The Feature Story Deconstructed

Part I

What’s the difference between a news story and a feature story?

If this is the news…Malaysian officials say plane plunged

into Indian Ocean; no hope for survivors.

This is a follow up feature…Chinese protestors demand satellite data used to conclude that flight 370 crashed in Indian Ocean

Ocean”

Another follow-up feature

Family of Texas man on flight 370 comes to grips with loss

If this is the news…

Deadly mudslide in Washington state kills 14

This is a follow-up feature…Where mudslides occur and is

your community at risk

Next-day, Follow-up, Second-Day, News Feature

Stories• A story that follows a news story.

• Doesn’t have to be exactly the next day.

• Often look at the “why”

• It can be a profile, news feature, trend article, op-ed, graphic, etc.

Key: we need to CARE about the news story to deserve a follow up:

• Timeliness

• Impact

• Conflict

• Proximity

• Novelty

• Prominence

• Engagement

• Solutions

Some stories spark many, many follow ups:

“Michael Jackson

has died”

The Follow-up Story

• Michael’s kids:What’s in store for them?

• Who’s Your Daddy?• Michael Jackson’s

Top 10 Hits• How to do the

moonwalk• The day I met Michael

Follow up stories can be very creative—and fun…..

College basketball 2014: March Madness begins!

March “Mathness!”http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactive

s/march-madness-predictions/

NY Times video “minute”http://www.nytimes.com/video/multimed

ia/100000002778116/times-minute-march-madness-trivia.html

Hurricane Sandy Pummels East Coast—what were the follow

ups?

New Study Released: Hispanic College Enrollment Up

Nationwide – follow ups?

CCNY students protest closing of Morales/Shakur Center

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher expecting first child

MTA reports subway ridership highest since 1949

Assignment:due Thursday 3/27/2014

Find two RECENT hard news stories from a newspaper or news website. (New York Times, Daily News, cnn.com, msnbc, NY1, yahoo.com news) Jot down the headline, summarize the who, what, when, where of the news story.

Think of three second-day or follow-up stories that relate to each of your news stories. (6 ideas total) Describe your ideas in two or three sentences; no more. Please type, double-space, include your name.

Your ideas must be based on hard news and facts; don’t make up stuff!

Each of you will discuss one story and your ideas in class then turn in assignment.

Linda VillarosaNews and Follow Up AssignmentIntroduction to JournalismMarch 27, 2014 (you will do 2 of these; total: 6 follow up ideas) News Story: Box office report: Divergent heads straight for $56 million win

The dystopian movie Divergent easily won the top spot at the U.S. box office this weekend with an estimated $56 million in ticket sales, according to CNN.com.

Follow Up Stories

 1. An article looks at how other similar and popular teen movies—The Hunger Games Twilight films—did on their opening weekends.

2. How the rest of this weekend’s film’s did at the box office and why Divergent beat them. 3. Interview with Shailene Woodley, the star of Divergent, about how she feels about film’s popularity and what’s next for her.