How to Write Good News

News is information about events, activities, incidents, and other things that are happening around the world. It is important to remember that News can be positive or negative and it is not always unbiased.

Basically, for a story to be News it has to meet the following criteria: it must be new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people. However, these criteria are different in different societies. What is interesting and significant to one person may not be in another, and the same thing can have a very different news value depending on where it occurs, for example, a coup in your neighbour’s country might be big news but a fire in your own town might not.

Good News articles start with a strong headline that conveys the main topic of the article. Try to be creative when writing yours, making it catchy and emotion evoking or creating curiosity is the way forward. The main body of the news article should also have a clear and concise structure that builds up from bottom to top, with the most important information coming first. This will help readers to digest the news quickly.

A good news article will have a strong ending, usually a restatement of the lead statement and/or a forecast for any future developments. Also, remember to check your facts, as an error in a piece of news can damage the credibility of the whole article. A great way to practise this is by reading other news articles, watching the News or even just talking with other people!