News is information about current events and developments that are important to the community or wider public. It can be about political or social issues as well as sport, entertainment, health, or the economy. It is often reported in newspapers and on television or radio but the internet has also become an important source of news.
What makes an event newsworthy can vary greatly between different societies, so a model of news making may not completely account for the content of news stories. Generally though, events that involve violence or scandal are more likely to be newsworthy. The fact that something is unusual can also be newsworthy.
The ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ of an event is usually reported in a news story. It is also helpful to include some background or context about the event. This helps to explain the significance of the news for the reader and also helps to build a picture in the readers’ minds about what is happening.
It is important to be able to identify the most significant aspects of an event and present these in the first paragraph. This is referred to in journalism as the “inverted pyramid” and it helps ensure that readers get the most relevant information first.
Prominence, i.e. being a famous person, also increases the interest in a story and can add to its newsworthiness. This is especially important if the person has a direct link to the event such as a celebrity or sporting star.