A confessional interview 'my true story' is something that is very popular within the women's magazines. Some magazines such as 'Take a Break' and 'Love It' are nearly full with confessional interviews as they have such a high readership with the target audience. The interview are usually based on someone that has had a medical, emotional experience that gives the reader a reaction/ response to it.
It is important when arranging this interview that the subject is committed to supplying you with lots of information other than at the time of the interview. This piece can be written in two styles: in the victims voice and a house style that usually does not have a by-line. The interview usually look the same each week and are set out with the images in the same place and the same word count etc. It should be 'ghost written' which means it is written by someone else but in the voice of the interviewee. This means that you can include slang and the way in which they speak. However, it is still important that you tidy up the quotes to make it a fast and easy read for the audience.
In these articles there is usually no by-line present so it means that your name is not on your work. In 'The Guardian' your name is tiny and hidden so it would not be seen anyway. Once you have written an article for a magazine, it is important to keep the cuttings from the commissioner to prove that it was you that wrote this particular piece.
The interview should usually be around 45 minutes to an hour to allow you to get as much detail and information as possible. Questions should include 'what did you feel', 'what did you say', 'how did you react' and should be precise. These quotations can then be used in your story to give it context of the situation. You should also get times that events happened and how soon after something else happened as this is all useful information you can use. You can even add in gestures, body language and the way that the person talks in your piece. It is important to remember you are writing in first person, as you are writing as if you are the interviewee. It is not essential but it is good if you allow the person 'copy approval' to check the facts and grammar but it's essential to remember that your responsibility is with he readers.
Women's Magazines are filled with confessional interviews and it is important to realise that they do not have to be pegged to a news event. They are based on human interest and the pay you receive merely depends on the subject of the story. Confessional journalism is slightly different and is a newer genre that started around 10 years ago. The Guardian columnist Tim Dowling writes a lot about how he isn't a good husband. This is interesting and slightly humorous for the audience as it is isn't a serious situation like the confessional interviews.
Tanya Gold writes for 'The Mail' women's section and is a larger lady who writes about weight and size. Whereas Liz Jones who has just been on Celebrity Big Brother, is a 'Daily Mail' column writer and fashion editor. Her claim to fame is that she was the fashion editor at Marie Clare for a while. She writes about things such as her boyfriend, her sex life, and marriage in her column which appeared to be shocking to some people but received a good readership.
Critics of the writers include Hadley Freeman who is a 'Guardian' columnist and fashion writer who talked about an article based around boob and bust enlargement surgery. She said it was a wrong genre and type of female writing as it seems to be anti their own body. It focuses on weight, ageing, the face and the general journalistic look which appears to be miserable. It comes across as 'self hating and self obsessed' about women but many of us love this genre of journalism.
The Daily Mail use women and people in confessional interviews to put across their own beliefs and views such as 'why I was stupid to get a career when I had children'.
The newspapers usually have a headline, with a stand first (summary paragraph) that has an instant strong start to the story. It is dramatic and then goes into the chronology of telling the story. It finishes with a good happy end to it that is usually dramatic in some way. There are usually two shocks in the headline so 'I had this and this happened'. It should include lots of context, memories, days, who said what and detail. In the newspapers they are usually pegged to a news story or an event such as The Twin Towers, or the current floods we are seeing.
There are opportunities to freelance confessional interviews such as celebrities that are controlled by agents. It is best to keep it local and do interviews with up and coming people from the Railway or Te Guildhall as these may become 'celebrity interviews'.
Your case study should include a good turn of phrase, great pictures/ collects, usually the person is either really good looking or rather ugly, there is normally a happy ending and the article needs to be hones, realistic and open.
There are however certain people to avoid such as people that are too vulnerable or have mental health problems. It is important to avoid people you know as this can be seen as malice or a vested interest. You should also not google a paper and copy it especially if there is already a confessional interview done with this person. For this purpose we cannot use someone that does not want to be identified as it is hard to get good images; however in journalism there are anonymous victims especially in rape and domestic abuse interviews.
The details are nearly always in the first paragraph and need to be dramatic and contain a lot of description. You should include conversation what they said to their mum etc, what they said when they walked through the door. You should look on charity sites, local papers, national papers and also search the web and use the phone book to find your subject.
It is important when arranging this interview that the subject is committed to supplying you with lots of information other than at the time of the interview. This piece can be written in two styles: in the victims voice and a house style that usually does not have a by-line. The interview usually look the same each week and are set out with the images in the same place and the same word count etc. It should be 'ghost written' which means it is written by someone else but in the voice of the interviewee. This means that you can include slang and the way in which they speak. However, it is still important that you tidy up the quotes to make it a fast and easy read for the audience.
In these articles there is usually no by-line present so it means that your name is not on your work. In 'The Guardian' your name is tiny and hidden so it would not be seen anyway. Once you have written an article for a magazine, it is important to keep the cuttings from the commissioner to prove that it was you that wrote this particular piece.
The interview should usually be around 45 minutes to an hour to allow you to get as much detail and information as possible. Questions should include 'what did you feel', 'what did you say', 'how did you react' and should be precise. These quotations can then be used in your story to give it context of the situation. You should also get times that events happened and how soon after something else happened as this is all useful information you can use. You can even add in gestures, body language and the way that the person talks in your piece. It is important to remember you are writing in first person, as you are writing as if you are the interviewee. It is not essential but it is good if you allow the person 'copy approval' to check the facts and grammar but it's essential to remember that your responsibility is with he readers.
Women's Magazines are filled with confessional interviews and it is important to realise that they do not have to be pegged to a news event. They are based on human interest and the pay you receive merely depends on the subject of the story. Confessional journalism is slightly different and is a newer genre that started around 10 years ago. The Guardian columnist Tim Dowling writes a lot about how he isn't a good husband. This is interesting and slightly humorous for the audience as it is isn't a serious situation like the confessional interviews.
Tanya Gold writes for 'The Mail' women's section and is a larger lady who writes about weight and size. Whereas Liz Jones who has just been on Celebrity Big Brother, is a 'Daily Mail' column writer and fashion editor. Her claim to fame is that she was the fashion editor at Marie Clare for a while. She writes about things such as her boyfriend, her sex life, and marriage in her column which appeared to be shocking to some people but received a good readership.
Critics of the writers include Hadley Freeman who is a 'Guardian' columnist and fashion writer who talked about an article based around boob and bust enlargement surgery. She said it was a wrong genre and type of female writing as it seems to be anti their own body. It focuses on weight, ageing, the face and the general journalistic look which appears to be miserable. It comes across as 'self hating and self obsessed' about women but many of us love this genre of journalism.
The Daily Mail use women and people in confessional interviews to put across their own beliefs and views such as 'why I was stupid to get a career when I had children'.
The newspapers usually have a headline, with a stand first (summary paragraph) that has an instant strong start to the story. It is dramatic and then goes into the chronology of telling the story. It finishes with a good happy end to it that is usually dramatic in some way. There are usually two shocks in the headline so 'I had this and this happened'. It should include lots of context, memories, days, who said what and detail. In the newspapers they are usually pegged to a news story or an event such as The Twin Towers, or the current floods we are seeing.
There are opportunities to freelance confessional interviews such as celebrities that are controlled by agents. It is best to keep it local and do interviews with up and coming people from the Railway or Te Guildhall as these may become 'celebrity interviews'.
Your case study should include a good turn of phrase, great pictures/ collects, usually the person is either really good looking or rather ugly, there is normally a happy ending and the article needs to be hones, realistic and open.
There are however certain people to avoid such as people that are too vulnerable or have mental health problems. It is important to avoid people you know as this can be seen as malice or a vested interest. You should also not google a paper and copy it especially if there is already a confessional interview done with this person. For this purpose we cannot use someone that does not want to be identified as it is hard to get good images; however in journalism there are anonymous victims especially in rape and domestic abuse interviews.
The details are nearly always in the first paragraph and need to be dramatic and contain a lot of description. You should include conversation what they said to their mum etc, what they said when they walked through the door. You should look on charity sites, local papers, national papers and also search the web and use the phone book to find your subject.
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