ORGANIZE YOUR

NEWS FEATURE Use six boxes to organize your news feature.

By Dominic Alves

Vocabulary review A. Timely stories about events

that have just happened or

are about to happen.

B. News that entertains or

informs with an emphasis on

human interest and novelty

and less so on immediacy.

Often, inspires warm and

fuzzy feelings.

C. A story based on a breaking-

news event reported with

feature-writing techniques

and/or a human-interest

angle.

Hard news, soft news or news feature

1. Soft news

2. Hard news

3. News

feature

Hard news vs. soft news Hard or breaking news

Timely stories about events that have just

happened or are about to happen.

• Photo by Steven Taschuk

Lead

Body

• Usually one sentence

• What the story is about

• Summary of the most

important of the

5 Ws and H

• Info in order of importance

• Explains and supports lead

• Details, quotes, background

Definition: Inverted pyramid

Hard-news structure

Story organization in which the most important information is

placed at the beginning, or in the lead, followed by

information that supports the lead, and then less important

information.

News feature A story based on a breaking-news event reported

with feature-writing techniques and/or a human-

interest angle.

Lead

Body

• May be a description of a

person or place or a little

story, or anecdote

• Includes so what or nut

graph with news peg

• No more than four grafs

• Has a beginning, middle

and end

• Good descriptions and

quotes

USE 6 BOXES TO ORGANIZE

LEAD

• A description of a scene or person that draws people in.

• No more than 3 paragraphs

NUT

GRAF

• The “so what?” graf that answers: What is this story about?

• Why is this important? Why am I reading this story?

POINT 1

• One important point or fact

• Could be context or background or a detail or quote

POINT 2

• A second important point or fact

• Could be context or background or a detail or quote

POINT 3

• A third important point or fact

• Could be context or background or a detail or quote

KICKER

• A good quote or another description of the scene.

• Do not end with your opinion on the situation.

News-feature structure

FIND THE SIX BOXES You can hear them halfway down the street. Above the roar of the

traffic and the chatter of the tea shop comes the column of young people,

collection tins in hand, calling for donations for the victims of Myanmar’s

severe flooding.

“We get together once a week, usually for shopping and eating and

playing games on our phones,” said 18-year-old student Aung Min Hein. “But

not this time. This is the time to show our solidarity with others.” He wears a

jacket of plastic bottles to signify a life jacket, and a large bag to accept

money.

His group, called Donation Wave, has already collected K1,500,000,

but aim for a further K500,000 from their street-walking tours. The money will

go to flood victims in Hinthada District, Ayeyarwady Region.

They are one group among many in a spontaneous volunteer

movement that has inspired people of every age and profession.

Myanmarflood.info lists more than 100 groups aiding flood victims. People are

responding to the volunteers and handing over more money than they

thought they could spare. Underage tea shop waiters, trishaw drivers and

housemaids used to stretching a kyat as far as they can are dropping folded

wads into the outstretched bags and tins.

FIND THE SIX BOXES You can hear them halfway down the street. Above the roar of the

traffic and the chatter of the tea shop comes the column of young people,

collection tins in hand, calling for donations for the victims of Myanmar’s

severe flooding.

“We get together once a week, usually for shopping and eating and

playing games on our phones,” said 18-year-old student Aung Min Hein. “But

not this time. This is the time to show our solidarity with others.” He wears a

jacket of plastic bottles to signify a life jacket, and a large bag to accept

money.

His group, called Donation Wave, has already collected K1,500,000,

but aim for a further K500,000 from their street-walking tours. The money will

go to flood victims in Hinthada District, Ayeyarwady Region.

They are one group among many in a spontaneous volunteer

movement that has inspired people of every age and profession.

Myanmarflood.info lists more than 100 groups aiding flood victims. People are

responding to the volunteers and handing over more money than they

thought they could spare. Underage tea shop waiters, trishaw drivers and

housemaids used to stretching a kyat as far as they can are dropping folded

wads into the outstretched bags and tins.

FIND THE SIX BOXES Along with socializing, student Aung Min Hein and about 20 of his

friends founded Donation Wave and started working for charity when he

finished high school in 2013. They made donations at the pagoda on

weekends. Now they walk from Sule Pagoda to Hledan Junction on Pyay Road

asking for donations for flood victims.

Flooding caused by Cyclone Komen began on July 30. The

government said yesterday that 39 people had lost their lives over the past

week, and more than 200,000 people had been affected by flooding in 12 out of

the country’s 14 states and regions.

The students, dependent on their parents for pocket money, can’t afford

to give much themselves, but they have time and energy, and they can walk,

said one 18-year-old member.

“We walk, we shout, and we ask for money. We spend a couple of

hours doing this, but we’re not tired,” said Su Su, a student at West Yangon

Technological University. “This is nothing compared with what people in the

disaster areas have to put up with. They need our help.”

She rattles her basket at a passer-by. He drops in a K10,000 note. Su

Su smiles broadly, says thanks and resumes her cry for more donations.

•

FIND THE SIX BOXES Along with socializing, student Aung Min Hein and about 20 of his

friends founded Donation Wave and started working for charity when he

finished high school in 2013. They made donations at the pagoda on

weekends. Now they walk from Sule Pagoda to Hledan Junction on Pyay Road

asking for donations for flood victims.

Flooding caused by Cyclone Komen began on July 30. The

government said yesterday that 39 people had lost their lives over the past

week, and more than 200,000 people had been affected by flooding in 12 out of

the country’s 14 states and regions.

The students, dependent on their parents for pocket money, can’t afford

to give much themselves, but they have time and energy, and they can walk,

said one 18-year-old member.

“We walk, we shout, and we ask for money. We spend a couple of

hours doing this, but we’re not tired,” said Su Su, a student at West Yangon

Technological University. “This is nothing compared with what people in the

disaster areas have to put up with. They need our help.”

She rattles her basket at a passer-by. He drops in a K10,000 note. Su

Su smiles broadly, says thanks and resumes her cry for more donations.

•

FIND THE SIX BOXES Along with socializing, student Aung Min Hein and about 20 of his

friends founded Donation Wave and started working for charity when he

finished high school in 2013. They made donations at the pagoda on

weekends. Now they walk from Sule Pagoda to Hledan Junction on Pyay Road

asking for donations for flood victims.

Flooding caused by Cyclone Komen began on July 30. The

government said yesterday that 39 people had lost their lives over the past

week, and more than 200,000 people had been affected by flooding in 12 out of

the country’s 14 states and regions.

The students, dependent on their parents for pocket money, can’t afford

to give much themselves, but they have time and energy, and they can walk,

said one 18-year-old member.

“We walk, we shout, and we ask for money. We spend a couple of

hours doing this, but we’re not tired,” said Su Su, a student at West Yangon

Technological University. “This is nothing compared with what people in the

disaster areas have to put up with. They need our help.”

She rattles her basket at a passer-by. He drops in a K10,000 note. Su

Su smiles broadly and resumes her cry for more donations.

•

FIND THE SIX BOXES Along with socializing, student Aung Min Hein and about 20 of his

friends founded Donation Wave and started working for charity when he

finished high school in 2013. They made donations at the pagoda on

weekends. Now they walk from Sule Pagoda to Hledan Junction on Pyay Road

asking for donations for flood victims.

Flooding caused by Cyclone Komen began on July 30. The

government said yesterday that 39 people had lost their lives over the past

week, and more than 200,000 people had been affected by flooding in 12 out of

the country’s 14 states and regions.

The students, dependent on their parents for pocket money, can’t afford

to give much themselves, but they have time and energy, and they can walk,

said one 18-year-old member.

“We walk, we shout, and we ask for money. We spend a couple of

hours doing this, but we’re not tired,” said Su Su, a student at West Yangon

Technological University. “This is nothing compared with what people in the

disaster areas have to put up with. They need our help.”

She rattles her basket at a passer-by. He drops in a K10,000 note. Su

Su smiles broadly, says thanks and resumes her cry for more donations.

•