A How to Present the Talked-About Stories:
This Year's Show & Tell
By Steve Echeverria Jr.
The Record, Stockton, Calif.

St. Petersburg, Fla. Sept. 19 -- There goes another one.

Just in case you missed it – President Bush may have misled Americans earlier this year in order to invade Iraq. Hot topic of the week.

And last week? Oh yeah, the kiss. You know, Madonna and Britney and Christina on MTV. Before that? Hmm…salacious details surrounding basketball star Kobe Bryant’s rape charges in Colorado.

The topical feature story isn’t new. For years, they hit front pages and gradually made their way toward lifestyle sections for colorful and quick analysis.

These timely pieces, according to editors attending the 57th annual American Association of Sunday and Features Editors convention, give readers a fresh take on talked-about topics and help newspapers stay relevant.

Reading and listening are cornerstones of successfully executed topical stories. The only debate was modus operandi.

Packages focusing on war, 9-11, natural disasters, circuses, the Super Bowl, and strippers were celebrated over two days during the conference’s “Show and Tell,” a presentation of AASFE members’ best work since the last convention. Among the pages and sections projected on a big screen were many specifically chosen for being quick-turnaround, topical subjects.

“The best feature stories – and the best stories, period – tell readers how something will affect them. Or how it relates to their thoughts or concerns,” said Rick Press, feature editor for the Fort Worth Press-Telegram.

Press oversaw “Odyssey of a Bottle,” a story that examined the city’s new state-of-the-art recycling program by following a crumpled Dr. Pepper bottle. “The story was informative, useful and entertaining,” he said. “Who knew a Dr. Pepper bottle would become a carpet fiber?”

San Antonio Express-News features editor Elaine Ayala said editors and reporters need to plan ahead and pay close attention to the news. “Strive to keep up with the news and be ready to react,” said Ayala. “Don't be too tied to your plans, which is hard to do when you see a lovely design and story ready to roll.”

For Jacque Hillman it’s even more basic than that.

“Get out of the office and go talk to people,” said The Jackson Sun feature editor. “What are they talking about today?”

Feature staffs should pay attention to the questions and reactions they’re having to the news, said Lisa Wrenn with the Contra Costa Times. “That’s why it's so important to have a diverse staff – because different stories and issues resonate with different people depending on gender, age, ethnicity,” said Wrenn. Her paper’s feature on the flag’s many interpretations was shown at the conference.

Holding onto readers and getting new readers is continually tougher, as magazines, e-zines, cable stations and the Internet keep competing for eyeballs, said Ayala. Topical stories – what regular folks are talking about on the bus and at the water cooler – are crucial in the battle to keep readers’ attention.

“We have to hold on to the readers we have and encourage more to pick up the paper,” Ayala said. “ If you don't give them something new, fun or interesting, they'll go elsewhere.”

Steve Echeverria Jr. is a pop culture writer and columnist for The Record in Stockton, Ca., and a 2003 AASFE Fellow. He can be reached by phone at (209) 943-8571 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .