What Is News?
News is information about events or activities in the world that have happened recently. It is also about things that are happening right now, such as sports matches or political events. News is often written in the form of an article in a newspaper, magazine or online. Articles in news are usually brief, and they should focus on facts, not opinions or speculation. The most important facts should be presented at the beginning of the article. The five Ws (what, when, who, where and why) are important when writing a news story.
A classic rule is that something has to be unusual for it to be news, but this definition of news is not always applied consistently. If, for example, a man wakes up, goes to work and gets on the bus, that is not unusual, so it will probably not be news. However, if that same man is 90 years old and still catches the bus to work every day then this might be newsworthy.
People and events make up the majority of news stories, but it is also possible for natural or man-made disasters to be the subject of news. This is particularly common when the disaster has a significant impact on the lives of many people. For example, a cyclone, bush fire, drought or volcanic eruption is newsworthy when it affects the lives of a lot of people in a particular region or country.
The news is a very fast-changing medium, and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest developments. It is therefore important to choose your sources carefully. A general rule is that if a source of news has an obvious political bias or seems to be sensational, then it may well be biased. It is also a good idea to try to balance the amount of different types of news that you consume. This will give you a more balanced perspective of the issues that are occurring in the world.
Asking people you respect where and how they get their news is a good way to find out what you should be reading. It is also worth asking those who are active on social media what they read and how they go about it. There are a number of apps that offer a range of different news outlets, and it is worth trying out some of them to see what suits you.