News is information that is current and relevant to a particular audience. It can be factual, entertaining or controversial in nature and is usually presented by a newspaper or other media outlet. News is an essential part of democracy because it allows citizens to be informed about their government, economy and society. It can also encourage debate and discussion of societal issues and events. News articles should be brief so that people will read them, clear and concise so that they can be understood easily and illustrated so that they can be remembered.
There are many things that could be considered to be newsworthy, from war to natural disasters to the death of a celebrity. However, the main factor in determining whether something is newsworthy is its impact. This could be its scale (how many people are affected) or its emotional intensity, or a combination of both. It might also be a matter of proximity or familiarity, or if it involves violence or scandal. It could even be that a particular event is significant to the history of a country or region, or that it has the potential to change public policy.
A good way to decide whether something is newsworthy is to consider whether it would make a reader say, “Gee Whiz!” This may not work so well these days, as our capacity for surprise has been dulled by a surfeit of daily events. But, in general, the more unusual or surprising a piece of news is, the more likely it is to be reported.
Another factor is how important the event or issue is to the people who will be reading the news article. This can be determined by looking at the kind of reaction it has provoked, or by considering how widely it is discussed or debated on social media or other outlets. It might also be a matter of how much attention it has received from politicians and the public at large.
Writing a news article can be difficult because it is important to be accurate and to avoid bias. It is also important to write in a style that will be appealing to readers. This can be achieved by following the inverted pyramid format, which places the most important information at the beginning of the story and then adds detail as the article continues.
The most common topics for news articles are war, crime, politics and economics, the environment, education and health, fashion, entertainment and sport. However, any event or development that is significant to a particular population or region will be newsworthy if it is sufficiently surprising, impactful, interesting, exciting, controversial or extraordinary. It might also be newsworthy if it is about a famous person or if it involves some sort of public debate. Alternatively, it might be newsworthy because it is about a particular town or city, or if it is of particular interest to the local community. Ultimately, though, it is up to the journalists of a news organization to decide what is newsworthy.