News is information about recent events, such as disasters, politics, sports, crime and the economy. Traditionally, news has been primarily a written medium; however, it has also been transmitted orally and in other forms such as radio, film, television and now the internet. News is a significant source of entertainment, but it also has educational and political values.
Historically, the selection of what constitutes news has been determined by social and cultural factors as well as technological ones. A major factor in the determination of what is and is not news has been the ability to transport and disseminate it quickly. This has been achieved through a variety of technological and social developments such as the printing press, the newspaper, the radio, the TV, the mobile phone and the internet.
People are interested in news because it allows them to stay informed about what is happening around them. It also helps them know what their government is doing and how it affects them. In addition, some news stories have a direct impact on their lives such as weather forecasts and train timings.
Other news stories are more edgy and attention-grabbing. They might contain scandal, violence and controversy and may have a more negative tone. These types of stories are more likely to be shared on Facebook and Twitter.
While a story can be any subject, it is important that the facts are accurate. A poorly researched story can lead to misinformation and inaccurate reporting, which has a detrimental effect on the reader.
The headline of a news article is important, as it must be eye-catching and evoke emotion or curiosity in the reader. It is a crucial part of the whole news article and must be carefully planned. It should contain the main points of the story in a short and snappy way, while at the same time giving enough detail so that the reader is fully informed.
A news article is generally written from the bottom up, starting with the most important information and gradually revealing more details as you go on. This is different to other forms of writing such as novels, which are typically written from the top down.
It is important that you keep the word count down when writing a news article. If your story is long and contains too much information, the reader might get bored and lose interest. It is also useful to include additional information such as contact details, further explanation of a particular point or quotes from interviews in a news article.
There is a need for research into the theory of news values, as well as into how they are applied and how they change over time. The taxonomy of news values outlined by Galtung and Ruge could be used as a starting point for such research. It would also be interesting to explore how a combination of news values might work together to determine what is or is not newsworthy.