Don't mess with the Jazz!

In high school, when I first learned about journalism, my teacher taught me about feature stories and what makes them different from news in a way that I will never forget. He said a feature story is like jazz music. It is smooth and beautiful. It tells a story unlike a news article would. In teaching me about a feature lead, he told my class that it is more artistic and free-forming (when compared to a summary lead). The feature lead can ask a question or tell a story while a summary lead must get straight to the point of the important information. A feature lead, like jazz, has the freedom to move around and eventually make its point.

My first example of a feature lead came from "The Washington Post" on Sunday, February, 15, 2009. Headlined, "Coloring Perception" author Blake Gopnik, a Washington Post staff writer, begins his story with the following lead:

CHICAGO -- Can an artist get much more successful than Kerry James Marshall? Museums everywhere own his work. (The Corcoran was one of his first buyers. And the Baltimore Museum of Art is displaying his "Ladder of Success," a recent purchase.) In 1997, he won the $500,000 MacArthur "genius" award, an ultra-prestigious invitation to Germany's twice-a-decade Documenta show and a place in the Whitney Museum's biennial.

Gopnik begins his feature story with question. The book suggests that it is almost never necessary to use a question lead because as a reporter you should be giving information not quizzing the reader. However, I think in the case of this story the lead works. When I first read the lead, I asked myself why I didn't know who he was. I think this was the authors main intention to pull in the reader.

My second lead came from "The Washington Post" on Monday, February 16, 2009. Headlined, "Venice Dresses Up for Carnevale" author Mathias Wildt wrote the following lead:

On a foggy February morning a few years ago, my wife and I were walking down an alley in Venice when we turned a corner and were confronted by an amazing sight: a procession of 30 human figures seeming to glide on the stone pavement in complete silence, like aliens.

This is a good example of an anecdotal feature lead. In this case, the lead works well as the author tells a story about his own experience at Carnevale, a huge celebration.

When events turn bazaar.

To give a bit of a background for my multi-media story idea, I want to tell a story. A woman I work with met a man on myspace. He seemed very charming and sent flowers to her at work on numerous occasions. Then one day she came to work and announced she was expecting. No one was happier than this man was of the expectant baby. They set out to build a life together and went in search of the perfect two-bedroom apartment. Then he lost his job. Soon after, his charm disappeared as he became belligerent toward my co-worker and even threw her belongings into the street below their apartment. This was the final straw and she moved back home with her family. She then began to realize she might be a single parent. The man left the apartment to stay with friends and left her with the monthly rent payments. The man who seemed so kind now called her in excess of 100 times a day just to hang up. My co-worker got a lawyer to file a peace order because he was causing her intense stress, which was not good for her now softball sized baby. Time passed and it seemed like the storm was over. The peace ceased when her former lover’s lawyer sent a letter to her explaining the man would petition for full custody of the child after birth, assuming the child is his. My colleague is now due in just a couple of months and is in a full on legal dispute over the child.

The story brings me to my story idea. My pregnant co-worker’s sister organized a shopping bazaar to benefit her sister. The proceeds from the event would help defer the cost of the lawyer. What is important about this bazaar is that the woman’s sister wants to continue this idea to help other women who are facing the same issue. The bazaar was on Sunday, November 2. I attended the event and took a few good shots I believe would compliment my final peace. One shot I took used a mirror to reflect the woman’s face. I plan to interview my co-worker about how confident she feels the bazaar will be in helping her. A question I feel is important to ask is how much she truly needs this money. I want to get more of the emotional experience of her predicament. I also planned to interview the organizer while I was there; however, she was extremely busy and told me that I could call her anytime I needed to for questions. Some questions I would like to ask her include what were the goals, if they were achieved and if she does see a future need for another event like this later. At the event, I asked some of the vendors and customers about their experiences. Many told me they really want to see the whole situation resolved so that all parties can walk away happy and healthy, including baby Tommy.