News is any current event or piece of information that is reported by a newspaper, magazine, radio or television. It is also information that is conveyed to an audience by word of mouth or via the Internet. News articles should be written in an objective way and include factual information about the topic being covered. A good news article will also contain information about the people involved in the story as well as their opinions, whether or not the author agrees with them.
A person can make news by doing something unusual, interesting or significant, or by having some kind of influence. People have always been interested in other people, so it is not surprising that famous or well-known people often make the news. But even if a person has no particular fame or influence, their actions may be newsworthy if they appear to contradict conventional moral standards or public expectations.
It is not always easy to judge what is newsworthy. For example, an assassination might be newsworthy, but a coup in the neighbouring country would not. Nevertheless, it is possible to develop a set of criteria which might be useful in deciding what is and is not newsworthy. A story needs to be new, unusual, significant or about people, and it should be told in an entertaining way. If it meets these criteria, it is probably a story which will be of interest to a newspaper reader or radio listener.
The subject matter of a news story will vary depending on the interests and concerns of the readership, but some common topics are wars, government, politics, education, health, the environment and business. It is also common for events with a strong emotional element to be newsworthy, such as accidents or disasters.
A news story should have a snappy headline which informs readers about the topic and seizes their attention. It should then follow a standard structure such as the inverted pyramid, where the most important facts are presented in the first paragraph and less important details are subsequently added. This ensures that the most important points are seen by the reader first and encourages them to continue reading.
The internet has increased the speed and scope of news dissemination, but it can be difficult to identify fake or misleading information. This is particularly a problem when photos are used as part of a news story, since they can be easily enhanced with image-enhancing software.
It is vital that anyone writing a news article reads widely and carefully checks all the sources of information they use. This will help them to separate true from false news and decide which opinions are worth listening to. It is also a good idea to consider deliberately seeking out sources of information which contradict your own, in order to expand your perspective and challenge your assumptions. This is especially important when reading opinions about controversial news items on social media or in forwarded emails.