What is News?
News is a recap of current events or an announcement of something new and noteworthy. It can be in the form of a story, a photograph, a video clip or a podcast. There are different kinds of News content, but the common characteristics of a news item are timeliness, drama and consequence.
It is important to know your audience when writing news because this will dictate what kind of information to include. Also, how to present the news is also a big factor in what makes a good piece of news. It is best to put the most important information at the top of the article or the ‘above the fold’ in a newspaper, and online this means on the left side of the page before you have to scroll down.
The classic definition of news is “dog bites man” but in reality the elements that make an event newsworthy can vary from society to society. For example, in a society where dogs are eaten, it will not be newsworthy when a man bites a dog. In this case, it is more likely that something else will be newsworthy – such as when a pig is bit by a cow, or the discovery of a cave.
Generally, it is people that make the news and stories are usually centred around them. This is why it is important to use a person’s full first name or initials and avoid using nicknames. It is also recommended that you only write in the third person unless there is compelling reason to do otherwise, as this prevents jarring readers with sudden switches between first and third person.