News is information about current events that is delivered to readers, listeners or viewers in a timely and accurate manner. It can be found in newspapers, radio and television and on the internet. Often news is reported by professional journalists who are trained to report on facts in a neutral and objective way. However, the internet has opened up a whole new world of amateur and semi-professional journalism.
In order to write a successful news article it is important to know your audience. This will help you decide how complex or how simple a story should be and it will also determine the tone and voice of your writing. Identifying your audience will also enable you to structure your piece effectively, ensuring that the most important points are presented at the beginning of the article (known as ‘above the fold’).
The main function of news is to inform its audiences about what is happening in the world around them. It can educate them, inspire them and even entertain them, but it cannot change the world or influence public opinion; those things must be done by politicians and social workers. News can, however, play a vital role in alerting people to dangers and giving them the means to protect themselves.
For example, government proclamations concerning war, politics, education, health and the environment are all considered newsworthy. So are judicial proceedings, royal ceremonies and the activities of famous people. The latest technology is newsworthy, as are inventions that might improve the lives of ordinary people.
People are interested in celebrities, their personal life and how they look. They are also interested in how the rich and powerful live, especially if they lose their wealth or status. People are also interested in the latest medical research, diseases and hospitals, as well as diet, exercise and sex.
It is important to remember that news should be factual and unbiased, although this can be difficult in a time when many different sides are being represented on TV and the internet. It is worth trying to find a’relatively unbiased’ source of news such as the BBC or PBS News in the US, or using a news aggregator site that collects a range of different sources and presents them side by side so you can compare their interpretations.
It is also useful to read as much news as you can and write down the main points in a notebook. This will help you to learn vocabulary quickly and it will also give you an idea of the type of news that is important to your country or region. Try to record the main points in as few words as possible, as this will make your writing more succinct and effective. Also remember to practice your recording out loud, as this will help you to hear how the words sound and to pronounce them correctly.