FEATURES

Feature article has a variety of subject matter. It may inform, instruct, advise, but focuses more on entertaining the
readers. It follows no definite rule regarding its length. It may or may not be timely. Usually it begins with a novelty lead.
Other definitions of feature:
o Hobenberg says that feature story is based on that mysterious ingredient called human interest, where
readers can relate. Professional Journalist
o Rene J. Cappon says that feature aim to give entertainment to the readers while giving information. The
plain ladder of descending news value is not followed as it is replaced with humor, human interest,
emotion, or mood. The Word: Associated Press Guide to News Writing
KINDS OF FEATURE ARTICLE
Feature Story (News Feature) its subject is current interest.
Human Interest Story usually appeals to the emotion of the readers. The news value may be present with not
much attention or not at all. It attracts the readers attention because of its human interest style.
Informative Article Unlike human interest story, information in this article has value. Entertainment is only
secondary. The topics may base on scientific facts, research, or interview with simple and distinct words that can
be understand by an average reader.
How-to Feature Article meant to inform. It aims to explain on how a particular object is created.
Interpretative Article explains or interprets to the readers the daily issues like social, economic, or political.
Personal Experience based on experience, especially one that is unusual, of any person that can interest any
reader If the article is based on others account, the by-line would be written like this:
By Christian Balitao
(as told by Bernard Ong)
Character Sketch - In writing a character sketch, the writer highlights any person, it may be some industrious
janitor or a driver who return a bag of many, as long as it may interest the readers, or people with great
achievements. You describe the personalitys character by how he talks or acts, or what others think about him.
EXAMPLES
1. Feature Story
Angry Birds: Whats Behind the Popularity
Camille Angela Zulueta
Whats the most popular game today? Well thats no other than Angry Birds! A game wherein birds are being
launched into air through a big sling shot to hit green pigs that are being protected by different structures.
This game is developed by Rovio Mobile with Raine Maki, Harro Gronberg, and Mikko Hakkinen as the
programmers; Jaako Iisalo as the lead designer; Tuomo Lehtinen (lead programmer), Miika Vertinen, Antti Laitinen, Atte
Jarvinen, Mika Rahko, Marco Rapino, and Kari Kuvaja as the programmers; Tuomo Erikoinen (lead artist), Miisa
Lopperi, and Joonas Makila as the artist; and Ari Pulkkinen as the composer. Rovio before was searching for a simple
game which was easy to pick up and play but hard to master He wanted a simple game that would be compatible with
touch screen platforms too. They (the developers) started development in March 2009.
The game was inspired by a sketch of stylized wingless birds while the pigs are made to represent the enemies, for in
that time this game was made, the swine flu disease epidemic was spreading the news. At first, all the birds acted the same
regardless of how they look like. The birds specialties were only introduced later.
The game was first released for Apples iOS in December 2009 and later on, it spread nationwide with over millions
of copies being distributed and downloaded through various technologies. The said game received awards like Best
Casual Game, Best Game App , App of the Year, and Best Game for Handheld Devices .
SOURCE: LaPiScian Scroll
Las Pinas City National Science High School
2. Human Interest Story
Pinoy romance: Sense of humor trumps good looks
By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 13, 2014 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - Nine out of 10 Filipinos find people with a sense of humor more attractive than those
with just good looks, a survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed yesterday.
The survey, conducted face-to-face with 1,550 adults from Dec. 11 to 16 last year, said only 10 percent of the
respondents chose good looks over sense of humor in finding a man or a woman attractive.
The question that was asked was: Which of these two statements will you choose: A man/woman who is
ugly/unattractive but can make you laugh or has sense of humor? or A man/woman who is good-looking but has no
sense of humor?
Approximately nine out of 10 respondents in all areas chose sense of humor, even if that person is unattractive,
the SWS said.
About 92 percent of respondents in Metro Manila chose sense of humor over good looks, 90 percent in Luzon, 90
percent in the Visayas, and 88 percent in Mindanao.
The survey found 91 percent in overall rural areas chose sense of humor, while it was 89 percent in overall urban
areas.
SWS said stronger preference for sense of humor was highest among classes D and E.
Preference for sense of humor over good looks was 90 percent among class D and 91 percent among class, higher
than the 79 percent among class ABC.
Conversely, the proportion of those who chose someone with good looks but lacks sense of humor was higher
among class ABC, at 20 percent, compared to classes D and E, both at nine percent.
More women prefer sense of humor compared to men, the SWS said.
Ninety-four percent of women chose sense of humor over good looks, slightly higher than the 86 percent among
men.
Those who chose good looks over sense of humor was 13 percent among men, two times higher than six percent
among women.
While preference for sense of humor over good looks was dominant in all sexes and classes, more men in the upper
classes prefer good looks than their lower class counterparts.
3. Informative Article
LG owns first OLED TV in local market
November 18, 2013 (updated)
LG knows how to impress with their eye-melting TVs, and soon their claimed worlds first LG OLED TV will be
hitting Philippine shores soon.
The new LG OLED TV boasts a whooping 55-inch LG OLED screen, with extra crisp picture and sound quality.
And the TVs ultra-slim built gives it high-versatility and weighing only 10kg, you cant go wrong in placing this TV
anywhere on your home.
But LG took breaths away when they revealed their Curved OLED technology.
LG took OLED technology a notch further on April 2013 when it globally revealed the Gallery OLED TV and
Curved OLED TV, a 55-inch wide and 4.3mm thick TV which promises the immersive IMAX experience in the comfort
of the viewers home. LG states that it had taken researchers more than five years to develop the optimum curvature to
make the entire screen surface equidistant from the viewers eyes. This eliminates screen-edge visual distortion and loss
of detail.
The worlds first curved screen by LG heralds a new paradigm of display shape and quality, leading a transition
from the flat screen to the curved. The gently curved screen is the most optimal form for any display, shaped after natural
human sight and vision. Previous modes of display have been restricted by technical constraints, and catered to the
machine rather than the viewer. LG is the first to attempt ergonomical design for human comfort.
The Curved OLED TV is only 16.3kg light and has a Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) to add additional
strength to the beautifully curved screen. LG provides a wall mount (LG 55EA9800) specifically for the TV and includes
thin transparent film speakers in the crystal clear stand, providing high-quality sound without compromising the TVs
seamless design.
The advanced OLED technology uses organic compounds that emit light directly when an electric current is
applied. Unlike LCD displays, backlights are not needed, reducing power consumption and distortions even at extreme
angles. Picture quality is enhanced with LGs unique WRGB technology, Color Refiner, and Infinite Contrast Ratio. To
perfect the experience, LG OLED TV also combines the companys industry-leading CINEMA 3D technology with Smart
TV capabilities.
LG is looking forward to launching the worlds first Gallery OLED TV and Curved OLED TV in the Philippines,
said Hoony Bae, vice president of LG Electronics Philippines Home Entertainment division.
4. How-to Feature Article
Planking: The Newest Craze in Town
By Danielle Joseph Hirata
People are in to a new and very unique activity planking. Planking refers to the act of lying face down in unusual
public areas and taking a picture of it to share it online. Comedian Tom Green claimed that he created planking. However,
Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon claim to have invented planking back in 2000, first becoming popular in North east
England. Others said that planking started from Korea, where the Koreans called it playing dead simply because it
seems like imitating a dead people.
Planking gained popularity through social networking sites like Facebook. David Williams, a professional rubgy
player, also popularized it when he planked on one of their matches.
Here are few things you should follow, if you want to do some planking:
Remember to always lay face down; ensuring your face remains expressionless for the duration of the plank.
Your legs must remain straight, and together with toes pointed.
Your arms must be placed by your side, held straight and fingers pointed.
You must make it known that you are planking. Saying I am planking, usually gets this across. Sternly
announcing it will ensure a good result.
Your safety should always be considered. Properly thought planking procedures should always go to plan.
Never put yourself at undue risk.
Every planked that is captured should be named.
Well then, thats it! All you planking wannabes out there, try and see for yourself.
SOURCE: LaPiScian Scroll
Las Pinas City National Science High School
5. Interpretative Article
INFOGRAPHIC: Filipinos 3rd heaviest drinkers in the world
(philstar.com) | Updated February 6, 2014 - 12:45pm
MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos can out-drink everyone in the world except South Koreans and Russians, an
international research firm reveals.
Euromonitor said that adults in the Philippines each take 5.4 shots of distilled alcohol weekly, making the country
third in the list of the world's heaviest drinkers.
South Koreans take a sizeable amount of alcohol, averaging 13.7 shots per week. Russians, stereotyped as heavy
drinkers, only rank second with 6.3 shots per adult a week.
Euromonitor's country report on alcohol consumption in the Philippines notes that the growth sales of local
breweries is stable and sustained by their heavy investment in advertising and other promotions.
"Philippine alcoholic beverages slowed down but recorded stable growth in 2012. The maturation of the beer
category, which is the biggest category in the Philippines, contributed to the slower rate," the firm specializing on
consumer insights and consumer markets writes in an executive summary.
"Domestic companies continued to facilitate growth in all alcoholic drinks categories," it added.
Sales of non-beer alcoholic drinks such as Asia Brewery's Tanduay Ice, Bel Mondo Italias Novellino red wine,
and Alliance Global Groups Emperador brandy led spirits, meanwhile, are growing.
"A shift toward other categories than beer was seen in 2012, as domestic brands in RTDs/high-strength premixes,
spirits, and wine facilitated the growth of the market. These categories showed much higher growth than the mature beer
category," Euromonitor researchers said.
6. Personal Experience
Home Alone
By Ashlyn Z., Clinton, CT
The sky was pitch black, the house was creaking, and I still had four hours until my parents got home. Locked in
my parents room, I turned on the TV full blast so I wouldnt hear the creaking house.
I barely heard the phone ring. I picked it up and said, Hello hello ? but there was no response. I knew
someone was on the other end. Finally, I hung up. A minute later, the phone rang again; still no one was there. I became
more frightened as time passed; the same -person called five more times.
At this point I didnt bother picking up, but the ringing continued. To get my mind off this prank caller, I called
my friend. She told me not to worry and to turn the phone off. As we talked, I heard someone pull into the driveway.
When I peeked out the window, I saw an unfamiliar car.
Thirty minutes passed and the car was still in my driveway. It drove up and down the drive as if aware I was
watching. My friend told me to call the cops, but I refused.
Soon the phone calls started again. I heard noises in the background, but I couldnt tell what they were. I really
didnt want that person to get out of the car and start toward the house. If they did, I didnt know what Id do. None of the
doors were locked, and I would have no way of protecting myself. The only thing I could do was hide, which wasnt a
very good plan.
At this point I was considering calling the cops, but my friend offered to drive by. Maybe if they see me pull in,
they will leave, she suggested. By the time she arrived, the car had left. The phone rang again and I picked up, thinking it
might be my friend. Someone on the other end said Bye-bye.
At that point I wasnt as scared as curious. Since then I have not stayed home alone and I probably never will.

7. Character Sketch
Who is the 'Merchant of Death?'
By Ashley Hayes, CNN
November 17, 2010
(CNN) -- He's known as the "Merchant of Death" and the "Lord of War," -- an alleged international arms dealer
straight out of a cloak-and-dagger spy novel who eluded authorities for years and inspired Hollywood villains.
But in reality, according to those who have seen or met Viktor Bout, he is a somber man, sometimes nattily
dressed, a wheeler-dealer who has insisted he is innocent of the allegations leveled against him.
Bout, a Russian citizen and former military officer, speaks six languages "and I could see him bargaining in all six
at the same time," wrote CNN's Jill Dougherty in 2008, recalling her meeting with Bout in 2002 in Moscow, Russia.
Bout arrived in New York late Tuesday after being extradited from Thailand. He faces charges in the United
States of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals, conspiring to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiring to acquire and use an
anti-aircraft missile and conspiring to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
American law enforcement officers have spent years pursuing him, and the extradition process from Thailand was an
arduous one for them.
Bout is accused of supplying weapons to war zones around the world, from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan. Before
his 2008 arrest, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents led a sting operation by posing as members of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), officials said.
"His early days are a mystery," said Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy
Center who co-authored a book on Bout. Farah told Mother Jones magazine in 2007 that according to his multiple
passports, Bout was born in 1967 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the son of a bookkeeper and an auto mechanic.
A pro-Bout website -- Farah said Bout put it up himself -- says he was born into an "average home and an average
family" and that his parents were employees in the "administrative and accounting fields."
But, Farah said, some reports are that Bout's parents were involved in intelligence. "His mother was supposedly
very high in the KGB," Farah said, adding that Bout has consistently denied that.
"He graduated from the Military Institute on Foreign Languages, a well-known feeder school for Russian military
intelligence, and is known to have a true gift for languages," Farah told Mother Jones.
Bout has said that he worked as a military officer in Mozambique. Others have said it was actually Angola --
which would make sense, as Russia had a large military presence there at the time, Farah told CNN.
He said Bout's rise stemmed from the end of Communism and the rise of capitalism in the early 1990s in the
former Soviet bloc.
"He was a Soviet officer, most likely a lieutenant, who simply saw the opportunities presented by three factors
that came with the collapse of the USSR and the state sponsorship that entailed: abandoned aircraft on the runways from
Moscow to Kiev, no longer able to fly because of the lack of money for fuel or maintenance; huge stores of surplus
weapons that were guarded by guards suddenly receiving little or no salary; and the booming demand for those weapons
from traditional Soviet clients and newly emerging armed groups from Africa to the Philippines," Farah told the
magazine.
"He simply wedded the three things, taking aircraft for almost nothing, filling them with cheaply purchased
weapons from the arsenals, and flying them to clients who could pay."
"He knew the African market," Farah said Wednesday. "He was clearly aware of who [Russia's] past clients had
been ... I think he had foresight, and I think he understood the world changes much more than the average Soviet bloc
person."
He first became known when the United Nations began investigating him in the early-to-mid 1990s and the
United States began to get involved, Farah told CNN.
Bout's website, which spells his name Victor, says he became notorious because of a smear campaign, "fictitious
tales and stories which were generated from one source -- a corrupt United Nations contractor who was generously paid
for the U.N. contracts he arranged with the help of others for Victor's companies, and then became mad for vengeance
when Victor refused to continue paying him."
The site said the United States case against him is based on "lies" and paid informants.
Attempts by CNN to contact Bout's wife were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Ironically, the United States is also among Bout's clients, even indirectly, Farah said Wednesday. Bout companies
were used to fly for government contractors in Iraq. Most of those flights -- estimated in the hundreds -- occurred after
then-President George W. Bush had signed an executive order making it illegal to do business with Bout because he
represented a security threat to the United States, Farah told Mother Jones.
"The State Department, under a congressional inquiry initiated by Sen. Russell Feingold, found it had used Bout
companies, acknowledged it, and stopped," Farah told the magazine. "...Despite the public revelation, the congressional
inquiry, the executive order and a subsequent Treasury Department order freezing the assets of Bout and his closest
associates, the flights continued for many months, at least until the end of 2005."
The United States did not have the airlift capacity to go in at the time, Farah said Wednesday. But Bout had
planes close by, in the United Arab Emirates, and "he was willing to fly without insurance. He paid pilots a flat rate."
At one point, the State and Treasury departments were going after Bout while the Department of Defense
continued to pay him. "It was one of those contradictory situations," Farah said.
Farah told CNN he believes the trial against Bout will be quick, as he doesn't believe anyone wants Bout to tell
what he knows -- because he knows a lot. His knowledge could potentially embarrass not only Russia, but the United
Nations, the United States and Britain, among others, he said. "I don't think they're going to have a wide-ranging free-for-
all."
And so far, "he's apparently been a stand-up guy to the Russians," and hasn't threatened to turn on them, Farah
said. For one thing, they have his family, which is "considerable leverage" -- Bout is widely known to be a family man,
Farah wrote in August in Foreign Policy magazine.
"He endured more than two years in a Thai prison, losing more than 70 pounds and never showing any signs of
doubting he would ultimately walk away," Farah wrote in the article. "He has been, so far, a soldier's soldier."
That's largely in line with how Bout views himself, Farah said Wednesday -- as a soldier and a businessman.
"I think everyone agrees on a personal level, he's very charming. He's very articulate, very sort of well-mannered
and obviously a very smart guy," he said, adding Bout has never considered himself as a "trigger-puller or bad guy."
"I don't think he views himself as having any blood on his hands," he said.
In addition, Bout approached the CIA and the FBI through an intermediary just after the September 11, 2001
attacks on New York and Washington, offering to help oust the Taliban if paid tens of millions, Farah told Mother Jones.
"Negotiations were serious and lasted several months, but we do not know what, if any, parts of the deal he offered were
accepted."
But in 2002, when he met with Dougherty, Bout was interested in setting the record straight. He traveled with a
bodyguard and a female aide, Dougherty said, and was "dressed in a well-cut dark jacket with gold buttons, grey trousers,
white shirt and basket-weave-patterned silk tie." He also sported a wool topcoat.
"His English was quite good," Dougherty recalled. "He seemed intelligent, canny; serious but nervous."
She said he was "tall, heavy-set, a bit rough around the edges, but he acted like a man who has been wronged."
She asked him about allegations against him -- did he sell arms to the Taliban? To al Qaeda? Did he supply rebels
in Africa and get paid in blood diamonds? -- and he denied each one.
"It's a false allegation and it's a lie," he said. "I've never touched diamonds in my life and I'm not a diamond guy
and I don't want that business."
"I'm not afraid," he told Dougherty. "I didn't do anything in my life I should be afraid of. And all this looks to me
like a witch hunt. Look, I'm coming to your office, I have no problem. And I said, 'Hey, who's looking for me?' I'm here.
I'm not hiding from nobody. And I don't want this story going on."
Dougherty asked him if he had ever met Osama bin Laden, and he said no, adding that if he had, he might have
helped prevent the 9/11 attacks.
Farah believes Bout's downfall was insisting on closing the supposed "deal" with FARC himself. "He was more
than happy to say he knew the weapons would be used to kill Americans," he said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Bout himself -- who reportedly has used names including "Victor Anatoliyevich Bout," "Victor But,"
"Viktor Butt," "Viktor Bulakin" and "Vadim Markovich Aminov" -- is thought to have been the inspiration for the arms-
dealer character played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 movie "Lord of War."
"Someone will undoubtedly write a book about this case some day, and I can tell you that it will read like the very
best work of Tom Clancy, only in this case it won't be fiction," Michael Braun, then assistant administrator and chief of
operations for the DEA, told CNN in 2008.
Much of what Bout is alleged to have done is morally reprehensible, but not illegal, Farah said, noting there are
no penalties for violating UN weapons sanctions.
"Our book ends saying, 'They'll never catch him,'" he said.
HOW TO INTRODUCE THE FEATURE ARTICLE
Quoted Remarks
Whats in a name? asks William Shakespeare. That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
FROM: When Names Matter by Fred de la Rosa
History or Background of the Subject
Lynchburg
A small town in Tennessee with a population of 361. The birthplace of one of the worlds best whiskeys. This whisky
is fondly called Old No. 7: Jack Daniels Quality Sour Mash Tennessee Whiskey.
FROM: The Art of Making Whiskey; Tennessee Style
Narrative Opening
Wearing black satin pajamas and ed smoking jacket, Hugh Hefner strolled past a childs toy and a picture of his wife
in the nude before sitting down in his mansion to talk about old age.
FROM: Playboys Hefner at 70
Startling Statement
Fight crime!
This was the slogan of some 50 presidents of homeroom organizations who convoked Aug. 15 at the school social hall
to create the local peace assembly
FROM: Osmena High Forms Peace Assembly
Introducing the Problem
Because of poverty, around a hundred students dropped out from school last year. This was learned from PNU
President Gloria Salandanan.
Sayings or Proverbs
Water, water everywhere, but no water to drink. This was what the flood victims found to their dismay.
Rhetorical Question
If you see someone being bullied, what would you do? Would you be brave enough to stop the bully? Would you
just walk away and ignore them? Would you join the people bullying? A lot of bullying happens everywhere at
school, at home, or even at social networking sites. Whether it is physical bullying or verbal bullying, it still cause
pain to a person.
FROM: Teenage Life by Regina Angeli Canlas
Bullying, I Object!
Las Pinas City National Science High School ( LaPiScian Scroll)
HOW TO END THE FEATURE ARTICLE
Summary
But among all of these, we should remember that Valentines Day is a wonderful opportunity to let the people in your
life know how much you love and care about them. It only comes around once a year, so give it all your best.
FROM: Valentines Day: Presents or Presence by Raveena Tahilramani
LaPiScian Scroll (Las Pinas City National Science High School)
Significance
Of course, we couldnt really avoid some profane internet slang, but its not a problem if you wouldnt use it. Teens
come from different places from all over the world and were raised in different ways, so theres no wondering that some
teens really just have to guts to say such words. Whats important is that we know if we should let others influence the
way we behave.
FROM: Internet Slang: The New Language of 21
st
Centurys Teens? By Louise Anne Bautista
LaPiScian Scroll (Las Pinas City National Science High School)
Repetition of Title
Love makes the world go round. It fills up empty space in your life which makes everything around you seem perfect.
But like a roller coaster, it also has its ups and downs, and speed bumps along the way. However, as long as the one you
love is by your side anything is possible. Just remember when times that youre in doubt about love , just remember the
letter L-O-V-E and always have a pocket full of love to save the day.
FROM: A Pocket Full of Love by Gabriellle Marie Torres
LaPiScian Scroll (Las Pinas City National Science High School)
Repetition of the introduction
Asked if he had any formal training in photography, Domingo Layson finally answered, Ah, it is now the reverse. It
is here where I learn as I earn, not I earn as I learn (the lead of the feature article is, I learn while I earn.)
Question
Do you use x to represent the unknown?
FROM: X: Letter or Symbol? By Raveena Tahilramani
LaPiScian Scroll (Las Pinas City National Science High School)
Forecast or Prophecy
If the government and the people continue help each other in this concern, we will then have a better place to offer for
the next generation,
FROM: Ecosavers: Save the Earth and Earn in the Future by Raveena Tahilramani
LaPiScian Scroll (Las Pinas City National Science High School)
Quotation
Nestor claims that he is poor. But when asked why he gave his last centavo to the old man, he answered:
Not what we give, but what we share
For the gift, without the giver is bare,
Who gives himself with his alms feed three
Himself, his hungering neighbor and me.
ACTIVITY#1
Cut and mount 3 straight news stories with possible feature angles. Write a feature story based on one of the news stories.

ACTIVITY #2
Write a character sketch about the current Student Council of your school

ACTIVITY #3
Interview 3 people. Let them tell you there personal experience and make a feature story about it.

ACTIVITY # 4
Cut out feature story that are introduced by the leads given above.