News is information about events, people or things that are significant or interesting. It may be recorded in written form – newspaper articles, magazines and books – or on radio or television. People have always been interested in news, but the rise of mass media in the 20th century has given rise to a wide range of formats that report on world events: television, radio, magazines, newspapers and even the internet. News is usually presented with a view to informing and educating its audience, but it can also entertain in the process. Music and drama programs on radio and crosswords in newspapers are examples of this. It is important that you have a good understanding of the 5 Ws of news; who, what, when, where and why. This will enable you to write your own news stories in a way that will capture the attention of your readers or listeners.
A common theme of news is the involvement of famous people – politicians, athletes, actors and other celebrities. It is particularly interesting if they achieve great things or become involved in scandals. People are also interested in the weather; whether it is unusually warm or cold, windy or dry, snowy or rainy. The availability of food and drink – shortages or gluts, crop diseases and harvest sizes – is important to everyone and is therefore newsworthy. The cost of food is also of interest to many people. People are interested in their health and the health of others; they like to know about medical research, hospitals and clinics, medicines and traditional remedies. Sex is a topic that interests all societies and can be of interest to the media as well.
Jargon is a language used by those who work in specific fields – it is often used as a means of communication with those who share the same knowledge and experiences. It can create a sense of exclusion by making it difficult for those outside the field to understand what is being discussed. News reporting on science and technology can use a lot of jargon. It is worth familiarising yourself with the terms commonly used in the field you are writing about – this will allow you to understand what other reporters are talking about when they use the same words.
It is essential to keep up to date with all forms of news, at an international level as well as governmental, regional and local levels. This enables you to report on news as it happens and not only after the event has happened. It is a good idea to have a good understanding of what has been reported previously and who is the main source of news. This will help you to identify what is new and interesting, as well as what has already been covered extensively. This can be done by looking at databases such as LexisNexis. It is also important to read a variety of news sources to get a more balanced view of a particular topic.