A news article is a piece of information that is published about events and things happening in the world. It is generally written for an audience that has a vested interest in the topic being reported, and is often intended to be informative, entertaining or persuasive. It is typically delivered in a concise, condensed format. Depending on the subject matter, a news article may contain opinions and/or commentary.
A variety of theories have been proposed to explain why some events are reported while others go unreported. One theory is that news articles are based on market research which dictates what is most interesting to the audience at the time. Another is that the news media focuses on certain events that are considered to be significant by the public and government.
Other theories propose that news stories are determined by a combination of factors including relevance, magnitude, contrast and surprise. An important aspect of a news story is that it must be new, or at least, not widely known. This is because newness gives the story a sense of urgency, which attracts readers.
When an event is sufficiently significant, it will be newsworthy even if the details are somewhat familiar to the audience. This is because of the need to inform people about major events, especially in cases where the event could affect them directly.
Some of the most important and controversial issues of our times are considered to be newsworthy. These include wars, politics, crime and natural disasters. These types of stories are often considered to be hard news, and are presented in an inverted pyramid format, meaning the most critical information is placed at the top of the page or broadcast.
Less hard news includes celebrity, entertainment and human interest stories. These can be stories about famous people, a sex scandal, an unfolding drama or animals. These kinds of stories are often used to create controversy and arouse the reader’s interest in the subject matter. They are also often accompanied by humorous treatment or picturesque photographs.
Other forms of news include those that are reported by press services such as Reuters and AP. These are frequently used by news outlets as a way to save money on sending their own reporters to places where the story is occurring. The Associated Press is one of the most popular and trusted sources for news, and has a worldwide network of over 20,000 journalists who collect and verify stories. Other popular sources of news include Twitter and Facebook. However, the credibility of these sites is being questioned after they were used to spread disinformation during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This has led to calls for more investigation into how these platforms are being used by governments and other organizations. In addition, these sites are often accused of being biased and promoting particular political views. This has prompted some researchers to attempt to apply and test scholarly explanations of news values like those put forward by Galtung and Ruge (1965). These theories are intended to provide guidelines about what should be reported.
