News is an announcement about a real or imaginary event, often involving a significant happening. It is the kind of information that you find in a newspaper, magazine or on television. It is generally of interest to a broad audience. There are various types of news, such as crime, money, politics, health and sex.
In general, anything that is unusual or surprising is likely to make news. But it is important to judge how interesting such an event really is. For example, the discovery that an insect has adapted to living on a new plant may be exciting, but not of general interest. Similarly, the fact that someone in a high office has lost a large sum of money is more interesting than that someone else has gained a lot of wealth.
The key to writing a good news story is to give your readers the most important information first. This is known as placing the most important information ‘above the fold’ in newspapers, or ‘above the scroll’ when writing online. It is also important to include a summary of the whole story – called the ‘nut graph’ – in the introduction. This explains what the story is about, why it’s relevant and why you should care.
Ideally, your news stories should educate and entertain your audiences. But entertainment can come from other areas – music and drama on radio and TV; cartoons and crosswords in newspapers. It’s best to avoid using your news articles as a platform for your own opinions. It’s also important to get quotes from people who can offer insight into a topic. If you are interviewing someone, always use their full name or initials.