News is information about current events that affect people, places or things. It may be broadcast on television or radio, printed in newspapers, posted online, yelled across a classroom, or whispered in the ear of a friend. It is often about significant, interesting or exciting events that have happened recently. It can also be about important, serious or worrying developments that are happening at the moment or will happen in the future.
Historically, the most important means of communicating news was word of mouth, but as the world became more populated and technologically advanced, news could be spread more quickly and widely by written or printed media such as newspapers, magazines, books, radio and later TV and the Internet. Governments and other powerful groups often attempt to control news by shutting down or controlling newspaper or radio outlets, but in recent years the Internet has become one of the main means of worldwide communication and is difficult for governments to control.
In addition, many societies are interested in stories about famous or well-known people, especially their relationships, careers and lifestyles. People are also interested in news about wars, politics, natural disasters and other environmental issues. Other popular topics for news stories include health and fitness, education, the economy, business, fashion, entertainment and sport. People are also very interested in celebrity gossip and the lives of famous or notorious criminals.
There are several criteria that a story must meet in order to be considered newsworthy: It must be new, unusual, interesting and significant. However, these criteria are not absolute and the same story can have different news values in different countries or societies. For example, a coup in the neighbouring country will have higher news value than a cow or pig being killed by a falling tree in an isolated farm.
A news story must be reported fairly, objectively and clearly. It should avoid the use of emotive language and slanting arguments and instead present facts in an impartial way, allowing the reader to form their own opinion. The story should also be accurate, although this can sometimes be impossible in the case of breaking news or a developing story. The reader should be left feeling informed and entertained, but not shocked or upset.
News articles can be straight reporting, in-depth news features or even editorials. In-depth news features take a smaller subject and research it heavily. For example, a feature on malaria might interview several patients and doctors, examine statistics and publish charts or graphs of the data. A good news article should be concise and easy to read, with a snappy headline.
An effective journalist should have a wide range of knowledge to be able to write about almost any topic. They should be able to find out what’s going on in all areas of the society and report it in an interesting manner. In order to be successful they must also know their audience and what kind of news their readers want to read.