“Road to Victory” Rally: Sarah Palin speaks at Elon University
By Kate Austin
10/16/08
Click here for the full slideshow of pictures from today’s rally.
Sarah Palin speaks at the rally at Latham Park, Elon University.
Palin Excites Crowd at Elon University
By Keegan Calligar, Kate Austin and Bryce Little
Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin spoke to a packed crowd at Elon University Thursday afternoon as part of the “Road to Victory Rally.” Palin explained why Sen. John McCain is a better candidate than Democratic nominee Sen. Barak Obama, and talked about various issues, including taxes, the economy and making special needs children a priority.
Thousands of students and supporters packed Latham Park, many arriving as early as 9 a.m. for Palin’s speech, which she delivered around 2:45 p.m.
Politicians, including Celo Faucette, a candidate for State Representative in District 63, Rick Gunn, a candidate for North Carolina Senate in District 24, Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Sen. Richard Burr all addressed the crowd before Palin’s speech.
The Wells Family Band and country star Hank Williams Jr. entertained attendees.
Williams Jr. introduced Palin after singing his song in support of the Republican campaign, ‘The McCain-Palin Tradition.’
Palin told the crowd that McCain’s political and military experiences make him more qualified for president than Obama, and also spoke about taxes and the economy.
She said that Obama would raise taxes, while McCain would not.
“It’s a choice between a candidate that will raise your taxes, and the other choice is a true leader,” she said. “John McCain is going to Washington to work for Joe the Plumber and so many of you that own small businesses.”
Palin, whose infant son, Trig, has Down Syndrome, told the crowd that Americans must make special needs children a priority.
“As vice president, I am going to make sure that these families know that they have a friend and an advocate in the White House,” she said. “John and I have a vision for America where every child is cherished.”
George and Carol Joyce of Alamance County attended the rally to see Palin, whom they have supported since she accepted the vice presidential nomination, and were pleased with her performance.
“I’m a lifelong Republican, but that don’t mean I ain’t voting the other way,” George said.
Still, he will vote for Palin. “I like her ideas,” he said.
John Brown of Sioux Falls, SD, who used to live in North Carolina and is in the area visiting friends, thinks that Palin did a good job Thursday afternoon.
“I think she is a great speaker and said things that I believe in, and that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It makes me feel good about being an American, and I think she is taking us in a good direction. I am afraid that the other guys are going to take us into a socialistic republic.”
Friends of the vice presidential candidate were also in attendance. Dick Stoffel, an Alaskan Delegate and personal friend of Palin’s, cheered and waved throughout the rally.
“I think she is doing real well,” said Stoffel. “Her and John are really good fighters. The fluff is not there so much, and they will just keep on knocking. And when the people go to the polls, I think we will be a landslide. It will be a surprise.”
At least one protestor was removed during the rally. As a protestor was escorted out of the park, Palin quipped, “Maybe we need to tell security that maybe he need not go. Maybe he needs to stay and learn a little bit.”
Alyssa Vigneault, an Elon junior from Massachusetts and an Obama supporter, attended the rally to explore Republican viewpoints.
“I went into the rally because it something that I wouldn’t normally submit myself to … but it was on campus and it was people I know and it was my community, so I went to see what the other side is like,” she said.
Vigneault said that she left the rally because she felt uncomfortable.
“I walked out because I was expressing my opinions, and I was surrounded by people who were yelling and supporting her,” she said. “It was a little intimidating, honestly.”
Vigneualt said that she joined friends protesting outside of Latham Park, but was blocked by the College Republicans, a student group on campus. She said that they then contacted the police, and Smith Jackson, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, told them that they had to move to a location farther away.
“He told us to move to the other side of Lake Mary Nell because of policy, and he could not tell us what policy,” she said. “He just told us we had to move and we were in the wrong place, [and we were told that] if we did not move or give up our signs, the police would get involved.”
Palin spoke at Elon following a campaign stop in Bangor, Maine Thursday morning. Her next campaign stops include West Chester, OH and Noblesville, IN, both on Friday.
Related Links:
Crime and Court Reporting: A Closer Look
10/5/08
By Kate Austin
In the book, America’s Best Newspaper Writing, good crime writing is characterized by finding a way to “blend dramatic narrative with civic purpose.” A journalist wants to stay away from creating hype and fear in a community; Exaggerations can fuel an “irrational fear of crime,” wrote the authors.
It seems that doing the actual reporting for a crime or court story would be difficult. Sources might be difficult to find, and people involved with a crime will most likely be on edge.
Even with the fears of overstepping boundaries or involving oneself too deeply in a dangerous situation, the best crime writing is the ones that get beyond official sources to the street level where the action is.
Melvin Mencher, a journalism teacher, tells his students to “report and write against their fears…with courage and persistence.” This persistence must also be accompanied by empathy, especially in situations that are tragedies close to the hearts of those involved.
Crime Story Examples
“Stranger than Fiction”, Elizabeth Day, The Observer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/sep/16/crimebooks.features
Day writes the story in a Quentin Tarantino style; She begins with the ending and then goes back to the beginning of the story. This way, the reader can watch it all play out in order, knowing where the story ends.
It is an effective narrative that sheds light on the character, Krystian Bala, that many people would have trouble understanding. Providing an odd character sketch within the lines of the story pulls on the readers’ interests.
“Headlines and Exonerations” by Clark Hoyt
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/opinion/17pubed.html?pagewanted=1
This article not only illuminates a specific occurrence, but also touches on the act of reporting on crime and court cases, which I found helpful. It said:
In reporting on a major criminal investigation, how do you balance the interests of the public in knowing as much as possible with the rights of individuals who come under suspicion, especially when the information comes from sources — often anonymous — whose motives aren’t clear?
Although the article does not answer this specific question, asking the question calls to mind the ethics and difficulties in reporting on cases such as these. Nicholas D. Kristof, a Times Op-Ed columnist, says that “the collision of the public interest in information with the private interest in privacy [is] enormously difficult to resolve, with no good solution.”
That is one’s job, as the journalist, to weigh different aspects to produce a story that will be in favor of the public good.
Journalist used in America’s Best Newspaper Writing
I found Cathy Frye, of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, to have the most enticing crime reporting of all that I had read, so I will focus on the other installments of the “Caught in the Web” story that won an ASNE award in 2004 for Distinguished Non-Deadline writing.
http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?id=5588#entryway
I found that the articles of the four-article series of “Caught in the Web” were effective, yet incomplete without all four articles. Frye has amazing narrative abilities, but the articles ended very abruptly.
I suppose the articles, published one a day for four consecutive days, kept the readers wanting more.
The second installment does a great job of briefly recapping what a reader may have missed from the day before, and continues on to give a bit more background on Kacie, the victim, and her life.
The story flows pretty much in chronological order, helping the reader to follow the story with no confusion.
Other ASNE Award Winning Stories
In 2005, Helen O’Neill won the Distinguished Writing for Non-Deadline Writing Award for “Kidnapping Grandma Braun” about an eighty-eight-year-old woman who went missing.
Informal polling of Elon University community shows Biden is in the lead following the debate
By Kate Austin
10/3/2008
An informal survey of Elon students, faculty and staff the day after the vice presidential candidates’ debate found that Biden was victorious. The survey was conducted by 18 students in a Reporting course who gathered a convenience sample, polling Elon individuals in person, by phone and online between 10:50 and 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joseph Biden met to debate the position of their presidential counterparts on issues involving the economy, energy and conflict in the Middle East.
After polling 230 Elon University students, faculty and staff, the students found that 85 people thought that Biden had been victorious in last night’s debate.
Matt Lewis, instructional designer at the university said, “It seemed like [Biden] had more specific examples of what he was talking about. He could pull from his experience…I felt like [Palin] just didn’t have the knowledge that Biden did.”
Kelly McCarthy, a senior who works for the Obama campaign, warned that she would be biased because of her position but felt strongly that Biden had won because he “actually argued the points, unlike Palin.”
“He was very organized; he explained everything he thought, and he had policies – straight-up policies,” she said.
The people polled that chose Palin as the winner thought that she appealed to the people more on a personal level.
Ali Armstrong, a sophomore, said, “She spoke to the people and was just herself…she wasn’t trying to be anyone that she thought the people wanted. She was just herself.”
Twenty-seven people polled thought that the vice presidential debate had ended in a tie, and 65 either did not tune in or did not want to respond.
ALTER SAYS THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION IS IN THE YOUTH’S HANDS
9/29/08
By Kate Austin
Jonathan Alter, a nationally recognized columnist for Newsweek and a contributing correspondent to NBC News, predicts that this year the election is “hinged on the youth vote.” The younger generations, according to Alter, are engaged as never before; the 2008 election rests on how engaged the youth really is.
Speaking to students at a question-and-answer session at Elon University this afternoon he said, “If you’re only a little more engaged, McCain will be the victor. If a much larger percentage of you vote than have in the past, Obama will win.”
Jonathan Alter pauses to listen during a question and answer session at Elon University.
The elements that make this election different from past elections are many; the effects of Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 have made the younger generation develop an appreciation for the issues in this country. Students are realizing that it actually matters who the next president is, he said.
Another factor is the multitude of technological ways to gather and share information. User generated content plays a large part in the issues and topics of discussion in America today.
Although many user-generated comments are in regard to distractions and gossip regarding the candidates (Palin’s pregnant teen daughter, for instance), it is now close enough to the election that people are beginning to delve into the larger issues at hand.
But is one of those issues, for many, the excitement of having a female hold the office of Vice President? Alter’s response to this is that although polling data after the Republican Convention showed a huge shift in high school educated women voters, it is the job of voters to assess whether or not Palin has the knowledge for the position.
As Alter pointed out, knowledge is a very different thing from experience. If one holds “great confidence in views without deep understanding, [they] will head into trouble,” he said, ending the statement with the equation, “certitude plus ignorance equals disaster.”
Alter says it is the job of voters to assess whether or not Palin has the knowledge for the position of vice president in Whitley Auditorium on September 29, 2008.
All biases and affiliations aside, Alter said that we need one thing from our next president. “I think that the most important requirement at this time in our history is the candidate must be the one that will best restore America’s leadership in the world.”
He illuminated the fact that all of America’s other problems are international problems. “If you can’t get everyone to help, there’s no way to solve these problems,” he said.
Jonathan Alter was scheduled to speak later this evening in McCrary Theater.
Musical Theater Collage 2008
Each year, the Musical Theater department of Elon University presents a performance filled with songs selected from various musicals. Every class participates and comes together to show the audience exactly why Elon is so musically noted.
Click here to see a slideshow of images from the Musical Theater Collage 2008
Deadline Writing: a closer look
9/28/08
By Kate Austin
“Writers come to see [deadline] as ally and enemy, an inspiration to get to work and the borderline that will keep the story from becoming great. The deadline helps kick in adrenaline, the journalists’ drug of choice, the chemical that gets backsides moving toward chairs and hands moving across keyboards.”
- (America’s Best Newspaper Writing)
Writing for a deadline. There’s nothing more frustrating or more motivating. The only way to be effective and have a story ready on time is to prepare in advance. With the nature of media today, where anyone can leak a story with the tools of Youtube and other user sites, the actual reporter must be just as quick to react but with better articulation.
A skillful journalist will not only provide the news, but the meaning behind it.
Leonora LaPeter says that the key is “to write while you’re reporting.” You must be looking for your lead the minute you arrive at the scene. This involves also looking for quotes, details, the transition and the structure of the story.
Even writing the story in the car on the way back from an event is good; that is crucial time to work before deadline.
One tip that I found useful (coming from Francis X. Clines) was to be careful to not let too many people into the story. It is distracting and can eat up the story. Readers enjoy a story that has been learned and retold to them in a readable fashion.
It is not a bad thing to interview a multitude of people and then only use a few of their quotations. Your interviews with them are to help you, the journalist, to tell the story.
The article by Leonora LaPeter, “Jury Sends Santa Claus Killer to Electric Chair” is a great example of deadline writing because it doesn’t feel like it was written for a deadline. The story flows with ease and connects with the reader; she uses just the right amount of storytelling quotes, and it even leaves the reader with a lesson on life.
One story that is categorized under “sports writing on deadline” entitled “A Father’s Drive Must Beat Fright” by Greg Stoda is another good example.
http://www.bestofcox.com/2001/metro/sportsdeadline.html
This story takes a different angle than some other stories written about Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat basketball team and his kidney disease. Looking at it from the view of Mourning’s fatherhood being the driving force behind his determination to survive, it was more personable and well articulated.
Next, although this is not a news story per-se, it is written by a deadline news writer, Lisa Ryckman, who’s report on the Columbine school shooting won the 1999 SDX Award for Deadline Reporting.
http://www.spj.org/sdxa2000a.asp
In this little piece, she says that the biggest challenge of deadline news involved “producing a story at the speed of light that didn’t sound as if it had been dashed off on a paper towel in an airport bathroom.”
The goal, according to Ryckman, is to “craft a narrative rich in detail and voices from the scene that could make readers think, feel, and cry into their morning coffee.” In order to compete with television and its “insta-news”, a print reporter’s deadline story has to push the limits; it must go beyond the “initial images and offer insight and context.”
This next story is the best example outside of the book that I have found yet. The 2006 Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline Reporting by a Team went partly to David Pierson and Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times for “Tragedy on the Rails; Chain-Reaction Crash Kills 11”.
http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=6839
It is apparent that this story was written for a deadline, only because it was such urgent news of a horrible accident.
The facts are given so clearly, and with finesse. The use of language helps the story move along. All the quotes are crucial and storytelling. These are the makings of a great story.
One example of the type of language they used is clearly shown in this excerpt: “Before I knew it, there was a big, big bang. I looked out the window and saw fire,” said Teresa Alderete, 50, of Reseda, a commuter whose train car was transformed in an instant from a rolling island of morning serenity into a nightmare of flying bodies, torn metal and shattered glass.”
The image this creates is just awful, just like the scene would have been.
Another great example of deadline reporting is from that same winning team. This article takes a different viewpoint of the same accident. It focuses more on the man who caused the accident.
http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=6839#troubled
Finally, this also award-winning article is a great example. Titled “Death Toll Reaches 96 in Fire at R.I. Nightclub; 187 Hurt” was written by Thomas Farragher and Douglas Belkin of the Boston Globe.
A Cappella groups show off their talent for Family Weekend at Elon University
9/27/08
By Kate Austin
All three of Elon University’s a cappella groups performed outside the student center on campus today for Parent’s Weekend.
Twisted Measure (soloist Will Armour) performing Gavin DeGraw's "In Love With a Girl" (Photo credit: Cole Gorman).
Families and friends gathered outside to see Twisted Measure (co-ed), Sweet Signatures (all female) and Rip_Chord (all male) sing.
EMULATING INSTRUMENTS: COLLEGIATE A CAPPELLA
These are the sounds of nothing but the human voice. No instruments, no drums, just exaggerated nonsense syllables and vocal tricks taking the listeners on a journey through music, as they have never heard it before.
To the people outside the world of a cappella music, the term usually has the connotation of barbershop, doo-wop, or choral music, none of which accurately represent many of the current groups. Today, collegiate a cappella concerts channel an almost rock-concert feel: one can hear popular songs, world music and new renditions of old favorites.
The art form of a cappella continues to evolve in a variety of ways. The most notable evolution is a gradual drifting-away from traditional barbershop a cappella arrangements to all-vocal versions of modern pop songs. A large influence for this has been the growing popularity of vocal percussion, or “beat-boxing,” which allows more versatility in terms of musical styles.
But if so many people are unaware of the a cappella style of song, what makes collegiate a cappella popular? The constant arms race for new sound and friendly competition between collegiate groups push these musicians to new levels.
It is the driven group members who make this growing style create new sounds and reach fresh ears.
Most collegiate groups are student run; the members of the groups arrange songs and teach the music, with the goal of competing against their peers at collegiate a cappella competitions. Kim Poe, past president of Elon University’s all-female group, Sweet Signatures, explains what goes into preparing for a competition.
“Last year the group had focused most of our energy on revamping our set list to be competition-worthy. We added choreography, a new, professional looking performance attire and carefully arranged and chosen songs to really show off what we’re capable of. We’re really playing the competition game now.
Sweet Signatures performing Sara Bareilles' "Fairytale" at Parent's Weekend (Photo Credit: Cole Gorman).
Until last year, Sweet Signatures had incorporated only minimal choreographed movement, if any. Their ability to step outside of their common routine in order to achieve progress paid off: the “Sigs” won the award for “Best Choreography” at the quarterfinals for the International Championship of A Cappella (ICCA) for the South region.
Collegiate competitions really are a game, says Dave Brown, head of the Varsity Vocals ICCA for the South region.
“You have to play to the audience and the judges. Both want to be entertained, both want you to be innovative and precise. A diverse set list, meaningful and creative choreography, professionalism and musicianship are all weighed heavily during scoring for the ICCA competition. It doesn’t matter if your group is ‘feeling it’, or if you seem to be having fun – that is a bonus – you have got to make the audience and the judges feel the emotion of the song.”
(Video credit: Youtube user ireno315)
While working towards competition goals, the members of collegiate a cappella groups find themselves submerged into the community of a cappella. Michele Hammerbacher, past music director of Sweet Signatures, says that being involved in a collegiate a cappella group is a great way to network with students from other colleges and universities.
“By traveling to other campuses to perform or compete, you meet groups of people with similar interests and make valuable connections with them. These connections are beneficial when inviting a guest group to perform with or when planning a concert tour to different college towns.”
Katie Hight, an Elon University and Sweet Signatures alumni, agrees that the most astounding attribute of a cappella singers is their creation of an incredibly intimate community.
“An entire a cappella world exists unbeknownst to non-a cappella’ers… those who have never heard of BOCA [Best of College A Cappella, a competitive album produced by an organization called Varsity Vocals], ICCA, or SoJam, and would be given strange looks if they used anything but the appropriate acronym.”
Collegiate a cappella groups network with one another, extending invitations to various concerts and festivals, sharing new techniques and even sharing song arrangements.
Hight explains that “newcomers to groups gradually come to learn the (mostly) unspoken hierarchy present in the community; well-established groups almost always preside over newer groups, and professional groups above the collegiate ones. A cappella singers have a culture of their own, complete with norms and values (rehearsal time, tuning, blend, choreography), and symbols (a signature musical note, performance attire, and even pieces of signature ‘flair’).”
SoJam, which Hight spoke of, is an a cappella weekend extravaganza that includes a competition, a professional concert, and a day of master classes taught by professional a cappella singers from all over the world. For many new members of collegiate a cappella groups, this becomes their first experience within the real culture of a cappella.
Merrill Ward, who joined Sweet Signatures in the fall of last year, said she was excited to be thrown into this new community of people to meet.
“Before SoJam, the other Sigs would talk about ‘Dave Sperandio’ and ‘Jo Bates’ and ‘Dave Brown’ and all these big names in a cappella; I had no idea what they were talking about. But a weekend filled with learning, music and all the people who are crucial to meet in the a cappella community was the best way to get in the know”.
Poe chimed in to say that by bringing professionals and students together who love the art form of a cappella, the genre has grown to be one of the most impacting experiences for many students across the country.
These connections with important a cappella community members can, on occasion, create the lucky opportunity for a professional singing career. Katie Hight graduated college and joined a professional group, Almost Recess, upon graduating.
“The tight-knit community is exactly how I found myself becoming involved in professional a cappella. Networking and making connections through collegiate workshops and competitions gave me the names I needed to pursue singing professionally.”
Although the group wants to be successful and known for their music and talents, the main reason college students join or audition for collegiate a cappella groups is the same as any club or team – the bonds.
As Kent Bell, a member of the all male group Juxtaposition at Virgina Tech worded it, “I have 14 best friends and they are all in Juxta.” Hammerbacher, who graduated last year from Elon, values the memories with her a cappella group as the best of her college career.
“Joining Sigs gave me the opportunity to make sisters out of friends who are as obsessed with music and singing as I am.”
Rip_Chord (soloist Max Korn) performs OneRepublic's "Apologize" at Parent's Weekend.
To see the rest of the photographs from the performance at Parent’s Weekend, click here!
Elon University reacts to the bailout bill
9/24/08
By Kate Austin
The Bush Administration is working to have Congress pass a new bailout bill to help with the current economic situation. The government is expected to pay $700 billion to bail out companies with financial trouble. This amount, equivalent of $2,333 per American citizen is what the government would pledge in hopes of remedying the economic stress.
On a national level, this is big news. But concerns on a more local level in the town of Elon are prevalent as well. Mayor Jerry Tolley of Elon said in regards to the bailout plan that it is something we as a country must do, “if you can help the big people on Wall Street, you can help the poor people here with mortgages.”
Francine Light, a deli clerk at the Colonnades dining hall at Elon University, has personally been affected by the recent lack of economic help. “My mother did lose her house…and my husband is losing his job in October. The pay cuts are not fair,” she said. Light does not think that the bailout bill is a smart idea. She reasoned, “It’s got its ups and downs. You’d think it would help, but I think they should give half [the money] to see if it would help [before giving all of it].”
In concept, with the bailout bill, we’re doing the right thing, according to Steve DeLoach professor of economics at Elon University. He said, “The general idea of the bailout bill is trying to avoid the Great Depression. They’re trying to avoid the 25% unemployment [that occurred in the Great Depression].”
Video Interviewer: Emily Silva
An Elon University student, Emily Dunn, reacts to the plan.
Video Interviewer: Emily Silva
Local Reporting and Beat Writing: Tip by tip
by Kate Austin
9/21/08
I am finding that in all of my assessments of different types of writing (based on the chapters in America’s Best Newspaper Writing) I am pointing out the same characteristics that are true for all good writing: clarity, coherence, emotion and an interesting way of getting facts across to the reader.
This is true, once again, for local reporting and beat writing. However, the authors of the book did have some gold coins of good writing tips scattered throughout the chapter. Although I didn’t enjoy Dan Neil’s article “Caught Up in the Crossfire”, I recognized it as good writing and took some notes on how to make the beat “become the offbeat”. Combining reporting and literary skills in just the right measure makes for a good story.
The author also discusses two models for the role of journalism that are quite interesting. The traditional model calls for a detached and independent journalist who remains neutral (and even better, objective) about the outcome. The new model says “the reporter must not be just a watchdog, biting the heels of official power, but also a guide dog, leading citizens toward solutions and the common good” (pg. 29). This quote seemed highly appropriate for the subject of reporting for the public good.
The book points out that whichever model you subscribe to as a journalist, the most important thing that communities need from their writers is a “distinctive vision and a powerful voice, one that speaks directly to the readers.”
My favorite article from the chapter (and also of the other articles that I found as examples) was “Mackenzie Football Star Another Gunplay Victim” written by Mitch Albom. I wondered if it would have been my favorite if I hadn’t known and loved Albom’s books, but I realized that good writing is good writing. And this is good writing. The way the story plays out gives the audience facts, plays heavily on their pathos and even leaves them with a lesson. I admire how Albom fed the audience the lesson without sounding like it was his opinion admonishing them.
Moving out of the book, the article “Cruelest mystery: death before life” by Diana Sugg is a great example of a beat piece.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6637
Tip #1: Keep It Personal
This article uses a family’s personal story as a way to move through the issue of infant stillbirths. It is not a story of Margarete Heber and her stillborn daughter Elisabetha, but rather an article on the researchers new efforts to reduce this occurrence with a family story tied in. This form is very effective in keeping the audience connected to the issue. Sugg never weighs the reader down in straight facts, but instead brings in key quotations and tidbits about the Heber’s when the article begins to get too medical. She uses the Heber’s as a reminder to the reader that there is a personal and very human reason to care about the subject.
The article “A Wife’s Struggle With Cancer Takes an Unexpected Toll” by Amy Dockser Marcus took an unexpected angle.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6846
Tip #2: Find A Correlation And See Where It Takes You
I did not expect this article to discuss how cancer makes increases the odds of divorce. In fact, I don’t know that I would have ever looked into that correlation if it weren’t for this article. It is also a great article because it follows tip number one. The story is very personal; in fact, it’s almost nothing but personal.
Tip #3: Simplicity Is Key
Marcus takes the audience through the whole length of Mrs. O’Donnell’s struggle, however, she writes it in a clear, concise manner (but not to the point of leaving out detail). If you stop to think how long someone’s “life story” could be, and then realize the brief length of this article, the craft of each word is apparent.
The article titled “Seniors Still Await Services” by Debbie Cenziper is just one part of a group of articles she reported on the Miami housing agency’s lack of oversight.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/7163
Tip #4: Give The People What They Want
Obviously, writing for The Miami Herald, the people want to know what is happening in their local area, hence the idea of “local reporting”. However, no tip for good writing is too obvious! This article intensifies the point that a good journalist will anticipate the questions that their audience wants answered. A journalist is the behind-the-scenes eyes and ears for the public. Cenziper’s articles are very news-y, but it is news that the people want to hear!
The article “CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons” by Dana Priest tells about the growing debate within the CIA about actions overseas after 9/11.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6955
Tip #5: Objectivity In The Face Of Controversy
Anything to do with military actions is controversial in America today; therefore, when handling reporting like this it is beneficial to subscribe to the traditional model of journalism discussed in the book. Staying objective keeps the credibility of a journalist, and Priest does this gracefully in her article.
The shocking article “U Basketball Program Accused of Academic Fraud” by George Dohrmann unveiled shocking news that men’s basketball players at the University of Minnesota had cheated their way thorough college.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6281
Tip #6: Guilty Pleasures Are Key
In America, we love scandals. We seem to live for reality television (scandal), and gossip (scandal). Uncovering a scandal, but doing it in a tasteful way, makes great news as Dohrmann proved with his controversial articles regarding the University of Minnesota.
The Profile and Feature Story: a closer look
By Kate Austin
Sept. 14, 2008
Fact, narrative, knowledge; these are the basis for a compelling feature or profile story. The writer must have five times as many facts on the subject than they need for the actual piece. The writer must orchestrate an undeniably interesting narrative that draws even the reader who could care less about the topic (or person). The writer must have the desire to know the subject inside and out, and show not even a hint of misunderstanding or lack of knowledge on the subject.
These requirements all seem basic enough, yet I am amazed at how well the example stories in the book (America’s Best Newspaper Writing) controlled all of the necessary elements and took the story to the next level with telling quotes, interesting nuggets of information, and insight into the personalities of their subjects.
Specifically, the story Dr. Seuss: Wild Orchestrator of Plausible Nonsense for Kids by Cynthia Gorney illustrates a side to the beloved children’s author that an audience has never seen before. The most difficult part of writing a piece like this, to me, seems to be deciding what angle to take. I’m sure there are innumerable things that the public does not know about Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), but how does a reporter find the most interesting, surprising, or exciting thing about their subject?
On an entirely different note, the last piece that chapter seven of the book examines is the most exciting and interesting to me. Ken Fuson’s “weather sentence” titled Ah, What a Day! is remarkable. It is over 275 words, but only one sentence long. The most amazing part is, it makes entirely perfect sense and not once does it seem like a run-on sentence. There are poetic elements and interesting wordplay that make it fun to read. He took an assignment to report on the weather change in Iowa, and serves it up as a “tasty slice of life”.
Moving on from the book, I found five other examples of feature writing that sparked my interest and aided me in really understanding what good feature writing is all about.
http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2002,Feature+Writing
This article, A Father’s Pain, a Judge’s Duty, and a Justice Beyond Their Reach, written by Barry Siegel illustrates one of the most important parts of feature writing. The piece itself feels like a story, a narrative. There is no author mediation between the factual narrative and the audience. You forget that you are reading a news story, and instead it flows like a short novel. This is crucial to creating a relationship between the story and it’s subject and the audience.
Also, I like the way the article is broken up into sections with headers for each section. Because it is a longer piece, this breaks it up into a more reader-friendly presentation.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6449
Writing about someone else’s painful life story must be draining. However, the heart-wrenching story of Sam Lightner, told in four parts by Tom Hallman Jr., is more than worth reading. It is the sort of story that one cannot help but read until the final period. For feature writing, a topic can make or break you (as in any writing). Public interest is crucial. This story is an example of telling a painful story in a tactful way; one that makes the audience feel for the subject, and by filling the story with undeniable heart rather than an overflow of medical facts creates a readable, interesting piece.
http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2008,Feature+Writing
This is not the first time I have read this particular feature story, Pearls Before Breakfast by Gene Weingarten, and yet I find it interesting enough to read all the way through for probably the third time.
This piece was handled almost as an experiment. With hypotheses made by famous people in the business of music, and the idea actually put to the test. But that’s not even the best part. It is the way that Weingarten poses the questions to the reader, directly involving you and inspiring self-examination of how you may react in the situational experiment as it was.
“Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he’s really bad? What if he’s really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn’t you? What’s the moral mathematics of the moment?”
The conversational aspect of this piece is also taken to the next level. It is as though the reader is the one discussing the reactions to their little experiment with Joshua Bell. That sense that the reporter is the one doing the story disappears and it is almost as though you are part of a puppet show…you know that the reporter is there, as the puppet handler, but instead you are reacting and interacting with the puppet, or subject of the story, instead.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6902 - A series of three stories by Julia Keller of a deadly 10-second tornado in Utica, Illinois.
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6694 - A series of six sections by Sonia Nazfario on a Honduran boy’s search for his mother who migrated to the United States.
All of the examples here of good feature writing have one main thing in common: They draw the reader in. Whether this is by intriguing dialogue, flowing narrative, or directly questioning the reader, every article shares the facts in a reader-friendly way. The Pulitzer Prize site distinguishes outstanding feature writing by high literary quality and originality, and all of these pieces prove that.
