News Reporting & WritingOff/On Record -- Writing Features

On & off the record“for attribution”

Name can be used

“not for attribution”

No name, but possibly affiliation

“on background”

“off the record”

Identifying sourcesAlways strive to quote sources by name

If that fails, include as much identifying detail as needed for the reader to be able to judge the validity of the information provided by that source

Must have detail that shows the reader why or how the source knows the information

Direct vs. indirect knowledge

Anonymous sourcesAlways ask why a source insists on anonymity

Does he/she have an ulterior motive?

If you have to use anonymous sources, you should get more than one.

Anonymous sources – 2

You must always know the real name of all sources you use, as well as other identifying detail, even if the source is “anonymous” in your story

Be prepared to provide this information to your editor if necessary

Set interview ground rules

Make sure you and your source agree ahead of the interview on attribution

Agree on what is “on” and “off” the record

And make sure you both have the same definition of “on” and “off” the record!

Finding human sources

• The hard way – look around, ask on the street, get lucky

• The easy way – talk to people who work/know the kinds of people you want to feature; have them introduce you

• Talk to NGOs, government agencies, public advocates for the issue you want to explore

The Ken Wells theory

SOURCE: KEN WELLS, FORMER PAGE-ONE EDITOR FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“THERE ARE ONLY TWO KINDS OF STORIES:

THE ‘NO SHIT’ STORY AND THE ‘HOLY SHIT’ STORY”

The “no shit” feature

Tells readers something they already know

Spouts conventional wisdom

Belabors the obvious

“There’s violence and drug-related crime in the inner cities of the U.S.”

The “Holy shit” featureSurprises

Teaches

Might even vex or disturb

But never bores

“Gang members who’ve been shot get tricked-out wheelchairs with gold wheels and custom spokes.”

Feature ideas

Is it timely?

Is it relevant?

Will it stand the test of time?

Will it make a difference?

Does it serve multiple purposes?

Feature ledes

Hard-news lede

News/feature hybrid“Customs inspectors spent hours crawling over a 165-meter Maltese-registered tanker in Amsterdam last year. They came away appalled.”

Question lede“What imperils the world most?”

Scene-setting lede“With his suitcase and checkbook in hand, Ted Teng ventured off to the far corners of Asia to do some serious shopping”

Reporting features

Savor the atmosphere

Infusing stories with a sense of people and place is important

Be creative about settings for interviews

Ask to shadow your source for an afternoon

Interview everybody, not just the smart people

Writing features

Throw out trite, trendy phrases for a simple word

Don’t hype – understate

Don’t give away everything at once

Rewrite, refine & shorten constantly

Omit needless words

Show, don’t tell – give an example

General tips for featuresSuccess breeds success

If you write good, hard-hitting stories on your beat, the people who hate the people you write about will contact you

Indirect sourcing can pay off

If you can’t get directly to the people with the info you need, find out who might know them

A good feature writer is always on the jobWriters are people on whom nothing is lost

Keep your “string”

Read everything: history books, guide books, blogs, local Web sites

You never know where your next story idea will come from

Always practice your interviewing skills

Charting trends

• Readers and editors are trend happy

• Get ‘before’ and ‘after’ stats to chart rate of increase, rate of decrease, speed of change

• Beware of “One, two – Trend!”

• Still, the Rule of Threes (give three examples to support point) is a valid rule