ENGL 295 - Sarah Proctor

     There are specific guidelines and organization techniques a writer should follow when writing a profile or an obituary. Profiles should not be in chronological order and should contain elements, such as the main focus, a theme, background, age and physical description when relevant, and visuals. Obituaries are profiles of people who passed away and focus on the importance of facts. While covering stories on speeches, meetings, and news conferences, your observations and scripted comments from the speaker are important parts of the story. Reporters should act as watchdogs for the public because meetings and conferences are where officials make decisions that affect the public.     Writing for a profile, obituary, speech, meeting, or news conference requires a lot of the same writing techniques. It is important to research your topic for all of these styles of writing. Ask people that they often come in contact with the subject or find news clips or videos ab...

      It is important for journalists to interview and report on subjects with sensitivity and care about certain issues. Gender, race, and age are all pieces of information that should not be identified unless it is relevant to the story. Journalists should f ollow gender-neutral language that does not specify male & female roles. For example, a writer should say a firefighter instead of a fireman. It is also essential to know your audience when you are describing specific groups. Just because people are the same color or look similar, does not mean they like to be addressed the same way. Overall, the best way to go about writing with sensitivity and care is to simply ask the source how they prefer to be addressed.     This chapter can also relate to the chapter on ethics. If a journalist does the right thing from the start, they will avoid any backlash from the public. It is important to b e aware of the current definition of a descriptor; some that w...