News is information about recent events that is significant to the audience of a newspaper, magazine or radio show. It is typically written in an objective, concise and informative manner with a clear goal of informing the reader. News articles are often used to report on laws, government officials, educational achievements, discoveries or research, election results, crime, public health, sports and entertainment. It is a genre of writing that can be found worldwide.
The news industry is changing rapidly and the way that news is gathered has changed significantly with the development of new media, online and satellite television. As a result, the traditional journalism model that relied on professional journalists to gather and disseminate the news has changed dramatically. While there is still demand for news, it now comes from many different sources including the Internet and bloggers. It is more important than ever to understand how to read and analyze the news to make informed decisions.
There are many things that can be considered as newsworthy, but what makes a story important may differ from society to society. For example, if a man bites his dog, this would be newsworthy in some societies but not in others where dogs are eaten as food. Also, the same event might have a higher news value in one society if the results are surprising and unexpected.
A successful news article should start with a headline that is interesting and contains many of the basic facts of the story. It should include the name of the person or place involved, a time line of events and the significance of the event. This is called the lede or “nut graph” of the news story and it is crucial in attracting readers’ attention. A good lead will answer the questions of who, what, when, where and why in an intriguing or unexpected way.
Once the readers are hooked, they will want to read more of the news story and will be interested in learning about the facts surrounding the event. The news article will usually have a subsidiary heading or “fact box” that highlights particular aspects of the story. The facts are arranged in a table or chart and should be clearly labeled with the relevant numbers. The facts should be sourced and quotes should be attributed to the people who said them.
The last part of the news story includes a byline that credits the writer of the article. In print newspapers, this is usually the name of the journalist. In an online news article, the author’s name is normally included with the story. The byline should not contain personal opinions. In general, when reporting news, it is best to use third-person pronouns such as ‘he’,’she’ and ‘it’ rather than first-person pronouns such as ’I’. This is especially true when describing personal experiences or using first-person pronouns to describe a situation that might be controversial or cause offense. Using a third-person voice also helps to keep the news impartial and objective.