News is information about current events. It can be communicated by word of mouth, through printing or postal systems, by broadcasting, by electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses. In any case, it must be accurate, objective and timely. News also serves to educate its audience by explaining new developments and informing them of their impact.
Obviously, what constitutes News will be different in different societies. For example, a cyclone or a bush fire is likely to be reported in the News in one place and not in another. But the basic rules of journalism are the same everywhere: it must be brief so that people will read it, clear so that they can understand it, picturesque so that they will remember it and, above all, accurate so that they will be guided by it.
When writing a News article, the first step is research. It is important to find out all you can about the topic and its significance. Once you have a good understanding of the topic, you should create a list of all the important facts that need to be included in the article. This should include who, what, where, when, why and how. It is also helpful to write a headline that will grab the reader’s attention and give them a quick overview of the topic.
Next, you need to decide what kind of tone the article should take. Will it be a serious piece or will it have an element of entertainment? This will largely depend on the type of publication you are working for. For example, a newspaper will probably have a more serious tone than a magazine that features lifestyle segments.
Once you have a basic outline of the story, it is time to begin writing. Start with the most important facts and build from there. In journalism school, they teach an approach called the inverted pyramid, which means that the most important information is listed in the first paragraph and then the other details are added as you go along. This ensures that the readers will get the most important information first, while still having the opportunity to read more if they want to.
Once you have written the story, it is vital to fact-check and to run it by other staff members before submitting it for workflow. They should be able to help you to correct any grammatical errors or stylistic inconsistencies that may have occurred during the writing process. Also, they should be able to help you with any sourcing questions. If they are unable to answer your questions, it may be best to contact a supervisor or the editor of the publication to see who can help. Finally, it is always a good idea to have a copy of the edited version of the story on hand in case you need to refer back to it. This way you can be sure that the facts are presented in the most accurate manner possible.