FEATURE STORY

What is a Feature Story?

It is an article which is based on factual information about a certain topic which is
trending to most of the people.

Characteristics of a Feature story:
1. There is no length limitations
2. The best way to write a feature story is to write it the way you want
3. A feature article must be based on latest happenings around.




How to make a good feature story?
1. Choose a topic which is attractive to most of the people
2. Give the title which fits the subject
3. Take note of the important details
4. Focus on the main idea of the subject or the most interesting
5. Do it in a more creative way by using Figurative speech, Idiomatic expressions or
more.
Kinds of Feature story (by: Tony Rogers)










1. Profile Feature
This kind of feature is about an individual and the datas about a certain
person. Journalists commonly use this on famous people like artists and
politicians.
Example by Ramon Farolan, www.Inquirer.net, February 9, 2014

This week, all roads lead to Fort Del Pilar

Starting Wednesday, the Philippine Military Academy will welcome thousands of alumni
returning to their alma mater on the occasion of Homecoming Week 2014. A special place of
honor is reserved for the Class of 1954, Diamond jubilarians (60 years); the Class of 1964,
Golden boys (50 years); and the Class of 1989, Silver (25 years).
The chair of this years homecoming activities is Maj. Gen. Reynaldo V. Reyes (ret.) while the
guest of honor is Secretary Panfilo M. Lacson, presidential assistant for rehabilitation and
recovery, Class of 1971.
The alumni parade on Saturday, Feb. 15 will be followed later in the day by retirement
ceremonies for the outgoing PMA Superintendent Vice Admiral Edgar L. Abogado. He will have
served in the position for 10 months, a little bit longer than his predecessor who stayed for only
five months. As you will note, the Academy also suffers from the revolving door syndrome
which hopefully is about to undergo revision. Although there has been no official announcement
on Abogados replacement, the word from reliable sources is that Maj. Gen. Oscar P. Lopez, a
classmate of AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and current chief, Resource
Management Office (RMO) at GHQ, AFP is likely to be the incoming PMA superintendent. The
new boss at Fort Del Pilar will have a longer time in office than Abogado. He retires in February
2016, giving him two years at the Fort. We wish to thank Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin
and General Bautista, for their positive response to the concerns of the alumni particularly as
regards the Philippine Military Academy.


2. Spot Feature
This feature focuses on the breaking news events. For example, the Typhoon
Yolanda strikes Visayas, youll focus to the number of people that were
affected, the amount of damage, and the action of the government.

Example by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, www.Inquirer.net, February 5, 2014

Post-Yolanda trauma/tension releasing exercise

Hurricanes destroy earthquakes shatter, war rips apart, economies collapse,
businesses go bankrupt, people die. This is the way of the world. Human suffering is
based on wanting to change the things that have happened and wanting to change
people. When we understand that the only thing we can change is our response to
people and the ways of the world, we can begin to find peace, we can be powerful
people even in the midst of chaos and adversity.
This can sum up the desiderata of Chris Balsley, an American corporate coach and
Tension/Trauma Releasing Exercise (TRE) expert who, with his team of trainers, is in
the Philippines for a month to help survivors of Supertyphoon Yolanda. The team is
giving free training to Filipinos so that TRE can reach more people whose trauma
needs to be addressed. The training lasts for three days, followed by one to two days
of practicum for those who will be dispatched to the field.
TRE was brought to the country by Human Capital Development.
I participated in the last of the three days of Batch 1. I got to experience the entire
menu and was with those who already had two shaking days. I, too, had my own
shaking experience. More on this later.
I read up on TRE before interviewing Balsley (www.stress-proof.com). I wanted to
be a participant, not just an observing journalist. Having a psychology background, I
am not a stranger to body and mind exercises, meditation, awareness and wellness
seminars, even altered state of consciousness (ASC) experiences.
TRE is quite different in that it focuses mainly on the physical. Begun by Dr. David
Berceli, TRE has been widely used to treat war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and
survivors of the Haiti earthquake and the Japan tsunami.
Although not physically present at our session, Berceli was on video to explain to us
how TRE developed.
Berceli, who once volunteered as Mother Teresas driver in Calcutta, was in Beirut
years ago when he found himself among individuals of different nationalities and
races in the midst of bombings. Almost all of them had the same reaction to the
danger: crouching and shaking. To make a long story short, Berceli later did studies
and experiments that showed how human beings and animals reacted to and released
tension.
A TRE video shows a polar bear shaking in the snow after recovering from a
tranquilizing shot from wildlife workers.
Explains Berceli: TRE exercises elicit shaking in a controlled and sustained manner.
When evoked, this shaking, also called neurogenic tremors, begins to release deep
chronic muscular tension held within the body. They come from the center of gravity
of the body which is protected by the psoas muscles. When shaking is evoked at this
powerful center of the body, it reverberates through the entire body, traveling along
the spine, releasing deep chronic tensions from the sacrum to the cranium.
When tension is released anywhere in the body, the brain registers a reduction in
pain signals and produces new hormones for relaxation and comfort. Often this
release of tension is much like receiving an internal massage.
Balsley says TRE is ideal for people who have undergone trauma because unlike
talk therapy, TRE does not require them to revisit their traumatic experience while
they are being given an effective way to let go of stress and tension. Surprisingly,
during our big group sessions, several participants said their long repressed
experiences of abuse surfacedto their relief, it seemed. If I may add, they can
finally confront these and find closure with a therapists help. A mans arthritic finger
got unlocked, while a woman felt her gift to heal was reignited.
TRE does not adhere to any spirituality or religion. It is a science-based exercise. But
practitioners are free to adapt it to their belief systems or physical disabilities. TRE
consists of six simple exercises that help individuals release tension from the muscles,
which then eases anxiety in the mind by evoking a muscular shaking process in the
body.
On my first exercise, while I was flat on my back, with my feet positioned in a certain
way, my lower limbs went into involuntary shaking. A trainer was beside me. When
my shaking was fully on, Chris came over and asked me to give the answer to 22
and 88. I answered correctly. He said this meant I was fully aware, I was not in a
trance. My shaking was a body thing and my thinking mind was at work.
We had a couple more exercises after that, in between videos and short lectures on the
science behind it all. The alpha, beta, delta, gamma, theta states, how we are wired,
the frequencies we emit, etc. We each had a guidebook to use.
Like in the video clips we viewed, there was also a variety of shaking and sound
effects among participants: fine, pronounced, quiet, loud. Laughter, even. Indeed,
there is science in the saying Shake the blues away.
During a discussion, I raised the fact that since TRE sessions in ravaged areas will be
in halls without walls, how will the involuntary shaking look to the locals? How will
TRE be explained in the local language? Would shaking mean panginginig, pagkurog
or pangingisay?
Whatever TRE may look like, it is not hypnosis, exorcism or ASC, so the better for it
to be explained well in places where spirit-possession or hysteria has been reported
and where superstition thrives. It is important for TRE trainers to be grounded in
the milieu.










Activity 1
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Quiz 1
Direction: Choose the best answer among the types given by David Randall

1. Pretending to be another person.
a. Full texts
b. In disguise
c. Profile
d. My Testimonies
2. Journalist as a part of the event
a. Behind the scenes
b. Colour piece
c. Analysis
d. None of the above
3. Describing a scene and throw light on its theme.
a. Behind the scenes
b. Colour piece
c. Analysis
d. None of the above
4. What is a full text?
a. A first-person report of some kind.
b. Journalist as a part of events.
c. Extracts from books or transcripts of interviews.
d. An examination of the reasons behind an event.
5. It is the extended fact box
a. Backgrounder
b. Full Text
c. Colour Piece
d. Analysis







Sports Story

What is a Sports story?
A sports story is commonly located after the entertainment page. This stories let the
readers know what the latest happening in the field of sports are. Such as basketball, volleyball,
boxing, or more.

In writing a sports story we must use specialized vocabularies.
BASKETBALL
Failed to score- Wasnt able to make a score
Beat the buzzer- score before the time runs out
Back-to-back win- Won a game two times consecutively
Wide open 3-point shot- was able to score a three point without any defender
Is on fire- the player was able to produce a high score
Is on triple double- his rebounds, assists, and score is more than 10.
Shooting for two- attempting to score a two points
Shooting for three- attempting to score a three points
Basket with a foul- scoring and a free throw
VOLLEYBALL
Off the blocker- the ball hit the blocker before it goes outside
Check ball- a player hit the ball and goes outside
Elbow- defeated
1
st
bus- 1
st
team to be eliminated
Twice to beat- a team must be beaten twice for you to win a game
BOXING
Save by the bell- the bell rang before the player gets beaten up
Title holder- Champion or the holder of the title
OTHER SPORTS
Under the table- cheating
Let the game begin- let the event start
Win hands down- easy victory
Throw in the towel- give up
On the other hand- other team







TYPES OF SPORTS STORIES

1. Advance stories
Shows what will happen for the next game. This type lets the readers know
the upcoming games.
Example from Inquirer.net (February 13
th
2014)
NEW YORK To Derek Jeter, it was just another day to get ready for spring training.
On a minor league field at the New York Yankees complex in Florida, he took batting practice,
fielded grounders and chatted with teammates. And then he drove away in his Mercedes, offering
no hint that the countdown to his retirement had already begun.
Hours later, Jeter alerted the sports world: This will be his final season.
I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball, Jeter
posted Wednesday in a long letter on his Facebook page.
I have gotten the very most out of my life playing baseball, and I have absolutely no regrets,
the shortstop wrote.
While it was no secret the team captain was getting close to the end of his brilliant career as he
neared 40 especially after injuries wrecked him last season Jeters announcement caught
many by surprise.
In fact, some people wondered whether his account had been hacked. But it was quickly
confirmed that one of the greatest players in the history of baseballs most storied franchise was
serious.
A 13-time All-Star shortstop who led the Yankees to five World Series championships, Jeter was
the last link to the powerful Yankees teams that won three straight crowns from 1998-2000.
Longtime teammates Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte retired after last year.

2. Coverage Stories
Covers games that were finish, or already played.
Example from Inquirer.net (February 12
th
2014)
MANILA, Philippines Ato Agustin talked with so much confidence one would think
he has Tim Cone all figured out.
It could be adrenaline, or plain carelessness, but the fact of the matter is Agustin practically laid
out his Game 7 game plan for the world to hear.
And Cone, the veteran that he is, certainly knows when theres blood in the water.
Nakuha na namin ang (We figured out the) formula the last time out, walang pagbabago sa
(there will be no changes in) Game 7, said Agustin after steering Barangay Ginebra to a Game 6
nipping of Cones San Mig Coffee that forged Wednesday nights do-or-die battle for the PLDT
MyDSL Philippine Cups second title slot.
Game time is 8 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum with Ginebra playing with the veritable
homecourt advantage because of the massive following it commands.







3. Advance-Coverage
Shows Games that were already done but focuses on upcoming events.
Example from inquirer.net (Feb. 12
th
2014)
MANILA, Philippines Back from injury, Garvo Lanete got his fiery form back as well
to power NLEX within a win of a championship berth following a 99-74 dumping of Hogs
Breath Cafe in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup Tuesday at Filoil Flying V Arena.
Lanete, who sat out two games due to a shoulder injury, teamed up with Kevin Alas in a hot start
that put the Road Warriors up by 19 points right in the first quarter, 31-12, in Game 1 of their
best-of-three semifinals.
We caught them on an off night, said coach Boyet Fernandez as his top-seeded Road Warriors
built leads of more than 30 points against the Razorbacks.
They were missing their shots and even their free throws.
Blackwater Sports, on a roll after escaping elimination four straight times, also downed Big
Chill, 84-72, to take a 1-0 lead in their own semifinal series.
Jericho Cruz buried 19 points, 10 in the second quarter where the Elite pulled away from a 29-all
deadlock to build a 47-36 lead at the half.
As we were getting one victory after another, we were using those victories to motivate the
players further and improve their confidence level, said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.
The Road Warriors and the No. 6 Elite, who stunned NLEX last conference to bag their first
crown, will shoot for a series sweep Thursday.

4. Sports Column
Lets the writer write down his own observations, opinions about the game.





Activity 1
Direction: Choose 5 specialized vocabularies and use it in a sentence.
1. _____________-_______________________________________________________
2. _____________-_______________________________________________________
3. _____________-_______________________________________________________
4. _____________-_______________________________________________________
5. _____________-_______________________________________________________



Quiz 1
Direction: Choose the correct answer.
1. What does under the table means?
a. Cheating
b. Wrong move
c. Hide
d. No answer
2. Throw in the towel.
a. Illegal
b. Disturbed
c. Cheated
d. Give up
3. Elbow
a. Won the game
b. Lose the game
c. Draw
d. Foul
4. Is on fire
a. Was able to produce a high score
b. Reason for losing the game
c. Dangerous player
d. Cheater
5. 1
st
bus
a. Champion
b. Winner
c. Loser
d. First one to be eliminated