Feature Writing and Reporting. Jennifer Brannock Cox
largely due to the availability of online metrics—statistics that tell us what stories people are reading online, how long they are viewing them and whether they are sharing them. These metrics tell us people want more from their stories. It’s not enough for crime reporters to write breaking news updates on robberies—they also need to provide news features examining why robberies in a particular neighborhood have increased in recent years and what people can do to protect themselves from potential attackers. The same is true for reporters who once produced only soft news. Readers can find out about the latest Hollywood divorce from anywhere, so feature writers need to dive deeper, perhaps looking into why young people are waiting longer to get married than previous generations, if they marry at all. In the Digital Age, demands for feature reporting and writing permeate every beat in the newsroom, and every reporter must be equipped with skills for telling those kinds of stories.
Delivering the News
Before the Digital Age, the ways news organizations delivered information were not always efficient. Newspaper deadlines for stories were often early in the evening for the next day’s print edition and a week or more in advance for a longer feature story. For magazines, deadlines could range from weeks to a month in advance for editing, layout and printing. Even media with more instantaneous modes of delivery, such as television and radio, had routine deadlines in order to make their broadcast schedules work.
The widespread use of the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s changed these work cycles only slightly. Even within the same newsroom, reporters treated their own online product as competition and were afraid to publish anything online before printing the publication for fear of getting scooped, or beaten, by other news outlets. Reporters would first ready their work for print, then reconfigure the story slightly for publication online.
The news cycle changed forever when audiences began turning to mobile devices as their primary medium for getting information, replacing legacy products—the older, more traditional media platforms such as newspapers, magazines and TV and radio news programs. Publications had to recognize that people were no longer waiting for the deadline product to get timely news. They could easily find up-to-date information from a variety of sources using social media and search engines. Now journalists have to think about their mobile audience early on in the reporting process, posting updates and information online as they investigate the story to get readers’ attention. They also have to add value to the story, helping it rise above the mass of information online.
It is not just breaking news reporters who have to consider mobile audiences. Feature journalists need to engage their audiences during every step of the reporting process, whetting their appetites for the story and even getting them involved as the story is developing. Feature writing and reporting depend on engagement with people affected by issues and events, and social media platforms offer journalists unique ways to find and connect with a diverse array of sources. We will explore both in-person and online strategies feature reporters can use to engage with audiences before, during and after the reporting process throughout this book.
Expectations of News and Reporters
Accessibility to reporters was once restricted to a determined few. If readers wanted to complain about an article or make suggestions for future stories, they were limited to either writing letters to the editor or calling the newsroom—both methods that could easily be disregarded by reporters. In the early days of online publishing, readers could post comments online beneath articles, but again, reporters often neglected the discussion threads.
Thanks to social media, readers will no longer be ignored. Readers can keep reporters accountable for their facts, posting about any errors or misconceptions in a story publicly on the reporter’s or news organization’s social media page for everyone to see. In the past, if someone wrote a letter to a reporter and the reporter ignored it, no one would really know about it or care. Now reporters must be responsive to social media postings in order to maintain their credibility.
When social media are used throughout the development of a story, reporters can use online platforms to their advantage, asking for information from followers and clarifying any false or misguided information before the final article is published through a process called crowdsourcing, which will be covered in more depth in Chapter 4 on interviewing.
Before the internet, finding news on specific topics was also difficult. If readers wanted to learn more about something, they would likely need to buy or subscribe to a niche publication, a news product that is tightly focused on a particular issue or hobby, targeting a specific audience uniquely interested in that topic. Otherwise, readers had to sift through the general news to get to information that interested them—and if they missed an edition, it was gone for good by the time the next publication came out.
The internet changed how readers get their news. A 2016 study revealed that 59% of American adults who prefer reading news opt to get their news online, compared with just 26% who prefer print.6 Loyalty to a particular publication became less necessary, as readers can now search online for news that interests them directly. News articles are also cataloged online, making them available indefinitely. If readers miss a story, it’s no big deal—they can probably find it using a simple Google search. The googleability of archived articles has enhanced the value of feature journalism for news organizations, as stories that have a long-term impact may receive more visitors over time rather than just on the day of publication.
Sharing the News
In the age of social media, it seems hard to believe that information sharing was much more limited just 10 years ago. Before Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and numerous similar platforms, sharing news and information happened primarily in two ways: Readers shared the news they read informally through conversations with friends, family and co-workers, either in person or over the phone. But if the news was significant, more formal sharing methods were used, including town hall and community meetings scheduled to address issues.
News is still shared both formally and informally, but both approaches are much easier online. If readers want to share a story with a particular person, they can send it via email, text message or social media messenger. If they want to share the story with a whole community, they can post it publicly to social media, create a blog post referencing the story or communicate with others who are interested in the topic using online forums such as Reddit and Quora.
For reporters, the ease of sharing information brings good and bad news. It is easier to distribute news to larger audiences, but it can be harder to make an impact. Online competition comes not just from other media outlets but from friends, family and millions of strangers posting their own versions of events every day. Again, this is where feature writing and reporting has an edge. In-depth and interesting storytelling used in feature reporting can help journalists distinguish their work and make a lasting impression on audiences.
Helpful Hints
Fighting Fake News
Fake news comes in many forms. Stories can be biased and opinionated but made to look objective. They can be poorly sourced and riddled with errors or false assumptions. They can also be outright lies, created and circulated with the intention of deceiving readers. Here are some tips for telling fact from fake:
Consider the source: Is it a reputable publication? Can you find other articles from that author?
Fact or opinion: Does the article reflect reported facts or the author’s opinion?
Says who? Did the author interview sources for the story? How reputable are those sources?
Balancing act: Are all sides of the issue represented in the article? Challenge your own beliefs with unbiased reporting.
Look for a trail: Check the “About Us” section of the publication. Consider its connections to people or organizations that might influence content. Avoid “sponsored content.”
Unhappy