News is an event or piece of information that is current and relevant. It is also interesting and informative. A news article should be written so that the reader will want to read it and share it with others. It should be clear, concise and accurate. Writing news articles can be tricky as they have to be factual but should also be engaging and exciting. This can be a challenge when trying to cover an event that is out of the ordinary or something that will affect a lot of people. It is important to know your audience when writing an article. This will help you decide what facts to include and how to present them.
A good way to tell if a story will make the grade is to look at the five criteria that news stories must satisfy. These are: New, Unusual, Interesting, Significant and About people. A story about baby tigers is not likely to make the grade, but one about someone’s trip to work and what they had for breakfast might.
Events that change people’s lives, their hopes and dreams, their frustrations and concerns tend to make the news. For example, a person who is found guilty of murder may be a big news item, but so might the discovery of a cure for a disease that can threaten the life of countless people.
Other things that can be newsworthy are the way they affect society as a whole. For example, a coup in a neighbouring country can have an impact on the stability of our own, so it will be reported. The weather can be of interest when it changes people’s daily routines, for example, by making it too hot or cold to go outside. Finally, the economy, food prices and wage rises can be of interest.
In the past, people tended to get their news from TV and the local newspaper. Today, it is more common to get news online, on social media or on radio. It is also possible to receive news from a global perspective, with the internet connecting people from different countries and cultures.
It is important to know your audience when writing news articles. This will dictate how much detail to include and what is considered to be significant. It is also helpful to understand how the information you are reporting will be interpreted in other countries and cultures.
Lastly, it is useful to have a professional editor read your news article before it is published. This will catch any spelling or grammatical errors and it will also be able to provide suggestions to improve the clarity of the article.
Essentially, news is anything that makes the readers say ‘Gee Whiz’. It can be about anything that is interesting, significant or unusual. It could be about a natural disaster, an act of war or peace, a sports victory or even the death of a celebrity. As long as the information is presented clearly, accurately and with some flair, it can make the grade.