News is information about events that are important or interesting to an audience. This information can be current or historical and can also include speculation and opinion. News is usually read and shared for entertainment or educational purposes. News articles can be found in a variety of publications including newspapers, magazines and radio broadcasts. In the past, large news corporations controlled the majority of the available information about a city but this has now largely changed and new outlets such as local blogs and specialized online news sites have emerged.
The first element of news is that it should be new. Obviously, something that has just happened is news and it is the role of a journalist to report this new information as quickly as possible. Whether it is a plane crash, a murder or an earthquake, the speed with which a story is reported can have an impact on how well the news is received.
Events can also be newsworthy if they are unusual, although this will vary from one society to another. For example, if a farmer’s wall collapses killing a cow and a pig then this will be of more interest in the farming community than to people who live in towns. Similarly, an insect that has just been discovered living on a plant that it did not previously inhabit would be of interest to scientists but may only be of minor interest in general news media.
It is also important that the news should be significant. Clearly, an accident on the road will be of more interest to readers than a local election result. This is because a road accident is a danger to life and will have an immediate impact on the lives of people who are affected by it.
A good news article will begin with a clear lead that succinctly informs the reader of the subject matter of the piece. Then the journalist will write a short paragraph outlining the most important facts of the story. This should be followed by paragraphs that provide additional details about the topic, with quotes from the people involved. This style is known as the “inverted pyramid” and it allows readers to see the most important facts in the early paragraphs and decide if they want to read the entire article.
In addition, a good news article should be free of opinions. This does not mean that a journalist cannot express an opinion in a news story but it should be presented in such a way that it does not overwhelm the reader and is not confused with the hard factual information of the article.
Finally, a good news article should contain the name of its author and be attributed to them. This will help to establish the writer’s credibility and encourage the reader to engage with the article. It is also a useful tool when the journalist is not the original source of the information and it will help to prevent plagiarism.