How to Write a News Feature

Feature stories are about the things that happen in our communities, that you would not expect to be newsworthy but which have an impact on people’s lives. They are often long, detailed articles which take up a great deal of space in a newspaper or magazine, so they need to be very well written. They also need to be interesting.

They can be about a person (profiles, celebrity pieces), a topic or an issue (such as the environment, crime, health, etc.), a location, a type of work or activity (artisanal craftwork, community development, tourism, etc.), a particular sport or pastime, something seasonal or even a lifestyle piece which covers areas such as food, fashion, home or leisure.

You can use all the skills you learned in hard news writing to create a good feature article. You can also include elements of narrative and storytelling, interviews, surveys and sensory details (like photographs and videos). But you must always ensure the content is king; there is less scope in a news feature than a hard news story to let your literary style show through.

A newspaper which only had features and no news stories would seem shallow, so they are a vital part of the mix. However, it is possible to overdo it with them; they should be balanced with plenty of hard news items. Breaking news is important and you should be quick to respond to it, but turning out a lot of features when nothing of any significance is happening can confuse people.

Special Report

A special report is an in-depth investigation into a particular subject. In the field of journalism, this can involve exposing wrongdoing or corruption and requires a level of understanding and expertise that not all journalists have. Specialized reporting is a powerful tool for increasing journalist credibility and allowing them to convey complex subjects for their audience.

In accounting, a special report is a customized financial report that deviates from the standard formats required by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. These unique reports are often used to comply with contractual agreements or regulatory provisions and can include certain sections, accounts, or items of a financial statement. Special reports are usually conducted independent of a standard audit but can also be done alongside one.

The Hastings Center periodically publishes the results of its research projects in bioethical topics as “special reports.” These single-authored essays or essay sets organized around topical bioethical developments are another venue for the Center’s researchers to communicate their findings to a larger audience. They are meant to be comprehensive and offer deep insight into the complex issues facing society today. The reports are available in both PDF and HTML format.

Identifying a Market Trend

A market trend is a perception that financial markets tend to move in a consistent direction over time. These trends can be categorized as secular for long-term shifts, primary for medium time frames or secondary for shorter time frames. Traders attempt to recognize these trends by using technical analysis, a framework that characterizes predictable price tendencies in support and resistance levels.

Businesses hope for an upward trend to manifest as a consistent rise in sales, suggesting growing consumer demand and a healthy market presence for their products or services. Analyzing these trends can help them shape pricing, messaging and marketing strategies, as well as determine where to invest resources or whether their products are suited for certain regions.

Identifying and tracking market trends can inform strategic decisions, from inventory levels and capacity planning to purchasing, facility expansion and marketing activities. To maximize the benefit of this analysis, identifying objectives and scope helps narrow the search for the most relevant data sets, tools and techniques.

It can also be beneficial to examine competitor and customer trends, such as what kinds of features are attracting consumers or what pain points they might be trying to solve. For example, when the popularity of a product such as bamboo baby clothes rises, looking at reviews might reveal a trend toward reducing sensitivity and itching associated with certain fabrics, like wool or synthetics. This could inspire a new line of products that address this need.

How to Write a Good News Update

A news update is a story that adds more detail to a previously reported news event. This can be as simple as a follow-up to an earlier article or it can be a deeper explanation of an issue or topic that is already in the news. The first step to writing any good news article is researching the topic thoroughly. Start by making a list of all the important facts. These are the facts that are necessary for your readers to understand the story fully.

Once you’ve gathered all the important facts make sure they are arranged in a logical manner. It’s a good idea to have someone else read over your article before you submit it for publication. This extra set of eyes can help you catch things that you might not have noticed when reading it yourself. Also make sure you have included enough information that anyone reading your news article can form their own opinion.

How the Stock Market Works

The stock market is a key part of modern economies. It’s where companies raise vast sums of money to accelerate successful startups, expand operations and pay off debt. It’s also where high-net-worth individuals and investors with more modest means buy shares in publicly traded businesses, often to take advantage of gains and have a voice in how the company is run.

The earliest days of the stock market began when entrepreneurs raised money by giving parts of their business to friends and family in exchange for capital. This was the first form of private equity. Today, the stock market is a global trading system where stocks are sold and traded through regulated exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq. Some stocks are also traded “over the counter” through broker-dealers and other financial institutions.

As for how stocks go up and down, it comes down to supply and demand. When demand for a specific stock is greater than the number of shares on offer, its price rises. Factors that drive demand include things like a company’s profitability, news about the economy here and abroad and the general sentiment of investors.

Many investors keep tabs on the market by following indexes that reflect the performance of a group of stocks, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average or S&P 500. You’ll hear about these indexes on news programs as they report the ups and downs of Wall Street.

How to Write a Powerful Editorial

An editorial is an opinion-based commentary that influences societal discourse. It can be used to ‘explain’ complex issues, ‘critique’ specific policies or decisions, or ‘persuade’ readers toward a particular viewpoint. As a powerful communication tool, editorials have the potential to spur significant societal advancements.

A well-crafted editorial starts with a strong opening that outlines the issue at hand. It should also clearly present your stance on the topic, guiding the tone and structure of the piece. The rest of the article should provide supporting evidence for your thesis, including factual statistics, expert quotes, and real-life examples that readers can relate to. Don’t forget to acknowledge opposing viewpoints in order to demonstrate balance and credibility, but make sure to explain why their arguments are less convincing or flawed. Then, conclude the editorial with a powerful statement that reinforces your stance and motivates readers to think or act accordingly.

Despite the complexity of some topics, a well-written editorial can be both enlightening and entertaining to read. It should use a professional, persuasive tone, and avoid overly complex language or jargon that may be difficult for readers to understand. And, of course, it should be free of grammatical and spelling errors to ensure that your message is conveyed effectively. If possible, have your work proofread by a colleague or friend before publication to ensure that no mistakes are missed. This way, you can be confident that your editorial will have the desired impact on your audience.

The Dangers of Using Force to Promote Regime Change

While the US government should encourage democracy and human rights around the world, attempting to force regime change is dangerous and ineffective. This is especially true when the regime change mission involves the use or threat of armed force. Using force to promote regime change can also spawn unintended consequences such as humanitarian crises and political instability.

In a broad sense, regime change is the replacement of a nation’s leadership. This can be accomplished by a revolution, war, coup, or some other means of overthrowing the current government.

Regardless of the method, it’s important to understand what makes a regime ripe for change. In most cases, regime change is triggered by domestic discontent with a government’s policies or the behavior of its leaders. It can also be triggered by economic instability or social movements.

The key to successful regime change is creating or leveraging intrinsic motivations for citizens to support opposition efforts. This includes fostering civic engagement, organizing protests, and mobilizing citizens to demand change. It’s also necessary to recognize that nonviolent resistance is typically a gradual process and the success of a movement requires time and patience.

Despite high-profile failures such as the Iraq war, many in the policy community continue to call for ousting illiberal regimes. They argue that this tool achieves objectives more cheaply and quickly than sustained diplomatic pressure and engagement and is less likely to escalate into broader military action. However, academic research reveals that armed regime-change missions rarely succeed as intended and often produce unintended consequences that far outweigh any short-term benefits.

Late-Breaking Abstracts

Late-breaking is a term used to describe a news item that is published after the standard media deadlines, such as 5 p.m. on a Thursday, when the newspapers are printed and ready to be delivered with blaring headlines, late-breaking news or the closing stock market (Dow Jones Industrial Average). Similarly, in clinical science, a study that is published after the regular abstract submission deadline can be submitted as a late-breaking scientific abstract. This type of research can provide important new results and/or information on the status of ongoing trials, particularly those that have a significant impact.

Late-Breaking Abstracts are limited in number and will be accepted only if the results of the study were NOT available by the original abstract submission deadline. Therefore, it is very important that you include a brief justification (on the Questionnaire Submission page) of why your abstract should be considered a late-breaking abstract.

Top-scoring late-breaking abstracts will be selected for oral abstract presentation at SLEEP 2025, but the presentation will be at the discretion of the APSS Program Committee and is not guaranteed. Those selected will be presented for 12 minutes with an additional 3 minutes for questions. All other abstracts will be presented as posters. Presenting authors of accepted late-breaking abstracts will be required to complete the financial disclosure and register for SLEEP 2025 by Tuesday, June 17. Poster printing, hotel accommodations, fees and travel are the responsibility of the Presenting Author.

Diplomacy 101

Diplomacy is the art and science of influencing foreign governments and people through dialogue, negotiations and other measures short of war or violence. It is the established method of handling international relations and it can be used to promote political, economic and cultural exchanges as well as resolve conflict.

Many people associate diplomacy with embassies, international relations and high politics but it’s a lot more than that. It’s an art of advancing your ideas without unnecessarily inflaming passions or unleashing a catastrophe, an understanding of the complexities that can undermine agreement and stoke anger, and a commitment to unpick these with foresight and grace.

It’s also the practice of building and maintaining solid relationships, which means getting to know your interlocutor well enough to raise difficult topics in an appropriate setting and in a way that doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable. It’s a discipline that requires an in-depth knowledge of how different cultures operate. The British are often polite and indirect; the South Africans are straight-talking, and Israel is brash and direct. Diplomats are masters at adapting their style to suit their audience.

It’s also the practice of resolving disputes and conflicts through mediation and arbitration, which often takes the form of formal commissions, tribunals and agencies – like the International Court of Justice at The Hague – or ad-hoc groups, such as the Hay-Herbert Treaty. Sometimes, it’s the informal, face-to-face approach that is most useful, especially if two countries have a history of tension or rivalry.

How to Write Effective Business News

Business news is a broad category of journalism that covers the financial and commercial activities and changes that affect people in society. It covers everything from company mergers to quarterly earnings reports to new products and services.

The key to writing effective business news is to make sure that you understand your audience. Most publications have a clear target demographic, and it can be narrowed down further based on the topic of the article. For example, a story about zoning laws in a commercial district will be most relevant to those who live and work in that area. Using keywords and active voice can help you grab attention and engage readers in your piece.

It is also important to find ways to make your article stand out from the rest of the crowd. You can do this by creating infographics that highlight statistics or by incorporating video clips of business events. It can also be helpful to include quotes from experts or business leaders directly related to the news item.

Many people read business news articles for the opinions of others, and it is important to include quotations in your stories to reinforce your points. The best sources for these quotes are neutral experts with no stake in the results of the news, but public officials, corporate representatives and citizen watchdog groups can also add perspective to a business story. Be sure to attribute these quotes properly to maintain transparency and build trust with your audience.