News is a form of communication that informs and engages the public. It covers a wide range of topics and can be presented in a variety of ways, from television to newspapers to the Internet. Regardless of the medium, it is vital to a democracy because it allows citizens to make informed decisions about their government and society.
News articles must be well researched to ensure that they contain accurate information and are based on credible sources. They must be written in a neutral and factual tone and avoid incorporating the writer’s personal opinions or biases. It is also important to cite your sources when writing news, as this helps build credibility and allows readers to verify the information for themselves.
A successful news article will begin with a captivating lead or “lede.” Readers have limited attention spans, so your lede needs to catch their eye and keep them interested. This can be done using a dramatic anecdote or a surprising fact. Once your readers are hooked, they will continue to read the rest of your story.
After your lede, you will need to provide a background on the topic of your article. This is usually referred to as the “nut graph.” The nut graph will answer the questions who, what, when, where and why, and will help place your news in context for the reader. This section will often include quotes from experts in the field who can offer technical commentary and analysis.
Next, you will need to describe the impact of your story on the readers. This can be a very subjective aspect of news reporting and is influenced by the cultural values of the audience you are targeting. For example, a bug infestation may be interesting to most people but might not be of interest to an insect enthusiast. Likewise, the Roman Catholic Church’s decision to ordain women priests may be controversial in some societies but not in others.
Once you have identified the most important aspects of your story, you will need to decide where to place them in your article. If you are writing for a newspaper, you will want to put the most important items above the fold (the line that gets folded in half), so they can be seen as quickly as possible. In the online world, this means putting your most relevant information at the top of the page.