Feature Writing

Professor Johnson,

I would like to write a news feature about the aftermath of a Community Board 5 hearing held in Maspeth, Queens last Wednesday regarding the conversion of a Holiday Inn into a homeless shelter in the neighborhood.

At the public hearing, numerous residents presented their reasons for opposition towards the shelter to Steven Banks, the Commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services. In addition, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and Assemblywoman Margaret M. Markey were present to voice their disapproval of the plan. The most significant part was their announcement of a lawsuit against the commissioner to prevent the opening of the shelter.

Residents in the neighborhood have been opposed to the shelter due to safety concerns for the shelter and neighborhood residents as well as the lack of amenities in the hotel that is required for the shelter. Therefore, there have been various demonstrations against the conversion which included a march.

Due to the amount of activity and presence of government officials, I feel this is newsworthy. In addition, it relates to the issue of rising homelessness in the city and lack of shelters. I feel this story can focus on how residents plan to move forward after the announcement of this lawsuit and their input regarding the city’s homeless problem and present shelters in the area.

I believe I am the right person to write this story because I reported on a protest held by the residents earlier in August and the march I previously mentioned so I have been following this issue. In addition, I am familiar with the neighborhood as well as businesses that have supported the cause which could be potential sources.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Mark Garzon

The aim of this news pitch is to release out a news story on the discussion of whether various students (such as with minority, immigrant, or in some cases even the students that are apart of an ethnic majority at their own colleges) feel as if their own campuses are even diverse enough to cause those students to experience a certain level of comfort or acceptance as a student’s own neighborhood, community or family might, or might not, too.

Moving forward then, some of the questions that can be asked to the college students of varying backgrounds (and even the faculty\staff members of a university,) are questions such as whether college attendees feel as if their own campuses are diverse enough as to reflect key aspects of their own culture or identity, or not. Or if a member or student at a university could even reveal their own thoughts as to whether they feel diversity (or a lacc thereof) at their university might positively\negatively affects a teacher’s\student’s ability to learn and communicate, or teach. Last but not least questions such as if whether a student might have any suggestions to offer on the ways to improve (or decrease) certain aspects of their campus environments as to create an evolved or better environment which could achieve a greater harmony for all of the students who attend their campus are important to ponder as well. In addition, and if possible (and if the need becomes applicable), then it may even be useful when writing out this news story to interview the staff or teachers of a college campus (such as at Baruch College), so that one is more able to retrieve the varying views and beliefs of the faculty members of a university, rather than just the students, over this topic of diversity and education as well.

As for some of the procedures that could be put to place then when writing out this news story as well, certain processes such as interviews, surveys, or polls can all be used as an effective way for one to gain insights over this topic. In conclusion then, it comes out of a hope of surfacing some often hidden or new truths as it relates to certain areas or discussions such as if whether students might feel a deprivation of cultural or ethnic representation at the colleges that they attend might even detriment the students (or staff) of a certain cultural or ethnic backgrounds unjustly; or even if there are some aspects of a diverse college environment that deserve an even greater emphasis for the gains that those aspects might encourage over areas such as learning, teaching, or bonding as a reason for justifying a continual development over those specific areas too.

Kevin Wang: Pitch for JRN 3060

 

Veronica Gomez, 20, walks through the halls of Immaculate Conception Academy on a chilly day in September. The lights flicker as Gomez takes a step closer to the classroom where she was assigned as a teacher’s aide. Step by step, Gomez notices the unfamiliar teacher’s names in each classroom. Teachers that Gomez came to admire the two years she spent in Immaculate Conception Academy were forced into retirement or backed out in the education system to search for a teaching job elsewhere.

“The change was coming, we all saw it”, said Veronica Gomez, “I just didn’t realize that this was going to be how things were going to be from now on.”

Immaculate Conception Academy previously named Immaculate Conception School is a Catholic Elementary-Middle school that was conjoined with the Immaculate Conception Church. In recent years, renovations have been made to the school. In the 2016 school year, Eileen Harnisfigur, Principal of Immaculate Conception, diversified Immaculate Conception School by separating the Church from the school and redefining the school as an academy. Harnisfigur like most principals of catholic schools faced the problem of funds being insufficient and such transference of the school to an academy and adoption of a board of directors was imminent.

 

For this story, I am going to focus on how Catholic Schools transition affects not only the staff but the students as well. I already spoke about the situation with Veronica Gomez, a second grade teacher’s aide that sees the full impact the transition of school system has on the school in general. Going forward, I will interview faculty and staff in Immaculate Conception Academy to fully gauge the impact of switching from a school to being classified as an academy. Like most Catholic schools, tough times started to hit since enrollment starting falling ever since tuition spikes. Most Catholic schools at these tough times were forced with two options: conform to the system of a charter-like system known as an academy or close down the school. According to statistics from NYPost article of City Catholic schools losing students to tuition free charter schools, it states: Over the last decade, the number of students attending Catholic schools has plummeted by 35 percent, from 134,948 in 2002-2003 to 87,301 last year, the city’s Independent Budget Office found.

 

This story hits home to me because I attended Immaculate Conception School and graduated 2009. The teachers who were presumably fired or quit on their own started to do so because of switch to technologies from traditional blackboards to pull down projector screens.

Why this story is newsworthy is the impact it has on the communities surrounding the schools. In a community impact, I am going to explore how Catholic schools that were once a foundation of enrichment in education has been forced to conform and compete against one another. Some catholic schools even had to merge with one another to keep the school open.

http://nypost.com/2014/04/23/citys-catholic-schools-losing-students-to-tuition-free-charters/

The MTA recently announced that the L-train shutdown, originally due in 2017, will not happen until 2019. This will impact hundreds of people who rely on this popular subway line to commute to and from work and school daily. The Canarsie tubes were severely damaged after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and are just now being considered for repair.

For this story, I will interview L-train commuters and get their take on this shutdown and how it will impact their daily commutes. The L train services many parts of Brooklyn that are disconnected from other subway lines, therefore making it very newsworthy. In addition, it is interesting that the MTA is choosing to do repairs to this line seven years after it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. This poses the larger question of whether New York City is really prepared to deal with natural disasters, and whether or not the city has reliable public transit.

In addition to interviewing commuters, I would also seek comment from an MTA representative. The article in its whole would follow those commuters who will ultimately be impacted by this shutdown, while exploring NYC’s mass transit system as a whole and its reliability.

Spoon University Pitch by Nicole Caropolo

Spoon University is a blog focused on food and health. The content is created by college students, and many colleges have their own branches in order to share content personal to their area and students. Baruch was just given a branch of Spoon after Hannah Sarraf created a petition and received 300 signatures.

The reason this is a news-worthy feature is because this generation has become very in tune with the latest healthy trends such as the increasing popularity in food such as kale and protein shakes. Spoon University caters to college students focusing on recipes, reviews, and healthy tips. We also love to splurge on sweets, and this isn’t all fruits and vegetables. They feature a plethora of foods that hit your sweet tooth as well.

The local angle of our own campus, Baruch College, gaining a new club will allow a lot of opportunity to showcase the expansion of our extra-curricular activities. As they are still in the start-up stage, they are looking for food writers, bloggers, and photographers.

I will interview Sarraf, other members and readers, as well as attempt to reach a person in charge of the overall blog about the goals and impact of Spoon.

Dear Professor Johnson,

I would like to write a feature on the first generation, or children of immigrants in New York City’s Chinatown. The neighborhood is changing rapidly, but the community (particularly this generation) is fighting to preserve its cultural authenticity while also pursuing their own dreams of success. Growing up in the States, the children of immigrants have become a bridge in an evolving cultural identity of Chinese Americans. I believe this story can offer a unique view of the city’s rapidly changing landscape and culture.

In the increasing discussions of culture and gentrification today, I feel that the children of immigrants are often ignored. In ethnic enclaves, the role of this generation is changing rapidly. While cultural expectations dictate upward mobility, this means moving out of the neighborhood that defines much of this generation’s cultural identity. This story will cover the choices these individuals must weigh and make- assimilation, financial stability, tradition, and expectation all play a huge role in this.

As a resident of Chinatown, I believe I can offer an on the ground point of view. Having met children of business owners and local entrepreneurs, the story is already forming. I hope to explore cultural expectations, gentrification of the Lower East Side/Chinatown area, and the identity of this first generation.

If my pitch is accepted, I can turn in a draft of the piece by the end next week.

Sincerely,

Joeleen M.

Denny Jacob

JRN 3060

Black Lives Matter was born in 2013 on Facebook in a response to the death of Trayvon Martin. Three simple words spurred thousands across the nation to revive an ideal that should have never been forgotten. On August 27th, 2016, Colin Kaepernick exercised the right to not stand for the national anthem because he would not “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Reactions to Colin’s stance have spanned from contempt to total support. We live in a country where our athletes have a platform to be heard; are we always keen on what they say, however? I’ll turn to the student athletes of Baruch and ask them – in light of Colin’s actions – will they still stand for the flag?

The issue is important because we are in a tumultuous time as the election gets underway. Millennials will play a huge role in the years to come as we shape America; we also voiced our concern for gun-policies and injustices to people of color in the most recent occurrences. We know how athletes and media organizations are reacting to Colin’s moves, but little of student athletes: do they agree with how he is using his platform? Should the flag be outside the scope of scrutiny when involved in an athletic sport? Which transcends which: the sport or the issues?

I should be the one to tell it because as an employee of the Baruch A.R.C. facility, I constantly pass and interact with the athletes, whether they are on or off season; especially as a season is underway. I also have direct access to coaches and staff through first-hand experience and supervisors who are in direct contact with higher ranking officials in the Athletic Department.

Source: http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17401815/colin-kaepernick-san-francisco-49ers-sits-national-anthem-prior-preseason-game

Dear Professor Emily Johnson,

I would like to write a story that talks about the intergenerational conflict in belief systems, namely the conflict of being raised by religious parents and the rise of millennials’ irreligiousness/ atheism. Although we live in a country where all beliefs are respected by governmental law, the parents’ beliefs are the law of the house. The irreligious/ atheistic millennials often feel trapped by this. Escape means telling the truth, and telling the truth means losing the love of their parents and, possibly, their home.

I will follow Marc Davis’ story, a millennial non-believer, and talk about the incompatibility of his and his parents’ beliefs and how it feels to be “in the closet.”

It is important for me, as an atheist, to write this piece. Outsiders look at the rise of irreligiousness/ atheism as a statistic or a cultural effect in the age of science and technology, often ignoring the human side—one that contains internal conflict and fear of judgement and abandonment from one’s family and peers.

If my pitch is accepted, I can finish the first draft by the end of next week.

Thank you,

Harjap Kaur

[email protected]

Hello, JRN 3060 students! This is the blog where you will be posting your pitches and in-progress stories so we can workshop them as a class. I will also post various resources here so you can refer back to them.

Today’s class:

Discussion: After Newtown shooting, mourning parents enter into the lonely quiet

Narrative decisions: Reporter Eli Saslow clearly spent a lot of time with the family and witnessed their conversations, but decided not to put himself into the story. Reasons for this?

Structure: Six main sections, each marked off with bold text.

Word count: 6,000+ words

1. Lede and intro: Opening scene at home.

(Types of ledes: anecdotal, question lede, straightforward summary, funnel and switchback)

2. Nut graf – the main idea of the story. How they are coping by translating their loss into action. (What is a nut graf?) (Writing effective nut grafs.)

3. Their daily reality: Tension with daughter at home followed by seeing the little boy in the restaurant.

4. The behind-the-scenes of their advocacy efforts, shown through their trip to Delaware with the other families.

5. Meeting with the governor. The necessity of restraint and staying on-message amid frustration and grief.

6. Conclusion: One last scene at home, with the neighbor. For the first time, we get a description of their experience on the day of the attack. “Kicker” quote that touches on the theme of the whole story. (What is a kicker?)

News feature assignment:

Your first story will, like the above Washington Post piece, be a deeper or more personal exploration of something that has recently been (or will soon be) in the news or is an ongoing issue (though significantly shorter, don’t worry).

Examples: activism, gentrification, community board disputes, music festivals, school closings

Length: 800 words

Pitch due next class Wednesday September 7. Post it on the blog.

How to pitch: Structurally, a pitch should look like the top of a finished story, showing you’ve done some initial reporting. Should convince me that it’s newsworthy, that you’re the person to do it, and that you can get the access you’ll need to do it well.

See Dollars and Sense for examples and ideas of local features.

FEATURE WRITING SYLLABUS JOHNSON