News is current information about important events, developments or discoveries. Whether it is about politicians, sports heroes, celebrities, or world events, News is a key component of many people’s daily lives. News is often broadcast on television, radio or printed in newspapers and magazines. Many people also get their news online. Many websites feature multiple news sources so that you can compare different viewpoints on the same event or story.
A news article begins with a headline which must grab the reader’s attention. It can be emotionally evocative, or provoke curiosity. The headline should be short, using Associated Press style guidelines (unless your publication specifies otherwise). It may also include the writer’s byline, but should not contain any opinions or speculation. A good headline will help readers decide if they want to read the entire article or not.
Next comes the lead, which sums up most of the main facts in the story. This is followed by a few paragraphs which give more details about the topic. The length of the article will depend on what type of publication it is – shorter news articles appear in shorter publications, such as newspapers or magazines. Longer news articles are typically found in major newspapers or online. The first paragraph, or lead, should give the most important fact or information first, with subsequent paragraphs giving less and less information. This is because the average reader does not read all the way through a long news article, while many people will stop reading a short newspaper story or online article after the first few paragraphs.
If the subject of the News is of interest to you, it is worth doing some research into its background. If it is about something which has happened, try to find out what caused it. This will help you understand what the story is about and why it is important. If the subject is of a political nature, you might be interested in learning more about the politician involved, or perhaps their family background. You could also be interested in finding out how the issue was resolved.
The purpose of news media – newspapers, magazines, radio and television – is to inform and educate their audience. Although entertainment can be included, it is not a primary role of the news media. Entertainment is more likely to be provided by other media – music and drama on radio, for example, or crosswords and cartoons in newspapers.
There is no definitive formula for what makes a newsworthy story. However, there are six news values which can be used as a guide: timeliness, humanity, curiosity, significance, impact and conflict. Each of these values has its own sub-values, but in general the more a story satisfies one of the six values, the more newsworthy it is. For example, stories which are ‘unique’ or’stunning’ tend to be newsworthy, as do those which affect a large number of people, while those which involve violence or other unpleasantness are usually unnewsworthy.