News is information about an event, a development or an incident that has recently changed something, or will change it in the near future. The news can be a human story, a political story or an environmental story. The most common type of news is the human story. A journalist will interview the people who are involved in the story to get a better understanding of the whole picture. This allows the journalist to create an interesting, well written and engaging news story.
The news must be accurate and free from bias. A biased article can be misleading and cause harm or distress to people. A good way to avoid this is to find out about the journalists behind a particular news site before you read it. Look for the history of the news outlet, what they stand for and their mission statement. You can also check out the website’s community forums to see if there are any controversies about the site or specific articles.
A lot of people think that the main purpose of news media – newspapers, radio and television – is to entertain their readers, listeners or viewers. However, the main function of news is to inform and educate. This is not to say that entertainment is not a part of the news, but it is something separate.
In order for an event to be newsworthy, it needs to have a strong impact on the community, or a significant effect on society as a whole. This can be shown by the proximity of the news (distance affects how much a person cares about an event), its prominence or the controversy it generates. Other criteria include the size of an event and its magnitude. For example, a large fire or a natural disaster are more likely to make the news than a small burglary.
Another important aspect of news is its timeliness. People want to know what is happening right now, so news about events that are currently occurring are more important than old news. This is one of the reasons why local news has more traction than global or international news.
Often, the most interesting and influential news stories are about people. This is because people are interested in what other people are doing and how they feel about the world around them. This makes a human story a compelling piece of news, especially when it involves a celebrity or some sort of conflict. However, a simple human story can become boring and stale after a while, so it is important to keep the audience’s attention by using the other criteria listed above. It is also a good idea to have some sort of entertainment value in your story, such as witty headlines or entertaining photographs. This will help keep your audience engaged and ensure that they come back to you for more.