News is a form of information that is transmitted from one place to another. It may be through radio, television, or the Internet, but it always involves an event that is happening or has happened in some way.
Traditionally, a newspaper or other media organization is the gatekeeper to news, making the decision about what goes on their news line-up or onto the Internet. However, new technology like cell phone cameras and text messaging has changed the way that information is produced, and many people can get their news from a wide range of sources in very short periods of time.
These changes have made the traditional idea of what is news very difficult to define. Nevertheless, some basic characteristics of news are understood by everyone from reporters and other news personnel to those who regularly read, watch or listen to news.
drama, consequence, proximity and narrative
Events that make the news are usually things that happen rarely or have significance outside of a single person’s personal life. For example, you might have heard about an animal that was killed in an accident.
timeliness and drama
Whether it’s a newspaper, a TV news broadcast or an Internet news site, each medium presents news differently. That’s why it’s important to tune in to a range of message sources to get a full picture of what is being reported on across media.
For students, it’s also useful to find relatively unbiased sources of news. These are generally backed by journalistic practices, have an editorial process and offer reporting and research rather than opinion or propaganda.