This document provides guidance on collecting materials for feature writing. It discusses using personal experiences, interviews, printed sources like documents and publications, and online sources like databases, journals, and websites. It emphasizes conducting background research before interviews to have meaningful questions. Interviews should focus on those with personal experiences and choosing a main character. Facts should be fact checked from reliable sources like research institutes rather than individual blogs or social media. Background information and facts can come from experts, but personal experiences should be centered.

1. Collecting materials for
feature

2. Sources for feature...
People sources
Your own experiences, observations, perceptions, emotions
Someone elses experiences and action
Interviews and discussions with people
Printed sources (crf. published sources in Garrison 2004)
Various documents and publications in archives, libraries etc.
Online sources (crf. computer-based sources in Garrison 2004)
Electronic databases and journals (e.g. EBSCO in Tumaini's library!!!)
Open online journals, reports and research publications
Social media
Websites of organizations etc.

3. ...and how to use
them as material
Describing your observations and perseption, reactions and
emotions
Describing reactions by "general public" or a specific group (e.g.
in social media)
Direct quatations from interviews/discussions
Parafrasing thoughts expressed by interviewee
Pieces of dialogue between characters
Describing action by characters: what does someone do
Integrating facts, fugures, statistics etc. into your storyline
(usually without identifyng the document source)

4. You first need to know enough of the
topic to know who to interview and to
be able to ask meaningful questions
from your interviewees!
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH

5. "I regularly use library and online
services to flesh out my background
knowledge before I call anybody - I've
found most sources are exponentially
more forthcoming when you indicate
that you have at least a rudimentary
knowledge of what you are asking them.
They also are more likely to think you'll
know if they are lying, so they don't try
it so often." (Feature writer Steve
Perlstein in Garrison 2004, 58)

6. INTERVIEW
Who to interview: experts, eyewitnesses, users/
consumers, "people in the street"...?
Focus on persons who have personal experiences of
the issue in question! Experts of their own life and
situation!
Choose one main character for story, if possible.
Don't give main role to authorities/"formal experts"
BUT they may provide useful background
information and facts.

7. INTERVIEW
Prepare, prepare, prepare!!!
Use a digital recorded, if possible. Otherwise
make very careful notes, especially of pieces
you might consider using as direct quotes.
Choose the place for the interview carefully
- not too much background noice;
somewhere were the interviewee is in his/her
"natural environment".

8. INTERVIEW
Create trust, be descrete and trustworthy:
Let the interviewee know exactly for what you
are planning to use her/his interview.
If interviewee wants to read the article before
publishing, arrange that.
If the topic is sensitive, discuss with
interviewee, whether you should use only the
first name ot an alias instead of the real name.

9. INTERVIEW
During the interview, make
observations and notes also on the
interviewee and the location - his/
her voice, tone, expressions; what he
does; the surroundings - of all the
little details that make the scene
alive for readers.

10. OBSERVATIONS
Use all of your senses: don't just see,
but also smell, listen and touch/feel.
Make DETAILED observations.
Write down detailed notes on your
observations and perceptions; and of the
emotions they arouse in you.
"A Field diary".

11. FACT CHECKING
Just as important as in news!
Different sources than when
collecting personal experiences,
observations, opinions etc....
Remember critical evaluation of your
sources, especially of online sources!

12. FACT CHECKING
Critical questions:
Expertise: who is the author of the text?
Motivation: does the author/publisher have
their own agenda/vested interests in issue?
Timeliness: When was the text/publication
written/published? Has it been updated
since?

13. FACT CHECKING
Who is a reliable source then?
Research institutes
University researchers
Established international organizations (UN, Unisef,
Unesco, UNDP etc.; ILO, WHO, WFP, Red Cross etc.)
Merited professionals in the field
Many national or regional NGOs/CSOs

14. FACT CHECKING
Do not take your facts from
Discussion forums
Individual bloggers
Facebook or Twitter
Press relieses, websites and publications of
organizations or individuals you don't know
well and/or who clearly have their own agenda
to advocate.

15. FACT CHECKING
What about
Wikipedia?
You can start your
research with it,
but don't settle
only for WP! Check
facts from other
sources, try to find
the original
(primary) sources!