When people wake up each morning and turn on their TV or listen to the radio, they probably want to know what’s going on in the world around them. News is something that happened recently, or it’s the latest information about something that has already occurred. News stories usually focus on current events and issues that affect the public, such as natural disasters or political scandals.
People like to read and hear about things that make them feel, think or act in a certain way. For example, they may be interested in learning more about a new product or technology, or how companies are expanding and opening offices.
A great way to make an article stand out from the rest is to use quotes from a variety of sources. This makes the article sound more real and allows readers to relate to the story on their own level. Using multiple sources will also add to the credibility of the article.
The most important factor in determining whether or not an event or issue is newsworthy is timing. Most of the time, what happens on a local or national level is not news until it has occurred. For instance, a major hurricane hitting the coast of a city or town is news because it has affected the lives of so many people in such an immediate way.
Other factors that gatekeepers consider when deciding on what is and isn’t news include familiarity and geography, whether or not it’s an unusual or strange event or situation, and how it could be reported and presented in the most interesting and compelling manner possible. They also consider how the news will affect their audience, including what values they share and what motives they have for selling their news to audiences.
Until recently, most people got their news from trained journalists and other professional news personnel. Nowadays, anybody can be a supplier or reporter of news. The Internet has given everyone the opportunity to be an active part of the process of creating and disseminating news. This has changed the role of the audience as well, with audiences helping to shape news media agendas by recommending and sharing stories they like (Tien Vu 2014; Welbers et al. 2015).
To write a good news article, it is important to first identify your audience. Ask yourself the “5 W’s” – who, what, where, when and why. This will help you determine the most interesting and pertinent facts to include in your article. Lastly, remember that the goal of news is to inform and inspire; therefore, it’s vital that you tell the truth in an objective and honest manner. It’s also important to be fair when reporting, avoiding over-relying on official sources such as government and business representatives and failing to include the perspectives of ordinary people affected by a problem or their advocates.