Learning Log Meeting 9 Journalism - How to Write a Profile Feature Article

Topic	How to Write a Profile Feature Article
Date	Mei 22nd, 2023
Sources/Links	Student Voices (1999). How to Write a Profile Feature Article. Retrieved on 22 April 2021 from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/students/writing/voices.html
Learned vocabularies, pronunciation & part of speech, definition, and in context (e.g., in a sentence)	1. Profile =  [ˈprōˌfīl] Part of speech: Noun Indonesian: profil Definition: an outline of something, especially a person's face, as seen from one side. e.g., “the man turned and she caught his profile" Synonyms: Side view, outline, figure   2. Peer = [pir] Part of speech: Noun Indonesian: rekan Definition: a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person. e.g., “he has incurred much criticism from his academic peers” Synonyms : Fellow, match, person of the same age   3. Probe = [prōb] Part of peech: Verb Indonesian: menguji Definition: physically explore or examine (something) with the hands or an instrument. e.g., “researchers probing the digestive glands of mollusks” Synonyms: Examine, explore, check   4. Proofread = [ˈpro͞ofˌrēd] Part of peech: Verb Indonesian: mengoreksi Definition: read (printer's proofs or other written or printed material) and mark any errors. e.g., “they must revise and proofread their work” Synonyms: Corrected   5. Feature = [ˈfēCHər] Part of peech: Noun Indonesian: fitur Definition: a distinctive attribute or aspect of something. e.g., “safety features like dual air bags” Synonyms: Attribute, aspect, detail

 

 

Synopsis

According to page Student Voices on the website nytimes.com, there are several guides that will help you report and write for the national audience you will get if your submission is selected for publication on The New York Times Learning Network:

1.      Know the rules of attribution. You must identify yourself as a reporter before beginning any conversation with a source.

2.      Ask open questions, be a good listener, and probe for anecdotes. Get a source talking by asking questions that begin with "how" or "why."

3.      Prepare for your interviews. Come to any interview armed with a basic list of questions you hope to ask.

4.      Interview with breadth and depth. Interview as wide a range of people as possible, and probe them for thoughtful answers.

5.      Write for a national audience. Obviously, your story will be grounded by your familiarity with your own school.

6.      Keep an open mind. Don't assume that you understand all the nuances of your topic.

7.      Decide on an approach. Outlining your story is the best way to start. This means reviewing your notes, marking the most interesting or articulate quotes, making a list of important points, and creating a structure into which you can fit your information.

8.      Focus on what's most compelling. Before you start writing, think through all the information you have and all the points you plan to make.

9.      Show, don't tell. It is tempting to describe a room as messy or a person as nice.

10.  Put your story in context. You must help answer a reader's biggest question about any story: Why should I care?

11.  Don't overuse direct quotes. Sometimes you can best capture a mood with your own prose.

12.  Fill holes. Are there questions raised by your story that you have not answered? Ask a friend, teacher, editor or fellow reporter to read through your story and tell you what else he or she would want to know.

13.  Triple-check for accuracy. Spell names right. Get grade levels and titles right. Get facts right.

14.  proofread. Do not turn in a story with spelling or grammatical mistakes.

A "profile feature" is a newspaper article that explores the background and character of a particular person (or group). The focus should be on a news angle or a single aspect of the subject's personal or professional life. The article should begin with the reason the subject is newsworthy at this time, and should be based (not exclusively) on an extensive interview with the subject.

The article should open with the subject's connection to the news event and should deal later with birth, family, education, career and hobbies, unless one of those happens to be the focus of the story. Profile features should include the major elements of hard news stories, but should also provide readers with details help to capture the essence of the person you are profiling. Contextual information should clearly show readers why the profile subject you have chosen is relevant and interesting.

Reflection

Through the material "How to Write a Profile Feature Article" I learned what profile news is. I came to know that profile news is a newspaper article that explores the background and character of a particular person. I realized that profile news is different from the biographical text. I also learned about how to write profile news. The website that I read also provides some tips for writing good news profiles. The tips provided really helped me to write a news profile later. To be able to write profile news, we can first determine who we will write about later. we can write about people who inspire us, or people who create new movements. we can get data to write news by interviewing the person. on the news profile we can write down his story that can inspire many people and include a bit of his biography as an opener. Profile news can also end with quotes or messages from the characters we write about.