How to Write a Good News Article
News is an item of current interest or a story about something happening in the world. It can be about politics, sports, movies, weather, education or the environment. News is also about famous people and their lifestyles and controversies. People like to read about a celebrity’s life and are eager to know if they are involved in any scandals or if they are in danger.
News provides information about the happenings in our daily lives and helps us in making decisions for ourselves. It also makes people aware about the problems in our society and how we can contribute to solve them. The role of the news media in a democracy is very important. The media needs to be impartial and not show favouritism towards one party or the other. They should not promote a particular ideology or preach religion. They should serve the interests of the general public and be responsible to them.
A good news article is one that has all five elements of news value – it should be new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people. However, what is newsworthy is largely a matter of judgement and can vary between societies. For example, a man waking up, eating breakfast and going to work on the bus is not newsworthy, but that same man climbing into his helicopter for an airborne rescue mission may well be newsworthy.
Different people like different things and therefore are interested in different kinds of news. In order to write a good news article you must understand your audience. This way you will be able to tell the kind of news they will like and relate to. It is also important to write concisely. Long winding sentences and tangents can confuse the reader and make them lose interest in your article. If you are writing an online news article, ensure that the best news is placed above the fold. This is the area of the page that is visible without scrolling.
In-depth news is a type of news that takes up a smaller topic and researches it heavily. For example, a news article about a fire at a residential home would be followed up by an in-depth piece looking at the impact on the people involved in a week or so later. This gives more context to the event and shows that the journalist has put in a lot of effort into the news they are publishing.
The most important thing to remember about news is that it is not always accurate. Sometimes the facts are twisted in order to make it more interesting and dramatic. This can be done deliberately to create an impression on the readers or unintentionally due to misunderstanding of an incident. This is why the news should be cross checked to avoid misreporting of events. Objectivity and fairness are the key factors that must be present in a news article before it is published. This can be achieved by ensuring that all facts are checked and that there is no personal bias or prejudice on the part of the journalist.