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Conclusion - 14130_40
Figure 3-1.Subject of a personality feature in her environment.

Journalist 3 & 2 - Introduction to Journalism and other reporting practices
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Veterans  Day,  November  1962,  itself the   new   veteran   maintaining   the armistice in a new kind of war. Not  a  shot  had  been  fired.  The “war” in Cuba was still cold. A  choice  quote  from  an  interview  often  makes  a good  ending  for  a  feature  story.  The  following  example is how a Navy journalist concluded a story about a group of   circuit-riding   Navy   dentists   and   technicians conducting a people-to-people dental program in Africa: "We’re  glad  to  get  out  with  the African people,” said Nicholl (a chief dental   technician).   “The   fact   that there’s  an  element  of  danger  in  it  is overshadowed  by  the  thanks  of  the people we’re helping. We’ve never left a village or hamlet without a barrage of cheering  and  clapping  from  our patients.” The story on the new piece of machinery ended with the following paragraphs: Sure,  they  had  hated  it  to  begin with,  that  monstrous  machine,  but  now it   was   their   monstrous   machine. Constant association and the care they had  lavished  on  it  had  made  it  their baby. The ugly monster had become an object  of  beauty  to  them,  a  delicate thing  to  be  protected. A passing journalist, new on board, stopped  to  drink  in  its  loveliness.  He looked as though he might be going to touch  her.  “Keep  your  cotton-pickin’ hands off the baby,” Quinlon snarled, and the other two baby-tenders curled their  lips  at  the  JO  until  he  scuttled away. PERSONALITY  FEATURE The personality feature is similar to other features in that it appeals to people’s interest in other people. It normally  points  out  special  achievement,  success  or obstacles surmounted in life and centers on a particular event or achievement. Personality  features  differ  from  other  features  in that they are almost always about a single individual. This  type  of  feature  gives  interesting  information  about the person’s life, rather than just the person’s opinions. The  properly  written  personality  feature  is  a  vivid  word picture of the subject’s personality traits and physical features as well as a description of the things that make the   person   unusual   or   interesting.   The   effective personality  feature  leaves  readers  feeling  they  have  met the  subject  face  to  face  and  know  that  individual personally. Research Since  the  personality  feature  story  delves  so  deeply into   the   subject’s   traits   and   physical   features, considerable research is required. Most of the required information   must   be   gathered   through   interviews. Conduct interviews with the subject and persons who intimately  know  the  subject  or  have  something  to contribute. Some information can also be obtained from printed   background   material   and   from   personal observations of friends and associates of the subject. Personality  features  should  contain  the  following information: Biographical data.  Use only that biographical data you feel is necessary to your story (i.e., age, hometown,   parents’   names,   major   duty assignments, time in service, marital status, etc.). Unimportant  statistics  and  data  tend  to  bog  a story down and make for dry reading. The tone of  a  story  usually  dictates  the  amount  of  data required. Description. Describe the person, the details of the   setting,   surroundings   and   general atmosphere. Quotes. Use quotations from the interviewee in which that individual’s principles for attaining success, and so forth, are related. General  accounting.  Present a general sketch of personal achievement, success, and so forth, in the  words  of  the  interviewee  or  friends  of  that person. Presentation   of   Information In   addition   to   the   feature   writing   methods mentioned earlier in this chapter, personality features require   a   few   techniques   all   their   own.   There   are methods that can be used to enable you, as the writer, to make your readers feel they have met your subject face to face, heard that person  speak,  seen the individual act and know the thoughts or opinions and past life of the person. These methods are discussed in the following text: 3-7







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