Feature Profile Writing (including News Obituaries) ( Daily Group 1)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Culpeper Star-Exponent Entry Title: WWII VET, 100, GETS BRONZE STAR Entry Credit: Allison Brophy Champion Judge Comment: This was a solidly done story. I liked the organization. Quotes were used well and the military history was woven in effectively.
One nit is that cemeteries should not be quoted. Quote the archive or other source directly. I'd also like to have seen more "other person" quotes. Strong work otherwise.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Danville Register and Bee Entry Title: Charles Wilborn - Feature profile 2 Entry Credit: Charles Wilborn Judge Comment: This as a nicely done feature, although as an editor I would have tightened it up a bit. But generally the writing very good, as was the organization.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Northern Virginia Daily Entry Title: W11, Feature profile writing, Brent Johnson Entry Credit: Brent Johnson Judge Comment: I liked this a lot. it really brought the scene with the veteran to life. but I would have liked to have seen a quote from at least one more source.
Competition Comment: For this category, this was not as strong a field of entries as I have judged in the past. It was frankly a disappointment after judging other much stronger entries in other classes.
With some stories, I'd like to have seen more than one source. With others, I really tired of run-on sentences and other errors. Yes, all of our newsrooms are doing more with less but features allow us to take our time and polish our work,.
My biggest annoyance here is writers working themselves into the stories. I don't care about you and your sparkling personality and what have you. I care about your subject and frankly, entries that could have placed higher got knocked down because of that.
I have a long-gone editor who would ask me if I wanted a gold star if i wrote myself in. I won't do that. But consider that in some minds, you're not part of the story
