Writing Obituaries

Making a living writing about the dead

Jean Kanzinger

What is an obituary?“You may think obituaries are just a depressing public service that journalists provide for morbid old readers….But these mini-biographies are usually read more closely, and by more people, than any other part of the paper. They tell stories. They touch hearts. They honor and inspire.”

Harrower, p. 96

Who reads obituaries?

• Family of the deceased• Curious Citizens & Biography Lovers• Editors• Genealogists, archivists and historians

Baranick, “About Writing Obituaries”

Basics of Obituary Writing

Read these two pages from Harrower’s “Inside Reporting” to learn the basics of obituary writing.

Writing Obituaries

Harrower, p. 224-225

Research Required

You are telling the story of a life, but the expert (the deceased) is not available.

The information you need will depend on the type of obituary you are writing.

Types of Obituaries (a.k.a. Obits)

Death Notice News Story Feature

Advance Appreciation Reporter-Written

NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

Death Notice

An obituary prepared and paid for by the deceased’s relatives or funeral directors. It is handled by the newspaper’s advertising department.

Ex: http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/

Return to Types of Obituaries

NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

News Story

This covers a person if your audience would be shocked to learn of his or her death, or the death involved crime or a public health concern. This is news!

Death of Greg Halman

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NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

Feature

This is an in-depth profile of the dearly departed for which the reporter uses many sources and resources.

Read about the death of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s mother.

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NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

AdvanceA reporter has already written an obituary for a newsmaker before the newsmaker dies.

Senator Edward Kennedy’s anticipated death from a brain tumor allowed NY Times reporters to prepare a lengthy obituary in advance* to run once his death was announced.*Note all the related pieces accompanying the obituary.

NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

How far in advance are some obits written?

Newspapers prepare advance obits for subjects who are:1. so famous that the paper would be

embarrassed not to have an immediate package in the event of an untimely death

2. old or sick3. "at risk"—i.e., a drug addict or a stunt biker.

Beam

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Appreciation

This type of obituary is also considered a tribute, column, editorial or personal memoir and in most cases is a follow-up or sidebar.

Appreciation obituary for Amy Winehouse

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NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

Reporter-WrittenAn obituary written by the editorial staff on deadline.

Reporter-written obituary (based on information provided by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland) for Rev. Anthony W. Zepp

Return to Types of Obituaries

NewsU Course: On the Beat: Writing Obituaries

Essential information• Name• Identification• Age• Day/Place of death• Cause of death• Birth date/Birthplace• Background• Survivors• Funeral/Burial Information

Harrower, p. 96

Gathering information – Beyond Basics 1

• Last city of residence and other places the deceased had called home

• Education• Military background• Work history

Gathering information – Beyond Basics 2

• Volunteer service, memberships, awards and honors, hobbies and interests

Gathering information – Beyond Basics 3

• Surviving relatives grouped by family with maiden names and where they live

• Deceased relatives and when they died• Birth name of spouse

Gathering information – Beyond Basics 4

• Requests for memorial donations, along with mailing addresses

• Name and phone number of funeral home or cremation society

• Phone numbers where family can be reached

Gathering information – Beyond Basics 5

Digging DeeperWhen you interview family, friends, and

colleagues, listen for threads that tie together the personal and the professional.

Be sure to ask questions to get at the whole picture. The decedent loved music. Did he or she play an instrument? How was this passion demonstrated?

What was widely known and not-so-widely known?

Identifying Themes• Is there a common element that runs

through all of a person’s interests?• Are there poignant stories told that all

revolve around the same feature of a person’s life or personality?

• How do you summarize a life and pin moments to something central?

Writing an Advance Obituary• Your task is to write an advance obituary by

choosing someone famous who fits the criteria for an Advance. Additional information will be provided in class.

• You will proceed by collecting information in the manner of a Feature – in which you use many sources and resources.

• First, you’ll need to learn more….

Learn More

Learn more about obituary writing by taking the News U On the Beat: Writing Obituaries course.

Please submit a course report to your teacher by xx/xx.

Your Job as an Obit Writer1. Your “subject” approved by your teacher

by xx/xx2. Gather information & select a package

piece to accompany the Advance Obit3. Turn in your list of sources by xx/xx4. First draft due xx/xx5. After workshopping with peers and

conferencing with your teacher, you will be ready to turn in the final draft by xx/xx

References Baranick, A. (n.d.). On the beat: writing obituaries. Poynter News University.

Retrieved from http://www.newsu.org/courses/beat-writing-obituariesBeam, C. (2009, August 27 ). Early Deadlines. Retrieved from:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/08/early_deadlines.html

Clark, R. P. (2011, March 3). Telling the truth in obits. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/writing-tools/78291/telling-the-truth-in-obits/

Harrower, T. (2010). Inside reporting: a practical guide to the craft of journalism. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 96-97; 224-225.

Outing, S. (2011, March 3) Let’s breath some new life into obituaries. Retrieved from: http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/71465/lets-breathe-some-new-life-into-obituaries/

Reviving obituaries, death notices before it's too late. (2010, April 9). Retrieved from http://www.newsu.org/node/187017

References, p. 1

References

Scanlon, C. (2003, April 9). Summing up a life: meeting the obituary’s challenge. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/chip-on-your-shoulder/9699/summing-up-a-life-meeting-the-obituarys-challenge/

Society of professional obituary writers. (Accessed 2011 November 8). Retrieved from http://www.obitwriters.org/index.html

Starkey, Shawn M. "Obits: A Lasting Tribute / One of the Most Important Things We Do." http://www2.sharonherald.com/localnews/obituaries/smsobits.html

References, p. 2