News is a form of information reporting about current events. It is usually an interesting report on something that has happened.
The value of news is dependent on its source, time, and place of origin. Stories of interest to the reader may include violent crime, political scandal, or human interest. A good news story will have positive overtones while a bad news story may have negative overtones.
In the past, print news had to be sent over wire services or manually typed into the newspaper. In the modern day, radio and television have become important means of transmitting news. But the Internet has also challenged the traditional news organization.
Some of the major values of news include magnitude, relevance, and surprise. While these are arbitrary factors, they can influence how people perceive and act on news.
Magnitude refers to an event or behavior that is very significant. For example, an extreme crime or a large loss of life is a big deal. Similarly, a dramatic change in weather conditions, such as a drought or flood, will cause a lot of attention.
There are also special reports provided by correspondents. These may include stories about celebrities or athletes.
On the other hand, an entertainment story can be a witty headline or entertaining photographs. However, these are not necessarily newsworthy.
The highest form of conflict is war. In fact, some people take a keen interest in conflicts between nations.
An interesting fact about news is that it is the first rough draft of history. Since ancient times, government proclamations have been considered news.