Deadline, Dateline, Human Story: Reporting and Feature Writing for Daily News

 

As a reporter and feature writer, I covered events, interviewed public figures and found human stories in everyday places, delivering factual, engaging stories every day before the paper went to print.

At a glance

Role: Reporter and Feature Writer
Publication: Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, The New Indian Express, NDTV, WE Magazine and News Today
Beat: City news, events, features, entertainment and education
Duration: 4 years
Focus: News coverage, interviews, feature writing, human interest stories
Result: Notable interviews, front-page stories and a deep sense of social responsibility

The challenge
News organizations needed factual stories that grabbed readers’ interest and taught them something. The stories had to connect with current trends and reach the desk on time, every day, before the newspaper went to print.

What I did

• Covered regular events and planned special stories to follow up on them
• Interviewed celebrities and a wide range of people, and told their stories as features
• Spoke with the public to find leads and gather opinions on public matters, and built human interest stories from them
• Collected story ideas and approached each one from several angles to make it more interesting
• Visited public places regularly and wrote about new developments

The result

• Brought out human interest stories from various dimensions
• Events and special stories

What I learned about leading
I never assume I have the full story. I ask more questions and look at every subject from more than one angle. The explorer in me finds stories worth telling, and I bring that same drive to every team I lead.

Skills shown: Reporting, interviewing, feature writing, finding stories, working to daily deadlines, understanding audiences