News is a report on events that have recently occurred or are about to occur. It is a very broad topic and can cover anything from murders to sports scores. A good news story is well written and concise, capturing the reader’s interest by using clear and precise language. It is also objective, containing only facts and not personal opinion.
The first paragraph of a news article must grab the reader’s attention by providing the most important information in a brief but interesting way. It is often a good idea to include a quotation from an authority on the subject, such as the police chief or mayor of a city. This can add a human element to an otherwise cold piece of news. The inverted pyramid style of writing, in which the most important information is placed at the beginning of the article, is often used in news writing.
It is very important to be aware of the time frame of your story. A news story which happened a week ago is not of much interest to the reader today, even if it was very significant at the time. This is why large media sources often place a great emphasis on timeliness.
Another important aspect of news is its relevance to the reader’s community. While worldwide events can be of interest, it is generally considered that news should focus primarily on local events. This is particularly true of smaller, community newspapers, which must focus on what is happening in their own area.
If a news story is about people, it will be of more interest to the general public than a story which involves non-human subjects, such as weather or politics. This is because people are generally interested in other people, and what other people are doing.
A good news article will contain the five Ws: who, what, when, where and why. It should be clearly sourced, and all quotes should be attributed with the correct name and title of the person being quoted. This helps to prevent ‘quote plagiarism’, and shows that the writer has done his research. It is always a good idea to let someone else read a news article before it is submitted for publication, so that they can catch any mistakes or inconsistencies.
Many governments have imposed restrictions on what can be reported in the media. This is usually done in an attempt to reduce bias, which can be seen as influencing the opinion of the public. A common view is that journalists should aim for objectivity, and report facts in a neutral manner without any bias, but leave opinions to commentators or analysts. However, this is a difficult task which can only be partially achieved in practice. With the advent of the Internet, it has become increasingly easy for anyone to be a journalist, and online reporting is becoming more prevalent. This has given rise to citizen journalism, in which the public report news stories on their own.