News is information about something that is happening, has happened or might happen in the future. It is usually presented in a way that is interesting and significant. It is often a report of an event, but it may also be about a person, place or organisation. It is normally written for a public audience and can be read in print, on the radio or on television. The purpose of news is to inform and educate readers, listeners or viewers. It is not usually meant to entertain them, although it can do so by providing a good story or using humour in an article.
There are some basic rules for writing a good news article. The first is to ensure that the article is timely. The second is to ensure that the article is factual. This can be done by checking all sources of information to ensure that they are correct. Finally, the article must be well structured and easy to read. The use of statistics, figures and facts helps to lend credibility to the article, but it is important that they are accurate.
The most important thing to remember when writing a news article is that the story must be of interest to your audience. People will only be interested in your story if it is about something that affects them in some way, or if it is about someone they know and care about. The news will only be of interest if it is new. For example, a news story about a cockroach could be interesting to many people but it would not be of much interest to anyone who has never seen one before.
In addition to timeliness, the interest of a story is also determined by its magnitude and the fact that it is unusual or significant. It is possible to make an ordinary occurrence seem interesting by relating it in a unique or dramatic manner. For example, if a crocodile attacks a tourist and tries to eat her foot, the media will be quick to pick up on it because it is unusual and dramatic. The same can be said for stories about wars and disasters.
Another factor that determines whether a story is newsworthy is the degree to which it offers an insight into a larger issue or topic. For example, a news article about a new drug that will help cure cancer will be of more interest to readers than an article about a football match.
Journalists are often trained to write in a style that is suitable for the medium of publication. They are also taught to use a limited vocabulary that is appropriate for an audience and to avoid jargon. Unfortunately, this training can lead to the development of a secret language that excludes outsiders. This is especially true in areas such as science, technology and politics, where the public is likely to be more aware of specialised terms than in other fields.