News is the information that is gathered, recorded and disseminated by journalists. It can be in the form of newspaper articles, radio broadcasts and television programmes. It can also be found on the internet. It can be a mixture of opinions and facts, and it may or not have an agenda. It can be positive or negative in tone, but it should always contain factual information that is up to date.
There are a number of theories as to what makes news. One of the most popular is Galtung’s theory that events are newsworthy if they are unusual and have a high degree of social impact. Another is the idea that a news story must be current and should involve human interest.
A third idea is that a piece of news is only interesting or significant if it is new, and therefore fresh. This means that it must have been unheard of or unprecedented before. Lastly, it must be of interest to a large number of people in order to gain wide readership.
It is important for writers of news articles to keep up with current affairs at all levels – international, governmental and regional. This is because a good journalist will be able to find a variety of sources for their information. It is also a good idea to try and stay neutral, as this will appeal to the widest range of readers.
Whether it is on TV, the radio or in a newspaper, it is crucial for journalists to be aware of what is going on around them. They should be able to distinguish between real news and propaganda, and they must also be able to assess how a particular event or piece of information will be received by the public.
News articles should be concise and clear in their language. This is particularly important for online writing, where many readers are short of time and will not read a lengthy piece. It is also important to avoid using jargon, as this can alienate readers. For example, the use of technical terms within a story on a scientific development can leave some readers feeling excluded from the article as they will not be able to understand what is being discussed.
Finally, a good news writer will be able to use quotations from their source material in the article. This can help to add credibility and authenticity, as well as helping the article to stand out from the rest of the competition. When writing an online article, a good way to do this is to use search engine tools to locate other relevant information that can be used in the article.
The term ‘the fold’ refers to the crease in the paper in which a newspaper is folded. In an online article, the most important information should be above the virtual fold – this will ensure that readers see it as soon as they land on the page.