A feature story is a piece of

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

writing about

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to event ...

. A feature story is a type of soft news. The main sub-types are the ''news feature'' and the '' human-interest story''. A feature story is distinguished from other types of non-news by the quality of the writing. Stories should be memorable for their reporting, crafting, creativity, and economy of expression.

Style

A feature story, as contrasted with straight news reporting, normally presents newsworthy events and information through a narrative story, complete with a plot and story characters. It differs from a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

primarily in that the content is not

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...

al. Like literature, the feature story relies upon creativity and subjectivity to make an emotional connection with the readers and may highlight some universal aspect of

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

. Unlike straight news, the feature story serves the purpose of entertaining the readers, in addition to informing them. Although truthful and based on good facts, they are less objective than straight news. Unlike straight news, the subject of a feature story is usually not time sensitive. It generally features good news. Feature stories are usually written in an active style, with an emphasis on lively, entertaining prose. Some forms, such as a ''color story'', uses description as the main mode.

Published features and news

Feature stories are stories with only one feature, but are creative and true. While the distinction between published features and news is often clear, when approached conceptually there are few hard boundaries between the two. It is quite possible to write a feature story in the style of a news story. Nevertheless, features do tend to take a more narrative approach, perhaps using opening paragraphs as scene-setting narrative hooks instead of the delivery of the most important facts. A feature story can be in a news article, a newspaper, and even online.

Types

In ''The Universal Journalist'',

David Randall David Randall (April 1951 – 17 July 2021) was a British journalist and author of ''The Universal Journalist'', a textbook on journalism. He was assistant editor of ''The Observer'' until 1998, when he joined ''The Independent on Sunday'' and ...

suggests the following categories of feature: ; Colour piece :Describing a scene and throw light on its theme. ; Fly on the wall :Activities are observed without the involvement of the journalist. ;Behind the scenes :Similar to the above, but with the journalist a part of events. ;In disguise/undercover :Pretending to be another person (see Ryan Parry). ;Interview ;Profile :An examination of a particular person. Will often include an interview. ;How-To :This type of article assists readers by explaining how to do something (and the writer may learn about the topic through research, experience, or interviews with experts on the topic). ;Fact box / Chronology :A simple list of facts, perhaps in date order. ;Backgrounder / A history of :An extended fact box. ;Full texts :Extracts from books or transcripts of interviews. ;My testimony :A first-person report of some kind. ;Analysis :An examination of the reasons behind an event. ; Vox pop / Expert roundup :A selection of views from members of the public or experts. ;Opinion poll ;Review Among sports writers, feature stories tend to be either human-interest stories or personality profiles of sports figures. A profile presents information about a person, but it differs from a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

by focusing on the person's personality or anecdotes, rather than the factual data about birth, education, or major achievements.

Style

Published features and news

Types

See also

References

Further reading