Feature coverage class raises the bar

From learning about the new media to writing a 300 word feature story, the journalists in the Feature Coverage class focus on creating unique stories that are more appealing to their readers.

“Teenagers can be inherently lazy so being a good reporter is the opposite of their natural instinct,” Feature Coverage instructor Julia Satterthwaite said. “I want to teach them how to plan ahead, find who is the closest source to the story, do their research, write good interview questions and to follow up on their interviews.”

Compared to last year, Satterthwaite wants to incorporate more about blogging, Storify, infographics and the use of new media into feature writing. The biggest task of the class this year is to create a feature package focused on either the concert or one of the two seminars.

“I’m learning so much from this class and I feel like my writing is constantly improving,” Midland High School junior Aelish Shay said. “There are definitely a lot of useful things that I can bring back to my paper.”

Satterthwaite hopes that her students learn how to find interesting stories with unique angles that have never been covered before and apply it to their writing.