News is information about events, current affairs, or trends that are important to a society. It can be both hard and soft news, such as a natural disaster or war, or it can be entertainment news, like a celebrity scandal or a sports event. Good news often makes the headlines, while bad news gets the back pages.
To write an effective article, journalists need to ask themselves the five W’s: who, what, where, when, and why. They must also research their topic extensively to ensure accuracy and credibility. Then they need to consider the audience, which can influence the tone and style of the article. Finally, they need to find an angle – something that sets the story apart from others and engages readers.
The importance of news in a democracy is widely recognised, but it’s not just a tool to inform and educate citizens; it’s also the oxygen that keeps democracies alive. A free press, which means independent and impartial journalists, is the key to a functioning democracy.
In a modern world of 24-hour news channels and fast internet it’s harder than ever to keep up with the latest stories. People don’t have time to read long articles with multiple tangents so it’s important that stories are kept short and to the point. Ideally, news should be presented above the fold (the crease in a newspaper page) so it’s easy to see and accessible to a wide range of people.