Pitch your ideas for the two feature stories (PROFILE and NEWS) you are required to write this term (Assessment Items 2 and 3). You will receive feedback on your submission.
NOTE: Students who demonstrate limited attention to the requirements of the task will Fail this assessment. They will be required to resubmit this assignment until they receive a Pass grade to be allowed to proceed to Assessment 2 and 3

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

Pitch outline: Develop a short video - between 5 - 7 minutes long - with a voice over. More detail on this task will be provided throughout the unit. The purpose of this pitch is to sell your stories to your targeted publication.
Consider why your story would be ideal for the publication. Why would your article appeal to their readers? Why might your story be unique? Does your target publication have specific submission guidelines - how have your addressed them? (Some supplementary materials will be provided on Moodle in the opening weeks of the unit to assist.)

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 keep your video short and sharp is deliberate; it is to encourage you to be succinct in your writing, and clear with your ideas. (Aim for 5-6 slides per pitch).

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 Q&A 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.

Students who do demonstrate limited attention to the requirements of the task will Fail this assessment. They will be required to resubmit this assignment until they receive a Pass grade to be allowed to proceed to Assessment 2 and 3.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT or other Gen AI agents is as follows: 

• Gen AI may only be used as specified in the assignment instructions in Moodle.
   

WORD COUNT for written assignments: 

The word count is considered from the first word of the Introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

Assessments will be graded on the following criteria:

• News value or interest of this subject is clearly established and appropriate
• Relationship to current public discourse is clearly established and well-considered
• Target publication and audience is identified
• Aim of the article and what it seeks to achieve in audience response is clear
• Evidence of future planning is evident

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:

1. 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)
2. Demonstrate research in support of the subject. Primary and secondary source material must be referenced and acknowledged appropriately
3. Be written in a way that attracts and sustains reader interest
4. Be professionally formated, modelled as per a credible news site. This may include ading relevant images, video content, graphics or illustrations. Examples are available on Moodle.
5. Provide a list of full contact details of interviewees including telephone numbers and addresses.

Feature Pitch Letter and Interview Notes

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..

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

• Feature Article (2,000 - 2,500 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, 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.

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.

A marking rubric will be available on the unit website. The criteria upon which this profile will be assessed are:

• Application of news values
• Use of sources
• Quality of writing
• Referencing

Write one news issue-based feature article. We set themes as starting points for your writing, as experience in this unit has taught us that many students often struggle to generate ideas. The themes for this term are:

• In a frame
• Covered
• Digging down

You are able to take a loose interpretation. For example, an article based on the theme 'digging down' could look at gardening enthusiasts or mining industry trends. 'Covered' might investigate chronically ill people's experiences with the insurance industry. It's entirely up to you to think about how you might interpret a theme, and you are welcome to come up with your own theme or idea. You should consider what would be of interest to an editor in October or November this year if you wish to aim for publication.
Whatever you decide to write about needs to expand public knowledge, meaning you will need to think about a way of writing the story that tells us something we don't already know. You will learn about how to do this in the course of the term.
You must clearly state the theme you're addressing in your pitch and on the cover page of your submission.

Writing your feature
You must research and write a feature story that includes reference to at least three (3) separate personal interviews (no more than five), and conduct primary and secondary research in support of your interviews.

Your feature must:

1. Present a specific issue in a way that expands public knowledge about an issue of current importance in public discourse (ie. hasn’t been done before or is unique in its approach);
2. Demonstrate significant research in support of the subject. Primary and secondary source material must be referenced and acknowledged appropriately;
3. Be written in a way that attracts and sustains reader interest;
4. Be professionally formatted, modelled as per a credible news siet. This may include adding relevant images, video content, graphics or illustrations. Examples are available on Moodle; and
5. Provide a list of full contact details of interviewees including telephone numbers and addresses.

This is not an essay-style feature, nor is it an opinion-based feature. You are to write a news-based feature, informed by research. This could be softer style news - it doesn't need to be an investigative piece, but it does need to 'reveal' something and include sources. The way you write the feature will be informed by content you have learned in the unit.

Feature Pitch Letter and 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 will also need to submit your interview notes (or transcript) with your feature article as an appendix. Submit these as a PDF through Moodle.
Secondary sources should be referenced.

Length
• Feature Article (3,000 - 3,500 words)
• Feature Pitch Letter (200 words)
• Transcript notes

Drafts: Students are expected to share their drafts or sections of writing via the relevant discussion forum, and all students are encouraged to share their constructive opinion and ideas on your fellow students' work. Feedback is therefore public and assists all students. No private drafts will be accepted.
NOTE: You may come up with your own theme or topic in consultation with the Unit Coordinator if you are or would like to work on a real commission or idea. Again, as with Assessment 1, we would like to see you publish your work if you can. Think of a local issue your local newspaper might like explored in more depth. Aim high - you never know where you might end up!

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT or other Gen AI agents is as follows: 

• Gen AI may only be used as specified in the assignment instructions in Moodle.
   

WORD COUNT for written assignments: 

The word count is considered from the first word of the Introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

A marking rubric will be available on the unit website. The criteria upon which this feature will be assessed are:

• Application of news values
• Integration of interviews
• Quality of research and use of sources
• Quality of writing
• Referencing