News is information about current events. It can be delivered by word of mouth, printed media, postal systems, radio and television. The aim of news is to inform, educate and entertain. It is important that news is accurate and does not contain any bias. A story without bias is more likely to be believable. It is also important that the source of a news story is identified.
A news story should begin with an interesting hook that is directly related to the main point of the article. This is usually referred to as the lede or lead. This will grab the reader’s attention and get them interested in the rest of the article. This may be done by using a dramatic anecdote, a surprising fact or even a breaking news event.
Once the reader is hooked, the story should then go into more detail about the topic. This should include the who, what, where, when and why of the news event. It is often helpful to place the new developments in context by explaining why they are important. This will help readers understand why this event is being reported and why they should care about it.
In a society where food is a major concern, the news that an insect is eating crops is important. In a society where people have little or no interest in insects, this type of news may not be considered significant. The same is true for other types of news. For example, if a peasant farmer says the Roman Catholic Church should ordain women priests, this will probably be newsworthy in one society but not in another.
Another way to differentiate between a news story and fluff is to check the sources of the information. A good journalist will only use reputable sources for their articles and will be able to back up any claims they make. It is also important that the writer does not add their own opinion to a story. This is especially true when writing a hard news story, such as a report on a fire. A good reporter will be able to provide information about the cause of the fire, how it happened and who was affected by it without adding in their own personal opinions.
If the article contains pictures, they should be credited with the photographer. A good journalist will be able to identify which picture is which and will not use stock photographs. A person who is unsure whether an image they are using is a stock photo should do some detective work by right-clicking on the image and searching Google for it. This will allow them to find out if the image has been used before on other websites and in other news stories. If the image appears on a lot of different news stories, it is likely that it is stock photography. It is also a good idea to check the background of the news organization that publishes the story. This will give the reader a better understanding of why the story is being reported and who they are getting their news from.