What Is News?
News is anything that interests people, and that can be put before them quickly enough so they want to read it, clearly so they can understand it and picturesquely so they can remember it. It must also be true.
News can be a form of entertainment and leisure, but it can also act as a watchdog, exposing abuses of power, corruption and wrongdoing. It can also provide a window into other cultures, lifestyles and customs. In modern times it is easy to distribute information globally and instantaneously, even in the face of government crackdowns or revolutions. It is also relatively easy to keep mobile devices equipped with internet capability alive and active, enabling citizens to keep up to date on what is happening in their countries.
It is important to note that when writing a news article it is not a good idea to inject your opinion into the story. This can lead to bias and a lack of credibility. Instead, a better approach is to interview the sources involved in the event or issue and quote them. This helps to give the reader a fuller picture of the situation without the writer having to present it.
A good rule to follow when deciding whether something is newsworthy is the “5 W’s”. If it is new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people it is probably worth reporting. The same events can have different levels of interest in different societies though, for example a cow being killed and a pig being saved may be less of a newsworthy event than the assassination of Mrs Gandhi.