Human interest story

In journalism, a human interest story is a feature story that discusses a person or people in an emotional way. It presents people and their problems, concerns, or achievements in a way that brings about interest, sympathy or motivation in the reader or viewer.

Human interest stories may be "the story behind the story" about an event, organization, or otherwise faceless historical happening, such as about the life of an individual soldier during wartime, an interview with a survivor of a natural disaster, a random act of kindness or profile of someone known for a career achievement. A study published in the American Behavioural Scientist illustrates that human interest stories are furthermore often used in the news coverage of irregular immigration, although the frequency differs from country to country.

Human interest stories are sometimes criticized as "soft" news, or manipulative, sensationalistic programming. Major human interest stories are presented with a view to entertain the readers or viewers while informing them. Although this could be considered a strategy, it has been referenced as a successful method of persuasion. Terry Morris, an early proponent of the genre, said she took "considerable license with the facts that are given to me."