Only one reading today....and it's about Death

Ch. 10: Obituaries

Obituaries are really important to know how to write. It's a microcosm of what journalism should be. If you're not accurate about the spelling of the deceased names, or those who have predeased him/her, a grieving family will sure as all heck be angry at the writer, while the writer packs their bags.

I did not know, however, that online obits are big business--who would've thought? Some sites are devoted to obits, and one site (www.legacy.com) is a subsidiary of 2 newspaper groups.

People come together when someone dies, and so do newspapers.

Since most beginning journalists start at newspapers by writing obits, surprise, surprise: obit leads are the same as hard news leads! You have to answer who, what, where, and when and how.

Leave eulogy terms out of your story. Glossy words like 'departed,' "passed away,' etc skate over the what really happened.
(same as hard news stories by the way)

Mortuary forms are a obit writer's first source of information. Because they can be inaccurate, it is necessary to have other sources of info...like a newspaper, the newspaper's library, and interviews with family and friends.

Newspaper editors may censor what is included in an obit. For instance, some newspapers prohibit the inclusion of the deceased's address, to prevent criminals from preying upon the decendants.

Leave out embarassing information (ie: the deceased was disbarred, involved in a scandal).

Most importantly, breathe life into the story. The person would want to be remembered for the life he or she lived, not for the way he/she died.