• Home
  • Download PDF
  • Order CD-ROM
  • Order in Print
A Final Thought
Required Feature Writing Skills

Journalist 3 & 2 - Introduction to Journalism and other reporting practices
Page Navigation
  18    19    20    21    22  23  24    25    26    27    28  
CHAPTER 3 WRITING  THE  FEATURE,  SPEECH, AND  ACCIDENT  STORIES In   Chapter   2,   the   fundamental   aspects   of newswriting were covered. Once you master the basics of  newswriting, then, and only then, are you ready to wrestle   with   the   more   complex   news   stories.   This chapter will help you develop the skills and learn the knowledge necessary to write effective feature, speech, sports and accident stories. THE FEATURE STORY LEARNING   OBJECTIVE:   Identify   the characteristics and structure of a feature story and   the   techniques   used   in   producing   a personality feature. Writing   straight   news   strengthens   the   writer’s powers of observation and builds his skill in using the English  language.  It  impresses  on  the  writer  the necessity for ruthless editing until the story is specific, clear and vital. Conversely, feature writing is not an exact science. Much depends on the skill, imagination and creativeness of the writer. What is a feature story? It has been called the story that  “has  to  be  told.”  It  has  also  been  called  simply “human  interest.”  Interest  in  human  beings,  and  in events  because  they  concern  people  in  situations  that might  confront  anyone  else,  is  called  human  interest. When a shipboard explosion takes the lives of several crew members and prompts the gallant efforts of other crew members to prevent the loss of the entire crew, the human  interest,  or  appeal,  may  be  of  a  sympathetic nature. A man with a broken nose might also evoke a sympathetic response. However, if the injury occurred when he walked into a telephone pole while scrutinizing an  attractive  1957  Chevrolet  on  the  other  side  of  the street, the appeal might be of a humorous nature. Certain  topics  have  human  interest  built  in.  And, although they may not possess any of the other elements of  news  value  (timeliness,  proximity,  prominence  or consequence), they still have personal appeal. Human interest may fall into many categories, including those in  the  following  list: SPORTS Current  topics The unusual and the extraordinary Mysteries and catastrophes Romance and sex Adventure  and  exploits Competitive   contests Child, teen-age and adult life Animal  life Recreations and hobbies Business, professional and home activities Social welfare Success  and  happiness In  any  case,  a  good  human  interest  story  is  built around the premise that the reader can easily identify with the subject or event. It involves a fellow human being and a situation that could happen to, or involve, the  reader. Human interest stories not only entertain, but are often informative in that they contain all the elements of a news story. However, the human interest aspect of the story outweighs its value as a straight news story. Major  news  events  seem  to  tell  themselves.  The straight newswriter can set down all the facts, arrange them  together  with  appropriate  words  and  have  an adequate  news  story.  The  feature,  however,  must  be brought to public attention by the creative writer. As a Navy JO, your job is to recognize the human interest possibilities of stories and turn a drab yarn into a bright one without exaggeration or distortion CONTENT is that it emphasizes something new, odd or unusual. The feature story is similar to basic newswriting in that it has a news peg. What sets it far apart, however, Both of these attributes are covered in the following text. 3-1







Western Governors University

Privacy Statement
Press Release
Contact

© Copyright Integrated Publishing, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Design by Strategico.