human-interest story: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal to Neutral. Common in journalism, media criticism, academic discourse on media, and everyday discussion of news content.
Quick answer
What does “human-interest story” mean?
A news story, article, or feature that focuses on the personal, emotional, or dramatic experiences of individuals or small groups, rather than on abstract facts, statistics, or major events.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A news story, article, or feature that focuses on the personal, emotional, or dramatic experiences of individuals or small groups, rather than on abstract facts, statistics, or major events.
A narrative designed to engage the audience's empathy, curiosity, or emotions by highlighting the human angle behind a larger issue, trend, or news event. It often serves to make complex or distant topics relatable and compelling.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is virtually identical in both varieties. The compound noun form 'human-interest story' is standard. Slight preference in UK English for the hyphenated form, while US English may occasionally use 'human interest story' (open compound).
Connotations
Identical connotations in both varieties: emotional appeal, personal focus, potential softness compared to hard news.
Frequency
Equally common in journalistic and media-related contexts in both the UK and US.
Grammar
How to Use “human-interest story” in a Sentence
The [PUBLICATION] ran a human-interest story about [PERSON/TOPIC].The journalist was assigned to find a human-interest story on [ISSUE].The report cleverly used a human-interest story to illustrate [ABSTRACT CONCEPT].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “human-interest story” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The local paper is renowned for its heartwarming human-interest stories about community volunteers.
- Amid the political analysis, the broadcaster included a human-interest story on families affected by the policy.
American English
- The news segment led with a human-interest story about a veteran reuniting with his dog.
- Magazines often use a human-interest story as their cover feature to boost sales.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might appear in media business discussions about audience engagement strategies.
Academic
Common in Media Studies, Journalism, Communications, and Sociology to analyse narrative framing and audience affect.
Everyday
Common when discussing news items, TV reports, or magazine articles that focus on personal struggles or triumphs.
Technical
Specific to journalism and media production as a genre classification.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “human-interest story”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “human-interest story”
- Using 'human-interested story' (incorrect adjective form).
- Confusing it with 'public interest story' (which is about importance to the community, not emotional appeal).
- Misspelling as 'human interest-story'.
- Using it to describe fiction (it is primarily a non-fiction/journalism term).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Very similar, but not identical. 'Soft news' is a broader category that includes human-interest stories, but also lifestyle, entertainment, and arts coverage. All human-interest stories are soft news, but not all soft news is a human-interest story.
It can focus on a small group (e.g., a family, a team, a neighbourhood) where the narrative emphasises their shared personal experiences and emotions, making them relatable as a unit.
It is primarily a neutral, descriptive term for a journalistic genre. However, it can be used pejoratively to criticise a piece for being overly sentimental, manipulative, or for avoiding harder factual or analytical questions.
The clearest opposite is 'hard news'—timely, factual reporting on events of major public importance like politics, war, disasters, and crime, presented with an emphasis on objectivity rather than emotional engagement.
A news story, article, or feature that focuses on the personal, emotional, or dramatic experiences of individuals or small groups, rather than on abstract facts, statistics, or major events.
Human-interest story is usually formal to neutral. common in journalism, media criticism, academic discourse on media, and everyday discussion of news content. in register.
Human-interest story: in British English it is pronounced /ˌhjuːmən ˈɪntrəst ˌstɔːri/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌhjuːmən ˈɪntrəst ˌstɔːri/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to put a human face on [something]”
- “the story behind the story”
- “to go for the heartstrings”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a story that interests you because of the humans in it, not just the events. It's 'human' + 'interest' = story focused on people.
Conceptual Metaphor
NEWS IS A COMMODITY (we consume stories); EMOTION IS A LIQUID (stories tug at heartstrings); ABSTRACT IS CONCRETE (a complex issue is made tangible through a personal story).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is LEAST likely to be described as a 'human-interest story'?