News is information about important events or developments. It is primarily published in print, but can also be broadcast on radio and television or presented online. News may be about local, national or international matters of significance, and it may focus on current or historical events or on issues of particular interest to a certain group or community, for example politics. It is generally thought that the purpose of news is to inform, educate and entertain. The entertainment element can come from other areas of the media – music and drama on radio, for instance, or cartoons and crossword puzzles in newspapers.

It is widely believed that what makes news worthy depends on the society in which it occurs. For example, the classic definition of news is “dog bites man”, but this does not apply universally, since dogs are eaten in some societies. A good rule of thumb, therefore, is that news is about something unusual or unexpected.

In order to write a good news article, it is important to have a clear idea of what the main point of your story is. Once you have this, you can start to research and gather facts. It is best to keep the inverted pyramid structure in mind as you do this – start with the most important fact, then add more detail and so on. Once you have gathered your facts, you should write a lead paragraph that sums up the main point of your article and grabs reader attention.

The body of your news article should then list the important points in chronological order, with the most important point first. A good way to do this is to use a table or chart. This will help your readers to understand the importance of each point and will make it easier for them to read. In some cases, it may be helpful to include an expert opinion or a personal account from someone involved in the news story. Generally, however, it is inappropriate for writers to inject their own opinions into a news article.

The final part of a good news article is to provide background information about the topic and, if necessary, to identify any controversies surrounding the news item. It is also essential to cite your sources, and to avoid using any information that is not directly quoted. This is to ensure that you are not committing plagiarism, which can be a serious offence in some countries. This can be done by including a link to the source of your information, or simply by stating where it came from. For example, you might state that the information in your news article comes from “an interview with a police officer” or “a statement released by the company”. This is called attribution and is an important part of writing any kind of journalism.