Dr. Vartika Nanda: Media Educator & Prison Reformer: Difference Between Articles and Features

Jul 22, 2022

Difference Between Articles and Features

Disclaimer: The content in this document has been taken from various sources from the internet by the students. This was a part of their assignment during the class.

There are several important differences between feature articles and traditional news articles. A journalist should know how to always approach different events with a different writing approach. This skill requires a basic understanding of the technicalities that separate these writing styles. The variables that play a decisive role in this are timing, relevance and readership preferences. In this article, we will be discussing their definitions and distinctions.

An article is brief write up those reports on a current event, which as per the media standards is of contemporary importance. It could be about local news, business event, a current public concern, a road accident or some mishap and so on. It is usually filed in by a reporter or correspondent working with the media house.

The feature, on the other hand is a more elaborate report, that besides having a core story, also calls for a fair amount of detailed reporting. By virtue of that features are longish in nature compared to an article. To illustrate, if there is lot of illegal sand mining in a region, it would call for a lot of investigation, and details. Similarly, it can be a topic from any genre. Features are usually filed in by more experienced journalists.

Here are the critical differences between a feature story and a news article-

1. Timing-
The major difference between a news article and a feature story is that a news article is time-sensitive and of immediate interest. The election results, an accident, a robbery report, a product launch, a court verdict, a medical report release, a set of basketball game scores are examples of a news article. Media outlets want to publish news stories as quickly as possible after an event occurs. Feature stories, however, are not as time-dependent and contain no urgent content. You can write one anytime after an event occurs. Its content is often evergreen or at least lasting.

2. Style-
The writing styles of a news story and a feature are different. In a news story, the emphasis is on content rather than form. News articles go straight to the point, using simple and effective words to deliver the facts quickly. Feature stories are often more wordy and they have a creative structure. News articles answer who, what, when, where, why and how. This means that the article answers the question: What happened, when the event occurred, where the event happened, why the event happened, how the event occurred, and who was involved. A feature article is a human interest story about a person, event, or place. Rather than simply summarizing the subject, a feature article highlights one aspect or significance of the story. Its less formal style may take an odd twist or heartwarming angle. The feature article focuses on particular people, places, and events.

3. Beginning and ending-

A news article and a feature story have different types of beginnings and endings. News articles tell what the news is upfront and then give the most important details in the first paragraph or two. The beginning – or lead – of a feature story, on the other hand, doesn’t give the news straightaway. Instead, it hooks readers and keeps them reading until the end. A news article can end anywhere after you’ve described the most important facts, whereas a feature story ends with readers feeling satisfied that they gained some value from reading the story.

4. Language-

Feature articles can be about anything. They can have a narrower target audience than newspaper articles. Feature articles are often emotive and subjective. They can entertain and persuade as well as inform. They can go beyond the information provided by newspaper articles and take on a particular side. Feature articles don't go out of date as quickly as most newspaper articles. Newspaper articles serve the purpose of informing the audience of a particular event or issue. Yes, the language is often formal, simple and factual.

5. Content-

A newspaper article is where you discuss about what happened and what people said and then you add a conclusion, while a feature article has a cover story and then follows on in the magazine. It has quotes and endures picture and a big heading, so get artistic and make it flashy and noticeable. A news reporter lays out the facts of what happened and sometimes includes reactions from affected parties.
The feature writer is more forensic in nature. They probe deeper, spending more time on the 'how' and 'why' of what happened. If they fail to go beyond the facts reported in news (and sometimes this is very difficult) they probably haven't succeeded and probably won't be published.

6. Length-
News articles are short, averaging 100-400 words depending upon the type of news and where it is placed in the publication. They are meant to be digested quickly. Feature stories are longer and dig more deeply into the topic. Length varies for each publication, but a typical feature word count runs between 1,000 – 2,000 words.

7. Structure-
A news story is structured in the inverted pyramid format with key facts at the beginning of the article. This way the reader can get basic information in the first sentence or two. A feature story allows the subject matter to determine its format, whether in a standard outline form (such as a list, sequence, or comparison) or one of the other main story formats. As for subject matter, features cover endless topics from profiles to narratives, interviews, essays, exposes, how-to's, columns, and reviews.