Analysis on obits
Look at a news obituary -- not a paid death notice, but an obituary written by a reporter about the death of someone notable in the community. What sources are used? Does it have a standard obituary lead or an alternative? Does that lead work? How does the obit differ from a resume?
The news obituary for a former Ohio state Sen. Howard Metzenbaum was found at the Washington Post. The only source mentioned is the senator's former chief of staff, Joel Johnson. It has a mostly standard obituary lead because it starts with the title and name of the person, a notable characteristic, when he died (but the where is stated in the next paragraph), and the next sentence is his age. "Former senator Howard Metzenbaum, an Ohio Democrat who was a feisty self-made millionaire before he began a long career fighting big business in the Senate, died late yesterday. He was 90," the article says. The lead works because the notable characteristic is interesting and is more than just "he was a senator that died." It differs from a resume because this notable characteristic is not something to put on a resume. His background information is not dry or list-like, rather its points out notable facts in his lifetime and what he came to be known for as a member of the Senate and as a person.