News is a medium for informing the public about current events and developments occurring locally, nationally, internationally and in different fields such as politics, science, economy, culture and more. It serves as a watchdog for exposing wrongdoings and abuses of power, and educates and explains complicated topics and issues to the public. It also entertains and informs people about culture, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, and leisure through feature stories.
The most important function of News is to keep the public informed about events and incidents that are happening around them. It is an essential part of our daily lives, and it helps us keep abreast of what is going on in the world, both at home and abroad. News also provides the basis for opinion and debate, helping people express their views on various issues.
Generally, a story is considered newsworthy when it meets five criteria: it is new, interesting, unusual, significant and about people. A coup d’etat in a neighbouring country is a good example. However, a murder in your neighbourhood is not necessarily newsworthy unless it is very unusual or has some other significance such as the victim being a high profile person or being involved in some kind of corruption.
In terms of writing, a well written news article should be free of personal bias. It should be clear and concise, using active voice rather than passive voice, and it should be easy to read. It should be based on sound research and quotes from primary sources (that is, people who have directly witnessed the event). The writer should try to include the classic five Ws and one H of the inverted pyramid structure in the headline and first paragraph – Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.
A news story should also be timely – it is not very useful to report on something that happened a week ago. This is why many newspapers only publish current news.
In addition, it is helpful to write a snappy and attention grabbing headline, as this will grab the reader’s interest and keep them engaged in the article. It is also important to have a strong lead and to use a clear and concise style of writing, which will be easier to read. Depending on the topic and the publication, it may be useful to break your news item up into ‘buckets’ (for example, Who, What, When, Where, Why, How) to help focus the writing and ensure that all the main points are covered. This can be particularly effective for a short news item in a newspaper or online article. It is also a good idea to include some background information in the article, such as the history of an issue or the context in which it is occurring. This will help readers understand the news item better and make it more meaningful to them. Often, this can be done in the form of an extra paragraph or two at the end of the article.