Unlike news articles that discuss the facts about a current situation or an event, feature articles cover topics that touch the reader on a more personal level.  For example, a straight news article will report on the details of a four-alarm fire at the headquarters of an environmental advocacy group.  But a feature article might discuss the activities of the environmental advocacy group and the issues that it addresses.

A feature article, like the news article, is a non-fiction piece of writing.  Its goal is to inform, teach, or entertain the reader.  Sometimes it could be all three. Some other characteristics of the feature article include the following:

• Provides in-depth information on a specific topic
• May take on a persuasive tone
• Can be more creative
• Targets the reader’s interests and emotions
• Provides facts, not opinions

Feature articles are primarily published in magazines and newspapers but can also be found in newsletters and on the Internet.

They fall into several different categories including the following:

• Column
• Essay
• Filler
• How-to
• Human interest story
• Interview
• Op-ed
• Personal experience
• Personality profile

Although feature articles differ from straight news articles, they also provide current and factual information about various topics.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_(publishing)
http://www.powell.k12.ky.us/jfrancis/adaptations/feature_article_examples.htm
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:R-KVc6454vIJ:www.hfcrd.ab.ca/cyberhigh/LA/LA8/How-Featu.pdf+%22what+is+a+feature+article%22&cd=15&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us