1GSSB\Amalnet\Medialit\profile

NEWSROOM
PROFILE - WHO'S WHO?

Your name:	Your e-mail

Your school:	Your class:

Information for Teachers

The public is curious about people in the news. Whether these people are viewed as admirable or despicable, the newspaper readers want to know all about them. A feature story that describes someone's lifestyle and attitudes is called a profile. Like other feature articles, profiles connect events to the people who are involved in them. They give the public a closer look at the famous person or celebrity. (Adapted from Creating a Newspaper - A Teacher's Guide by Amy Gelbart, AMAL/AMIT 1998)

Reporting Tips:

A profile of someone in the news must include:

the person's personal information - date of birth, place of birth, childhood, education, marital status and family members;
a physical description of the person;
interesting information about the person's past, as well as his or her future plans;
controversial information about the person, problems or challenges in his or her life;
reasons why this person is being written about;
what the journalist and others think about this person.

Remember: If you read information and write it in your own words, you are reporting!
If you copy someone else's writing you are doing something illegal. No reporter is allowed to plagiarize from any other reporter!

(For more ideas click here)

Instructions:

Go to a search engine like HOTBOT or LYCOS or EXCITE
The type in the name of a famous person or someone in the news from any profession or area that interests you.
Find out as much as you can about this person.
Fill out the information about this person.
Write a paragraph for each of the sections below.

HEADLINE (also state the name of the person)

There are quite a few things that you might not know about this famous person.
(Report personal information)

You might not know it, but some interesting things have happened recently.
(Tell about the most recent information)

The real reasons that I think this is important are as follows.
(Tell your views about this person)

In conclusion,

Follow-up activity: If your teacher thinks it is good enough, you can send the corrected profile to the Editor-in-Chief of OUR VILLAGE VOICES by email.