Genre Analysis of Human Interest Stories
   The world of journalism is often a highly misinterpreted one. When I’ve told people that I am majoring in journalism at Ohio University, I typically receive the same negative or disheartening response regarding the fallibility of publications’ success or importance in today’s world. The various genres within journalism allocate purposes all their own. The genre of human interest stories speaks of both apparent and underlying importance in the world of journalism. Human interest pieces highlight a specific person on various topics, whether it be a public opinion question or personal experiences. This genre has been known for its powerful effects in social movements and politics. A human interest story is by definition “a story or report, as in a newspaper or on a newscast, designed to engage attention and sympathy by enabling one to identify readily with the people, problems, and situations described” (dictionary.com). Human interest stories are given their measure and meaning in terms of personalism, evaluation, complexity, and constraint (Lynch, Nettleship, and Carlson 226). These stories ultimately help to compose a side of journalism that bonds both emotional writing as well as factual news writing, which can be affective in its own way. This genre holds popularity as it oftentimes helps to shed light on very serious topics in a way that is relatable to readers. For example, a human interest story can be used as an appeal for arguments on controversial topics or budding social changes. The form these stories take are compelling in that you are hearing a real voice speaking on a topic. One such example based solely on human interest stories is the photoblog Humans of New York (HONY) in which Brandon Stanton, the founder, primary writer, editor, publisher and photographer of the publication, takes portraits throughout New York City and interviews each individual personally. Stanton recently has travelled outside of the U.S. to learn and broadcast the stories of every day people facing war, sickness and other daily hardships that most Americans are blind to. I plan to analyze the genre of human interest stories in relation to the HONY photoblog as I find the author’s interviewing and reporting style useful to what I plan to explore in the future. The genre of human interest stories is applicable to me as I wish to work towards social change, and one useful way to argue change is through individual experiences and stories. I will scrutinize the affect that human interest stories have in media, the means in which this genre is conducted and focus in on HONY specifically. I will finalize my essay with a discussion of the importance of Stanton’s work globally and the larger effect the genre may have.
           The main limitation presented upon researching this topic is that very few analyses of the genre have been conducted. I’ve had to come to many of my own conclusions on what the gaps in this genre could be by using my own knowledge as an aspiring journalist. I kept in mind the ideas of efficacy, reliability, and style/structure/voice as a unit. I asked questions to myself whilst analyzing postings made in the Humans of New York photoblog, which is ultimately a compiled set of human interest stories.Â
Did Brandon Stanton achieve his desired purposes upon composing these pieces? What were those purposes? Are his tactics reliable? As a journalist, is he reliable? Did he establish a specific voice in writing these pieces? What stylistic choices work/do not work upon reading the compositions?
Being in my first year, my primary analysis from a journalistic standpoint may be a limitation on the accuracy of my conclusions. In attempt to better back my assumptions, I’ve conducted an email interview with a second year journalism student here at Ohio University, Kayla Beard. Kayla has composed human interest pieces while working with The Essay magazine and allows them to personally resonate within her own beliefs about the journalistic world. Her insight into both human interest stories as a genre as well as the HONY blog allow for a more solid stand to be taken on potential gaps. Upon asking Kayla what she saw as gaps in the human interest genre, she responded, “When you tell a story in a journalistic realm, there is this feeling of obligation to be unbiased, and human interest stories can easily become super biased because you are really only telling one story, and it's one side of that story” (Beard, email). I will explore this gap among others such as controversial topics, credibility as a writer and consistency in content or questioning.
           Upon analyzing the HONY photoblog, I noted a few basic things. First of all, Brandon Stanton is always respectful of the wishes of those he interviews. He will follow any basic wishes of those he photographs, whether it be to withhold information or faces or names, as many of the stories can be deemed controversial or “touchy.” This basic concept that Stanton has created with his interviewees allots him much credit as a respected/respectful journalist, which can typically allow for more apt responses. In the genre of human interest stories, journalists must keep in mind the basic rules of journalism, such as information being given in confidentiality in relation to terms such as on the record, off the record, on background and on deep background. In one example, Stanton discusses the idea of alcoholism with an interviewee. In this posting, only a picture of the speaker’s feet is shown and a name is withheld (Stanton, 2014). This interview adds to his credibility as a writer as he is essentially taking the wellbeing of his subject into consideration. Another aspect of the HONY photoblog that I’ve noted is the use of dialogue. Instead of Stanton composing a biography of the subject, he allows them to tell their own stories. He asks very basic questions regarding their lives and lets them speak on them. He uses pictures of the participant, whether it be a portrait or any representation of the personal indirectly, and follows the picture with a direct quote. The dialogue that Stanton utilizes is a major stylistic choice. By allowing the subject to literally speak on any subject that he proposes, he is creating a limitless medium of discussion. In one posting, Stanton speaks with a couple about one of their positions as a city council member. The discussion is somewhat unexpected as the speaker relays plans of fighting for minorities’ and women’s business rights in NYC (Stanton, 2014). This choice can present a gap in his work, much as Kayla Beard identified in our interview.  Person to person, responses can be sporadic and unconventional as well as one sided and biased. Stanton seems to combat this issue in his work by consistently asking the same kinds of questions. He either finds a fact about the person and will ask them specific details about it or will ask a basic response question such as, “What is your biggest goal in life?” which he executes in the example previously stated on alcoholism (Stanton, 2014). This consistency in his blog is what allows it to stand. In the genre of human interest stories, in order to best arrange a set of works, consistency in questioning and stylistic choices is key. If these things aren’t followed, not only does the work fall beneath the definition of a genre, it can also defer readership and following. The HONY photoblog is an excellent example of a human interest story compilation that allocates evasiveness of gaps in a seamless way.
           The overall purpose of producing in a journalistic genre is for readership and following, which I’ve mentioned before. Subscribers to works can generate revenue as well as momentum for change. “Emphasizing a particular aspect of a topic with a news frame makes this element more noticeable, meaningful, or memorable and therefore more accessible and applicable in audience interpretations of the topic” (Boukes et al. 2). The journalistic society as a whole has a goal in relaying information and Stanton’s work in the global spectrum has done exactly this. By utilizing the human interest story genre in various places in the world, Brandon Stanton has given readers a look into the daily lives of those living in war zones, sickness ridden places and otherwise very different cultures. In one posting he made while visiting Iran, he photographed a means of propaganda depicting a group of soldiers reading, “follow the rules” (Stanton, 2014).  He is able to apply these interviews, photographs and all around information to change the public view of international affairs. In his smaller workings, Stanton discusses with and records a myriad of people living in New York City. One social standing he has recently documented was a photograph of a man holding a sign in NYC reading, “WE CAN’T BREATHE” during the protests involving Eric Garner’s death by a police officer in that district (Stanton, 2014). He has exhibited no biases in race, sexual orientation, gender or social status. Stanton, alongside other human interest story writers, can aid in telling the lives of those who may be publicly discriminated. This genre can dissipate the prejudices that such minorities face which can ultimately lead to major social or political changes.
           Human interest stories can typically be filed into soft or sensationalist journalism without any real evidence. The discussion of human interest stories, highlighted with the example of Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York blog, allows insight into this genre. Upon reading this paper and considering the analysis made, readers may find that human interest stories are not weakly proposed journalism, and instead a calculated form of communication as well as a persuasion technique and information delivery method.Â
