CQUniversity Unit Profile.

You should review the requirements for your features in Assessment 2 and 3, and identify target publications and associated audiences; justify your story ideas in relation to current public discourse (why are they interesting to an audience, and why now?); and present evidence of planning, such as what you are going to do and when.

The two feature stories are different, so your pitch should deal with each feature article separately.

As a writer, you need to ask yourself some hard questions first, and that's the purpose of this assessment. A good proposal will sell your idea for a story. Your pitch should address the questions an editor would consider when deciding whether to publish your article, such as: Why would I want to publish this article? Why is it of interest to my readers? What's unique about this story?

Specifically, your pitch for each feature should consider the following:

• The news value or interest of this person or topic (why is he/she/it interesting to a reader?);
• The relevance of this story to current public discourse (why is it current for a reader?);
• The aim of the article (what will/should/may readers learn?);
• Your ideas about what you as a writer need to know about the person/subject before proceeding;
• Your interpretation of the theme (why did you choose the theme, and why is it interesting to you as a writer) – Feature 2 only;
• Intended publication and style, and why this type of article would suit that publication.

You also need to think about how you plan to complete the feature, and should include information about:

• Sources
  • List of proposed interviewees (primary sources) and mode of interviewing.
  • Names and status of proposed interviewees.
  • List of proposed secondary sources.
• Time frame
  • List the proposed research, interview and writing tasks and a suggested timeline for each feature.
  • Proposed structure (provide brief details of planned structure)

Pitch presentation

There are two parts to presenting your pitch.

1) Pitch outline: Develop a very short PowerPoint presentation. These slides, including expanded points in the notes panel if you desire, must be submitted online at the end of Week 4. These files will be downloaded and reviewed by teaching staff prior to discussing your ideas in a Discussion session. The presentation will be no more than five slides (intro slide + two slides Ass 2 Feature + two slides Ass 3 Feature). You do not need to record any voice/speech with this PowerPoint. It is simply a guide for you to talk to in your Discussion Session, and gives us a heads-up as to what you will be talking/writing about. 

2) Discuss your topic in a Discussion Session: All students will attend a Zoom session with the Unit Coordinator in Week 5. Students will have a choice of options regarding times during Week 5, and need to choose ONE only. Attendance via Zoom to discuss your pitch is compulsory and all students are expected to participate. You will need to provide evidence of your inability to attend a group session (eg. medical certificate/letter from supervisor).

Justification of approach: Editors rarely accept unsolicited manuscripts. The ability to identify a story idea, summarise it, and articulate it in a way that generates interest is a critical skill for feature writers. The more effort you put into your pitch, the more guidance you will be able to get from teaching staff. The requirement to submit only four slides is deliberate; it is to encourage you to be succinct in your writing, and clear with your ideas.

Changing your Mind: Remember that this is a pitch of intent. Depending on feedback, you may change your mind about your feature, in terms of topic or approach. You will not be required to submit another formal pitch, but will need to discuss your ideas with teaching staff.

Drafts/Ideas: No private drafting/discussion will be allowed, but we are happy to engage with you if you want to confirm that you are on the right track or discuss your ideas prior to completing your pitch. Submit your questions or discussion to the Assessment 1 - Pitch forum. We don't review drafts privately in this course because a) students need to learn to be confident to engage with ideas publicly, and b) students benefit from learning about what others are doing, and seeing our feedback.  

Your task is to write a personal profile on someone whose work or life is of current interest.

This profile must include a personal interview with the main subject of the feature, as well as interviews of family/friends/work colleagues/peers that provide some alternative perspectives of your subject.

You may interview someone you know, but this person has to be someone of potential interest to another reader.

You are not able to be the subject of the personal profile, and you are not able to 'interview yourself'.

The article must:

(a) Present the person in a way that expands public knowledge and demonstrates application of news values (ie. reveals new information or takes a new angle on a person, or highlights a current issue through a personality profile);

(b) Demonstrate research in support of the subject. Primary and secondary source material must be referenced and acknowledged appropriately;

(c) Be written in a way that attracts and sustains reader interest; and

(d) Provide a list of full contact details of interviewees including telephone numbers and addresses.

Feature Pitch Letter and Interview Notes

You will be required to include a short pitch letter to the editor of the intended publication, telling the editor about the article and why this feature is interesting to the publication's target audience. You may use some of the information you prepared as part of your proposal.

You will also need to submit your interview notes (or transcript) with your feature article as an appendix.

Any secondary sources must be referenced using Turabian (Footnote).

Length: You will submit one file for this assessment that contains:

• Feature Article (1200 - 1500 words)
• Feature Pitch Letter (150 - 200 words)
• Transcripts (no word length)

Drafts: Students are expected to share their drafts or sections of writing via the unit discussion forum or in class, and all students are encouraged to share their constructive opinion and ideas on one another's work. Feedback is therefore public and assists all students. No private drafts will be accepted.

Self-assessment: We require you to self-assess your submission against the assessment criteria. This simply requires you to highlight the standards you believe you met, and give yourself a suggested grade. We do this because it encourages you to review the requirements of the task and ensures you don't miss critical information. More information is provided on the unit website.  

NOTE: Our ultimate aim is to help you get your work published. Think of someone locally whose profile might be of interest to your local paper, or a young emerging sport person whose profile might be of interest to a specialist publication. In the past, we've had local personalities, tattoo artists, and beer brewers featured in local newspapers as examples. You could feature a local emerging band/artist/athlete; highlight the work of a volunteer who is a bit unusual; or tease out the human interest side of a high profile business person. Remember, EVERYONE has an interesting story - it's our job to find out about it and decide whether it's of interest to a wider audience.