In Campus Journalism: Feature Writing

A very beautiful rose bud.

• A feature takes an in-depth look at what’s going on behind the news.
• It gets into the lives of people.
• It tries to explain why and how trend developed.
• Unlike news, a feature does not have to be tied to a current event or a breaking story. But it can grow out of something that’s reported in the news.

Different point of views of feature story:

• The story behind
• Personality in profile
• Tracking a trend

Feature Writing Tips:

• Start with a lead that captures your reader’s attention.
• Move your story along with descriptions of what happened, quotes from people involved in the issue, and details that place the reader in the midst of the action.
• Make sure your ending is meaningful.

Features are not meant to deliver the news firsthand. They do contain elements of news, but their main function is to humanize, to add colour, to educate, to entertain, to illuminate. They often recap major news that was reported in a previous news cycle.

Types of Features

1. Personality profiles: A personality profile written to bring an audience closer to a person in or out of the news. Interviews and observations, as well as creative writing, are used to paint a vivid picture of the person. The CBC’s recent profile of Pierre Elliot Trudeau is a classic example of the genre and makes use of archival film footage, interviews, testimonials, and fair degree of editorializing by the voice-over commentary.
2. Human interest stories: A human interest story is written to show a subject’s oddity or its practical, emotional, or entertainment value.
3. Trend stories: A trend story examines people, things or organizations that are having an impact on society. Trend stories are popular because people are excited to read or hear about the latest fads.
4. In-depth stories: Through extensive research and interviews, in-depth stories provide a detailed account well beyond a basic news story or feature.
5. Backgrounders: A background-- also called an analysis piece-- adds meaning to current issues in the news by explaining them further. These articles bring an audience up-to-date, explaining how this country, this organization, this person happens to be where it is now.