The Newsy Feature Story

What’s the difference between a news story and a feature story?

If this is the news… Trump threatens Berkeley in wake of riot sparked by Milo Yiannopoulos campus speech

UC Berkeley incident triggers college free speech debate This is a feature… UC Berkeley incident triggers college free speech debate

Beyonce and Jay-Z announce twins! If this is the news… Beyonce and Jay-Z announce twins!

Social media responds to Beyonce’s birth announcement This is a feature… Social media responds to Beyonce’s birth announcement

And this is another feature… “NFL Lockout: Why It Sucks for Fans”

The parts of a feature or second-day story Headline Lede Nut graph Body, which includes elaboration, reaction quotes that support the sides of the story--if there are sides. Ending, conclusion, kicker

Story lede, sometimes called soft or story lede Story ledes can be one paragraph or a few Unlike the “just the facts” news lede, the soft lede is often descriptive and teases the reader Doesn’t have the “ws” Often focuses on a person that is an example of the larger point of the story Most magazine articles use story ledes

Nut graph, sometimes called billboard Nut graph is a paragraph (or two) that explains what the story is about. It contains the facts Most of the rest of the story supports and amplifies what you’ve written in the nut graph If you write a strong, clear nut graph, your story will be easier to organize.

What your story must have: Headline Lede Transition Nut graph Body Kicker Direct quotes

Correctly set up and punctuate quotes! President Donald Trump threatened students and officials at the University of California Berkeley in the wake of free speech debate. “No federal funds?” he said in via Twitter.

Acting interim CCNY President Vince Boudreau showed his support for immigrant students. “At our diverse campus, we provide safety and sanctuary,” he said. “We resist dictatorship and will not tolerate hatred.” ”

Grammar Reminders! Avoid overly long sentences. Pay attention to repetition and try not to repeat words and phrases. Write in active, not passive voice. Do your best to avoid the “to be” verb; instead, replace with active verbs, even if you have to rework the sentence. Read over your work carefully – out loud.