News is information about current events. It is transmitted in a variety of ways including word of mouth, printed publications such as newspapers and magazines, television, radio, and electronic communication devices. The main purpose of news is to inform, although it can also entertain and educate. News is a vital part of our daily lives and it is important to have access to accurate and up to date information.
The most common topics for news reports are war, government, politics, education, health, the environment and business. Other common news items include accidents, crime, fashion, celebrities and sports. Many people subscribe to news aggregators which provide a central source of current events, including headlines from many different sources. Some examples of these services are Google News and Yahoo News. These services usually provide current news only, but some, such as LexisNexis Academic and Proquest Historical Newspapers, contain archival or historic news.
Choosing the right topic for your news article can be challenging, but starting with a strong understanding of who you are writing to will help guide you. If you are a journalist writing for a local publication, the demographic will be obvious, but even large national and international news sites have specific target audiences for their articles. For example, a news article about a new company in Kansas City will be read by residents of that area. If you are writing an article about zoning laws in commercial areas, your audience will be realtors and business owners.
Another consideration when deciding on the subject of your news article is to determine how much you want to add your own opinion. While it is important to be an objective reporter and present the facts of a situation, sometimes adding your own opinion can add interest to the article and draw readership. If you are unsure of how to balance your personal opinion with the factual components of an event, consider interviewing the people involved. This allows the subjects of the story to speak for themselves and can provide a more complete picture than a written report alone.
Timeliness is another important factor in determining if something is newsworthy. While an assassination in another country may be interesting, it will not be newsworthy unless the details of it are new. However, if some aspects of that assassination are new and unusual, it could become newsworthy.
The final aspect to consider is whether the news you are reporting is likely to have an impact on your readers, listeners or viewers. This is important because if the news you are reporting has no real bearing on them, then they will not be interested in reading or listening to it. This is why news that affects the economy, health or security is often considered to be the most important news of all. If the news you are reporting has a direct impact on their day-to-day lives, then they will be more likely to pay attention and take action as a result.