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STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF A FEATURE ARTICLE

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STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF A FEATURE ARTICLE

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Feature articles can be informative, entertaining or persuasive in nature. They are different from newspaper articles since they give readers special information regarding particular people, issues or events. The information revealed might not be tied to recent news. The writer has to explain the chosen angle of the feature article. Some common structural elements observable in feature articles are:

Headline

Lead/Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Language Features

Feature articles tend to be less formal and more conversational than news reports or editorials. To write a good feature article, the following language features should be included:

Quotations

Persuasive language

Descriptive language

Seen on: http://www.ln.edu.hk/eng/genres/featurearticle.php

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This article first appeared in the Irish Independent Written Word Supplement on Monday 26th January 2015.

Meditating on Mindfulness

Hocus Pocus or Miracle Cure?

Susan Mullane

Close your eyes. Breathe in. Feel the oxygen flood your core, flow into your limbs and cleanse your mind. Focus your mind, slowly, on your feet... calves... thighs... abdomen... hands... arms... chest... shoulders... neck... head... face. Listen to the sounds in the room. Allow your thoughts to wander and as they appear, let them flow away. Focus on the now. You are, I am, we are. Body. Breadth. Sensation.

For some, buying into the promise of mindfulness seems like a Volkswagen camper van too far. It's all a bit touchy-feely, hippy-dippy, thanks but no thanks, I'd rather have tea and a scone to relax. For others, it is the infiltration of mindfulness into the popular consciousness that they find unforgivable. If it had remained a minority pursuit, imported after one too many trips to Buddhist temples in Nepal, at least it would have retained some essence of its roots. But, critics argue, divorcing mindfulness from the quest for a moral life makes it an exercise in accepting the status quo, something that plays into the hands of the very forces, mostly corporate, who have popularised it for their own machiavellian purposes. Reducing stress via ten minutes of mindfulness a day boosts your employees productivity and that's a hell of a lot cheaper than hiring extra staff! McMindfulness indeed!

But if mindfulness has made self-help gurus rich, as they pump out books promoting their expensive residential courses, does that in and of itself negate the benefits of a craze that has penetrated so deeply into our communities, reaching into schools, prisons and nursing homes? For me, the logic here is absurd. Just because something is popular, does not make it worthless. Just because it's been adapted from its original form does not make it toxic. It may have made men rich, but perhaps that's because it works.

I spoke to Karen Miles, a staunch advocate of mindfulness and founder of popular website meinmind.ie. " I've seen it transform my own life" she enthuses " and that's why I set up the website. I wanted others to experience the same joy, but I realised that first they'd have to believe it's worth bothering with". Trawling her site, facebook page and twitter account, the proliferation of testimonials could well make a believer out of this agnostic. Rather than grandiose claims, simple messages dominate. " I am so glad I did this. It was hard to keep it going by myself at first, but now I practice mindfulness everyday and I find I get a lot less stressed about the small stuff" says Annette, 35 in Louth. " Feeling calm. Have been following the tips on your site for four months and I don't know myself. Thanks Karen" comments Jennifer on the facebook page. "@seanlala Thanks @meinmind Your site helped me to get through the stress of my exams " tweets Sean, 17. There's plenty more in this vein, expressing simple gratitude for a coping mechanism that seems to genuinely reduce stress and anxiety in those who need it most.

Nor is mindfulness a new concept, despite what the cynics would have us believe. The earliest reference to myndfulness dates back to 1530 as a translation of the French word pensée. Indeed, Pascal's book of the same name contains ideas which echo the core message of simply being that still resonates so powerfully with people today. " All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone " he maintains. Perhaps the enduring appeal of every approach that embraces the now, from yoga to pilates; and from meditation to massage, is that it allows us to forget our anxieties, our worries, our fears and to enter into that state of flow which allows us to unconsciously feel at one with the universe.

If all of that feels a little saccharine, perhaps now is an opportune moment to turn to science for some truth. Does it work? Or are we just wasting our time, handing over our hard earned cash to men in expensive suits who simply re-package the wisdom of the ancients for our modern secular age?

Whatever the original source, research by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded in 2014 that mindfulness does indeed have an effect. Following a mindfulness programme reduces many of the most toxic elements of stress, including anxiety and depression. Of course there's a warning about the limitations of its effect. There's no evidence that it alters your eating habits, helps you lose weight or sleep better, they add. It's not better than exercise or behavioural therapies. To which I reply, who cares? Singing daily doesn't make me better at playing the piano but that does not negate the joy of singing in my life. If I can find something that I can work into my daily practice and build into my life, that makes me less anxious, less stressed and less likely to become depressed, then hallelujah, bring it on.

If you can afford behavioural therapies, by all means do that too. Eating healthily and getting exercise remain the cornerstones of a healthy life, but this isn't an either or scenario. ' Everything that helps, helps ' my mother used to say and she was a woman full of wisdom. In my teens, as I was prowling the house one day, stressed about my impending mock exams, she suddenly went to the press, hauled out a stack of plates from the very back and said 'would you ever go and smash those. It might calm you down'. She also handed me a plastic bag and a dustpan and brush so I could tidy up after myself. I will never forget the liberating joy of willful destruction I experienced that day. I was aware of my body, aware of my surroundings, caught up in the present moment and relieved entirely of my despair. It didn't last forever, but I got a few days grace from the experience, the memory of which carried me through many future moments with a smile.

Remember, also, that a societal focus on positive mental health is a wonderful development for a country whose wellbeing has been severely challenged by years of austerity, high unemployment and emigration. Embracing mindfulness is not a pretence that all is fine; rather it reflects an awareness that when all is not fine we need to build our resilience; to learn strategies that help us to cope. As we emerge into better, more hopeful times, retaining our hard earned wisdom to stay connected to that which matters should stand us in good stead in the future, provided me remember to focus on the now.

And how does it work?

Close your eyes. Breathe in. Feel the oxygen flood your core, flow into your limbs and cleanse your mind. Focus your mind, slowly, on your feet... calves... thighs... abdomen... hands... arms... chest... shoulders... neck... head... face. Listen to the sounds in the room. Allow your thoughts to wander and as they appear, let them flow away. Focus on the now. You are, I am, we are. Body. Breadth. Sensation.

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Writing a feature article: here is the process I went through to create this piece.
Preparation

1. Choose a topic

2. Brainstorm ideas

3. Decide a basic paragraph plan & sequence for your ideas.

Writing - a step by step guide HEADLINE + SUB-HEADING
BYLINE (journalist's name)

INTRODUCE AN IDEA = try to grab the readers' attention from the get go.

PARAGRAPH 2 = outline the 'things people say' about this topic

PARAGRAPH 3 = make your own stance clear

PARAGRAPH 4 = testimonials from people you've interviewed

PARAGRAPH 5 = look at the history of this topic or issue

PARAGRAPH 6 = ask some pointed questions

PARAGRAPH 6 = establish what our current understanding is

PARAGRAPH 7 = personal anecdote(s)

PARAGRAPH 8 = Irish context and potential impact on our society going forward

CONCLUSION = come full circle by returning to the original idea from the start of the article
REMEMBER: an article will likely include facts & statistics, rhetorical questions, contrast, anecdotes, quotes from interviewees etc...

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This article first appeared in the Irish Independent Written Word Supplement on Monday 26th January 2015. Susan Mullane Close your eyes. Breathe in. Feel the oxygen flood your core, flow into your limbs and cleanse your mind. Focus your mind, slowly, on your feet... calves... thighs... abdomen... hands... arms... chest...

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Notice that where you might put a quote from someone, they play the clip of the person actually speaking!

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This link takes you to an article about the drought Australian farmers are facing at the moment. As well as a fully written article, there is an 'on-the-ground' news report video, as well as images throughout the article.

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On the NSW Northern Tablelands, cattle farmer Andrew Williamson has suffered for months without rain or reprieve on his Yarrowyck property.

He said his farm is in free-fall, after only two years of operation.

"We'd hoped for an income of around about $600,000 for this financial year, and we'll be lucky to make a third of that," Mr Williamson told SBS News.

"It certainly hasn't gone to plan. We were planning a year of selling steers for about $1000 a head, heifer for 800-850 a head. And we've had nothing like that happen.

A year ago, Mr Williamson's farm - an hour's drive from Armidale - was green, prosperous and promised a profitable return.

Now his 1600 hectares are dry, dusty, and if it doesn't rain in spring, the next two years will also be a write-off.

His 850 cattle are severely underweight, many have eye infections because of the dust, and calves desperate for a drink are becoming bogged in near empty dams.

"I think watching your animals compromised by the drought is the hardest part, without any doubt," Mr Williamson said.

A loss of time

One of the lesser talked about side-effects is the impact the drought is having on a farmer's time. In good conditions, at this time of year, many farmers would be working on general maintenance around the paddocks, improving roads, and putting up fences.

But that important work has instead been pushed back, with farmers being forced to hand-feed their stock, and treat the ones struggling.

Every day it's the same, the same thing, it's groundhog day every day, said Mr Williamson."

"There's a degree of boredom in it for the farmer. But you get nothing else done."

Money isn't enough

The Federal government's promises of monetary relief, including almost doubling its relief fund to $1.8bn, are doing little to appease the farmer's stress.

"I'm not sure throwing money at it is going to fix the problem," Mr Williamson said.

"We need realistic solutions to help feed the animals, and we'd love some help, physical help.

"I heard someone talking the other day about mobilising the defence force. Get someone up here to sit on our tractor and take the feed out while we fix the fences would be just awesome."

And as farms continue to suffer through the dry conditions, regional businesses are also hurting. In nearby Armidale, business is drying up.

"I think things are subdued just because that disposable income is reduced and people are doing it really hard," Anthony Fox, president of the Armidale Business Chamber, said.

"Businesses in town and country people, farmers and graziers, are intertwined. They've been intertwined from a business perspective and emotionally."

Remaining resilient

Michelle Wheatley's bookstore and wine bar in Armidale are still turning a profit. But she said all shop owners are trying to stay strong - and are focused on supporting farmers.

"We just count ourselves as really lucky," Ms Wheatley said.

"Even businesses that aren't doing well are still offering to fundraise or apportion their sales, or any other initiatives to help ."

As for citysiders, Andrew Williamson believes there are other ways to help.

"Come and visit. Come and spend your money in the local area, I think that's a great solution. If you're gonna take a holiday, take it regionally this year," he said.

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Throwing money won't fix Australia's drought crisis: farmers

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On the NSW Northern Tablelands, cattle farmer Andrew Williamson has suffered for months without rain or reprieve on his Yarrowyck property. He said his farm is in free-fall, after only two years of operation. "We'd hoped for an income of around about $600,000 for this financial year, and we'll be lucky to make a third of that," Mr Williamson told SBS News.

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Personality profiles: A personality profile is written to bring an audience closer to a person in or out of the news. Interviews and observations, as well as creative writing, are used to paint a vivid picture of the person. The CBC’s recent profile of Pierre Elliot Trudeau is a classic example of the genre and makes use of archival film footage, interviews, testimonials, and fair degree of editorializing by the voice-over commentary.

Human interest stories: A human interest story is written to show a subject’s oddity or its practical, emotional, or entertainment value.

Trend stories: A trend story examines people, things or organizations that are having an impact on society. Trend stories are popular because people are excited to read or hear about the latest fads.

In-depth stories: Through extensive research and interviews, in-depth stories provide a detailed account well beyond a basic news story or feature.

Backgrounders: A backgrounder--also called an analysis piec--adds meaning to current issues in the news by explaining them further. These articles bring an audience up-to-date, explaining how this country, this organization, this person happens to be where it is now.

Seen on: https://www.media-studies.ca/articles/feature.htm