News is any item of interest that relates to the culture of a community. It is information which is reported on in an informative and entertaining manner so as to hold the attention of an audience.
Generally, news items are brief in length and concise. They are presented with a minimum of bias. News articles are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a first rough draft of history. A well-written news article will contain all of the important facts about a particular event or topic in a way which is informative and interesting to the reader.
One major key to writing news is knowing who you are targeting as your audience. Often times, this demographic will be obvious based on the subject matter you are discussing. For example, if you are writing about a school function, it will be assumed that your audience will consist of parents of young children. On the other hand, if you are writing about new zoning laws in commercial areas, then your audience will most likely be realtors and business owners.
In order for a story to be considered newsworthy, it must be new, unusual, significant and about people. This is a very broad definition which leaves room for many different kinds of stories. However, it is a useful way of assessing whether a story is worth publishing. The more of these criteria a story meets, the better it is considered to be.
A good news article will begin with a compelling lede, which is essentially the most important piece of information about the story. The lede should be 25 words or less and must grab the reader’s attention. It should also answer any important questions that the reader might have right away.
Once you have gathered all of the main facts about your story, you can begin to add additional information that can help your readers understand the story more fully. This can include contact information, quotes from interviews, background information on the subjects, or anything else that can help your audience gain a deeper understanding of the subject.
Another great tool to use when writing a news article is Google Alerts. These will send you email updates whenever Google finds any new results on your specific topic. This can be a great way to keep up with the latest news about your industry or any breaking events that may affect your customers.
Lastly, when writing a news article, be sure to proofread it carefully for grammar and spelling errors. It is easy to miss these mistakes when you are reading over your work, but a second set of eyes can really help spot any issues. This will ensure that your story is polished and professional, which will make it more readable for your audience.