campus journalism (writing features)

CAMPUS JOURNALISM

Sara Jessica L. Carillo

What should be written in Feature story?

Personalities/ character sketch- Usually Short- Emphasize more on the person.

Experience and Adventure- Featurettes - First person point of view

Description- Simple words / concrete words- Factual and Original

Narratives- Historical- Not always adventure and experiences

Backgrounders- Background of a certain event

Developmental feature article- Developmental

What to Do and How to Do- Usually explains a process

Rhetorical QuestionsExample:- Who says age is a hindrance to Education?

Startling StatementExample:- “Hindi kami Bato!”

How to Introduce the Feature Article?

Narrative OpeningExample:- Mrs. Alicia Banal, a third-year evening

students sends herself and her 13 children to school, acting as a mother and a father at the same time.

Quoted MarksExample:- “ I learn while I earn”. She smiled despite

of the negative issues thrown to her outside and inside her work in show business.

An old Maxim, an Aphorism or “Salawikain”Examples:- “ Trees, trees everywhere, but no fresh air to

breathe”

History or Background of the subject- Islams throughout the world, including our

Filipino Muslim brothers observe the holy month of Ramadan starting Sept 17. Ramadan is the…

Problems to be discussed in the article or the facts to be established

Example:- There is an answer on the rising cost of

vegetables: raise your own.

Ending a Feature Article

A summary of whole articleExample: Take it from the experts: Smoking is

definitely harmful to health. Smoking makes you manly, but you may not live long enough to be one.

An announcement of the Main Point for the first time

Example: Therefore, a major part of the development

communication effort should be directed at strengthening the character of the people.

A question left in the reader’s mindExample: The hands of the new Filipino toil for the love

of creation. They …Do you have these kinds of hands?

Suggested results or significance

Example: Let us conserve our forests now if we

want to save the future of our country and of our children.

A forecast or prophecyExample: In six and a half centuries for

now, if the population explosion would not be checked, there would be one person standing on every square foot of land on earth. By that time, people would be devouring one another for there would no be more space for plants to grow.

A repetition of introductionExample: Asked if he had any formal training in

photography Donato Arellano finally answered, “Ah, it is now the reverse. It is here where I enjoy while I earn, not I earn while I enjoy.

An appropriate quotationExample: Ana claims that she is poor. But whenasked why she gave her last centavo to the old

woman, she answered: “ Not what we give, but what we shareFor the gift, without the giver is bare,Who gives himself with his alms feeds threeHimself, his hungering neighbor and me.”

1. Able to write2. Creative3. Has Keen Interest in Life4. Realizes that in every event there could be

possible feature story.5. Willing to probe for feature stories beneath

the surface of everyday events6. Intellectually curious7. Keen Observer

Qualities of a Good Feature Writer

Steps in writing a Feature Article

1) Pick your Subject2) Limit Subject to specific areas3) Write a tentative title4) Spot light the main things you aim to do

in the feature5) Pinpoint the highlights with specific

details6) Use the device and situations which will

hold the reader’s interest

6) Use the device and situations which will hold the reader’s interest

7) Decide on your title8) Prepare copy

Writing Feature

A. Lead News Summary Lead Distinctive Incident Quotation Short sentence Question Lead Analogy Lead Picture Lead Janus- Faced lead

Writing Feature

B. Body 3 Principles 1. Unity2. Coherence3. Emphasis

C. Conclusion Climax or Highest point Cutback or flashback to the introduction