News is current and interesting information about the world that we can find out about from newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and the Internet. The goal of news is to convey information quickly, accurately and objectively. News appeals to our logical and reasoning skills as well as our emotions. News is written to make readers interested in what is happening and why it is important, and to keep them informed of events that affect their lives.
When writing a news article, the key to success is to have a good lead, or title. The headline should be brief, catchy and to the point, and it should include most of the basic facts about the story. The headline should also be written so that it is easily understood by a wide range of people. It should be clearly spelled out, written with the proper punctuation and if possible, presented in an attractive way so that readers will want to read it. The lead is usually written by the reporter, although other members of the publication staff may also write it.
The most interesting and exciting news stories are those that are unique and unusual. For example, if someone misses the bus on his way to work and decides to walk all the way to school instead, this is not newsworthy because it is nothing special or out of the ordinary. However, if someone finds a litter of baby tigers on the side of the road and takes them to an animal shelter, this is very much newsworthy.
Another important characteristic of news is timeliness. The news we see on the TV or hear on the radio must be something that is currently occurring, or at least has recently occurred. This means that we will not see or hear about things that happened 10 years ago, or even last year (unless it is an anniversary of some important event).
A third major characteristic of news is its relative importance in the society in which it takes place. For example, a farm wall collapsing and killing a cow but not a pig is important to farmers but not so important to the rest of the population. Similarly, news about an important political figure’s death is much more important in some societies than in others.
On this website for learning English you can practice your reading and listening skills with English news articles written at a range of levels from elementary to intermediate, or around CEFR level B1. Each article includes an audio recording of the text and a quiz. There are also vocabulary lists and a link to the original news article to help you explore the topic further. If you like, you can even discuss the news with an English-speaking friend!