ABSTRACT
Journalists have long been expected to write about a wide variety of subjects and they are increasingly asked to write a wide variety of feature articles, ranging from lifestyle pieces and profiles to news backgrounders and behind-the-scenes blog entries. The sub-genres fall into three broader categories derived from the nature of the subject matter: event-or issue-based features, people stories and personal narratives. Court cases and public inquiries are ripe for news features as they are usually long running, complicated and written in the cryptic language of court reports. Issue-based lifestyle features pick up a matter in the news and present it in an unthreatening way. It may be a routine news issue, such as the way pregnancy can change the way a woman is viewed at work, which marie claire presented through a range of perspectives including mothers, the federal sex discrimination commissioner, a civil justice lawyer and several bosses.
