What is News?
News is any story that is about the world and people in it. It may include a number of things from political events to weather reports or even sports scores. Generally, the most important factor in what makes news is that it is unusual, interesting or significant to people. A coup d’etat in the next door country is likely to be considered quite a big event, for example.
It is the job of newspapers, radio and television to inform and educate people. This does not prevent them from entertaining, of course – there is still music and drama on the radio or cartoons and crosswords in the newspaper, but it should be remembered that the primary purpose of news is to educate.
There are a number of different types of news sources – some are very high profile, others are more local or specialist. Some, such as a local news aggregator, simply take information from a number of other sites and display it in one place. These can be useful for a quick and easy overview of a topic.
A news article should be written without personal bias, but it is often a good idea to include some supporting evidence to give credibility to the article. This could be in the form of quotes from people involved or opinions from experts in the field. For example, if the news is that a local business has replaced their CEO then asking for a quote from the new boss and including it in the article is a great way to add value to the piece.