With the proliferation of new and old media outlets, legitimate as well as dubious news stories abound. Taking the time to assess your news needs, find trustworthy sources and develop a strategy for keeping up with the news can help you keep on top of current events and make more informed decisions as you go about your day.
A good news article is based on facts, and answers the crucial questions who, what, where, why and when. It should include quotes from people involved in the story, and be sure to use their full names and titles. The story should also have a date and location attached to it. A good news article will start with a catchy headline, and be written in Associated Press style unless the publication specifies something different. The headline should tell readers what the article is about, and be no more than a few words long.
Generally, anything which is new, unusual, interesting or significant is likely to be newsworthy. However, the same event may have different levels of interest in different societies. For example, a new or unusual insect may be of interest to specialists but it will not be newsworthy to most people. Similarly, a coup in one country is likely to be much bigger news than another country’s coup.
Most news stories are about people, because humans change the world and have a big impact on what happens to other people. However, non-human events can be newsworthy as well. For example, a cyclone, bush fire, drought, earthquake or volcanic eruption may have global effects which could affect many people.
It is important for a journalist to know what makes a newsworthy story, and to be able to judge how important or significant a particular event or piece of information is. They need to be able to decide whether it is an important enough story for the audience they are targeting.
This can be a tricky task, as there are many factors that can influence what is considered to be important. For example, what is important to a politician or businessman may be completely irrelevant to the public. A newspaper or television channel may have a specific political agenda, and this can influence the type of news they provide.
It’s also important for a journalist to be able to distinguish between news and opinion pieces. Opinion pieces are usually based on personal opinions and tend to be biased, while news articles are generally unbiased reporting on a factual basis. There are exceptions, of course, but in general the difference between the two types is easily identifiable.
A good news writer will always let someone else read their work before they submit it for publication. This is to ensure that they haven’t missed any vital facts or included any unsubstantiated claims. It is also helpful to have a second pair of eyes to check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Finally, a good news writer will try to make their article stand out from the crowd by adding additional relevant or interesting details.