W12 – Part 2 : More Feature Stories

I don’t really know what to say about these feature stories. The main theme for these three readings were quite interesting, but it’s been really hard for me to get into the story.

W11 – Part 2 : Feature Stories

Actually, I was kind of relieved when I read all these three different feature stories, because I got no clue of what kind of feature story we could read. I know that I am not a good writer at all, but the thing that I like with the feature story is, it is still linked to the journalism rules, but the journalist has to tell a story. It is longer than a short story for example. It could almost be a novel.

If you compare it with a book, the functioning is not really the same. The writer has to hook up the reader since the first lines and give the justifier quickly, not like a book. With a book, we can read few pages and being finally in the story, with the feature story, the journalist doesn’t have this time. Why ? because, even if it is a story, there is a newsworthy part. This is what keeps the reader until the end and he can get the entire news.

Among these three readings, the story is treated differently. The first feature story is about a profile story. The second one deals with a cold case. The last one is about a personal experience. All of them reveal elements, describe details, and have a different writing style. This proves that a feature story could be modelled in so many forms. Also, there is not the perfect style to approach a feature story.

I just want to say that it didn’t pop in my head at the first sight, the idea to write about my own experience. But thanks to the reading “Serving in Florida”, it made me think that I could write about my love situation which is a love long distance. I know that a lot of people wrote about it before me, but the newsworthy point is that a French channel is going to do a documentary about us. That would keep readers from the first word to the last one. And, what is easier than talking about yourself and your own experience ? Who is the best product ? You.

W12 – Part 1 : Opener & Closer

1.

Opener :

The idea of the construction of a pulp mill, in Tamar Valley in Tasmania, doesn’t please the surrounding community. In that case, people, involved in this disagreement, started a peaceful protest and civil disobedience.

Closer:

Even the fines won’t stop the protesters. Having an airway company on your side to help you to protest proves that it worth it to fight against this project. Having a pulp mill in the vista when you take a picture of the Tamar Valley, is not the most exciting thing. Are they going to be able to protect the nature ?

2.

Opener:

Everything seemed like a nice cruise toward the Jordanian port. The problem is that the Melody  boat and its staff didn’t know yet, they would be a part of a pirate story

W11 – Part 1 : Feature Story Practice

Jerry the oldest dog

Wilcannia is a small and quiet city located in outback at almost 1000km from Sydney. Named the “Queen City of the West” back in 1864, and was at some point the third largest inland port in Australia. Nowadays, this city is struggling not to become a ghost town with its banks, motels, or shops.

Almost the whole population of Wilcannia is indigenous and most of them consider animals as a constant companion. The oldest celebrity in Wilcannia, is turning to 27 years old on Sunday. He has four paws and a tail, and he is named Jerry.

W8 – Part 2 : How to build a feature story ?

I really enjoyed reading these articles, it was engaging and disturbing, specially the trauma story. I don’t say that the other profile story was not interesting, but I am more into shocking story.

If we focus only on Thomas Kossmann story, this guy was not that stupid, but it is an other point to discuss about. Let’s see the other side of the story, how did Baker and McKenzie build this story ? Who did they need to speak ? When they published those articles, was it ethical to reveal everything ? How long did it take to build the story ?

Well, for the investigation, the collect of information, I think they had to dig deeply and needed to talk to a lot of people. They had to interview the staff from the hospital, also the financial part, I guess that they had to check with all the banks, insurances, hospital again, and maybe families. It was not a safe story, because too many parts were concerned with this craziness. You know, when money is involved, it is never a safe investigation. There is always a dark side to discover.

For the publishing and ethical part, I think they didn’t really ask themselves the question. If I were them, I would have done the same thing, reveal everything to the readers. It was a pretty bad situation. He treated his patients as a big gold bag. As it said in the second article, he “harvested patients for cash”, so if we want to talk about ethic, this was not ethical. SO the only fact that they Baker and McKenzie revealed only the truth, I guess it is just fair from them. Who wouldn’t know the truth from a case like that, it is such an important event, that it doesn’t sound real for me. It is always what we can read or see at the cinema. But what I have just said depends strictly on my personal opinion, someone else could be offended by this revealing.

Now talking about the time that it took them to write the story. I think they investigated more than a year to get all the information. It is a massive story, and there are always some delays such as waiting for the answers from interviewees.

I want to add few words about the second story. This woman who published her story through the help from the others, like professionals or unknown persons. It is a good adventure that she lived, and she is about to live. When no one want to publish your story, why don’t you take the lead and do it by yourself ? that was a good initiative. It reminds me this singer in France who could realise his album and distribute it thanks to a website. The functioning was, you edit your songs, put it in the website, and people could vote and participate with giving some money. At the end, he got enough money to produce his album, and few month later he got an award. Cool isn’t it ?

W4 - Interviews

For this week, the readings deal with three different ways of interviewing a personality with an impressive nature. An article about the interviewer follows each interview.

We really can all the different approach from the interviewer. All of them had to face strong character which mad the interview not that easy.

For example, the first one is quite disconcerting. Mae West tries to drive the interview by asking questions to Charlotte Chandler. Also the way she acted could make Charlotte uncomfortable, because she was kind of judged. I don’t know why, I could feel a lot of sensuality when I read the interview, maybe because of the main character.

In my opinion, the second interview was a good one, because Capote created a bond between him and Marlon Brando. Also the way he wrote the interview makes the reading easy, it is like a story. Truman had to deal with a very complex personality. But at the same time, he reveals about the interviewee, a lot of personal details. But I guess that the interviewee is, in that case, reflective. It is not like the previous interview, where she performing. She played a role , her own role that she always played, the seductive one. Here with Marlon, he is such a tortured personality, that Truman could feel it during the interview.

For the last Interview, we really can see that they were performing. They didn’t really care about the situation, and what position would the interviewer. And clearly, this doesn’t reveal anything about the band, except that they have no respect. It is disadvantaging for them.

W6 – Shooting Report

I couldn’t do the training, because I was sick.