News is information about current events. It may be reported in print, on radio, television or online. The goal is to inform and educate, not entertain. News articles should be written in a formal tone and contain only facts and not opinions. If opinions are included, they should be sourced.
It is the job of other media to entertain – music and drama on radio or television, cartoons in newspapers and crossword puzzles on radio. The job of news is to provide the public with a factual record of what is happening in their community. It is important to focus on what is happening now – what’s new. It does not do the community any good to hear about an event that happened a week ago.
Typically news stories focus on people. The information that is gathered and reported on is usually human in origin, but can also include things such as natural disasters, cyclones, bush fires or earthquakes. People can also be a source of news, such as a politician making a speech or an athlete winning a competition.
The reason why people are interested in these events is because of the impact they have on the lives of other people. It is also the fact that these events can be dramatic or surprising. This is why a cyclone that causes widespread destruction can make news, as can a terrorist attack or an explosion at a power station.
Another reason why news is interesting is because it affects all parts of the society in different ways. For example, a man being elected to parliament or the death of a famous personality are significant events that can have an effect on many people. However, a bug eating the crops of peasant farmers may not be that significant to most people. However, if the bugs are causing food shortages, they can become newsworthy.
In most cases, a news story will start with a headline that is eye catching and emotion evoking. This is because it can capture the interest of the reader, which will encourage them to read on. The headline should also give a quick overview of the whole news article. The best way to do this is to use an inverted pyramid structure – put the most important information at the top of the headline. This will ensure that the most important information gets to the readers first.
A big challenge in writing a news story is that the world is full of information and it can be difficult to know what the most important news is. In addition, as traditional journalism is being disrupted by new forms of media and social networking, it is becoming harder to know where to find the most relevant news in a particular area. A recent study of the news “ecosystem” in one city found that newspapers still play a key role, but there are now other sources of news, such as television, radio and online news sites.