News is information about current events. It may be reported in words, pictures or recorded and broadcast through a variety of media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television. It is also available on the internet.
The classic definition of a good news story is that it should be new, unusual, interesting or significant. It should also involve people. However, what makes an event newsworthy varies from society to society. For example, in a society where dogs are eaten it will probably not be news when someone bites a dog. It will, however, be news in a society where they are cherished.
A story will only be deemed newsworthy if it is of interest to a large number of people. It must also be timely. It does not do much good to report on an event which happened a week ago, because by that time the community will have moved on and is talking about something else.
It is important for journalists to research their topic well. They must also be able to write clearly and concisely. They must also be able to attribute their information, telling the reader where they got it from. This might be through an interview, court documents or from the census for example. The use of direct quotes from people involved in the story is important to give the article a human touch. It is also vital that they follow the inverted pyramid format, putting the most critical information at the beginning of the article and then following with the rest of the details.