News articles are written to inform and educate readers on current affairs/events. They can be either a factual report on something that has happened or an opinion piece which states the author’s own view/opinion on a particular subject. In most cases, a news article will contain some sort of reference to other sources of information in order to make the piece more authoritative.
Typically, the most interesting pieces of news are those which involve human interest and are centred on people. This could be a story about a celebrity, an accident or a disaster. It may also be a story about the environment or some other global issue. News stories can also be of a local nature and relate to events that affect the majority of the population, such as a flood or a fire. National newspapers tend to report on international issues and major sporting events, as they are aimed at a wider audience.
Once a topic has been decided upon, it is important to carry out research on the subject and find out as much as possible about the situation/event/people involved. It is also recommended that interviews with the relevant parties are carried out and quoted in the news piece. This can add a personal touch and is an excellent way to convey the message that the author of the article is knowledgeable and trustworthy.
When the writer is putting together the piece, they should remember that it is not their job to please everyone. There is a fine line between being entertaining and being offensive. The best way to avoid being offensive is to let the people interviewed do the talking for themselves. If they are making a statement that contradicts the facts of the story, it is advisable to contact them and ask for a clarification.
The writer of the news should also make sure that they do not include any personal opinions or bias in their article. This is especially important if the writer is presenting the news as factual and impartial. When writing an opinion piece it is more acceptable to express one’s own views, but in a news article this is not usually appropriate.
The decision about which events are to be considered newsworthy depends on a variety of factors, including whether they have an impact on the nation or world, how sensational and dramatic they are, whether they involve violence or scandal and whether they are familiar and local. Different societies will have their own criteria for what constitutes a good news story. For example, the level of importance that is placed on cows and pigs in one society will determine which story is more newsworthy than another which focuses on a car killing both a cow and a pig in a farm yard.