News is the information that a newspaper, magazine, radio or television broadcast provides about current events. It is often the quickest way to find out what is happening in the world around us, although it may be biased and inaccurate.
Most people would agree that the main purpose of a news medium – newspapers, magazines, radio or television – is to inform and educate their readers, listeners or viewers. It is not necessarily to entertain them, though it can do that if it tries to be amusing or has an element of humour. Entertainment can come from other areas – music and drama on radio or television; cartoons in newspapers or crosswords in magazines; and so on.
The most important factor in deciding whether an event is newsworthy is its significance and impact. If something has happened that affects large numbers of people, it is more likely to be newsworthy. This is the reason why global news is more likely to be reported than local or regional news.
Another key factor is proximity. Events that occur close to home are more likely to be reported than those that happen far away. This is because news items are more likely to interest the reader if they can relate to them. It is also important for the news item to be about people. This makes it more relatable to the reader, and it also gives it a sense of urgency.
Stories that are about people tend to be more interesting than those about non-human events, even if the former are much more serious. This is because human beings are more able to connect with events that involve them directly, or at least more easily than they can with non-human events.
It is also the case that a story about a person makes more of an impact if it is a significant or unusual event, or if the subject is known to the reader. This is why it is common to see stories about a famous person in the news, or about someone who has made a significant contribution to society. Crime is also a good source of news, and can be particularly fascinating if it involves an unusual crime or a serious crime.
When writing a news article, it is important to remember that the majority of readers will not get past the first few lines of an article. For this reason it is best to write your news articles with the inverted pyramid structure in mind, and try to put the most important information at the top of the article. It is also a good idea to have someone else read the news article before you submit it, so they can point out any mistakes or inaccuracies. This can be particularly helpful if the article is going to be published in print. Newspapers have a fold that creases the page, but online publications use a virtual ‘fold’ which means that readers must scroll down to see the rest of the article.