News is the written or broadcast information about current events. It can be about a war, government, politics, education, the environment, business, health or sports. It can also be about strange or unusual occurrences or natural disasters. Usually, news is reported by journalists who are experts in the field and use their knowledge to inform the public. However, a large number of people are also able to write news articles, particularly when they are well informed and have access to the facts.
A key element of news is timeliness – the fact that it happened recently. This is why large media sources often focus on current events – they know that their audience will be most interested in them. However, a new event can still be interesting even if it is not very recent. For example, a man waking up, eating breakfast and going to work on the bus may not be very exciting if it only happens every day.
Another key factor is whether something is significant. If a person dies of thirst in the Sahara, this will be very important to people who live in that part of the world. On the other hand, if a man goes shopping for groceries, this will probably be of very little interest to most people. The same applies to non-human events – for example, a tornado or a volcanic eruption may be very exciting to people who are directly affected by them but will probably not be of much interest to the general population.
When writing a news article, it is important to remember that it should not include your own opinions or views. This is called objectivity. Instead, you should present your readers with the facts about the event and allow them to form their own opinion. In addition, it is important to write the article clearly and concisely. This will help to keep the reader’s attention and make it easy to understand. Finally, it is essential to include a good conclusion which can be a restatement of the leading paragraph or a statement about future developments related to the topic of the article.
Using quotes from key figures in the story can also help to add depth and interest. They can be included in the nut graph or at other points throughout the article. It is also important to make sure that all quotations are properly attributed and that the author’s name is included in case further details need to be obtained.
One of the most important aspects of a news article is that it should be accurate. This is especially important when dealing with sensitive issues such as war, crime or natural disasters. A false report can lead to mistrust and misunderstandings which can be very dangerous for society.
A news article should start with a dramatic or interesting anecdote or a surprising piece of information. It should then explain the five Ws: who, what, when, where and why.
