News is a collection of facts and events that are reported on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet. It is a public service that informs and educates. It is also a source of entertainment.
The news value of a story depends on whether it meets certain criteria, such as timeliness, drama, consequence, proximity, and narrative. In general, new and unusual events are not as significant as ones that are about people or have a big impact on their lives.
A new insect found living on a plant that it did not previously inhabit may be interesting, but unless it has something to do with plants it is unlikely to merit much more than a few words in a newspaper or broadcast. On the other hand, a coup d’etat in one country is likely to have a huge political impact on that country.
Advertisers pay a lot of money to have their ads aired during most news programs on TV and radio stations, so they are often willing to sacrifice some of the truth of a story in order to sell it. This can lead to conflicts between the news gatekeepers and the advertisers who pay them, such as when a story about a grocery store gets too close to an advertisement for a food item.
The most important thing to remember when writing a news article is that it should be concise, informative, and easy to read. The best news articles are short and to the point, written in a formal tone, and rely on accurate information from credible sources.