News is information about something that has changed or happened recently. The news that we see and hear on television and in newspapers is often a selection of events that have been happening around the world. It may also be the result of research into a particular area or event.
Generally, there are three factors that determine whether something is newsworthy: it must be new, unusual and significant. The more these characteristics are present, the stronger the news value of an item will be. Crime: any sort of crime will usually make the news – road traffic accidents, murders and robberies, but more unusual or serious crimes will have a greater impact on readers or listeners. Money: stories about fortunes made and lost, the state of the economy (debts and inflation), budgets, food prices, wage rises and compensation claims are all of interest to the general public.
The information in a news story must be accurate and complete. In order to ensure this, journalists often follow a set of guidelines that dictate how much detail is included in a piece of news, and what parts of an event are given more prominence than others. These guidelines are often based on market research but, critics argue, they can lead to a biased selection of facts.
Journalists are also expected to be objective, laying out the facts without comment or opinion. However, it is difficult to write an objective article if you are not fully knowledgeable about the subject matter. It is therefore important that you do your homework on a topic before writing a news article about it.