The news feature is an opportunity for a journalist to step back from hard news reporting and tell a more human side to stories. It gives you the space to look at a story in some depth and relate it to other events, or give a perspective not normally available. It can also highlight positive developments that happen slowly, or that are not newsworthy in the strict sense – but which might make good news features, such as terracing a hillside farmland to protect it from erosion (see Chapter 2).
A news feature should be told well. You will probably know that it has worked when the audience responds, through their feedback or survey results – though that might be some time after broadcast. It’s important that you have a plan for the piece, or a treatment as it is sometimes called. This will help you with planning the various elements of the feature and guiding you in gathering the information and talent needed for it.
If you are doing a news feature on an event, the number of news angles and issues you cover may grow and change as you investigate the story. During the coronavirus pandemic, journalists were constantly choosing different aspects of the story to include, such as statistics on deaths and cases, advice or opinions from experts, and human interest stories of sufferers or their families.
You should also think about your budget for the feature, and how long it will take to complete. A feature might require travel to a remote place or to speak to service personnel at military bases, for example. It might also need you to obtain permission from authorities to enter areas that are normally off-limits to the media or pay royalties and copyright fees.