News is current events that are important to people or of interest to a particular audience. The goal of a good news story is to provide readers with information in a way that will catch their attention, inform them quickly and accurately, and leave them wanting more. News articles are usually short and should include only the most relevant facts about a topic. They should be written concisely, clearly and picturesquely so that they can easily be understood by a wide variety of people. It is also a good idea to have your article proofread by an extra pair of eyes, because it’s very easy to miss small mistakes when you’re writing quickly.
The news that gets published in a newspaper, on TV or on a news website is decided by people who work for the publication. These people are known as editors, news directors or, more broadly, gatekeepers, and they sift through the events of the day to decide what is worth reporting. They take recommendations from reporters, assistant editors and others in their organization. They consider a range of factors when deciding what will be newsworthy, such as:
Timeliness
The first thing that makes something newsworthy is whether it’s happening right now. This is why the headlines on the front page of a newspaper are so often about things that have just happened, or things that are currently occurring. The same is true of the news on TV and the radio.
Magnitude
Whether a news event is big or small is another factor that influences its status as news. Larger events, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, have more impact than smaller ones, such as traffic accidents or sports victories. This is why larger events receive more coverage in the news, even if they’re not necessarily more important or interesting to ordinary people.
Controversy
People like controversies, and stories about them are generally considered newsworthy. These stories may involve allegations and counter-allegations, arguments, fights and tension. Prominent persons may become the subject of a controversy, particularly when their behaviour falls outside society’s generally accepted norms.
Entertainment: Stories about music, theatre and cinema, who is doing what and where, or the lives of famous people, capture interest. Similarly, stories about animals, an unfolding drama or the weather can all be newsworthy. People are also interested in stories about food and drink, health, disease, hospitals and clinics, drugs, diet and exercise.
It’s a good idea to find out what is considered newsworthy in your own culture, and how that differs from other cultures. This can help you understand why a story that seems to be important in one place might not be so important in another. In addition, it’s a good idea to read as much news as you can from a variety of sources so that you have an accurate picture of what’s going on in the world. You might also want to consider reading some books on journalism, and learning about the ethics of the profession.