2. HARD NEWS VS. SOFT NEWS
Standard fare of
most newspapers
Objective
Direct
Factual
Usually associated
with human interest
Subjective
Featurized
Hard News Soft News
3. HARD NEWS VS. SOFT NEWS
Hard News
“Hard news is
interesting to
human beings.”
-Frank Luther Mott
“Hard news
concerns important
matters.”
-Gaye Tuchman
Soft News
“Soft news is
interesting because
it deals with the life
of human beings.”
-Frank Luther Mott
“Soft news concerns
interesting matters.”
-Gaye Tuchman
9. FEATURE WRITING
Written to hook the reader and draw
him/her into the story
May or may not be tied to a current event
Often longer than a traditional news story
May present an opinionated view
10. FEATURE WRITING
Functions to humanize, to add color,
to educate, to entertain, to illuminate
Written to hook the reader and draw
him/her into the story
May or may not be tied to a current event
Often longer than a traditional news story
May present an opinionated view
11. FEATURE STORY
Also called Feature Article, or simply
Feature
A piece of journalistic writing that covers a
selected in-depth issue
Emphasizes on facts of human interest
Its job is to find a fresh angle
Makes the reader think and care
12. TYPES OF FEATURES
Personality Profiles
> detailed article on well-known personality
Human Interest Stories
> appeals to the emotion, arouses
sympathetic interest
Trend Stories
> e.g. food/restaurants, jobs, music,
fashion, etc.
Analysis Stories
> digs deep into the facts and details of a
story
13. TYPES OF FEATURES
Interview article
Practical guidance (how-to)
Seasonal or holiday feature
Entertainment article
Travelogue
Personality sketch
Interpretative feature
14. CHOOSING THE THEME
Has the story been done before?
Is the story of interest to the reader?
Does the story have a holding power?
What makes the story worthy to be reported?
The theme answers the question, “so what?”
15. THE SUBSTANCE OF THE FEATURE
Facts
Quotes
Description
Anecdotes
Opinions
Analysis
Pay off/conclusion
16. SAMPLE FEATURE TOPICS
Foreign exchange students
Unusual hobbies
Dirtiest jobs
Fashion trends
Favorite movies
Favorite celebrities
Teacher features
Tattoos
Bizarre Foods
17. FEATURE STORY STRUCTURE
Beginning = lead/lede
> start with a premise or a theme
Middle = body/story development
> present information and opinions that
back your point
End = conclusion
> bring the reader to a close
18. FEATURE WRITING : THE LEAD
The most important part
The first paragraph, but may include the
second or even the third paragraph
Entices your readers, hooks them in
Uses drama, emotion, quotations, questions,
and/or descriptions
Sets the tone
19. FEATURE WRITING : THE LEAD
ATTENTION-GETTING DEVICES
Ask a question or questions
Make an unusual statement
Describe a scene
Present a conversation
Tell a brief story
Present surprising or alarming statistic
Refer to an event , either historical or current
20. FEATURE WRITING : THE LEAD
ATTENTION-GETTING DEVICES
Show a controversy or contradiction
Use a quotation, adage, or proverb
State an unusual opinion
Riddle
Dialogue
Onomatopeia
21. LEAD SAMPLE (PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING EXAMPLE BY ANDREA
ELLIOTT OF THE NEW YORK TIMES)
The young Egyptian professional could pass for any New York
bachelor.
Dressed in a crisp polo shirt and swathed in cologne, he races his
Nissan Maxima through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan,
late for a date with a tall brunette. At red lights, he fusses with his
hair.
What sets the bachelor apart from other young men on the make
is the chaperon sitting next to him -- a tall, bearded man in a white
robe and stiff embroidered hat.
22. LEAD SAMPLE (EDWARD WONG OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'
BEIJING BUREAU)
The first sign of trouble was powder in the baby’s urine. Then
there was blood. By the time the parents took their son to the
hospital, he had no urine at all.
Kidney stones were the problem, doctors told the parents. The
baby died on May 1 in the hospital, just two weeks after the first
symptoms appeared. His name was Yi Kaixuan. He was 6 months
old.
The parents filed a lawsuit on Monday in the arid northwest
province of Gansu, where the family lives, asking for
compensation from Sanlu Group, the maker of the powdered
baby formula that Kaixuan had been drinking. It seemed like a
clear-cut liability case; since last month, Sanlu has been at the
center of China’s biggest contaminated food crisis in years. But
as in two other courts dealing with related lawsuits, judges have so
far declined to hear the case.
23. TYPES OF LEADS TO AVOID
Trite dictionary lead
> “According to Webster’s Dictionary …”
Dumb declarative lead
> “It’s official…”
Mystery “it” lead
> “It’s round, it’s red, its juicy . . .yes, it’s a
tomato!
24. TYPES OF LEADS TO AVOID
Weird linkage or atypical lead
> "What did Boris Karloff, Jane Fonda
and Richard Nixon have in common?
Ring around the collar." Who cares?
> "Jenny Jones looks like a typical college
student, but she's really...a world-class
wrestler …supermodel…or whatever!”
25. TYPES OF LEADS TO AVOID
The uninformative question lead
> Avoid asking questions that might
provoke your readers to respond,
“Who cares?”
> Turn questions into short, informative
statements instead
26. COMPARE (THE LEADS)
Twenty-one teachers from across Northern
Luzon gathered at the University of Baguio
February 24-February 28 to learn techniques
used to teach writing.
Teacher John dela Cruz cried as he composed
a poem about his grandmother at the
keyboard of a Macintosh computer in the
basement of the University of Baguio Liberal
Arts building recently.
27. FEATURE WRITING :THE BODY
The “guts” of the story
Longest part . . . so you need to vary the
pace and keep it fresh by using:
> quotes and anecdotes
> description and details
> specific examples
28. FEATURE WRITING :THE BODY
IMPORTANT COMPONENTS INCLUDE
Background Information
> brings the reader up to date
The “Thread” of the story
> connects the introduction, body and conclusion
Dialogue
> gives strong mental images; keeps them attached
Voice
> the signature or personal style of the writer
29. FEATURE WRITING : CONCLUSION
While the lead draws the reader in, the
conclusion should be written to help the
reader remember the story
Will wrap up the story and come back to the
lead, often with a quotation or a surprising
climax
Unlike hard news stories, features need
endings
30. FEATURE WRITING : CONCLUSION
THE END CAN BE
A comment
A concluding quote
A question
A summary of the article
31. STEPS TO DEVELOP A FEATURE STORY
Prewriting
Writing
Revising
Proofreading
32. STEPS: PREWRITING
Step 1. FINDING THE STORY
Step 2. GATHERING THE INFORMATION
Step 3. DETERMING THE TYPE OF FEATURE
Step 4. CHOOSING THE SINGLE FOCUS
33. STEPS: WRITING
Step 5. DETERMINING THE ORGANIZATION
Step 6. DRAFTING THE LEAD
Step 7. DRAFTING THE BODY
Step 8. DRAFTING THE CONCLUSION
Step 9. PREPARING THE HEADLINE
34. STEPS: REVISING
Step 10. CHECKING FOR GOOD WRITING TECHNIQUES
Does the article reflect careful complete research?
Do I attract my reader’s attention in the opening paragraph?
Does the article maintain interest throughout?
Did I follow a logical organization to achieve my purpose?
Have I maintained unity?
Have I varied sentence structure in keeping with the tone and
purpose?
Are transitions sufficient to guarantee smooth reading?
Does the word choice show freshness and originality?
Have I eliminated wordiness?
Do I use good story-writing techniques?
35. STEPS: PROOFREADING
Step 11. CHECKING THE DETAILS
Be sure to check your copy carefully for
correctness
