We will dissect this feature story in class on Thursday, October 8th.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/nyregion/one-mans-opus-to-new-yorks-subway-art-decades-in-the-making.html?_r=0
Author Archives: Roz Bernstein
Joe Gould’s Secret by Joseph Mitchell (for class discussion)
What do you think of New Yorker editor Harold Ross’s calling Joseph Mitchell’s profiles: “highlife-lowlife” pieces?
Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott
Readers expressed praise and criticism for the NYT Dasani series by Andrea Elliott.
Comments included: 1) Criticism that her last name was omitted. 2) Story ran too long 3) Times did not disclose the extent to which it was involved –months of following her every move 4) Not enough attention to the policies and politics of how homeless people are treated in New York City 5) Risk of relying on a single story. Did it become a caricature of larger and more complex issues?
Please comment on these criticisms and add your own criticism or praise.
Multimedia Tips from Kayle Hope
Thanks to Kayle for her excellent presentation on Thursday, September 24th.
See her material at the following link: Bit.ly/Profile.multmedia
We will be discussing Backgrounders in class tomorrow, September 29th and also going over the profile pitches.
Your Backgrounder
Dear Feature Writers:
Mary Barnes asked me about the format of your Backgrounder, due on Friday.
I would prefer it to be in paragraph form, not bullet points. Feel free to create a structure–built around categories that will grow over the semester, e.g. housing, crime, education, etc.
“2 Jobs at Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat”
Dear Feature Writers,
- Your Neighborhood Faces Query (describing the person you wish to profile is due on Thursday, September 24th. Please post it online (category: Profiles Drafts). What can this person tell us about your neighborhood? Why have you chosen him/her? 250 words. What multi-media would you add to complement your story?
- Reading: “2 Jobs at the Sugar Factory, and a Lump in the Throat”: Does the writer give us more than Robert Shelton’s personal history? Describe the narrative of this profile, the arc of the story. What do you think of the lead? Where is the nut graf? What about the author’s point-of-view? Do look at online images of Kara Walker’s sculptural installation, “A Subtlety” before you answer these questions. Category: Robert Shelton for your blog post.
For Thursday, September 17th
Dear Feature Writers,
We will discuss the reading assignment on Corner Media. Do look at their blog site: cornernewsmedia.com. The questions to be answered: What stories are neighborhood features? What kind of reporting is necessary? What basic research is essential?
For those of you who wish to revise your neighborhood pitch, you may do so for tomorrow. Please make sure that it includes possible story ideas.
We will continue our discussion of leads and nut grafs for feature stories.
Keep in mind that you have two pitches due next week (both to be posted on our blog as well as given to me in hard copy:
1. Pitch for your neighborhood profile story on Sept. 24
2. Backgrounder on your neighborhood. Based on research tips given during the talk by Prof. Francoeur, from the library.
Question for Queens Tourist Story
Describe the reporting and interviewing techniques used by Kirk Semple in this story.
E. B. White Here is New York (Questions )
Please post your answers to the following questions on E. B. White’s Here is New York before our next class, on Tuesday, September 1st:
1. What is your impression of the opening line of White’s book: “New York bestows gifts of loneliness and the gifts of privacy.” Do you agree or disagree with White? If so, why? If not, why not? How effective is the opening? What does it accomplish, if anything?
2. How and why does the writer use lists in this book?