Mass Communication and Journalism: Journalism Practice and News Writing - Feature Writing vs. News Writing

What It Is

Feature writing and news writing are two distinct forms of journalistic writing that serve different purposes and audiences. Feature writing is a style of writing that focuses on in-depth, narrative storytelling, often with a human-interest angle, while news writing is a style of writing that focuses on conveying timely, factual information about current events. A canonical example of feature writing is Gay Talese's "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" (1966), a profile of the famous singer that humanized him and explored his personal life. This matters for media analysis because it highlights the importance of understanding the differences between feature and news writing in terms of tone, style, and purpose.

Key Terms & Concepts

• Feature writing: A style of writing that focuses on in-depth, narrative storytelling, often with a human-interest angle.
  • Example: Gay Talese's "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" (1966)
• News writing: A style of writing that focuses on conveying timely, factual information about current events.
  • Example: The Associated Press's coverage of the 9/11 attacks (2001)
• Inverted pyramid structure: A writing structure that puts the most important information first, followed by less important details.
  • Example: The New York Times's coverage of the Watergate scandal (1972-1974)
• Hourglass structure: A writing structure that starts with a broad introduction, narrows to a central point, and then widens out to a conclusion.
  • Example: John Hersey's "Hiroshima" (1946)
• Lead: The opening sentence or paragraph of a news article or feature story.
  • Example: The lead in a news article about a natural disaster might be a concise summary of the event, while the lead in a feature story might be a provocative or attention-grabbing sentence.
• Lede: A synonym for lead, often used in feature writing.
  • Example: The lede in a feature story about a person might be a personal anecdote or a quote that sets the tone for the rest of the article.
• Dateline: A line that indicates the location of a news event or story.
  • Example: "Dateline: New York City" might indicate that a story is taking place in New York City.
• Byline: A line that indicates the author of a news article or feature story.
  • Example: "By John Smith" might indicate that John Smith is the author of the article.
• Style guide: A set of rules and guidelines for writing and editing, often used by journalists and writers.
  • Example: The Associated Press Stylebook is a widely used style guide in the United States.
• Objectivity: The goal of journalism to report facts without bias or personal opinion.
  • Example: A news article about a political event might strive for objectivity by presenting multiple perspectives and avoiding emotive language.
• Subjectivity: The inclusion of personal opinion or bias in a news article or feature story.
  • Example: A feature story about a person might include subjective elements, such as the author's personal impressions or opinions.

Common Misunderstandings

• Misunderstanding: Feature writing is the same as news writing.
• Correction: Feature writing and news writing are distinct forms of journalistic writing that serve different purposes and audiences.
• Misunderstanding: The inverted pyramid structure is the only structure used in news writing.
• Correction: While the inverted pyramid structure is commonly used in news writing, other structures, such as the hourglass structure, can also be used in feature writing.
• Misunderstanding: The lead and lede are interchangeable terms.
• Correction: While the terms lead and lede are often used interchangeably, the lede is more commonly used in feature writing to refer to the opening sentence or paragraph.

Quick Application / Identification

Scenario: A journalist is writing a news article about a natural disaster. The article should start with a concise summary of the event, followed by more detailed information about the impact and response. What structure should the journalist use?

Answer: Inverted pyramid structure. Explanation: The inverted pyramid structure is a common structure used in news writing to convey timely, factual information about current events.

Scenario: A journalist is writing a feature story about a person. The story should start with a personal anecdote or a quote that sets the tone for the rest of the article. What term should the journalist use to refer to the opening sentence or paragraph?

Answer: Lede. Explanation: The lede is a term commonly used in feature writing to refer to the opening sentence or paragraph of a story.

Scenario: A journalist is writing a news article about a political event. The article should strive to present multiple perspectives and avoid emotive language. What goal should the journalist aim for?

Answer: Objectivity. Explanation: Objectivity is the goal of journalism to report facts without bias or personal opinion.

Last?Minute Revision

• Feature writing is a style of writing that focuses on in-depth, narrative storytelling, often with a human-interest angle.
• News writing is a style of writing that focuses on conveying timely, factual information about current events.
• The inverted pyramid structure is a writing structure that puts the most important information first, followed by less important details.
• The hourglass structure is a writing structure that starts with a broad introduction, narrows to a central point, and then widens out to a conclusion.
• The lead is the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article or feature story.
• The lede is a synonym for lead, often used in feature writing.
• Dateline is a line that indicates the location of a news event or story.
• Byline is a line that indicates the author of a news article or feature story.
• Style guide is a set of rules and guidelines for writing and editing, often used by journalists and writers.
• Objectivity is the goal of journalism to report facts without bias or personal opinion.
• Subjectivity is the inclusion of personal opinion or bias in a news article or feature story.
• The Associated Press Stylebook is a widely used style guide in the United States.
• Gay Talese's "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" (1966) is a canonical example of feature writing.
• The New York Times's coverage of the Watergate scandal (1972-1974) is an example of news writing using the inverted pyramid structure.
• John Hersey's "Hiroshima" (1946) is an example of feature writing using the hourglass structure.
• The terms lead and lede are often used interchangeably, but the lede is more commonly used in feature writing.