News is information about events that affect people in some way, whether it is broadcast on television or radio, printed in newspapers or magazines, posted online, or even yelled across the schoolyard. It can be about current events, a celebrity’s latest misfortune, a natural disaster or a political scandal. News is usually a factual report, but it can also contain opinions. News articles are often based on research and may be written in a style that appeals to the reader. Regardless of the topic, a news article should be well-structured and factual.
It is not the content of a story that makes it newsworthy, but how that news is presented and what the audience thinks about it. A story can be newsworthy because it is shocking, surprising, or unusual. It can be important because it impacts the lives of many people, or it can be funny or entertaining.
In the past, people would have only heard about major events in their own societies from local newspapers or from word of mouth. However, with the advent of international media and global communication networks, it has become much easier to spread news to a wider audience than ever before. It is now possible for a person to hear about an event from someone else, or even witness the event themselves.
While it is true that the majority of news stories are initiated by governments, there are other sources that can start a story as well. In one study of six major news stories, 63% of them were initially started by the government and 27% by the press. Interest groups made up the final 14% of initiators of news stories.
The news media decides what is newsworthy, and how much attention to give a story, based on market research and their own judgement guidelines. These include:
What is considered newsworthy differs between societies, and this can influence the tone of the story. For example, sex is always of interest to society, but some types of sex might be newsworthy only in cases where it is a departure from the norm or involves public scandal.
It is also important to consider the impact of a news item, and its potential for virality or other forms of dissemination. This is especially relevant when considering sharing a piece of news on social media. It is important to know that you are not clogging up the feeds of your friends and followers with unhelpful or potentially harmful information. A good rule of thumb is to only share news that you have read or verified for yourself. This will help keep the news feeds of your followers clear and allow them to stay focused on their own interests. This is especially true in a digital age, where people can easily be overwhelmed with information.