– Nut graf
– Support for nut graf
– Quote and/or setup for next part
A generic news-feature outline
• Part two
– Secondary lede
A generic news-feature outline
• Part two
– Secondary lede
– Explication and narrative
A generic news-feature outline
• Part two
– Secondary lede
– Explication and narrative
– Flesh out all or some of the six key
concepts
• History, scope, reasons, impacts,
countermoves, futures
A generic news-feature outline
• Part three
– Can be short
A generic news-feature outline
• Part three
– Can be short
– “Circling back”
A generic news-feature outline
• Part three
– Can be short
– “Circling back”
• Quote from person you opened with
A generic news-feature outline
• Part three
– Can be short
– “Circling back”
• Quote from person you opened with
• Quote from another, similar person
A generic news-feature outline
• Part three
– Can be short
– “Circling back”
• Quote from person you opened with
• Quote from another, similar person
• Your own attempt to sum up
Too formulaic?
• Not as much as it seems, especially
after you’ve done it a few times
Too formulaic?
• Not as much as it seems, especially
after you’ve done it a few times
• Not the only way to write a news
feature, but simple and effective
Too formulaic?
• Not as much as it seems, especially
after you’ve done it a few times
• Not the only way to write a news
feature, but simple and effective
• Sometimes editors want something
different
Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft
of Feature Writing” (much of this
slideshow is based on his ideas)
Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft
of Feature Writing”
• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”
Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft
of Feature Writing”
• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”
• Strunk and White, “The Elements of
Style”
Reading for journalists
• William E. Blundell, “The Art and Craft
of Feature Writing”
• William K. Zinsser, “On Writing Well”
• Strunk and White, “The Elements of
Style”
• Anywhere good news features are
published