Molly Kasinger

Feature writing (telling the story)

Stephen Tanner et al. — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:32:42 PDT

At the root of all forms of journalism is the desire to convey a story and a wish to tell it accurately. While news reporting remains the staple of contemporary journalism, increasingly opportunities are opening up for feature writers and even those who aspire to longer forms of journalism and creative non-fiction.

Using a step-by-step description of styles and techniques this book will show students how to research, structure and write stories, how to navigate legal and ethical issues, and how to market their work: while learning how to tackle different styles of writing, from profiles, to issue-based stories, to columns, to biographies and advertising copy. Along the way they will be introduced to some of Australia’s best-known journalists and writers and the hard lessons they have learned from their experience of writing, helping students forge their path to publishing and a career in feature writing.

Girls, girls, girls. A study of the popularity of journalism as a career among female teenagers and its corresponding lack of appeal to young males

Mike Grenby et al. — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:47:04 PDT

Australian journalism programs have long reported a disproportionate number of female students and the industry is becoming increasingly feminised. The latest (2006) Census figures showed that, for the first time in Australian history, women outnumbered men in journalism and related occupations. While many researchers have commented upon the increased popularity of journalism as a career choice among young women and its decline in popularity among young men, none have undertaken a comprehensive project researching the reasons for this phenomenon. This study has addressed this gap in the research. The research team conducted an extensive literature review, surveyed 444 senior secondary school students and 32 high school careers advisers, and conducted in-depth interviews with 15 ‘elite’ journalism industry personnel to explore the reasons for this trend. This monograph reviews the literature of the field, highlights the findings of the study, and discusses the implications for Australian journalism of the increasingly feminised newsroom. It identifies several gaps between the perceptions of teenagers about journalism and the realities of the career and questions the motivations and knowledge base of many students when deciding to pursue or reject the career choice. It suggests some careers advice they receive might be misguided, particularly when the advice is based upon performance in senior school English studies. The monograph concludes with a call for journalism programs and the industry generally to improve their communication with high school students, teachers and careers advisers to enhance their knowledge of the range of journalism careers and the mission of journalism in a democratic society. The authors also suggest further research be conducted into the compatibility of the senior secondary English curriculum with the workplace requirements of the entry level journalist.

Uncovering the place of creative non-fiction in Australian journalism departments

Molly Blair — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:56:08 PST

This article reviews the results of a census of Australian tertiary journalism programs that sought to gauge opinions about creative non-fiction and its value within a journalism department. The census revealed the academy’s support for creative non-fiction as a way to encourage innovations in print media, improve graduates’ employability and the quality of journalism. The survey also exposed a number of concerns about creative non-fiction’s inclusion in journalism education. These included creative non-fiction’s use in industry, restraints on resources, and problems with students’ capabilities.

Putting the storytelling back into stories : creative non-fiction in tertiary journalism education

Molly Blair — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:06:34 PST

This work explores the place of creative non-fiction in Australian tertiary journalism education. While creative non-fiction — a genre of writing based on the techniques of the fiction writer — has had a rocky relationship with journalism, this study shows that not only is there a place for the genre in journalism education, but that it is inextricably linked with journalism. The research is based on results from studies using elite interviews and a census of Australian universities with practical journalism curricula. The first stage of this study provides a definition of creative non-fiction based on the literature and a series of elite interviews held with American and Australian creative non-fiction experts. This definition acknowledges creative non-fiction as a genre of writing that tells true stories while utilising fiction writing techniques such as point of view, dialogue and vivid description. The definition also takes into account creative non-fiction’s diverse range of publication styles which include feature articles, memoir, biography, literary journalism and narrative non-fiction.

The second stage of the study reports upon elite interviews with Australian writers who have produced works in the genres of journalism and creative non-fiction. These interviews reveal the close relationship journalism and creative non-fiction share across a variety of approaches and techniques. This study also shows how creative non-fiction can improve the careers of journalists and the quality of journalism.

The census of journalism programs further reveals the place of creative non-fiction in tertiary journalism education and prompts the formulation of a two tiered model for the genre’s inclusion in the curriculum. The first tier involves including creative non-fiction in a core journalism subject. The second tier is an elective creative non-fiction subject which builds on the skills developed in the core classes.

Through the literature, and the responses of the elites and survey respondents, it was possible to show how creative non-fiction helps journalism students to appreciate the history of their profession, explore their talents and finally to be part of what may be the future of print journalism.