News is a piece of current information that relates to events occurring either at home or abroad. It is the type of information that you might read in a newspaper, watch on television or radio, hear from a friend, or even get a text message on your phone. News can be about anything from natural disasters to sports and celebrity gossip.
News can be considered objective or biased, depending on the writer and the topic of the article. The objectivity of news is a goal of many journalists, especially in the United States, where there is a legal requirement of impartiality for broadcasters. News articles usually present the facts of an event without providing personal opinions or comments, but some do contain bias in the form of opinion pieces or analysis.
Writing a news article is challenging because it requires a very quick turnaround time and often relies on first-hand reporting and quotes. News stories should be written in an easy to follow, concise style and include all the key information that readers need to know about an event. To do this, writers should consider the ‘5 Ws’: who, what, where, when and why.
A good news article will also have a strong opening paragraph that captures the reader’s attention. This can be done by stating a fact about the event, a question that the story answers or a quote from a source with an impacting statement. The article should also feature a photo to add visual appeal.
It is important to avoid jargon or technical terms in news writing. These can confuse the reader and may lead to an inaccurate understanding of the article’s topic. News articles should be clear and to the point, but should also provide some background information or explanation to give context to the news story.
When quoting someone, be sure to use their formal title and capitalize the word “people”. It is also helpful to put quotation marks around their spoken words so that it is clear what they are saying is their own opinion. If the article is about a person, their image should appear with their quote, as well as any other significant details such as age or occupation.
It is good practice to run a draft copy of your news article by someone else before submitting it for publication. They can help you check the accuracy of your facts and make sure that there are no grammatical or stylistic errors.