A news story is a report of recent events that are likely to affect the public. In the case of newspaper articles, these stories are usually written for a general audience, although magazines and television may also use this genre to target specific audiences with their content. News stories must be able to appeal to the interests of all groups within society, and so are likely to include some topics that may not be as popular with one group than another. For example, a story about a natural disaster will probably be of interest to everyone, whereas a celebrity scandal may only be of concern to the gossip media.
The first step in writing a news article is finding a suitable subject for the story. This will depend on the current events in a particular country, and so the topics covered in the news will vary from place to place. Some examples of topics that are considered to be newsworthy include war, government, politics, education, health, the environment and business. In addition to these major subjects, many societies are interested in the lives of famous people and their careers, and so these stories can often be found in the news.
Once a topic has been chosen, the writer must research the subject in order to write an accurate and up-to-date news article. This is usually done through the use of a variety of sources, including newspapers, websites and television or radio broadcasts. It is important to cite these sources when writing a news article, as this will help readers to track down the original source of the information and verify its accuracy.
After researching the subject, a news article should start with a hook to grab reader attention. This can be achieved by using a dramatic anecdote or a surprising fact. This hook is referred to as the lede, and it is essential in getting readers to continue reading the article.
Once the introduction has grabbed reader attention, the article should then explain the background to the news item. This is called the nut graph and should cover the answers to the five Ws (who, what, when, where and why). In addition to explaining the details of the event, this section will also look at how the news affects the wider world, or how it relates to other events or issues.
Finally, the news article should end with an action or call to action. This can be in the form of a quote from someone involved in the story, or it can be an opinion piece. The goal of the article is to encourage the readers to take action and make a difference, or to inform them about the issue in an interesting way. In the case of a newspaper article, this will likely be through links to further information. This will allow readers to explore the topic in greater depth and will often increase the reader’s understanding of the subject matter.