News is information about current events that affect people in some way. It can be entertaining or informative and is often a good way to stay current with events. News stories can also make people aware of issues that might not directly affect them, but could impact others in their community. People can get their news from TV, radio, newspapers and online. They can also get their news from opinionated sources such as blogs, magazines and opinion sections of newspapers.
Writing a news article involves outlining the main points of the story, creating an inverted pyramid format and then collecting evidence and facts to support those points. Depending on the audience, this may include interviews with a variety of sources. This can be done with experts who can provide technical commentary or analysis, or with individuals who can offer a personal perspective on the topic, such as a community activist who has been involved in a political movement.
A successful news article requires a strong title that grabs attention and sets the scene for what is to come. Choosing the most interesting and compelling facts to focus on is also important. It is often helpful to create a list of the most important points and then rank them in order of importance. This can help journalists decide which points to highlight and which to leave out or omit.
It is important to recognize that even unbiased news sources can be biased, whether they are consciously or unconsciously so. For example, if a news source uses derogatory language to describe any group of people, they can no longer be considered neutral. Also, if a news source focuses on negative aspects of a situation and ignores positive aspects, they can no longer be considered objective.
Many different types of news articles exist, ranging from hard news to feature stories. Hard news is a quick summary of a situation while a feature takes a more in-depth look at a subject. People are often interested in the lives of famous people, which makes celebrity news a common type of news. People are also interested in health and wellness, so they often read news about hospitals, medical research and diseases. Sex is another area of interest, although this can be a taboo subject to discuss in public.
In addition to traditional print and broadcast news, many websites now publish daily news. Some, such as Google News, aggregate news from a number of different sites and use algorithms to filter out erroneous information. Other websites, such as LexisNexis Academic and Proquest Historical Newspapers, provide access to archival newspapers and other media. This can be useful for students who are researching a specific topic or event. A good news website will include enough information that any reader can form an informed opinion about the topic without bias. It should also be easy to find additional sources of information. These can be found by searching online for “news” and the subject or event.