News is current information about important events. It includes reports from all aspects of society – sports, politics, entertainment and more. It is often broadcast on television or printed in magazines and newspapers. It can also be viewed on websites and social media. News is a critical part of a democracy. Without it, citizens cannot make informed decisions.
A news story must be able to grab the reader’s attention quickly. The first sentence of an article should provide all the key information. It is important to include the basics such as what happened, where and when. It should also include the details of who was involved and why it is newsworthy. It is important to start with this information because if the reader is not interested they will quickly stop reading the story.
What is considered newsworthy can vary by society and culture. For example, a news story about an earthquake in Iran will likely be of much less interest to a reader in the United States than it would be to a citizen of Pakistan. This is because the cultural and political context of each society will influence what matters to them.
News must be timely – it must be relevant to the lives of people now. It is not helpful to report on something that occurred last week, or a month ago, because by the time the news is published, the community will have moved on to talking about another issue.