News is information about events that happen in the world and/or about people. It can also be about politics, sport, art or social issues. It is often told through a newspaper or online. Depending on the source, News can be negative or positive and may affect us emotionally. It is important to use accurate information in News and to avoid bias and emotion.
‘Newsworthy’ means that the event is unusual or significant enough to warrant telling. It might be a big fire, a major rescue, an interesting historical find or a political scandal.
Stories that involve famous people, the way they lead their lives and what they look like are of interest to many. This includes stories of their fall from grace, as well as their successes. People are interested in health, so stories about traditional remedies, medical research and diseases are newsworthy. People are also interested in what they eat and drink, so news about crops, food shortages or new products make the headlines. All societies are interested in sex and its various manifestations.
A good news story should start with what journalists refer to as the 5 Ws; who, what, when, where and why. This helps to catch the attention of readers and is a great place to begin your article. Once you’ve got their attention it is important to maintain it by keeping the content simple and straight to the point. This is particularly important when writing for print as you don’t want to lose your reader above the fold, which is the crease in the paper where they stop reading.