News is information about current events that have a significant impact on the people, places or things in society. It can be reported on in many forms including newspapers, magazines, radio and television. The emergence of new media is changing the way news is consumed and how it is gathered.
News articles are often written to inform and engage readers. They usually start with a headline that captures the reader’s attention. This may be by being emotional, controversial or evoking curiosity. The main body of the news article is then written with key facts and details arranged in order of importance. It is also common to include quotes and statistics in a news article.
What makes something newsworthy is different in each society. For example, a girl going to university might be big news for one community but not another. It is not just major news events that make the news though, even smaller things can be interesting to the public if they are unique or unexpected.
It is up to journalists to decide what news is worth reporting and which stories should be given more attention than others. They make these decisions based on market research and a range of judgment guidelines.
When writing a news article it is important to keep the tone factual and impartial. It is also best to use third person phrasing such as ‘he’,’she’, ‘it’ or ‘they’ and avoid first person phrasing like ‘I’.