News is a piece of current information about people, places or events that interests and concerns the public. It is conveyed through a variety of media, including newspapers, radio, television and the internet. The aim of the media is to provide unbiased and accurate information that is free from external influence. This is a key aspect of democracy, as a well informed citizenry is essential for democracy to function.
There is no hard and fast rule as to what constitutes news, but a good guideline would be: “If it catches people’s attention, makes them laugh or cry and involves famous people, it’s news.”
A typical newspaper article will have an interesting and informative headline that is written using Associated Press style guidelines (unless otherwise specified by the publication). This is followed by a lead paragraph which sums up the main points of the story in a short sentence. The next paragraph, the body of the news article, contains a detailed account of the event in chronological order. The article should contain no personal opinions, only facts gathered through research and interviews. If quotes from people involved in the event are used, these should be placed at appropriate times in the article and attributed appropriately (see below).
When writing a news article it is important to consider your demographic. This can be determined by where you live, the type of publication you write for or your target audience on a business website. For example, a school news article will likely be read by parents and students while a commercial news article may be read by local business owners.
In the past, people transported news through word of mouth. However, with technological advances and increasing social ties, the world’s population has been growing more connected and thus able to share information at a quicker rate. This has led to a rapid rise in the popularity of both print and online newspapers and magazines.
It has been said that news is anything that makes a chap say “Gee Whiz!” It is this sense of excitement that a reader feels that will draw them in to a story. A news article should be short so that it can be read quickly, clear so that it is easy to understand and picturesquely presented so that it is remembered.
Various factors can affect the strength of a news story, including its impact, proximity, controversy, conflict and how unusual it is. The classic news values of Galtung and Ruge are: