How to prepare for the worst  Obituaries or Obits as they are commonly referred to in the news industry – are probably the hardest thing to write.  Covering politics in Washington D.C. is easier than writing an obit.  Main reason: This deals with getting an interview with the family of someone who died and asking them to relive some of their most beautiful memories which can be very painful.

Who gets an obit?  Prominent figures such as:  Politicians (local or national).  Entertainment Icons.  Philanthropists.  Those in the armed forces.  Major Local, state or national contributors that made an impact in the world.

How do you find out when someone important is deceased?  Usually the family or friend or the funeral home puts an advertisement about the person’s death in the newspaper.  If someone catches it before it prints they call you up.  Or if it prints and an editor catches it they will notify a reporter.

Things you need to know  You need to know their age.  The cause of death:  Bike accident.  Cancer. What kind of cancer.  Medical conditions they suffered from that may have caused the death.  What they were involved in while they were alive.

Tough questions  In this time of need the family may or may not answer your questions.  This is when you try to get the friends to comment on the person.  Usually they are more than happy too but be aware that any question can set them off – this is a terrible time for them.

Other ways to cover a death…  Go to the memorial or funeral service.  There the family may or may not speak about the person.  If it is a funeral at a church, the priest may say a few words that that the family has asked them to say.  Take note of how many people are there, and when they cry, what is said and if there are any other descriptive elements.

Covering a soldiers funeral.  This is tricky.  Sometimes you are allowed on base to listen to the funeral.  Sometimes you are not.  If you are not allowed inside the church you can always go to the cemetery and listen to what the reverend has to say there and possibly get quotes from the family after the burial.

Keep in mind this is a hard time  You need to be sympathetic to the family’s loss.  Don’t shove a recorder in their faces.  When asking questions be aware of your tone.  Don’t go into the funeral or the cemetery wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Dress properly.

Some Tips  Some obits on famous people have already been written. All that needs to be done is to fill in the blanks.  In the case of an emergency you have to be prepared.  If someone important dies you must check the newspaper’s archives so that you can put what they were involved in and their history.

Examples:  First Mexican-American Mayor of El Paso 

Ways to find out more about them…  Twitter  Facebook  Whitepages.com  Cause of death – Through an Open Records Request you can find the cause of the death through the county morgue.

Considering the family  Sometimes the family makes interesting requests, like asking you that you not put the person’s age or what they died of.  Normally, this would be ignored but depending what paper you write for – including or not including certain information may be an exception to the rule.

What to ask the familyWhat to ask the family  What was he/she like? What did they like to do?  How old was he/she when they passed away? How did it happen?  If it was a long battle with cancer – ask some details as to when they were diagnosed? Signs of diagnosis, etc.  If it was in war – when did they enlist. What happened.

What to ask…What to ask…  If it’s a soldier you need to know straight off the bat that the DOD (Department of Defense) releases VERY LITTLE info on the soldiers death. They like to give you some rehearsed “line” on how the soldier died defending some operation or while in training.  They release little so you know very little and they expect the press to get no more.  Know that THIS is an injustice for the soldier so NEVER settle for these limited details that the DOD gives.

What to ask a soldier’s family  Soldiers families are always more than willing to talk. They want to make sure their son or daughter gets their just representation.  They will tell you more details about how their son/daughter died. These are the details you need to get.  Once you get those details contact the base’s Public Relations staff, from which the soldier was based at to confirm the information. 9 times out of 10 they won’t.  IN which case you write: Officials did not release further information.

In general what you need to know: Questions Review  How they died?  When they died? (Date and time of death.)  What they were like when they were alive?  How old they were?  If a disease what kind? What was it called? How long had they been battling?  Accomplishments?  If in combat – details of the combat?

Questions…  Have the funeral arrangements been made? If so, when and where.  If not, you simply put: Funeral services are still pending.  If family members don’t want to talk ask the friends these questions – mostly about how they were.

Thinks to rememberThinks to remember  When covering a service dress respectfully and act respectfully.  Don’t pester a family member after they say “no comment.” or say they don’t want to be bothered.  Notice the details – the way a family member cries, or if they hug the coffin, if they release a dove or if a certain song is played in the decease’s honor.  Notice how many people are there to remember that person.

Homework  Write your classmate’s obituary.  Questions you need to ask is how old they are, what they were into.  There are certain facts about your death on the Death Card you picked.  Some of those details are very general – you can fill in the blanks about any specifics. Be creative but not unrealistic.  Needs to be at least 1 page single spaced. Can be up to 3 pages.

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