News is information about current events or developments that is important to a society. This information is usually passed on by means of newspaper articles, radio broadcasts and television reports. It is also sometimes conveyed by word of mouth or posted on websites. A person who is interested in News will typically follow a number of media outlets to keep up with the latest developments.
A good news article should grab and hold a reader’s attention right away. This can be done with a snappy lead or a catchy headline that describes the topic of the story in a few words. A good news article should then explain the background or context of a specific event or development in an interesting way. It may include quotes from people who were involved in the story or who have opinions about it.
What constitutes News will vary from society to society, but in general it will be whatever is unusual. This can mean that if something is not commonly seen in a given society, it will be newsworthy – for example, “Dog bites man” would be newsworthy in some societies but not others. It can also be anything that a society considers important, such as wars, weather events, natural disasters, new inventions and scientific discoveries.
Many different theories about News exist. One of the most popular is the Mirror Model, which argues that news should reflect what actually happens in society. Another is the Bargaining Model, which argues that people attempt to influence news organizations by exerting various pressures and incentives.
Local news is often more compelling to readers than international news because it relates to their day-to-day lives. For this reason, it is common for local newspapers and television stations to focus on this type of news. In addition, a local newspaper might have an advantage over a national one in terms of being able to interview people who are closely involved with the story and thus provide valuable insight into it.
Business news is a significant portion of the News agenda, covering everything from business acquisitions and mergers to layoffs and hiring trends. This is especially true of niche markets, such as the technology sector, where news is often dominated by particular industry conferences and events.
In many places, government controls the news media by censoring what is reported and how it is presented. However, as the Internet and other media outlets have become more prevalent, it has become easier for individuals to gather and disseminate their own news independently.
Asking people you respect where they get their news is a great place to start. This could be your professor, a teacher you admire or a friend who seems to know what is going on all the time. Find out what news apps they use and read up on what they cover to understand their slant and what you should avoid. It is also a good idea to look up the journalist or bloggers who write about topics you are interested in and see what they have bylines for, where they publish and who else they talk to about those topics.