News is a brief report on current events. It is often aired on radio, television and newspaper. It can also be found on the internet.

It has an educational value as it helps people in knowing weather forecasts, train timings and other things like that. It also helps them become more aware of government policies.

Definition

News is information about events that have just happened. It can be about a natural disaster, war, accident or something else which is new and unusual. It can also be about famous people or about things that are of interest to a lot of people.

News can be communicated in many ways, including word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting and electronic media. It is important that the news reported is based on fact and not opinion, and that it is accurate. It is also important that the report is not biased, and that it is fair. It is not news if it is simply speculation or a view which goes against generally accepted beliefs.

Historically, news has been gathered by journalists. They have been responsible for collecting and disseminating information about local, national, and international events. They also play an important role in fostering public debate and promoting democratic participation.

In order to be newsworthy, an event must be new and of interest to a large number of people. However, what is considered newsworthy varies between societies. A classic example is “dog bites man”. While this is unusual in most places, it may not be newsworthy in a society where dogs are eaten. Also, what is considered newsworthy may change as technology advances. For instance, when newspapers began to be printed, it took time for the news to reach consumers; but now news is available instantaneously through television and radio.

Purpose

News is about people and the things that affect them, whether it’s a political battle in their city, a storm hitting a town or an earthquake striking a country thousands of miles away. While most news stories are about people, there are also many natural events that can become news, such as cyclones, droughts and bush fires.

The purpose of news is to inform and educate the public on current affairs/events. This can be done in a variety of ways such as music, drama and cartoons on TV, or crossword puzzles in newspapers. News can also be entertaining, but this should not be the main purpose of the news media.

Other purposes of news include raising awareness and informing the public on important issues such as health, politics and business. It can also help to shape the public debate and promote democratic values such as freedom of speech. Organisations that are trying to make a difference often pitch news stories to the media to gain publicity and support for their work.

The news media is usually expected to remain neutral and avoid bias in their reporting. This is known as objectivity and it is an important part of the news media’s role in society. Several governments even have laws that require news media organisations to be impartial.

Formats

The news industry should strive to remain independent and free from any partisan influence, so that its work can be critically examined. This requires journalists to be willing to question their own stories and to differ with the work of others if fairness and accuracy require it. News organizations should also encourage different viewpoints and allow for discussion of controversial issues.

When writing a news article, it is important to consider the audience and purpose of the piece. Asking the five Ws (who, what, where, when, why) will help you determine how much detail is necessary to inform readers. The inverted pyramid format is a good fit for this type of writing, as it allows you to get to the most important points quickly.

Another important factor is to make sure you have all the relevant facts before you publish an article. It is common to see unsourced information in the news, but it is important to cite sources and verify all claims before publishing them.

There are many formats in which you can find news articles, including online newspaper databases, full text e-newspapers, and microfilm. Some databases, such as Proquest Australia and New Zealand Newsstream, are fully digitized virtual replicas of original printed editions, which can be viewed on computers in Library Reading Rooms. Other databases contain full text articles from printed newspapers that can be viewed online or downloaded to your computer, but do not include the original page layout and pictures or advertisements.

Audience

The audience for news articles varies from general public (newspapers, TV and radio) to specific groups such as clubs or businesses. Journalists try to appeal to a broad audience in their front page news stories, while also attempting to capture the interest of a niche market. This is why newspapers typically contain a variety of topics – to ensure that there is a news story for everybody.

Regardless of the format, journalists try to answer the same fundamental questions in nearly all their stories: who is involved; what happened and what is at issue; and how did we get into this situation? They also seek to be independent in gathering, weighing and reporting the news. This is important to the audience because they need to trust the information they receive.

One of the biggest challenges facing journalism is the gap between the imagined audience that a writer has in mind while composing a story and the real audiences for that story. This is because writing is a solitary activity and, at the time of composition, writers don’t know who will read their work. As a result, they make assumptions about how the material will resonate with their audience, based on long-held beliefs, conventions of their genre and, at times, unconsciously, their imagined perceptions of readers’ reactions. This gap can be narrowed through the use of audience research and analysis.