News is information about something that has recently changed or happened. This may be a major event like a natural disaster or a political crisis, or a minor event such as the death of a celebrity or an interesting fact about a famous person. News is often conveyed through newspapers, magazines, radio and television but it can also be found online or on mobile phones. The aim of News is to keep people informed about what is happening in their country and around the world.
There are many different models of what constitutes News, but the most popular is the Mirror Model which suggests that news should reflect reality and be accurate. Other models focus on the influence of a variety of factors that can cause changes in news coverage. For example, the Bargaining Model suggests that journalists negotiate with government officials in order to obtain the news they want to report.
A good news story will have a catchy headline that will grab the reader’s attention and give them a flavour of what is to follow. It should be written in a clear, concise style without any opinions or bias. It should follow the inverted pyramid format, with the most important details at the beginning of the article and then further detail as the story progresses. It is also important to use a range of different sources to provide credibility for the story and to avoid using the same sources over and over again.
The news media may be controlled by governments or corporations but it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop the spread of news through the Internet, mobile phone networks and satellite communication systems. Similarly, it is now possible for the average citizen to become a journalist and report on events that they witness in their community. This is known as Citizen Journalism.
News articles should be well researched and should preferably include quotes from the people involved. It is important to use third-person pronouns (he, she, it), rather than first-person pronouns (I) as this gives a more objective tone to the news article. It is also important to cite all facts, including statistics, and not to make up statements. It is best to err on the side of caution when reporting on potentially controversial topics such as war, murder and natural disasters.
The best news stories are those that are new, unusual, interesting, significant or about people. It is also helpful to consider the impact that the news might have on people in different parts of the world – for instance, a coup d’etat in one country is likely to be of more interest than a similar coup in another country, even if both are in the same region.