News is information about current events that is picked up and communicated to the public by a variety of media. This includes newspapers, radio, television and the Internet. It is often based on fact and aims to inform the audience in a balanced way. It can also entertain or inspire. In the past, news was transmitted from person to person through oral means, but technological developments have made it possible to send and receive information much more quickly.
It is important to know your audience when writing news. This will dictate the tone and style of the article as well as the information that is included. It is also important to know what type of events or issues will interest the readership. This will help to decide what should be reported on and where to report it.
Choosing what to write about can be difficult. There are a number of models that can be used to help in the selection process. These include the Mirror Model which states that news should reflect reality and the Organisational Model which focuses on the influence of various groups and how they can affect journalism.
Once a subject has been chosen it is essential to research the topic thoroughly. This should be done not only to provide a comprehensive account of the subject but also to check that all the facts are correct. This is particularly important as the credibility of the news item could be impacted by inaccuracies.
It is then a matter of writing the story, keeping in mind the inverted pyramid format which will allow for the most important information to be seen first. This will encourage readers to keep reading and find out more. It is a good idea to have the story checked by someone else at this stage, as they may be able to spot spelling or grammatical errors which you have overlooked.
It is also a good idea to consider the impact of the piece and the reaction it might provoke in the readership. This can be determined by researching the interests of your audience, or by studying what other newspapers have reported on similar topics. In general, a story will be more interesting to the reader if it has elements of violence or scandal, is familiar or local and if it is time-sensitive. However, it is not always possible to satisfy all of these requirements. For example, if a crop is being attacked by insects it will be of interest to farmers but not so much to the general public. However, if the insects are attacking an area which is of vital importance to the population, then this will be significant enough to be newsworthy. This will probably be more the case if the insect is being spread by air rather than by land or sea. It is also likely to be more newsworthy if it is a new disease or a pest which is threatening food supplies.