A brief overviw

1. FOCUS ON THE
NEWS FEATURE
Events and issues in close-up:
the news feature in action
©Martin Hirst
Deakin University
March 2012

2. WHAT IS THE NEWS FEATURE?
On a current issue in
the news
 Background Issues-based features are
really the bread and butter of
 Analysis feature writing and quite
 Commentary often are written to
accompany a developing
 Profile
news story.
Adds to understanding feature writing (telling the
story), p.255
Tanner, Kasinger, Richardson (2008)
Talks to leading
players
Takes the story further

3. EXPLAIN, EXPLORE & ENTERTAIN
 People make the news
 Events have consequences
 What happens next?
 Trends develop over time

4. A news feature goes deeper than just a
press release.
It thoroughly explores an issue. In order
to write a feature, you
need to provide research, facts,
statistics, and, most importantly,
interviews or sources.
It takes more time and effort to create
afeature than a press release, but the
results are often remarkably
better.

5. THREE FEATURES OF A NEWS
FEATURE

6. Hypothesis-based
THE INVESTIGATION inquiry
Patience and
Investigative journalism involves persistence
exposing to the public matters that are Never tell your
concealed – either deliberately by
someone in a position of power, or sources everything
accidentally, behind a chaotic
mass of facts and circumstances that
Careful and congenial
obscure understanding. first contact
It requires using both secret and open
sources and documents. Nurture with frequent
conversations
Hunter, et al. Manual for investigative
journalists Sorting and planning
your material
Step-by-step
approach
Can build from a news

7. FOCUS AND CONNECT
Focus your story.
Don't make sweeping generalizations that you don't back up with
your reporting.
Take out statements you can't support, or continue digging until
you can nail it.
Don't make five points that are thinly reported, when you could
make two or three strong points that are well reported and
fleshed out.
Chris Harvey 2008

8. MAKE IT MANAGEABLE
Don't bite off a topic that's too huge  Keep your project to a
to fully report in a couple of weeks. managable size
To write a trend story documenting
all the restaurant openings and  Try having more than
closings on Route 1 might take one go at the story
weeks or even months to fully
 Save an angle for later
report and write, but to write about
one restaurant's failure and re-birth  Go back to your sources
could be done in the allotted time. for clarification
Chris Harvey (2008)  Keep the lines of
communication open

9. BITE FIRST, CHEW LATER
THE RESEARCH FILE
 The research file is a tool to help you develop your story lines,
narrative frame and argument
 STORY LINES – the angles and information you are pursuing the
‘known unknowns’
 NARRATIVE FRAME – how do you think that the story will be
best told – remember your audience and target publication
 ARGUMENT – the evidence and opinion you will mount to prove
or disprove your hypothesis

10. THE RESEARCH FILE
 Synopsis – a succinct summary of your topic
 Tell us what your story lines are, what your hypothesis/argument will be and
outline your narrative frame
 Background – the context
 Give some history to the case/story – demonstrate that your hypothesis is
sound & based on history / facts / similar events & trends
 Current situation – what do you already know
 Outlines more about your hypothesis and importance / impact / value of your
story lines
 Sources – primary and secondary
 Primary sources – potential interview subjects and people / organisations
who have information you want
 Secondary sources – previously published material on the topic or related
topics