News is information that informs or educates. It can be broadcast, printed or read. It may be interesting or exciting, but it must be accurate and fair.
People usually like to read about things that are unusual or out of the ordinary. They also want to know about the effects of certain events on their lives, for example train times, weather forecasts and government policies. News can entertain, but this is not a main job of the media. Entertainment should come from other areas such as music and drama on radio or cartoons in newspapers. In order to write a good news article it is important to keep your personal opinion out of the story. Unless you are an expert on the topic, you should interview the subject of your story or take quotes from public statements to get your facts. It is also important not to misquote people and provide the full context in which they uttered their words.
The events that make the news are usually dramatic, and have clear good and bad characters. A robbery at a store, for instance, is likely to be newsworthy if it has an element of surprise, and clearly identifies the good and bad guys.
When putting together a news report it is important to ask yourself the 5 W’s; who, what, where, when and why? This will help to focus your writing and ensure that all the most important facts are included. It is also important to check your work for grammatical errors and to have someone else read it over. This person will be able to spot spelling mistakes, awkward sentences and any factual inaccuracies.