News is a form of social information that describes events from a variety of sources. A person can find News on many topics including politics, health, education, business, the environment, and sports. News articles are often written by reporters who use research to gather facts and write the article. The article is then edited by editors and published in a newspaper or online.
The most important factor in deciding whether something is newsworthy is its impact. If a story has a high degree of impact it is more likely to be reported than a low impact event with a similar background. News is also influenced by the extent to which the event reaches out to local, national or international audiences.
Another consideration is the magnitude of a story, with greater magnitude being more likely to be reported than a lower magnitude event of the same type. In addition to a story’s impact and magnitude, other factors that can influence a news item include its familiarity, its relevance, and its timeliness. The timeliness of a story refers to how recently the event has occurred. For example, a story about an accident that happened last week is not likely to be considered newsworthy. The timeliness of a story is also affected by the extent to which it has been reported already, and how much has been re-told.
A final criterion is the significance of a story’s source. The significance of a source can be determined by its authority and its capacity to provide new information or insights. In addition, a source’s level of involvement in the event or its impact can influence its significance. For example, a farmer’s statement on whether the Roman Catholic Church should ordain women priests is not newsworthy but the statement of an archbishop is.
Various models are used to explain why some events become news and others don’t. One model, known as the Mirror Model, argues that news should reflect reality and provide accurate reporting. Another model, called the Bargaining Model, argues that the content of news is shaped by the ideological biases and pressures of the various stakeholders involved in creating it. Finally, the Social Media model argues that audiences are increasingly selecting and disseminating their own preferred stories through social media platforms and this influences journalists’ news selection decisions (Tien Vu 2014).
In writing a news article it is essential to start with a headline that captures attention and conveys importance. It is then necessary to decide what details to include in the article and in what order they should be presented. A news article is usually written using an inverted pyramid format with the most important information first, and then each paragraph giving less detail until the reader has the full picture.
Finally, it is important to remember that a news article should be factual, not personal. It should be written in a formal tone and use third person pronouns such as ‘he’,’she’ or ‘it’ rather than first-person pronouns such as ‘I’.