The purpose of news is to inform – whether in newspapers, magazines or radio. It may also entertain but this is not always the case. Entertainment comes from other areas such as music and drama on radio or cartoons and crossword puzzles in newspapers. It is important that the news you report is accurate. This means you should try to avoid slanting or biasing the information in your article. A good way to ensure your articles are as accurate as possible is to research the topic thoroughly. You should also try to get quotes from a wide range of sources. This will help to give your article credibility and add some human interest.
The first thing to consider when deciding whether something is newsworthy is whether it is new. If it has happened before, it cannot be news. For example, the assassination of Mrs Gandhi was an event that took place months ago but if you discovered some facts about it for the first time that were not previously reported, then the assassination could become news again.
Another element that is important is how unusual or interesting a story is. If a man wakes up, gets dressed and goes to work on the bus every day then this is not newsworthy but if that same man is 90 years old and still catches the bus to go to work, that is newsworthy.
You should also decide how much detail to include in your news article. This will depend on your audience and publication. For example, if you are writing for a newspaper with a large readership then it is likely that your article will be published above the fold. If you are writing for a specialized publication or community then your audience might be less broad.
Once you have decided how to structure your article, it is important to write a snappy headline. This will grab the attention of your audience and encourage them to continue reading. Similarly, your paragraphs should be short and to the point. Long tangents can cause your readers to lose interest and will ultimately turn them off your article.
It is also important to remember that the purpose of your news article is to inform, not entertain. People have a lot of information coming at them through the media every day and they do not need your news article to entertain them. If you have to add a bit of light-heartedness to your news article then this is fine but do not make the whole piece humorous.
The final point to consider when deciding what is newsworthy is how much value the subject has. It is important that your news is valuable to your audience, for example, it may be of interest to them if the government is planning a crackdown on drug traffickers or if they are worried about a disease that is spreading rapidly in their area. Generally, however, news is more interested in big money stories than small ones. These might include business successes or failures, property purchases and sales or wage rises.