Profiles are supposed to offer us revealing glimpses into the lives of people who intrigue us for one reason or another, whether they are Hollywood celebrities, politicians, sports players, rock stars, or just some random, enigmatic character we see on the street.
Profiles are supposed to get down to the nitty gritty of a person's character -- the "real" story behind the man/woman. Often, a journalist will interview not only the subject of their story, but several people in that person's life, too -- family, business partners, enemies and critics. They'll surf the internet looking for old stories and background information, maybe even pull up police reports, legal documents, tax filings -- whatever sources they need to make their story interesting, complete, and three-dimensional.
Sometimes, it's also in what the journalist isn't being told -- the information they aren't able to get -- where the story can be the most illuminating. One of the most famous examples of this sort of story is "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold" by Gay Talese. Talese obviously had a hell of a time getting Frank to sit down and be open with him. But it didn't stop Talese from writing a close study of the singer. He simply relied on other instincts -- other signs and observations -- in order to give us a rather personal and touching glimpse of Sinatra. More recently, a reporter applied similar techniques in her profile of Lindsay Lohan for Vanity Fair.
Here are several links to profiles I find engaging and/or helpful as we begin to talk about the structure and purpose of profiles. Please read at least 2 of these stories before class on Wednesday. We'll be talking about them in great detail:
- Gross, Michael Joseph. "Sarah Palin: The Sound And The Fury." Vanity Fair. October 2010.
You may have heard about this story -- it's received a lot of hype, particularly due to the fact that the author has claimed he actually wanted to do a "glowing" profile of Palin, but, in the end, just couldn't. Do you buy that?
- Talese, Gay. "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold." Esquire. 1965.
For any young journalist, this story is required reading. It is used as THE great example of a perfect profile. A classic, for sure. You can't write a profile without reading Talese -- the godfather of great narrative journalsim.
- Grollmus, Denise. "Jesus For Sale." Cleveland Scene Magazine. October 2007.
Ok. I know. This feels weird to me, too. BUT...some of you have asked that I include my writing in your reading. I did work as an investigative journalist for over 6 years before coming to PSU. Here's just one example of the many profiles I did. It's about Rex Humbard, the father of televangelism. If you want to see more, there are links on my webpage. Also, I can talk very specifically about HOW these stories were put together, which should be helpful to you all!
- Lewis, Michael. "The No-Stats All-Star." The New York Times, February 2009.
Here's a great sports profile. Just to mix stuff up.
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