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Hard News vs. Soft News
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There is no strict format for "Soft News"
Soft news focuses on making an impact
on the reader. Often, soft news will read like a fictional story. It goes beyond just telling the "facts," and instead connects the reader with the people affected by the story being reported. It can take on any format to accomplish this purpose.
Difference in Format
Hard News
Soft News
A hard news story follows the "inverted pyramid" format:
Subjective
Objective
Lead: 5 W's
Lead: Literary Hook
-True Events
Format: Freestyle
Format: Inverted Pyramid
We will be writing feature stories the next two days in class. A feature story can be about anything: a car crash, a burning house, a basketball game that went into overtime, a little sister's broken doll, a 5th graders failed science test, a lion escaped from the zoo, a couple of record breaking windy days, a broken foot, a student sent to the principal's office. You can literally tell a story about anything, but it must be true!
Tone: Any tone
Tone: Serious, factual
- appear in
newspapers,
magazines, etc.
Purpose: to inform
Purpose: To Entertain
- chronological
order
Time sensitive
Can be published anytime
Factual appeal
Emotional appeal
Difference in Tone
Feature Story
Two Types
One difference between hard and soft news is the tone of presentation. A hard news story takes a factual approach: What happened? Who was involved? Where and when did it happen? Why?
A feature story is a specific type of "soft news."
It gives factual information; however, it is more descriptive and focuses on what is happening to individuals. It addresses elements of human interest.
News stories are basically divided into two types: hard news and soft news. Hard news generally refers to up-to-the-minute news and events that are reported immediately, while soft news is background information or human-interest stories.
What is Human Interest?
These articles:
- Do not need to be timely or concise
- Can be written less formally
- Might include an interesting, odd,
heartwarming or heart wrenching story
- Are presented in a variety of journalistic styles
Feature news (soft news)...
- appeals to the emotional side
Some examples are:
A day in the life of an Iraqi soldier
A child that saves four puppies from drowning
A town's history
A person getting an award
hu·man in·ter·est - noun
the aspect of a story in the media that interests people because it describes the experiences or emotions of individuals.
Difference in Purpose
A soft news story tries instead to entertain or advise the reader, while a hard news story tries to strictly inform the reader.