* One characteristic that makes a feature story different from straight news is human interest. * While not necessarily timely, feature stories have news value. They give the audience insight and understanding of a person or situation that might not be incorporated into a straight news story. * Features tend to be more creative, calling…

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In writing a feature you will draw upon a few different skills. Structure A feature is seldom written in the traditional invertedpyramid pattern. The main point, always in the lead of a news story, may be withheld until the end as a climax. Or the feature may be written in a narrative fashion, much like…

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Personality sketch or profile Some writers make a distinction -between the personality sketch and the profile. The sketch attempts to convey a sense of the total person, with emphasis on overall achievements, lifestyle and philosophy. The profile, usually a magazine piece, now depends a great deal on photographs to tell the story. Often it examines…

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Feature stories are “soft news” — the candy. A feature assignment is often considered a writer’s reward for handling routine news well. The implication is that feature writing is easy. Actually, it makes more demands  writing ability than the straight news story, because it has no specific format. What Is a feature? Feature stories can…

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