Journalism Basics

TIP #1The Feature Article

Prepping, Interview Tips, Your Lead, and your content

Prep work basics

• 1. Do your research• 2. Basic facts should already be known• 3. Decide on an intended angle (Why are you

writing this feature?) But be prepared to be flexible.

• 4. Give ample time to arrange interview

The Interview - Basics• 1. In person is much more effective than email ( I

will explain)• 2. Be observant. The interviewee will give you plenty

to write about before the actual interview begins• 3. Avoid questions that solicit short answers. • 4. Always identify yourself and ask if it’s ok to

record. • 5. LISTEN TO THE PERSON. Make the interview more

of a conversation and less a series of questions. Let the convo dictate the next question sometimes.

Question examples

• POOR EXAMPLE: How did it feel to start in a new building on the first day?

• GOOD EXAMPLE: Talk about what it’s like coming in as a new administrator to a school like North Penn.

• POOR EXAMPLE: How many years have you been coaching and what is your best memory?

• GOOD EXAMPLE: You’ve been coaching at NP for 25 years. That’s a long time by today’s standards of coaching. Can you talk about something that stands out the most from those 25 years?

Your “purpose”

• What is your angle? Can you write a practice “lead” before the interview?

• Your angle should lead you to focus your questions a little better.

• Be prepared to shift your focus based on the interview… sometimes new ideas emerge.

THE LEAD• His wealth is estimated at $600 million. He

controls a handful of corporations, operating in more than 20 nations. Yet he carries his lunch to work in a brown paper bag and wears the latest fashions from Sears and Roebuck's bargain basement.

• Napoleon had his Waterloo. George Custer had his Little Big Horn. Fortunately, Napoleon and Custer faced defeat only once. For Bjorn Borg, the finals of the U.S. Tennis Open have become a stumbling block of titanic proportions.

THE LEAD- Evan Hayes, 2014-15

• Walking into the Athletic Director’s Office, the first thing that one will notice is the air. The room is full of an air of accomplishment, a palpable energy that is given off by the trophies that line the edging of the room, the newspaper clippings plastered on every inch of the walls, and the photos of athletes, both present and past, dotting the room on desks, walls, filing cabinets, and shelves.

Kate Knab! – Rookie!!

• Early August is when it starts, the betrayal of back-to-school commercials and ads from companies we once held dear to our fashionably weary hearts. But this year the inevitable reminders of our yearly fall fate were tragically fitting as the start of the first semester began before Labor Day.