News is information about current events. It can also be about things that have happened in the past, but only if those events are new to us. The word comes from the Latin for “to know” and it is used to describe something that we are aware of or have knowledge about.
News can be found in many forms, from newspapers and radio to television and the Internet. It can be interesting to compare how different sources present the same story. For example, a newspaper might emphasize one aspect of a story while another source stresses a different angle.
The decisions about what is considered to be News are made by people who work in the news business. They are called gatekeepers and may be editors, news directors or news managers. They sift through recommendations from reporters and assistant editors to decide what is important enough to be in the paper, on the air or on the Internet. They keep in mind the five characteristics of news: timeliness, drama, consequence, proximity and narrative.
When writing a News article, it is important to know your audience. Asking the 5 W’s of who, where, why and how will help you create a story that is unique to your readership. Knowing who you are writing for will also allow you to place the most important information at the top of your piece, above the fold (a reference to the crease in a newspaper). This helps engage your readers and keeps them reading.