News is current information made available to the public about what is going on. This includes events, issues, and activities in the political world, economics, the environment, education, sports, the arts and entertainment. It can also include the latest technology advances and social developments.
People want to know what is going on in the world around them – especially events, problems and issues that affect them directly. The information they receive in the form of news allows them to make decisions about how to act and how to live their lives.
There are certain things that are common to all forms of news media – newspapers, magazines, radio and television. These characteristics are timeliness, drama, consequence and proximity.
Whether you read the news in a newspaper, watch on TV or listen to the news on the radio, what you hear or see is not something that happened 10 years ago (unless it’s an anniversary of something that did). This is because gatekeepers, whether it’s a news editor at a major magazine, a news director on a radio station or a newspaper publisher, have certain criteria they keep in mind when choosing what stories to feature.
These are the kinds of stories that have a high potential to influence people’s opinions and behaviour. For example, the issue of whether women should be allowed to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church would have an impact on many believers. Therefore, it is an important issue for the news to report on.
Crime, money, food, fashion, sports and entertainment are also topics of interest in the news. For example, a break in, murder, forgery or robbery is a major news event. Also, large sums of money in the form of lottery wins or a donation to charity are often newsworthy. It is not necessary for the amount to be large, but rather that it be significant or unusual.
The information in the news can also be of a more mundane nature. For example, the weather is often reported on because it influences everyday life. However, the weather may be of more interest when it is extreme or unpredictable. The same can be said for other natural occurrences such as cyclones, bush fires, droughts or earthquakes.
When writing a news article, it is always good to have another pair of eyes read the final product. An extra set of eyes can catch a number of spelling and grammatical errors that you may have overlooked. A good editor can also help you write a better story by guiding your phrasing and sentence structure. You should also check your facts and double-check them before submitting your story to an editor or publication. You can do this by reading other articles, watching news stations or shows and by asking yourself the “5 W’s” of who, what, where, when and why. This will ensure that your article is complete and accurate. Having incorrect information in your news story will not only discredit you but will also hurt the reader’s ability to make informed decisions.