The stepping stones of learning

The challenges of the radio feature and choosing the topic of the postal strikes, was that it was a particularly fast moving story, in which was changing everyday.

A fast developing story, such as the postal strikes, makes it difficult to focus a feature and requires a journalist to continually update the story, in order to serve the audience appropriately. In the future, I would make a point of choosing a feature topic more carefully, ensuring that I choose an angle on a story, as opposed to presenting a broad perspective.

Perhaps, a more appropriate angle to have explored, would have been the effects of striking on small businesses and families or on strikes in general and not simply the events of the postal strike, 2009.

A feature calls upon the ability to dig deep within the cracks of a story or of an event. A feature should be personalised to an extent and reach people on an emotional level. It enables a journalist to be creative and think outside the box. Although, my intentions were to create a feature that was personalised and focused on an obscure and interesting angle, I found it challenging to step outside of the news writing style.

Looking back, I feel that it may also have been beneficial to have produced a feature in the style of BBC Radio One's Newsbeat, as it enables a journalist to be more creative. Adding music to a feature piece, makes it lively and adds atmosphere, which I feel adds depth to a radio feature. Radio is not visual and therefore, the use of sound is evermore valued and helps to create an environment or paint a picture.