Writing For Newspapers

by Ms Satrupa Chaudhry

 

After giving us a lucid explanation of different types of Features and their examples,madam thought of engaging students with a written assignment of what we learnt.She categorically told us that we needed to write about varied Features in order to have a first-hand experience of its dynamics.We learnt how Reporting and Feature-writing is distinctly different from each other.Reporting is purely documenting an event to inform people objectively and concisely.On the other hand,Features are descriptive and usually accomodate personal opinions.We have the liberty to go at length so as to substantiate our line of argument.

  In the written exercise,we were given 45 minutes to write a News Feature which is an article about an important issue that is attracting media's attention.We chose molestation of a girl by self-styled godman Asaram Bapu as our topic.We utilized the valuable inputs given by madam in our effort to begin with an outstanding Introduction.She informed us about how an ironical beginning(presentig paradox) can be a key tool to catch the fascination of the reader.We were enlightened by her insights about the need to exercise self-restraint when it comes to an issue as sensitive as sexual asault.We didn't go over the top in our scathing criticism on Asaram Bapu-a reminder given by mam.She even taught us how we can be argumentative through sound reasoning in our persuit of writing with a difference.The conclusion is  the bedrock of any Feature and we were rightly advised to conclude in a manner that can galvanize reader into action or even have a lasting impact on the reader's mind.