News is current information about events in the world that affect you and your life. News is delivered via a variety of media, including print, radio, television and the Internet. News is usually reported by journalists, but it can also be written by other people, such as politicians, scientists and community members. The primary job of news is to inform and educate your readers, listeners or viewers. Entertainment can come from other areas – music and drama on the radio; cartoons and crosswords in newspapers, for example.
News articles should be brief and to the point. The inverted pyramid format is often used to keep the reader interested and informed, with the most critical information appearing at the top of the article.
Whether you’re writing an article about a government scandal or a local community event, focus on the most important details first. If you’re interviewing a person about an issue, be sure to get quotes that tell the story from their point of view. If you’re not familiar with the topic, do some research and learn all that you can. It’s not appropriate for a news writer to inject his or her own opinion into the piece.
A story that is new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people is likely to be newsworthy. However, some events are simply not of interest to many people. For example, if scientists report that an insect has been found living on a plant that it did not previously inhabit, the news may only be of interest to other insects or biologists.