News is information about current affairs or events that affect a wide audience. This can range from local to international news stories. It can be anything from a new business to a political crisis or natural disaster. Writing news focused content can be challenging, but it’s important to keep your audience engaged. Having the right mix of facts and being interesting is key to keeping readers interested in your story.
The classic definition of what is news is that it must be unusual, significant and about people. However, this is not universal – what may be considered news in one society may not be in another. For example, in a society where dogs are eaten for dinner, a dog bite may not be news. However, if the dog bites the owner, it may be news.
To determine what is newsworthy, journalists use a set of criteria that helps guide their judgment. This is often referred to as the “Four Ps”: Proximity, Prominence, Controversy and Potential Impact. These guidelines are also influenced by the audience. This is why it is so important to understand who you are writing for when crafting a news article.
Once you know your target audience, it’s time to begin gathering your source material. There are two types of sources: primary and secondary. Primary sources are information collected directly from people involved in the story. These could be interviews, public statements or social media activity. For example, if you were covering the aftermath of a fire, you would interview firefighters and the owner of the burned house. Secondary sources are pieces collected from other news reports and information that is already known. For example, you might reference previous fire coverage or the fire’s history from a city records department.