News is a term used to describe stories that are made available to readers and listeners of the media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television. The purpose of these media is to inform, educate and entertain. This does not mean that the stories should be dull or boring, but the stories must have some element of humour or entertainment.
The first step in writing a news story is to decide what is the subject of your story and why it is important. This is usually done in conjunction with an interview with a person who can give you the full background of what has happened. This is a vital step in ensuring that you write an accurate, detailed and well-written news article.
A good news story has a strong focus on people. This can be people who are directly involved in the event, or it can be a story about something that has happened to people who are affected by the event. Whether or not the story is about people, it should always have a strong focus on the event that is being reported, because this is what makes news.
Immediacy is another factor that is crucial to a good news story. This means that it should be something that is happening now, or will soon happen. It should also be relevant to the readers of your news paper or magazine.
Proximity is an important aspect of news because it can help you to decide whether or not a story is worth reporting. For example, if someone has just had a baby or lost a pet, this could be very important to your readers. However, if it had happened a year ago, it is unlikely to be newsworthy because the people who would be interested in it are already living their lives and have moved on to other matters.
This is why it is important to write your news story quickly. It should not be long, but it should be complete and include all the facts that are required to tell a comprehensive, accurate and interesting story.
Use a clear and concise lead statement to start your article, stating what the main subject of your news story will be. This should be no longer than a 25-word introduction that gives the reader a clear idea of what they are about to read and why it is important.
Make sure you include the newest, most significant information in the beginning and keep the smaller details or background information nearer the end of your story. This will give your story a sharp edge and stand out from the competition.
A good news story should have a strong impact and contain violence or scandal, be familiar and local to the audience, and be timely. These are the basic criteria that journalists use to select which stories they will publish or broadcast.
There has been much work on news values, and many scholars have developed taxonomies to describe the various factors that influence news selection (Golding and Elliott 1979; Harrison 2006; O’Neill and Harcup 2009; Caple and Bednarek 2013). Studies have been conducted on both organisational and cognitive factors. Some researchers have used a combination of ethnographic observations and interviews to study news selection, while others have focused on the selection criteria formulated by Galtung and Ruge (1965).