News is a type of information that tells about current events. It can be about anything happening in the world or in your own community. People usually read and watch news to be informed about important issues or events. News can also be entertaining, but it should always be accurate. Many people have different opinions about what is newsworthy. It is the responsibility of journalists to evaluate news and decide whether it should be reported on or not.

There are many things that can be considered news, from natural disasters to political events. The first thing that a journalist must determine is if the news is timely. A story about an event that happened a week ago is not newsworthy because the community has already moved on and will not be interested in reading about it again.

A good news article should be short and concise. Readers have a lot of information coming at them and will lose interest quickly if the story is lengthy or difficult to understand. The best way to keep the reader’s attention is to begin with an interesting lead, which is often a dramatic anecdote or a surprising fact. This is referred to as the “nut graph” and is the heart of the news story. It answers the questions who, what, when, where and why.

Most of the time, news stories are based on what is going on in society. For example, if a celebrity dies or becomes ill, it makes news. If a crime is committed, it will also be newsworthy. Other areas of news include famous people, their lifestyles and the things they do, financial issues, hospitals and clinics and health issues. There are many topics that will be of interest to all societies, such as sex and war.

Another thing that can be considered newsworthy is the location of an event. If it is taking place in a country that the readers are not familiar with, this will be more interesting to them than if the event took place in a location that they know well. This is because the readers will have to think about why the event is happening there, which can be interesting and informative.

It is the job of news media – newspapers, magazines, radio and television – to inform and educate their audiences. It is not their job to entertain them, though they may do so with music and drama programs on radio or crossword puzzles in newspapers. Entertainment should come from other sources, such as movies and TV shows.

It is possible to have a bias in the news, especially with 24-hour news stations and websites. While there are some journalists who try to be as unbiased as possible, they are not always successful. The bias can be influenced by the prejudices of other journalists and news outlets. This is why it is important to choose the news you consume carefully and to avoid getting your information from only one source.