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· Name: Abulhasan H. Aabedi
Roll no: 01
· Topic: What is Feature
and Lead writing in Journalism?
· Paper no.15 Mass
Communication & Media Studies
· Class: Semester 02
· Enrollment
no.:2069108420180001
· Batch: 2017~19
· Submitted to Department
of English MK Bhavnagar University.
Wondering
what feature writing is?
Feature writing is creative journalism.
It escapes the hard-news format allowing the creative writers among us to write
feature articles in an inventive and compelling way.
Unlike short and
to-the-point news articles, feature articles deal with a subject in greater
depth and, usually, at greater length.
Features are not meant to deliver the news firsthand. They do
contain elements of news, but their main function is to humanize, to add
colour, to educate, to entertain, to illuminate. They often recap major news
that was reported in a previous news cycle. Features often:
- Profile people who make the
news
- Explain events that move or
shape the news
- Analyze what is happening in
the world, nation or community
- Teach an audience how to do
something
- Suggest better ways to live
- Examine trends
- Entertain.
A news story can be hard, chronicling as concisely as possible
the who, what, where, when, why and how of an event. Or it can be soft,
standing back to examine the people, places and things that shape the world,
nation or community. Hard news events--such as the death of a famous public
figure or the plans of city council to raise taxes--affect many people, and the
primary job of the media is to report them as they happen. Soft news, such as
the widespread popularity of tattooing among athletes or the resurgence of
interest in perennial gardening, is also reported by the media. Feature stories
are often written on these soft news events.
There is no firm line between a news story and a feature,
particularly in contemporary media when many news stories are
"featurized." For instance, the results of an Olympic competition may
be hard news: "Canadian diver Anne Montmigny claimed her second medal in
synchronized diving today." A featurized story might begin: "As a
girl jumping off a log into the stream running behind her house, Anne Montmigny
never dreamed she would leap into the spotlight of Olympic diving
competition." One approach emphasizes the facts of the event, while the
feature displaces the facts to accommodate the human interest of the story.
Most news broadcasts or publications combine the two to reach a wider audience.
Today’s media use many factors to determine what events they
will report, including
- timeliness
- proximity
- consequence
- the perceived interest of the
audience
- competition
- editorial goals
- and the influence of
advertisers.
All these factors put pressure on the media to give their
audiences both news and features. In a version of featurizing, pressure from
advertisers or lobbyists often result in writing that appears at first blush to
be news when it is, in fact, promotion for a product, idea, or policy.
When a hard news story breaks--for example, the sinking of a
ferry in the Greek islands--it should be reported with a hard news lead. Soft
leads and stories are more appropriate when a major news event is not being
reported for the first time: a profile of the Canadian couple who had their
vacation cut short when the Greek ferry struck a reef and sunk while the crew
was watching television. Some editors dispute the emphasis on soft writing and
refer to it as jell-o journalism.
Feature writing can stand alone, or it can be a sidebar to
the main story, the mainbar. A sidebar runs next to the main story
or elsewhere in the same edition, providing an audience with additional
information on the same topic.
Personality profiles: A personality profile is written to bring an
audience closer to a person in or out of the news. Interviews and observations,
as well as creative writing, are used to paint a vivid picture of the person.
The CBC’s recent profile of Pierre Elliot Trudeau is a classic example of the
genre and makes use of archival film footage, interviews, testimonials, and
fair degree of editorializing by the voice-over commentary.
Human interest stories: A human interest story is written to show a
subject’s oddity or its practical, emotional, or entertainment value.
Trend stories: A trend story examines people, things or
organizations that are having an impact on society. Trend stories are popular
because people are excited to read or hear about the latest fads.
In-depth stories: Through extensive research and interviews,
in-depth stories provide a detailed account well beyond a basic news story or
feature.
Backgrounders: A backgrounder--also called an analysis
piec--adds meaning to current issues in the news by explaining them further.
These articles bring an audience up-to-date, explaining how this country, this
organization, this person happens to be where it is now.
Feature writers seldom use the inverted-pyramid form. Instead,
they may write a chronology that builds to a climax at the end, a narrative, a
first-person article about one of their own experiences or a combination of
these. Their stories are held together by a thread, and they often end where
the lead started, with a single person or event. Here are the steps typically
followed in organizing a feature story:
Choose the theme. The theme is similar to the thesis of a
scholarly paper and provides unity and coherence to the piece. It should not be
too broad or too narrow. Several factors come into play when choosing a theme:
Has the story been done before? Is the story of interest to the audience? Does
the story have holding power (emotional appeal)? What makes the story worthy of
being reported? The theme answers the question, "So what?"
Write a lead that invites an audience into the
story. A summary may
not be the best lead for a feature. A lead block of one or two paragraphs often
begins a feature. Rather than put the news elements of the story in the lead,
the feature writer uses the first two or three paragraphs to set a mood, to
arouse readers, to invite them inside. Then the news peg or
the significance of the story is provided in the third or fourth paragraph,
the nut graph. Because it explains the reason the story is being
written, the nut graph--also called the "so what" graph--is a vital
paragraph in every feature. The nut graph should be high in the story. Do not
make readers wait until the 10th or 11th paragraph before telling them what the
story is about.
The body provides vital information while it educates,
entertains, and emotionally ties an audience to the subject. The ending will
wrap up the story and come back to the lead, often with a quotation or a
surprising climax. Important components of the body of a feature story are
background information, the thread of the story, transition, dialogue, and
voice.
Provide vital
background information. If
appropriate, a paragraph or two of background should be placed high in the
story to bring the audience up to date.
Write clear, concise sentences. Sprinkle direct quotations, observations
and additional background throughout the story. Paragraphs can be written
chronologically or in order of importance.
Use a thread. Connect the beginning, body and
conclusion of the story. Because a feature generally runs longer than a news
story, it is effective to weave a thread throughout the story, which connects
the lead to the body and to the conclusion. This thread can be a single person,
an event or a thing, and it usually highlights the theme.
Use transition. Connect paragraphs with transitional words,
paraphrases, and direct quotations. Transition is particularly important in a
long feature examining several people or events because it is the tool writers
use to move subtly from one person or topic to the next. Transition keeps
readers from being jarred by the writing.
Use dialogue when possible. Feature writers, like fiction writers,
often use dialogue to keep a story moving. Of course, feature writers cannot
make up dialogue; they listen for it during the reporting process. Good
dialogue is like good observation in a story; it gives readers strong mental
images and keeps them attached to the writing and to the story’s key players.
Establish a voice. Another key element that holds a feature
together is voice, the "signature" or personal style of each writer.
Voice is the personality of the writer and can be used to inject color, tone,
and subtle emotional commentary into the story. Voice should be used subtly (unless
you’re able to make a fetish of it like Hunter S. Thompson!). The blatant
intrusion of a distinctive voice into news writing has been called gonzo
journalism--an irresponsible, if entertaining, trend in contemporary
writing according to traditionalists.
Conclude with a quotation or another part of
the thread. A feature can
trail off like a news story or it can be concluded with a climax. Often, a
feature ends where the lead started, with a single person or event.
v What
is Lead Writing:
In journalism, the beginning sentences
of a news story are everything. Called leads or “ledes,” they must convey
essential information, set the tone and entice people to continue reading. If
you’re interested in becoming an expert journalist, understanding how to write
a lead is a key skill for your toolbox.
v Tips for Writing Leads
Below are some helpful hints to keep in
mind.
The Five W’s and H
News writing strives to answer “The Five
W’s and H:” that is, Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.
Good leads answer as many of these questions as possible in a single sentence.
When writing a lead, it helps to think about which of these facts is the most
vital for readers to know.
Keep It Short
A good lead provides all the information
the reader requires in just a few words. Ideally, a lead should be between 25
and 40 words.
Keep It Simple
Don’t clutter up the lead with
unnecessary adjectives or adverbs. Also make sure that your lead only discusses
one idea to avoid confusion.
Write in Active Voice
Avoid all forms of the verb “to be.” Common
exceptions including writing about fatalities (“two people were killed
Thursday”) and when discussing police activity (“two people were
arrested”). Passive voice is often the result of incomplete reporting.
Structure Your Lead Properly
Put your most crucial information at the
very beginning of the sentence. Important secondary information can go in
subsequent sentences. Not following this practice is called “burying the lead.”
If you need attribution in your lead, make sure it goes toward the end of the
sentence because it is less important than the information itself.
Understand the Context
Keep in mind what your readers may
already know about your story based on previous media coverage. Write in a way
that speaks to these realities and adds relevant, useful information.
Be Honest
Never mislead the reader. If you promise
a certain type of information with your lead, you should be ready to deliver.
Once you understand these cardinal
rules, you can begin to experiment with style.
v 7 Types of Leads
Style implies a certain degree of voice
and personal ownership over how a story is written. Although there are many
ways to write leads, here are seven common approaches.
Straight Lead
Also called the “summary” lead, this is
by far the most common and traditional version; it should be used in most
cases. It is a brief summary, containing most of the Five W’s and H in one
sentence.
“The European Parliament voted Tuesday
to ratify the landmark Paris climate accord, paving the way for the
international plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions to become binding as soon
as the end of this week.”
Anecdotal Lead
The anecdotal lead uses a quick,
relevant story to draw in the reader. The anecdote must help enhance the
article’s broader point, and you must explain the connection to that point in
the first few sentences following the lead.
“At the dilapidated morgue in the
northern Brazilian city of Natal, Director Marcos Brandao walks over the
blood-smeared floor to where the corpses are kept. He points out the labels attached
to the bright metal doors, counting out loud. It has not been a particularly
bad night, yet there are nine shooting victims in cold storage.”
Scene-Setting Lead
The scene-setting lead describes the
physical location where a story takes place.
“On the second floor of an old Bavarian
palace in Munich, Germany, there’s a library with high ceilings, a distinctly
bookish smell and one of the world’s most extensive collections of Latin texts.
About 20 researchers from all over the world work in small offices around the
room.”
First-Person Lead
This lead describes the journalist’s
personal experience with the topic. It should only be used when you have a
valuable contribution and perspective that help illuminate the story.
“For many of us, Sept. 11, 2001 is one
of those touchstone dates — we remember exactly where we were when we heard
that the planes hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was in
Afghanistan.”
Observational Lead
When offering an authoritative
observation about a story and how it fits in with the larger picture, you
should make sure you know the broader context of your subject matter.
“Tax records and literary criticism are
strange bedfellows. But over the weekend, the two combined and brought into the
world a literary controversy — call it the Ferrante Furor of 2016.”
Zinger Lead
The zinger lead is dramatic and
attention-grabbing. Although it has a strong tone, it requires a hard set of
facts to back it up.
“His last meal was worth $30,000 and it
killed him.” (The
story was about a man who died while trying to smuggle cocaine-filled bags in
his stomach.)
Question Lead
Question leads do just that: ask a
question. Although they are effective in sparking interest, use them sparingly
because they generally do not provide the main points of a story as concisely.
“What’s increasing faster than the price
of gasoline? Apparently, the cost of court lobbyists.”
Ultimately, understanding the types of
leads and style options available can help journalists tell stories as clearly
and effectively as possible.
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Works Cited
Anderson, Bruce Itule & Douglas. What is
Feature Writing? 04 April 2019. 04 April 2019
<https://www.media-studies.ca/articles/feature.htm>.
Bernstein, Rebecca. Great
Beginnings: How to Write a Lead. 16 May 2017. 04 April 2019
<https://online.pointpark.edu/public-relations-and-advertising/how-to-write-a-lead/>.
editor, getsmarter's. What
Is Feature Writing? 16 December 2016. 04 April 2019
<https://www.getsmarter.com/blog/career-advice/feature-writing-faqs/>.
