I guess when doing a profile on someone, whether living or dead, one needs to give a well rounded view of that person. Clark and Scanlan put a side note in the "Tastykake Retiree Marie Byrne" obituary commenting on the fact that the author "Keeps it real: She's not perfect." When doing a profile then, I guess the objective is to portray the person in a positive light but to still keep it real. No one is perfect. There would be some suspicion if a person were portrayed as if he/she were perfect.
Comments (4)
I think you have it right, Jennifer. Remain true to reality, and you can't go(too)wrong. You want to make the subject look good, but not over-the-top good, even in an obituary.
Posted by April Minerd | September 3, 2009 12:07 AM
Posted on September 3, 2009 00:07
An obituary is a very delicate subject for a reporters because the deceased's family obviously wants to commemorate the person who died so dirt cannot and shouldn't be put up here, but at the same time the reporter has to stay a reporter. They can't glorify the person or seem obviously biased. They have to represent the person appropriatly.
Posted by Aja Hannah | September 3, 2009 4:10 PM
Posted on September 3, 2009 16:10
When someone gives a well rounded view of someone's life, then the person looks like a person. This is instead of reading a text that is straight forward and very tight. Let the audience understand what the person did in their life or what they achieved. You should keep the information accurate, but it needs to be life-like and not so formal that the reader does not even believe it. If someone was portrayed as being perfect, then they would seem like a cartoon character. This is because, as you said, no one is perfect and everyone has mistakes in their lives.
Posted by Derek Tickle | September 3, 2009 5:42 PM
Posted on September 3, 2009 17:42
While including the bad things a person has done in their life is tacky, it is also unnecessary to make that person seem like they lived a perfect life. It's all about balance, and this reporter did a good job of it.
Posted by Kaitlin Monier | September 3, 2009 8:39 PM
Posted on September 3, 2009 20:39