News is information about current events, usually reported in a newspaper or on television. It can be about a natural disaster, an attack or an achievement by a country or organisation. It can also be about a celebrity or a sports team. It is often about people but it can also be about animals, buildings or plants.
The aim of news is to inform and educate. It can also entertain but this is usually done through other media such as music and drama on TV or radio and crosswords and cartoons in newspapers.
A good piece of news should be unusual, interesting, significant and about people. It should be new and it must have happened recently. It is important that the story can be easily understood and it should be understandable by a general readership. It is also a good idea to have some local interest. This means that if you are writing for a newspaper serving a small community, it is better to focus on what happens in that community. You can also cover state-wide or worldwide news, but these should only be included if they are relevant to the local area.
In deciding what to include in the news, the journalists will have considered its importance and its impact on the readers. They will also have had to decide how much detail to include. For example, it is not possible to report the whole story of a bombing raid on a city in a few words. It is necessary to use details such as the number of dead and wounded.
Traditionally, it has been the job of the journalist to make judgments about what is and is not newsworthy. The biggest news stories will be given prominent placement in the newspaper and will feature on its front page. Lesser news will be reported later in the paper or on an inside page. These decisions are made by experienced journalists who are aware of what their audience wants to read about.
When writing a news article, it is essential to have a strong lead or lede. This will grab the attention of the reader and entice them to keep reading. It should contain the answers to the five Ws – who, what, where, when and why. It is also important to use the full name of a person on first reference, rather than their initials. This ensures that the reader knows who is being referred to.
Choosing the right news item can be difficult and requires a lot of research. It is also vital to ensure that the facts are correct. This is particularly important in cases of crime and war, where the public may be at risk from inaccurate or biased reporting. In addition, it is important to consider the effect that the news item will have on society. For example, a story about an outbreak of a disease could cause anxiety in the community and could influence social interaction.