What Is News?
News is the information that is conveyed by a newspaper, magazine or radio broadcast. It can be about current events, interesting or unusual facts and figures or about famous people. The information should be presented in an objective manner and delivered to the audience without favouritism or bias. The audience can be both local and global, depending on the type of publication or media outlet.
A good starting point for writing a news article is to find out what the main facts are about an event. This can be done by asking the five Ws – who, what, where, when and why. A good news story should also contain some quotes from the person or people who are involved in the event. These quotes should be direct and honest, using third-person pronouns (he, she, they) rather than first-person pronouns (I).
Another important element is timeliness – how recently the event happened. Oftentimes, the newness of a story is what makes it interesting to audiences. This is why large media outlets frequently focus on current events. However, this does not mean that the news is skewed to suit audience interests. Market research does help determine what is newsworthy, but it does not dictate what information should be included in a news story.
Some common topics for news articles include war, government, politics, education, business, health, the environment and celebrity gossip. The newness and significance of a story will also influence how important it is considered to be by the media. For example, a coup in the next door country will likely be much more significant than a local crime story.
The job of a journalist is to inform and educate the public. It is not necessarily their job to entertain, although they may try to do so by including a bit of humour in the news. Entertainment can come from other areas – music and drama programs on television or radio; cartoons and crosswords in newspapers.
An important factor in deciding whether something is newsworthy is its impact on the community. This is why it is important to study a local area when writing a news article. Even if a major world event is occurring, it should only be reported if it will have some kind of impact on the local population. For example, a world event such as a war might be important to the economy of a country, but it would not be likely to affect the average local citizen. A local murder might have a much more immediate effect on the community, however. The local government might have to put in extra resources to deal with the aftermath of a murder. The same might be true of an accident which causes significant injuries or death.