News is a piece of information that is provided by a journalist or media organization to readers. It carries a message and helps people become more informed about the world around them. It can also be a source of social influence and communalism. Despite the many forms of media available to provide news, there is a fundamental standard that journalists should adhere to in order to ensure the public’s trust in the news.
There are five major news values that reporters follow. These include objectivity, fairness, impact, and reliability. Each value represents a professional standard of newsmaking.
Objectivity is the notion that a story should be truthful and objective. It implies that the story is balanced and that the facts are presented in a way that is easy to understand. The value of impact is how much the story affects a group of people. For example, weather forecasts are of interest to the general public. Depending on the news, impact can be positive or negative.
During the twentieth century, radio and television became important means of transmitting news. These two media formats changed the nature of news reporting, which began to move away from factual news to more emotional stories. As a result, the terms “hard” and “soft” were coined to distinguish between hard and soft news.
Soft news is a type of human-interest story that covers things such as education, health, entertainment, and planned events. It can also be related to natural disasters and other controversial subjects. It usually begins with an anecdote and ends with a more serious story.
Hard news is news that is based on an event that happened recently. It can be controversial and may be business-related. Often, the first page of a newspaper will feature these stories. The layout of a newspaper makes this kind of news easier to read, as it places the most important information on the front.
Breaking news is a story that gets immediate attention. In addition to radio and television, it’s also possible to find breaking news on mobile phones. This type of news can be a big draw for the media. It can also be an important source of propaganda during a government crackdown.
The ability to tell a good news story is crucial. It has to be interesting, clear, and concise. It should also be memorable. The story must contain the five “Ws” of an event: What, Where, When, Who, and Why.
The first of these values is motivation. This is the reason why it’s important for a journalist to ask people what is going on in their lives. They need to hear from both sides to get a balanced view of the story. This will help them determine what facts should be highlighted and what should be ignored. It can also guide them to follow up on a story for more detailed information.
The second of these values is prominence. This is a measure of whether or not a person is prominent in the public eye. Some examples of prominent individuals who are sometimes the news are: Presidents, Prime Ministers, and celebrities.