What is the Difference Between a News Story and a

Feature Story?

People are often confused between a news story and a feature. Here are some basic
differences between the two:

1. While a news story usually covers recent or breaking news, feature writing can be
issue-specific and might not be recent.
2. A news story summarises the story whereas a feature focuses on anecdotal
references.
3. A feature contains many angles and sources whereas on the contrary, a news
story general is from a single source or angle.
4. If we compare the structure of the forms of writing, the news story follows an
inverted pyramid structure while feature writing has a flexible structure and can
take a linear/non-linear scale. The conclusion forms a very important part of the
feature.

For instance, recent news can be covered in a news feature and it can abandon the
inverted pyramid structure to cover a human interest story using more detail and
emotion.

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Feature Writing – the APPLAUSE Formula

According to journalistic theories, a feature writing story must follow the APPLAUSE
Formula where each letter represents:

A – Appeal
P – Plain Facts

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P – Personalities

L – Logic

A – Action

U – Universal

S – Significance

E – Energy

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Different Types of Feature Writing

According to The Universal Journalist written by the British journalist David Randall and
a critically acknowledged masterpiece on Journalism elaborates on the following
different types of feature stories:

● Colour Piece: A feature story that essentially tries to inform readers regarding a
particular theme or subject.
● Fly on the Wall: A feature story that is conceived and narrated unobtrusively and
mostly without the explicit permission of the subjects.
● Behind the Scenes: A feature story that shifts its focus from the principal event to
the background and narrates an interesting tale.
● In Disguise: A feature story that is told while the storyteller is a part of the event.
● Interview: A feature story that develops itself around questions asked to a
respondent, who is usually in a place of prominence.
● Profile: A feature story that is based on the exploits of a particular eminent
person with or without his/ her interview.
● How-To: A feature story that is dependent on research and helps readers in
solving a problem or deciphering a scenario.
● Fact Box/ Chronology: A feature story that provides plain and simple facts mostly
in chronological order.
● Backgrounder/ A History of: A feature story that provides detailed information.
● Full Texts: A feature story that is nothing but extracts from a book or transcripts
of an interview.
● Testimony: A feature story that is the first-person account of an individual.
● Analysis: A feature story that scholarly analyzes an event.
● Vox Pop/ Expert Roundup: A feature story that accumulates opinions from the
general citizenry and thought leaders concerning a subject.
● Opinion Poll: A feature story that conducts research on opinions and presents a
generalized summary of the accumulated opinions.
● Review: A feature story that reviews a work of art and presents a generalized
opinion.

There is no set format for feature writing. It generally involves stories that play an
extremely critical role in building opinions and inciting actions. Features are extensively
used for advocacy, knowledge generation and raising awareness on issues.

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Style and Objective of Feature Writing

As discussed, a feature story generally represents a new item through a narrative story
and uses plot and story characters. The content used in feature writing is not fictional, It
heavily relies on realism, subjectivity and creativity. The purpose of Feature Writing is to
attempt to connect emotionally with the readers. It serves the purpose of entertaining
the readers while informing them. They are however less objective than straight news.

Feature stories are also not time-sensitive and are written in an active style
emphasising mainly entertaining prose. A feature story normally presents newsworthy
events or takes a relevant cause that has been in the media for a while. For instance, the
award-winning feature writing piece, “When can we really rest?” by Nadja Drost talks
about the dangerous journey undertaken by migrants crossing the Colombia-Panama
border to reach the US.

To understand Feature stories more, let us see with a slide given below:

Sample
Source: SlideShare
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Advertisement Writing Creative Writing Topics

Feature writing is a creative as well as an informative tool of writing; it’s designed to

raise awareness and bring notice to relevant issues around the world. Want to pursue a
career in writing and journalism? Contact our experts at Leverage Edu and get the best
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