A news feature is an extended piece of journalism that gives the listener or viewer more information and insight than a normal news story. These stories may also include a historical or social context for current events. They help to explain why people react the way they do to a particular story and can be very helpful in understanding events in societies and cultures with which the reader is unfamiliar.
It is important that the audience of a news feature is kept in mind at all stages of planning and production. This includes the initial choice of topic and talent. If you have a great topic but not enough talent to express it well, the result will be an average or worse piece. It is also a good idea to give your final news feature to someone else to hear before it goes on air to check that they think it is suitable.
One of the most difficult elements to master is capturing and keeping the listener or viewer’s attention. It is not always easy to do this, even when the subject matter is very interesting. Often a feature will be more successful if it is broken into a series of sections or mini-features, each covering different aspects of the overall subject matter.
Sometimes it is not possible to record a person’s voice, for example when the subject was alive before voice recording was invented. In such cases it is sometimes necessary to use an actor’s voice or read the words yourself.