Types of News and Articles

There are many different kinds of news stories and articles and many different ways to write them both. Some stories are urgent and short. Other stories are less immediate or very long. Some stories are told from the third person and investigative. Others are told from the first and personal. The major types of news and articles include: hard news, soft news, features and Op-Eds.

Hard News

An immediate, or "breaking," story that must be published immediately. Examples include: a current or approaching natural disaster, an accident in town, a major political announcement or development, etc. Hard news stories are often short (less than 1,000 words) and are told in a very matter-of-fact way.

Soft news

A story or narrative that may not need to be published urgently. Soft news is usually about trends, on-going events, or interesting people. Soft news stories can be longer than hard news stories and are often told anecdotally.

Feature Article

An in-depth, magazine-length story (usually more than 2,000 words). Feature stories usually use a hard news event and expand on its origins, the people involved and future consequences. While a hard news story quickly answers Who, What, When, Where, and Why, a feature story gives in-depth analysis of each question.

Op-Ed

Abbreviated from opposite the editorial page (though often believed to be abbreviated from opinion-editorial), is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board. These are different from editorials, which are usually unsigned and written by editorial board members. Op-eds are so named because they are generally printed on the page opposite the editorial.

Other Types of Less Common News and Articles

Personality profile

Also called a "newsmaker," this kind of story explores a person in the news. It can also be about an interesting, but unknown person, and can be called a "human interest" story.

Backgrounder

A story providing additional information on a news event. It may accompany any type of news story and is also called a "sidebar." Sidebars are usually very short and can be in the form of a graph or timeline.

Understanding News

How does a reporter decide what to include in a story? How does an editor choose which stories to include in each day's edition of the newspaper? Reporters and editors make their decisions by weighing the news value of all the facts or stories available each day. Stories with greater news value for readers get published. Several factors help to determine the news value of information. These are called news determinants.

Traditional News Determinants

1. Timeliness

News is perishable. It loses value as it ages.

Your readers need to know now. What happened yesterday, last night, or this morning is usually more newsworthy than what happened last month or last year. A new twist, angle, discovery, or disclosure, however, will make an old story timely again. The same holds true for news of future events. The closer an event is to the publication date, the more new value it has.

2. Prominence

Politicians, actors, singers, --anyone in the public arena or public eye--are newsworthy.

The same holds true within any given community, school system, religious group etc. For World Pulse, those that are most unheard—such as children, grandmothers, and the local market woman—are prominent because we believe they need to be in the public eye. Prominence can also be determined by the facts rather than the people involved.

3. Proximity

News closer to home has more news value than that from far away.

A fire in Canada is less newsworthy than a fire in Kathmandu. However, if something happens far away but involves local people, then the news value increases because of proximity.

4. Consequence

Something that directly affects readers has more news value than something that does not.

When you are deciding how newsworthy something is, ask yourself: How many of my readers will this affect? How will this information affect my readers? Will it cost them money? Will it highlight solutions to the problem being reported? Will it provide a way for my readers to get involved and make a difference? The greater the impact of the information upon the readers, or the more readers affected by the information, the greater the news value of that information.

Ethical Journalism

There are three ethical guidelines a journalist should adhere to when interviewing a subject or writing a hard news story: always act independently, minimize harm, and be fair. Adhering to these guidelines can help ensure that your reporting is fair, unbiased, and accurate.

1. Always Act Independently

• Never allow anyone to influence you or steer your coverage of an issue in any way. For example, if you find out that a local official has been involved in illegal activities when you interview him, s/he is going to do everything in his power to convince you that he has done nothing wrong. You must not be persuaded or intimidated.
• Seek out and disseminate competing perspectives without being unduly influenced by those who would use their power or position counter to the public interest.
• Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise your integrity or damage your credibility. As reporters, all we have is our credibility. Our words are our honor and our profession.

2. Minimize Harm

• Be compassionate for those affected by your actions. As a reporter, you must always know who the stakeholders are. If for example, you are writing a story about a new HIV clinic in your town, who are the stakeholders? The doctors and nurses at the clinic, the patients, the taxpayers that paid for the facility.
• Treat sources, subjects, and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect, not merely as means to your journalistic ends. The best journalists are people who can gain trust, carry on conversations, and be compassionate to all people regardless of differences.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort, but balance those negatives by choosing alternatives that maximize your goal of truthtelling. Some of the issues you will report on, like political oppression or AIDS may be uncomfortable for people to read about or talk about. But it is your job to make facts accessible to the public and encourage dialogue on all issues regardless of the topic.

3. Fairness, Fairness, Fairness

All journalists run into conflicts of interest, but the important thing is that you recognize it when it happens. Here are a few common ethical issues that reporters deal with everyday:

• Recognizing your biases and training yourself to be objective
• Misrepresenting sources
• Privacy issues versus the public’s right to know
• Anonymous sources

Remember, you are never alone in your ethical decision making process. Your fellow Correspondents, World Pulse, and The Press Institute staff are here for you. Decisions made collaboratively are always better!

Understanding Your Role as a Citizen Journalist

When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another, that’s citizen journalism.¹

Being a citizen journalist, is a huge responsibility. 50% of blog readers trust blogs as much as ‘traditional media." ² We are the new communicators of our society. More and more people learn about the world through what we write. Your job is to report on what is going on around you as accurately as possible.

Over the coming months you may end up interviewing government officials, poor farmers, and everyone in between. You will strive to tell stories fairly, interviewing and giving equal space to people with whom you personally disagree. You will write about subjects that are difficult to discuss, like AIDS and abortion. But you will write these difficult stories gracefully and simply. You will explain to the world what life is like in your community from a woman's perspective.

As a citizen journalist, your job is to seek truth and report it as fully as possible.

But we all know that the truth can be relative. What I believe to be true may be different than what you believe to be true.

When reporting most news stories, your job is not to decide what is absolutely true, but rather to accurately and thoroughly gather facts, opinions, anecdotes, statistics and as many quotes as possible. Your personal feelings, opinions, and experiences do not belong in your articles, interviews or research endeavors. When you are reporting a story, acknowledge your biases and then leave your personal feelings at home.

World Pulse Frontline Journals, on the other hand, are first-person accounts from those living on the frontlines of breaking news stories. It includes elements of narrative storytelling, Op-Ed pieces, and news stories. The writer filters information through her perceptions and personal experiences, and makes the audience aware of her thoughts and feelings regarding the topic at hand.

No matter the type of news or article, you must always be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting accurate information.

As a reporter, it is your duty to inform yourself continuously.

Now that you have become a journalist, you must begin to read more, so you in turn can inform, engage, and educate the public in a clear and compelling way on significant issues. You should read local newspapers, national newspapers, and international coverage of issues that interest you as a reporter. Your job is to educate people about issues that are important to their lives. You now have access to ask questions to government officials, doctors, and citizens. You are now a source of information for thousands of people.

If you do your job well, you will give voice to the voiceless, hold the powerful accountable for their actions, and make your community a better place.

^1. PressThink.com
^2. Blogging Asia, Nov 06

Defining the Basics

The following terms are commonly used in the news and media profession.

News: Information about recent events, issues, or happenings.

Bias: To be influenced in an unfair way. Or, to use personal opinions or unconfirmed facts to sway the direction of news coverage, including reporting, research, interviewing, and writng.

Objectivity: The ability to view something without influence, feelings, or emotions.

Objectivity is the most difficult journalistic principle to achieve and maintain. But in cases of injustice or wrongdoing, opinions and emotions can be divisive. A journalist sees injustice or wrongdoing and uses the even tone of fact and truth to unite feuding factions. Above all, objectivity means recognizing your own biases and checking yourself to make sure that your biases are not entering into your interviewing, reporting or writing processes.

Ethics: Fundamental principles that define values and determines moral duty and obligation. In journalism, ethics also refers to fairness and balance – i.e. giving all sides equal voice in an article and acting honestly.

Reporting: The act of collecting facts, research, interviews, and details that will be used to write a news article.

News Coverage: Refers to all of the stories and articles of news that journalists report and write about.

Newsworthy: Something that is sufficiently interesting or important to be written about in a newspaper. In order to be considered newsworthy, articles must meet certain qualifications based on location, timeliness, prominence, consequence, and human interest. (See News Determinants)

Plagiarism: Taking someone else’s writing, ideas, or quotes and passing them off as one’s own without giving credit to the original source. Other major journalistic ethical violations include: Piping Quotes – making up quotes, or attributing quotes to a person who never said the quote’s contents.

Accuracy: To represent facts and quotations exactly as they were presented to us by sources. Accuracy refers to every detail, quote, and fact in a news story.

Sources: A person or document that provides information to a reporter. Sources can be on the record, off the record, or anonymous.

Anonymous Sources: A person who shares information with a reporter but fears retribution or their safety so agrees to speak without the reporter using his or her name. Anonymity should only be used in serious circumstances and when there are no other options for gaining the information.

Credibility: The quality of being trustworthy or believable.

The right to know: Refers to the idea that access to information is a fundamental human right.

Privacy: The right to know is balanced by the idea that people also have a right to their privacy. Privacy refers to anything that will not benefit the public good by airing.

Interviewing: The act of asking questions and recording the answers given by sources during the reporting process.

Attribution: Giving proper credit to a person or document where a reporter obtained facts or quotations. In journalism, attribution takes specific forms such as quotations marks, or phrases like “according to.”

Information: A collection of facts acquired through study and experience. In journalism, information refers to facts and knowledge arrived at through the reporting process.

Fairness: The ability to make judgments free from discrimination or dishonesty. In journalism, fairness also refers to balance, which means allowing all sides equal voice. Fairness is also deeply intertwined with objectivity. Fairness is the ability to ignore your own biases and the ones of those around you in order to filter through information in the most honest way possible.

Conflict of Interest: Refers to a situation where a person has competing interests. In journalism conflict of interest most often refers to journalists who have additional affiliations that could skew the angle of their coverage; or refers to sources or subject of news stories who have conflicts of interests between their personal and professional or professional and financial dealings.

Independence: Freedom from the control or influence of others. In journalism, independence refers to keeping a professional distance from sources and officials that may try to influence or intimidate your news coverage.

Influence: To have the power or authority to mold or give direction. In journalism the word influence has both positive and negative connotations. It can refer to the positive effects of strong journalism, i.e. influencing the people to take action or understand an issue. It can also refer to sources or officials attempting to bribe or influence journalists in order to receive favorable news coverage.

Stakeholders: Individuals, groups, or organizations that are affected by or have an interest in a particular issue. A journalist should always take stock of who the stakeholders are in each story and determine the effect the story will have on each group. That does not mean we alter coverage to benefit stakeholders, rather it is important to know what kind of effect your work will have on people in the community.

Disseminate: To circulate, spread, or cause to be widely known. To spread information.

Articles/Stories: The pieces or reporting collected and produced by journalists.

Journalism: Journalism is a discipline of collecting, verifying, reporting and analyzing information gathered regarding current events, including trends, issues and people. Those who practice journalism are known as journalists. Journalism is a profession that requires serious personal and professional discipline and adherence to a strict ethical code.

Interviewing

Interviewing is the act of asking questions and recording the answers given by sources during the reporting process.

Goals of Interviewing

Most interviews seek to achieve at least one of the following goals:

• Obtain the interview subject's knowledge about the topic/issue you are writing about
• Obtain the interview subject's opinion and/or feelings about the topic you are writing about
• Feature the interview subject's as the subject of a profile or 'newsmaker' piece (see Types of News and Articles)

The first question you should ask before conducting an interview is a question you should direct at yourself — Why am I conducting this interview? Follow up questions include, What do I need to know from this person? How will I obtain the information that I need?

Remember not all interviews are warm and fuzzy! Often you will interview people who do not want to reveal what they know. It is your job to get information from all types of sources. Sometimes it is best to be kind and soft-spoken. Other times you may need to be strong and assertive!

Most importantly, believe in yourself and your purpose and stay focused on the questions and techniques that will achieve them.

Basic Guidelines to Ensure a Successful Interview

1. Do your homework. You will be expected to have a basic knowledge of your subject. Do not show up to interview a leading activist in your community and ask her how long she has been working on a community problem — you should know this already. If you show your ignorance, you may lose credibility and risk being ridiculed. At the very least, the subject is less likely to open up to you.

2. Prepare a list of questions in advance. Know what you need to know!

3. Listen! While it is your job to ask the questions, your most important job is to listen. You should use your list of questions to stay focused and to ensure that you remember everything you need to ask. However, you must be prepared to improvise and adapt. While it makes sense to have a firm list of questions to ask, make sure you are paying attention to the person you are interviewing, so you don't miss important cues.

Read the following example of a reporter who is NOT listening.

Reporter: Let's talk about your record with gender rights here in Nepal. I'd like to discuss your goals for passing legislation regarding women's health initiatives now that you are a member of parliament.

Politician: That is a very important issues for me. I do believe that we need to improve access to health care for women, especially in rural areas. Now that I've been able to maneuver my way out of some pesky fraud and corruption allegations I plan to put women's rights at the top of my agenda.

Reporter: Ok. Next question. What is your favorite part of participating in the political process?

HOLD IT! WAIT A MINUTE! Did the politician just say that he was facing fraud and corruption allegations??? That is DEFINITELY something you NEED to follow up on! It seems that this reporter was diligently asking the questions on her list, but forgot to listen to the information her source was giving!

Remember, an interview is a conversation. It is a give and take. Be an attentive listener and the process of interviewing will become much more fulfilling.

4. Develop your own method for accurate note taking! Whether you choose to develop your own form of shorthand or to use a tape recorder, remember that you have a duty to quote your interviewees fairly and accurately.

Think of the information someone is giving you as a gift. To misquote them would be a terrible way to reciprocate this gift. Our words are a reflection of our individuality, thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Only a lazy journalist would skew or misrepresent someone's words. It is your primary job to ensure you are quoting someone accurately. Don't be afraid to ask your subject to slow down or repeat herself.

5. Finally, (and most importantly) be confident! You are a strong, brave woman. As a reporter, you have a right and a responsibility to gain information from all types of sources. Believe in yourself and the purpose of your interview and you can't lose!

Sources and Attribution

What is a source?

In journalism, a source is a person, publication, or other record or document that gives information. Examples of sources include: official records, publications or broadcasts, officials in government or business, organizations or corporations, witnesses of crime, accidents or other events, and people involved with or affected by a news event or issue. Reporters are expected to develop and cultivate sources. The more sources a reporter can count on and keep in touch with, the better her coverage and process will be.

Anonymous Sources There are certain circumstances when it is appropriate to use an anonymous source. For example, to protect the identity of a government official who is speaking to you “off the record" or to protect a person from public scrutiny (i.e. using only the first name of someone who is HIV positive) etc.

* "Off the record" means not for publication or attribution

What is attribution?

Attribution means that while someone is being interviewed, you record or write down exactly what they are saying. Then, when you sit down to write your article, you put your source's words in quotation marks in order to show that someone is talking. It is extremely important to quote someone correctly. Misquoting someone hurts your credibility and will make people less willing to talk to you in the future. Correct attribution also includes spelling a source's name correctly!

1. Direct Quotes

A Direct Quote lets readers know EXACTLY what your source said when you interviewed him/her. In order to show readers that you are using a direct quote, put your sources words in quotation marks.

For Example: “I am running for governor,” he announced yesterday.
The quotation marks tell your readers exactly which words were your sources and which words were yours.

Notice that a quotation mark goes at the beginning and the end of the direct quote. After the quote it is important to say who said the words inside the quotation marks.

For Example: “I believe that women have the right to equal pay for equal work,” Manju Bhatta said.

*Remember that in English we use "quotation marks" to indicate your sources exact words, although your language may not use them similarly or at all.

2. Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means putting the ideas of another person into your own words.

3. Quoting from a document

Quoting from a document is a kind of paraphrasing. Journalists use documents all of the time. A document is also considered to be a source. Documents can tell us things that people can’t or won’t. (Examples include: financial information about a person or organization, school transcripts, election information etc.). A journalist’s job is to sum up the information on a document in a clear and concise way. Only when quoting from a document should students use the words “According to.”

Finding Your Angle

The main idea of a news story and lead is called the "angle." It is also referred to in newsrooms as the "hook," because the angle is used to grab, or hook, the reader's attention to make him or her want to read the rest of the story.

Simply, an angle is the main point, which the rest of the story will try to support. The angle is your thesis.

Finding the angle of a news story forces a news writer to be critical of a story idea and of the reporting. A news writer will discover that if there's no angle in an idea or in the facts that have been gathered, the result is often a dull and pointless story.

Finding your angle is not always easy. It means being picky about your facts and your topics. The first step to finding your angle is to narrow down your topic. A reporter can’t set out to write, in one story, [everything we currently know or believe] about AIDS, for example. Rather, you are looking for one aspect of AIDS to write about. Similarly, you can’t write about political oppression as a single, large, abstract topic. You have to find a character or a specific situation that will illustrate a larger point that you may be trying to

Sitting down to Write

When you sit down to write, your lead and subsequently your angle will likely be the first thing you focus on. Writing the lead and determining your angle involve making some difficult decisions. A news writer must sort through the facts that were gathered from the reporting and decide what the theme is. There may be several different themes, but the writer must clearly set out in the lead what the central theme of the story will be.

Then you must consider what form your story will take. Do your topic, theme, and angle warrant a longer, feature-type article? Or are the facts straightforward enough that a 500-word hard-news story will get the job done? In order to decide, consider the following criteria: S.I.N. = significant, interesting, new.

Reporters should look for any of those three things from their research and interviews, and from this, they will be able to find a compelling angle for their lead. Then, the only way to really understand leads and angles is to try writing one. News writing is like learning to play a musical instrument—the more you practice, the easier it gets and the better you become.

Sources

Cultivating sources is the most important part of being a successful journalist. Whenever you are out reporting, it is important to be professional. (Distribute business cards and press passes!) By introducing yourself, conducting thorough and professional interviews, and leaving a source your business card, you are telling that source that you are trustworthy and a good person to call in the future when other news stories or ideas come up.

Where do we find sources?

As we learned in Chapter One, a source is anyone who, or anything that, provides you with information that you can use in your story. Sources can be government officials, farmers, restaurant owners, documents, court testimonies.

Credibility
Who a source is, is almost as important as what he or she has to say. A source with a criminal record, or someone with a reputation in the community as an alcoholic or swindler, may have a lot to offer your story, but remember that your sources’ credibility is linked with your own. There is no rule that says you have to use quotations from every person you interview.

Where to Look for News

There is no exact formula that dictates how a Correspondent should find the stories that she writes. We recommend using a combination of personal contacts, events, following the news, and honing into an issue area to develop stories.

Using Personal Contacts

A reporter should avoid interviewing or writing about close personal friends or associates. It is considered poor journalistic form because bias is inherent in dealing with friends. However, one of your best tools as a journalist is your relationships within the community. Sometimes while you are talking to a neighbor or with your husband and his work colleagues, you may pick up on a potential story idea. There is nothing wrong with that.

The catch is that your husband and your neighbor SHOULD NOT be sources in your story. You will have to take the information you have learned and find other sources and documents that can tell you the complete story.

Steps to developing a story from a personal contact:

• Find other sources who can talk about an issue, such as nurses, doctors, people who work in clinics.
• Look for supporting statistics—how common is this problem?
• Find out the history of the problem, if relevant. What are current laws and political viewpoints?

Finding at least three sources, as well as background information and statistics about an issue, is a great way to begin developing a story you first heard about from a personal contact.

Following the News

Now that you are a journalist, it is important that you stay up on the news. Once you determine what issues you are interested in, you should follow any political or international developments that could have an impact on life in your community and country. For example: If you are interested in writing about HIV/AIDS and you read a story from a newspaper in the U.S. that says International aid from the U.S. government for AIDS clinics in your country is going to decrease by $10 million/per year for the next five years, what should you do?

Attending Events

Attending political, cultural, and any other type of event is a great way to find stories. Sometimes the event itself can be the story; it can be a great lead-in to a related or more in-depth story, or may allow you the opportunity to meet new and interesting people in the community.

For example, if a group of local teachers is having a protest or demonstration in the street, you should use the opportunity to meet and interview teachers, get an idea of the issues they are protesting, collect a lot of opinions. Take notes about the color and the details of the events—are they holding signs? If so, what do they say? What do they look like? How many protestors are there? Where are they? How long have they been there?

Then, after the event, review your notes and interviews and decide if the underlying issue of the event—the teachers’ demands—is worthy of writing about. If you decide to pursue the story, only about half of your reporting work is done. You’ve collected the opinions and information of half of the debate; now you must seek out the other side—local government, the union they were protesting, or any other parties named in their grievances. Review and use Chapter One concepts: fairness, balance.

Honing in on an Issue Area

Issues that have impacted our lives, our family, and our communities often provide the most fertile ground for news stories.

Details

Details are the key to making your stories unique and keeping a dedicated readership. When you are out reporting, it is your job not only to gather facts, quotations, and information, but details as well.

If you are interviewing a person who is important in local politics, don’t just quote him or her, describe this person for your readers. Where is the individual? What is he or she doing and wearing? Is the person yawning a lot? Smoking, drinking coffee? What color is the individual’s shirt and does that say anything about him or her (e.g., neon orange versus brown plaid)?

When you are describing a scene or an event, do your best to take down details small and large. How many people are at the event? What is the weather like? Is there a smell in the air? A sound?

Details are especially important when using narrative or anecdotal leads, or when you are trying to pull your reader into a scene or situation you are describing.

But, beware of using too many details. If what a person is wearing or how she is sitting is not relevant to her character or your story, leave it out. Choose only those details that advance the story you are telling.

Practice Makes Perfect

The next time you write in your journal, help us imagine your setting by describing your surroundings in two full sentences.

The Lead

In a single paragraph, a lead summarizes the basic facts of a story and conveys to a reader what you learned in your reporting. A lead must be more than just an opening to your story. The lead must also catch the readers’ attention and persuade them to read your story.

That makes the lead the hardest part of a news story to write. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to tell you how to write a perfect lead. Leads are different for every single story.

The structure of a hard news story is often referred to as the "inverted pyramid." That is because the main, and most important, point is contained in the first paragraph. The rest of the story contains elements of increasingly lesser importance as the reader nears the end of the story.

The inverted pyramid arose during the era of movable lead type. It allowed editors and composers, who laid out columns of typeset stories, to trim a story quickly at the last minute from the bottom up.

There six different types of lead: Summary, Narrative, Contrast, Statacco, Question, and Quote

Summary Leads

Remember the Journalistic Heuristic? A good lead paragraph will answer all 5 W’s and will automatically summarize the story. This is called a summary lead and it is the most common type of lead used in hard news stories.

Example:

Two police men (WHO) were killed in a gun fight (WHAT) that broke out yesterday (WHEN) in a local bank (WHERE) during an armed robbery (WHY).

Narrative Leads

Narrative leads, also called anecdotal leads, are most popular on feature and non-breaking news stories. This lead is used to add colorful detail and set the scene for a story. The purpose of using a narrative lead is to cause readers to feel like they are in the middle of the action of the story.

Example: Source, SFweekly.com, Hegranes, Cristi/Archive

Anju vividly remembered the day her father sold her.

She was 13. It was during the rainy season of 1999. Two men came to her village in the eastern hills of Nepal. They said they would give her work in Kathmandu.

But she was never taken to the capital. Reeta said she was trafficked across the border to India, where she was forced to work as a prostitute in the red-light district of Mumbai for four years.

When she arrived in Mumbai, India's most populous city, Anju was a beautiful girl with smooth, rich brown skin, large round chocolate eyes, and long black hair. She was popular with the brothel's clients.

But by the time she turned 17, she was thin and frail. The daily routine of having sex with three or more men had withered her. Some of the sex acts were violent, and few customers used condoms. Soon her skin became discolored, pale. And her face appeared lopsided. (In 2001, a client shattered Anju's left cheekbone. It never healed properly.)

Still, despite her diminished appearance, she continued to receive at least one client each day, though she had become too old for many of the clients' liking and she was sick much of the time.

Anju finally left the brothel in late 2003 when she became too sick and unattractive to make the owners a profit. It took her nearly three weeks to complete the long journey back to her village.

Contrast Leads

Contrast leads compare or contrast one person or thing with another. The contrast lead is usually several short paragraphs. It is used to tell the reader the way something was and the way it is now.

Example: This lead was used in article that appeared in The Daily Oklahoman the day after the bombing in 1995.

Oklahoma City will never be the same.
This is a place, after all, where terrorists don’t venture. Car bombs don’t kill children here.
But Wednesday changed everything.

Staccato Leads

Staccato leads are made up of a short burst of phrases that lure readers into a story by setting the story with tempting details. It is a dramatic way of introducing the topic of the feature article. When writing a staccato lead, it is important to follow the quick details with concrete information that tells readers what the story is about.

Example: Source, World Pulse, Voices of Our Future, By Busayo

You dare not take a stroll in a lonely place, work alone in your office at night, or read in a quiet place on your campus. As a mother, you must not entrust your girl child into the care of any man. This is the ordeal of women and girls all over the world and the reason why Dr Toyin Mejiuni; a female activist and lecturer with two others felt the need to put in place an institutional organization that could better help victims of sexual violence. Women Against Rape, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Exploitation (WARSHE).

Question Leads

Question leads use one question or a series of questions related to the main topic of the article to arouse the readers’ interest in the story. When using a question lead, answer your own questions quickly and don’t leave readers guessing for too long.

Example:

Is war with Iran inevitable? The question has been on the minds of millions for weeks.

Quote Leads

Quote leads allow the central figure in an article to begin a story by talking directly to the reader. The quotation used in a lead should be powerful and adequately set the stage for the story. World Pulse often uses quote leads in its stories.

Example:

"I will resign my post effective immediately," declared Manju Ghimire, of the India parliament yesterday. Accusations of fraud and conspiracy have surrouned her for weeks and her resignation was seen as inevitable by pundits and colleagues alike.

The Nut Graph

The Nut Graph is the “so what” paragraph. No matter the type or style of lead you use, every story must have a nut graph. This paragraph gives a story its significance. The Nut Graph should be placed as near to the beginning of the story as possible, usually by the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th paragraph. The nut graph spells out the theme or sub-themes in greater detail.

The story then proceeds with sections that explore the theme and sub-themes in more detail, and in order.

Example of a narrative lead and nut graph: Source, Press Institute, Tara Bhattarai, Nepal

An Open Secret

Enabled by a booming sex trade, an open border with India, and weak enforcement from government, more than 200,000 Nepali women are trafficked and sold into sex work every year. But even in the face of a new anti-trafficking law, trafficking networks have become more sophisticated and much of the population here views the problem as commonplace. BY TARA BHATTARAI

KATHMANDU, NEPAL -- (narrative lead) "Be alert! You might be sold and your life ruined," warns a poster hanging on the wall of Maiti Nepal, one of seven nongovernmental organizations here working to prevent human trafficking and providing rescue and rehabilitation services to women and girls who have been trafficked and sold into prostitution.

This big and bright room at the center of the Maiti Nepal offices is adorned with posters, pictures and slogans that aim to build awareness about the unrelenting problem of female sex trafficking in Nepal. Today, there are tables and chairs set up on the right side of the room where two information officers busily provide information to the center's many visitors. In the opposite corner a large bookshelf is neatly packed with books, most about the horrors human trafficking. A ceiling fan was whirls incessantly, throwing cool air throughout the room.

Geeta Tamang, 24, a petite woman with a round face, almond shaped eyes and a wide smile entered the room with a tray of tea for the visitors. Tamang has lived and worked at Maiti Nepal since 1997 when she was rescued from a brothel in the Indian city of Pune.

Tamang, who is from Nuwakot, a neighboring district of Kathmandu, was sold into the sex trade when she was ten years old. She was forced to work as a prostitute for more than four years before a team of investigators from Maiti Nepal rescued her.

From the start, Tamang led a troubled life, but she says she never dreamed she would end up in a brothel.

Tamang was the only child born to a blind mother and an ailing father, who died when she was 3 years old. Poverty and her mother's condition left Tamang to bear the responsibility of providing for her family. She says as a small child she used to work as a daily wage laborer in her village. Neighbors employed her with petty tasks like fetching grass for cattle, firewood, water and other household chores. For this, she was paid with rice and other daily essentials.

When Tamang was ten, her mothers' sister, Laxmi, visited the village. Laxmi told the young Tamang that little girls shouldn't have to work so hard. She assured the 10-year-old that she could work less and earn better wages in Kathmandu. Tamang says she was thrilled by the idea of living the city life. She fantasized about riding buses and she hoped her aunt would buy her fancy clothes and give her with food and shelter. Tamang says her mother also hoped for more for her daughter, so she sent her with her aunt, hoping she would have a chance at a better life.

With excitement, Tamang says she followed Laxmi to Kathmandu. "But my aunt tricked me," she said. "She sold me to a brothel in India."

"My aunt said, we would reach Kathmandu after a few days. But on the fourth day, I was taken into the brothel," she recalled. Her body swelled with emotion as she recalled her first days in the Indian brothel. " I trusted her blindly thinking she is my kith and kin but she ruined my life by selling me there," Tamang said.

(nut graph) Every year, thousands young Nepali girls, like Tamang, are lured and sold into brothels in Bombay, Calcutta, Pune and other Indian cities. A report published by a local non-governmental organization that works against women trafficking, ABC Nepal, reported in 2003 that there are as many as 200,000 Nepali women trafficked in India and forced into the sex trade every year. A 2007 report of Child Workers in the Nepal Concern Center, (CWIN), reported that the number of young girls, between the ages of 10 and 16, trafficked into the Indian sex trade can number as many as 7,000 annually. The three open crossing points along the southern border of Nepal coupled with India's booming sex trade, it is no wonder that at least half of the 200,000 women trafficked out of Nepal end up in Bombay alone. The other half ends up in other major Indian cities. According to an article published in the August-September 2005 issue of the reputed Nepali magazine Himal, the demand for Nepali women is high in brothels in India as clients are said to favor their fair complexion, soft nature, and unique beauty.

The Body

After the lead and the nut graph, the body of the article presents the points of a story in a logical order to the readers. In a hard news story, the body supports the lead and––in the inverted pyramid style––is organized so that the facts and quotes are written in descending order of importance. News stories need not be in chronological order, but they have to make sense. Chronological order is often the way to achieve that.

As you list your facts and information, include background facts and relevant quotations that you have selected to back up your nut graph. Remember to identify the speaker when using quotation marks so readers know who said something. This means asking permission to quote a source and making sure you know the correct spelling of the source's name.

After you write your lead, begin the body of the story with a brief point-form outline. An outline is a simple way to organize your thoughts. It allows you to remember all the relevant points you want to include in your story.

Elements of the Body

• Background or brief history of the person or event you are writing about.
• Quotations from sources important to the action of the story.
• Transition sentences to guide readers from point to point.

Transition Sentences

The "flow" of a story is very important. Writers don't just write a string of ideas and sub-themes one after another. They string them together by writing "transitions." Transitions come at the end of one idea and relate that thought or statement to the next idea. Transition words can make a writer's job easier and alert the reader to what is coming up. Transitions can take several forms.

• Numerical transitions: first, second, third
• By time: at 3pm, by noon, three hours later
• Geographically: in Kathmandu, outside the office building
• With words: also, but, once, meanwhile, therefore, however

The Ending

Hard news stories often end with the latest development in a story or a promise for more information when it becomes available.

Example:

A spokesperson for the Mayor’s office said the Mayor would deliver a statement about the disaster at a press conference tomorrow morning.

One of the most common and effective ways to end a story is with a quote that sums up the current sentiment or state of affairs.

Example:

While officials said they hoped protesters would clear out by morning, those on the picket lines had a different idea. “We know our rights, and we aren’t going home until this city starts respecting them,” said Amelia Clyde, 24, who has been picketing City Hall for more than 56-hours.

Purpose of an Op-ed

Purpose of an Op-Ed

An op-ed is an argument backed up by evidence. Op-eds are different from hard news in that they are not meant to be objective, nor are they expected to present both —or all— sides of an issue. However, Op-eds strive to be fair. Op-eds are also different from editorials, which are written by a newspaper’s publisher and editorial board; and they are different from regular columns, which are written by staff columnists.

To be published, an op-ed should be original, timely, well reported and well expressed. It should be of civic value, meaning it should add something to the public debate. And, of course, it must be short. In other words, op-ed writing requires discipline: the best pieces express large ideas with little ink.

Besides being short, op-eds come in many forms—satirical and earnest, entertaining and devastating, straightforward and sly—and they can employ a wide variety of tactics to get a point across. A declarative op-ed (“policy X is bad; here’s why”) is a staple of the page, relies on a straightforward argument presented in a logical progression of points, and often suggests an action that should be taken.

Sometimes op-eds will read more like personal essays—if the personal experience is used to shed light on an issue or problem of greater significance.

Humor is an effective way of getting a point across (so long as it’s funny). And sarcasm, too. In 1978, Gloria Steinam wrote her now famous hilarious and sharp essay for Ms. Magazine titled, If Men Could Menstrate.

Sometimes an op-ed can be a call to action. Writing in the Los Angeles Times in 2003, Susan Estrich challenged the newspaper’s editor to do something about the dearth of women writers on the op-ed page—and sparked a debate that played out over months on the op-ed pages of almost every other national newspaper.

Sometimes an op-ed can call a leader to task. In an op-ed for the Financial Times, Priya Satia calls on US President, Barack Obama, to end drone air air attacks on Pakistan, which under his leadership intensified in the first four months of 2009.

Meanwhile, some op-eds will take a stab at deciphering social and cultural trends, offering insight on, for example, the history, mythology, or economy that drives or underlies them.

All content in this chapter are Copyright by The OpEd Project. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of The OpEd Project, is strictly prohibited.

How to Structure Your Op-ed

How to Structure Your Op-Ed

Op-eds don’t have to follow any one structure, but it helps to know what formats typically work well. Below are a few tips on structure. This is not a formula; just one way of approaching the form.

• An op-ed usually begins with an attention-grabbing lede (earlier in this program referred to as a "lead." It is spelled this way for old type-setting reasons!), which can be as short as a few words, or as long as several paragraphs – but remember, an op-ed is short, so the lede usually is, too.
• The lede is often built around a news hook, such as a newsworthy event, an ongoing event, concern, or topic that is currently in the news, newly released data, or an upcoming anniversary.
• Your thesis—that is, a statement of your opinion or argument—usually comes next. It can be explicit or implicit.
• Following the lede, you’ll present evidence to back up your opinion or argument—this should be the bulk of your op-ed. Your “evidence” might include statistics, expert quotes, personal experience or anecdotes, and citations of scholarly works.
• A “to be sure” paragraph often appears right before your conclusion—here’s where you can directly address the obvious counter-arguments to your position. You can do this either by acknowledging their validity, or by explaining why you think they don’t hold water.
• A conclusion should wrap up what you’ve said, and send your reader forward: what should be done about a problem? Or how should we change our thinking? Often a conclusion will refer back to the op-eds lede (“book-ending” your piece).

All content in this chapter are Copyright by The OpEd Project. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of The OpEd Project, is strictly prohibited.

How to Pitch Your Op-ed

How to Pitch Your Op-ed

Having a good idea and expressing it well isn’t enough. In order to be a successful – that is, published – op-ed writer, you need to know how to pitch. The essence of a good pitch is deceptively simple: you need to tell your editor (or future editor) enough about an idea to be interested, but not enough to overwhelm, bore, distract or otherwise discourage him from responding to your query. For the op-ed page, a pitch is usually short —like op-eds themselves and you will have better odds of success if you send the finished op-ed along with your pitch. Magazine features, on the other hand, you may pitch an idea you haven’t yet reported or written a single word about.

Pitching is most often done by email these days, not by fax or (good lord!) snail mail. You can also pitch ideas in person, if you’re lucky enough to bump into an editor at a party – or if you have an ongoing relationship with one. The name of the game of in-person pitching is – manners! You can get away with a lot, if you’re charming; but cornering an editor at a social event can be the kiss of death. Try to imagine yourself in her/his shoes, and behave accordingly.

Essential Questions of a Good Pitch

A good pitch is short and should answer three essential questions: Why me? Why now? And, so what?

“Why me?”

Convey to your editor why you are the right person to write the piece that you are pitching. Your pitch should explain your expertise in the subject area, and give your relevant credentials. An editor most likely will not want to see your entire resume – the jobs you’ve held aren’t relevant, unless they give you a foundation in the subject matter you’re pitching. A few lines in which you sum up your experience is enough. For example, if you’re pitching a piece on peacekeeping in Darfur, you might explain that you are a former UN human rights observer who has worked overseas in various missions, and written a book about the experience. (Kenneth Cain – see MATERIALS folder for his op-ed.) Or if you want to write about plagiarism in college applications, you might write that you’re a recent college graduate who has first hand job experience with an online company that is part of an organized cheating scheme doing exactly that (Bess Kargman – see MATERIALS folder for her op-ed). If you’re pitching a piece about women and popular culture, you might say that you’ve written a book about a fairy tale heroine that looks at ideas about women and sexuality over five centuries (that would be me, of course.)

“Why now?”

Tell your editor why a given piece is relevant and interesting at this point in time. Usually you’ll cite a news hook or anniversary. For example, a piece on race and education might be pitched on the fiftieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (in fact, many such pieces ran that year). You can also cite a trend – in “Stepford is Us!” (see my piece in the MATERIALS folder) I cited a number of television programs, statistics, and movies that suggested a peak in our fascination with plastic surgery. I gave my editor the dates of movies and television shows around which the op-ed could be published.

“So what?”

This is the most important question, in a sense. You need to be able to convey to your editor why the piece you’re proposing matters. And matters to a wide swath of people. You can’t rely on the fact that an editor will see the importance of a niche topic like, say, “Little Red Riding Hood”, or the significance of your ongoing obsession with, say, an airplane crash from 1996. You need to make clear why people should care – and what the deeper, or greater concerns are that your piece helps illuminate.

Etiquette

When you pitch an op-ed editor, you need to appreciate that they’re driven by the news. At the New York Times, for example, the op-ed page receives 1500 unsolicited pieces every week. They’re busy! You may not get an instant response. That said, you can’t wait forever to hear back from an editor. Especially if your pitch is news sensitive, you need to let an editor know that you hope to hear from them within a short period of time—anywhere from 24 hours to two weeks, depending on the urgency of the pieces (and the timeliness) and also depending on how much you’d like to publish in their paper. But after a set amount of time – let’s say two days, for the sake of this lecture – if you haven’t heard back, you’ll need to email your editor and let them know that you’ll be taking your work elsewhere. A polite way to say this is as follows: “Dear editor: I haven’t heard back from you regarding my op-ed (see below). I’d still love to publish it in your paper, but as it’s timely, if I don’t hear back from you by the end of the day, I’ll assume you’ve passed and will be submitting it elsewhere.” Note: it’s important to send this sort of email before you actually submit a piece to a new venue: most national newspapers will not consider a piece if you’ve “multiple submitted”.

Follow-up

If an editor responds to a query, you must always thank him or her – even if the response was “no thank you.” Many people think a rejection is a bad thing. In fact, a rejection is the beginning of a relationship. If you are strategic, charming and intelligent in your response, you may be able to get the editor to explain to you why the piece you submitted didn’t work for him/her. Perhaps the editor will tell you what his or her newspaper is looking for – or even, what he or she thinks you might be the perfect person to write. If an editor invites you to submit further ideas, do so, and soon. Remember, editors need writers as much as we need them – and sooner or later, if you have good ideas and express them well – and can make a connection with an editor or two – the odds will fall in your favor. And once they do – that is, once your foot is in the door – the hard part is over. It’s much easier to publish when you’ve got a published piece or two under your belt.

All content in this chapter are Copyright by The OpEd Project. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of The OpEd Project, is strictly prohibited.

Identifying Your Areas of Expertise

Identifying Your Areas of Expertise

What makes an argument powerful? What do you need to know to write persuasively -- and to get published?

To start, an op-ed works best when it’s written by the right person. By this, we mean someone who is well-qualified to write credibly and persuasively on a given subject. Someone whose opinion we trust, or at least respect. Someone who knows what she or he is talking about. In other words, an “expert.”

You Are an Expert What do you know about – a lot about? And why? Are you an expert in violence against women because you have been trained as a guidance counselor handling rape, assault, and sexual-harassment cases? Are you an expert in childbirth, because you’re a midwife who has delivered babies? Or maybe you are an expert in small business because you baked and sold pastries to put yourself through school.

Whatever you choose to claim as your expertise, be specific. If you have a pen handy, write it down. No need to summarize your life story, no need to name everything you know; just pick one thing you’re confident you know well, and write it down.

What did you write? What reasons did you give? How specific were you? Think again about the core of your expertise, and the source. What are the reasons for your knowledge? Now, keeping that source in mind, see if you can make logical connections to other topics or themes you might be qualified to write about. Can you expand on your expertise? See new angles?

To write persuasive op-eds, you need to be an expert on your topic. This should be clear to your editor and to your readers. Don’t worry—we're using the term “expert” loosely, here. You don’t necessarily need to have a fancy degree, a famous name, or an important job to be an “expert.” But you do need to know your subject very well -- well enough to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to the public conversation. You need to be able to write with authority. (Note that “author” and “authority” share the same root.)

So what makes someone an expert? Some possibilities:

• a well-reviewed book
• a PhD
• a background researching or reporting extensively on a topic
• a job experience or title
• first-hand experience

Pay close attention to the last item on that list: experience. Often, we know a lot about something simply because we were there – we’ve experienced it, or observed it, firsthand. For example, Stacy Sullivan wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about having her identity stolen (“How I Lost My Good Name,” see MATERIALS folder). Sullivan’s expertise came from her experience. We call this “citizen expertise” – or sometimes I refer to it as “experiential authority”. By that, I mean you know something valuable because you’ve been there, done it.

Another word on expertise: if you’re not already an expert on your topic of interest, you can become one. How? By doing your homework: researching and reporting. Occasionally editors will publish op-eds by ordinary people (that is, people without any special background or title) who have a good, timely idea, and research and report it very well. Remember: there’s no substitute for research and reporting—even in op-ed land. Rhetoric alone won’t work on the op-ed page. An op-ed is not just an opinion: an op-ed is an argument backed up by evidence. By extension, we might say that an expert is someone who has the evidence to make her or his argument persuasively.

All content in this chapter are Copyright by The OpEd Project. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of The OpEd Project, is strictly prohibited.

Make an Impact with an Op-Ed

Make an Impact with an Op-Ed

If Men Could Menstruate

by Gloria Steinem
Ms. Magazine, October 1978 (EXCERPT)

So what would happen if suddenly, magically, men could menstruate and women could not?

Clearly, menstruation would become an enviable, worthy, masculine event:

Men would brag about how long and how much.

Young boys would talk about it as the envied beginning of manhood. Gifts, religious ceremonies, family dinners, and stag parties would mark the day.

To prevent monthly work loss among the powerful, Congress would fund a National Institute of Dysmenorrhea. Doctors would research little about heart attacks, from which men would be hormonally protected, but everything about cramps.

Sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free. Of course, some men would still pay for the prestige of such commercial brands as Paul Newman Tampons, Muhammad Ali's Rope-a-Dope Pads, John Wayne Maxi Pads, and Joe Namath Jock Shields—"For Those Light Bachelor Days."

Statistical surveys would show that men did better in sports and won more Olympic medals during their periods.

Generals, right-wing politicians, and religious fundamentalists would cite menstruation ("men-struation") as proof that only men could serve God and country in combat ("You have to give blood to take blood"), occupy high political office ("Can women be properly fierce without a monthly cycle governed by the planet Mars?"), be priests, ministers, God Himself ("He gave this blood for our sins"), or rabbis ("Without a monthly purge of impurities, women are unclean").

Male liberals and radicals, however, would insist that women are equal, just different; and that any woman could join their ranks if only she were willing to recognize the primacy of menstrual rights ("Everything else is a single issue") or self-inflict a major wound every month ("You must give blood for the revolution").

Street guys would invent slang ("He's a three-pad man") and "give fives" on the corner with some exchange like, "Man you lookin' good!"

"Yeah, man, I'm on the rag!"

TV shows would treat the subject openly. (Happy Days: Richie and Potsie try to convince Fonzie that he is still "The Fonz," though he has missed two periods in a row. Hill Street Blues: The whole precinct hits the same cycle.) So would newspapers. (Summer Shark Scare Threatens Menstruating Men. Judge Cites Monthlies In Pardoning Rapist.) And so would movies. (Newman and Redford in Blood Brothers!)

Men would convince women that sex was more pleasurable at "that time of the month." Lesbians would be said to fear blood and therefore life itself, though all they needed was a good menstruating man.

Medical schools would limit women's entry ("they might faint at the sight of blood").

Of course, intellectuals would offer the most moral and logical arguments. Without the biological gift for measuring the cycles of the moon and planets, how could a woman master any discipline that demanded a sense of time, space, mathematics-- or the ability to measure anything at all? In philosophy and religion, how could women compensate for being disconnected from the rhythm of the universe? Or for their lack of symbolic death and resurrection every month?

Menopause would be celebrated as a positive event, the symbol that men had accumulated enough years of cyclical wisdom to need no more.

Liberal males in every field would try to be kind. The fact that "these people" have no gift for measuring life, the liberals would explain, should be punishment enough.

And how would women be trained to react? One can imagine right-wing women agreeing to all these arguments with a staunch and smiling masochism. ("The ERA would force housewives to wound themselves every month": Phyllis Schlafly)

In short, we would discover, as we should already, that logic is in the eye of the logician. (For instance, here's an idea for theorists and logicians: if women are supposed to be less rational and more emotional at the beginning of our menstrual cycle when the female hormone is at its lowest level, then why isn't it logical to say that, in those few days, women behave the most like the way men behave all month long? I leave further improvisation up to you.)

The truth is that, if men could menstruate, the power justifications would go on and on.

If we let them.

Why Write Op-eds?

Most of us are engaged in this conversation about opinion writing because we care about an issue or idea and we want to communicate it to others. We’re moved or shocked by something that fascinates or compels us and we want to change minds, and change the world. We want to make an impact. How do we do that?

By getting read.

The goal of writing an op-ed is to be read and make an impact. The best way to explore how to do this is by example. What are the arguments have had the greatest influence on you, in your life – and why? What op-eds, or essays, have swayed the world?

Steinam's essay is an example of effective persuasion. Many people made the arguments that Steinem made for women’s rights, but very few made those arguments as effectively as she did. Why was she so convincing? What makes her words so powerful?

First, what are the two big stereotypes of feminism from the 1970s? Humorless and man hating. But, how does Steinem’s essay jive with those accusations?

Second, what is her evidence, and how does she build it? Note that sometimes making a case for the opposite thing you are arguing for – and driving it to its most ridiculous conclusion - can be more effective than making a straightforward case for your cause.

Also, Steinem’s taboo subject matter (menstruation) captures our attention; and at the same time, her choice of using menstruation – something that all women do or have done at some point in time – is very inclusive. All are very effective tools.

But, what is she really talking about? Her subject is not menstruation, of course; she’s merely chosen this as a vehicle for talking about… power and patriarchy. Back then, people accused feminism of being a movement for white middle and upper class women – so her choice of topic/vehicle was effective in that it addressed and included all women. How would her piece have been different if she had chosen, say, college admissions, or ‘work-life balance’ as her point of entry into the discussion of patriarchy?

IAll content in this chapter are Copyright by The OpEd Project. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of The OpEd Project, is strictly prohibited.

Structure of a Feature Story

While a hard news story quickly answers Who, What, When, Where, and Why, a feature story give in-depth analysis of each question.

Structure of a Feature Story

1. Narrative lead

Feature stories typically begin with a narrative lead that tells a short, concise story of an individual or group that illustrates the problem or issue you are writing about. The subject of your narrative lead should be tightly focused and be directly relevant to your angle. Use plenty of descriptive language and quotes from one or more persons directly involved in the narrative. Remember, the lead is the most important part of the story. It must grab the reader's attention and make them want to continue reading.

2. Nut Graph

After the narrative lead, the reader will be expecting you to put this narrative into context of a larger issue. Remember the nut graph we learned about in Month 2? Now is the time to use it!

The Nut Graph is the “so what” paragraph. No matter the type or style of lead you use, every story must have a nut graph. This paragraph gives a story its significance (Remember the news determinants – timeliness, prominence etc.?) The nut graph spells out the theme or sub-themes in greater detail. The story then proceeds with sections that explore the theme and sub-theme in more detail, and in order.

For example, if you are writing about discrimination against people who are HIV+ in your community, your narrative lead would tell the story of one such individual -- who is he/she? How was he/she infected? What is his/her life like now? What kind of unfair treatments are common? What kinds of hardships are faced because of medical or social discrimination?

After you introduce your subject with descriptive language and direct quotations, tell your readers more about the context of the issue in the Nut Graph.

The Nut Graph should include some statistical details of the problem and its history in your community -- what percentage of the population is HIV+? What medical services are available? What are the common social attitudes towards HIV+ people in the community? Is there are history of bias? Are there any government programs or initiatives aimed at decreasing discrimination or improving general care?

In the nut graph, give your reader of a sense of the issue in context of your community. End the nut graph section of your article by laying out the arguments or issues to be presented throughout the course of your piece. For example:

Angle: Women who are HIV+ in my community face great social discrimination.

Items in Nut Graph to be discussed in more detail in the body of the article:

The recent rise in the number of women who are HIV+ in my community

The social stigma that haunts women with AIDS more so than men

What are the root causes of this discrimination?

The social programs that are available to women with AIDS in my community?

And, some ideas for solutions in the future – educational campaigns etc.

3. The Body

After the lead and the nut graph, the body of the article takes the points of a story in a logical order and lays them out to readers. Remember, news stories do not have to be written in chronological order, but they have to make sense and chronological order is often the way to achieve that.

After you have done all of your reporting, make a list of the important facts to include, the relevant events, the best quotes, ideas for your lead and conclusion. Then decide which order will best get the points across. Sticking to a logical order will make it easier to write the story, as well as to allow you to keep track of your ideas and material. Don't jump back and forth and keep paragraphs short and simple -- one idea at a time.

As you proceed through your facts and information, be sure to include background facts and relevant quotations that you have selected to back up your nut graph. Remember that readers want to know who said something that appears in quotation marks, so you must always identify the speaker. That means you must ask permission and make sure you know how to spell a source's name correctly.

An organizational suggestion: An outline is a very simple way to help you organize your thoughts -- and allows you to remember all the great stuff you want to put in your story.

A note on Transition Sentences: The "flow" of a story is very important. Writers don't just plop down a string of ideas and sub-themes, one after another. You have to string them together, which you do by writing "transitions." Transitions come at the end of one idea and relate that thought or statement to the next idea. Transition words can make a writer's job easier and alert the reader to what is coming up. Transitions can take several forms.

Numerical Transitions: First, Second, Third etc.
By Time: at 9 a.m., by noon, three hours later etc.
Geographically: in Kathmandu, outside the office building, etc.
With Words: also, but, once, meanwhile, therefore, however, etc.

4. The Ending

Feature news stories often end by returning to the person of issue that was discussed in the narrative lead. Often a writer will return to the lead subject and give a brief update on his/her condition or relay a strong quotation from the main subject.

Ten Dos and Don'ts of Feature Writing

Five Ways to Sharpen Your Piece

1. Write about one thing.

2. Do lots of research.

3. Talk to lots of people.

4. Don't forget your nut graph!

5. Trust Yourself. You know what to write.

Five Common Mistakes That Clutter Your Work

1. Don't make grand generalizations or broad statements that are not supported by your reporting.

2. Don't choose an anecdote or scene for your narrative lead that has nothing to do with the main point of your story. The lead should exemplify your angle and attach personal significance to it by telling the story of a real person.

3. Don't rely on other previously published material to make your arguments or tell your story. We want YOUR perspective!

4. Don't editorialize. There is a big difference between an op-ed and a feature story. Feature stories should not carry the opinion of the writer and should not be written in the first person.

5. Don't use clichés in your writing.