News is any information about people, places or events that you think will be of interest to your readers, listeners or viewers. It’s the job of news media – newspapers, radio and television – to inform and educate its audiences. Entertainment comes from other sources – music and drama programmes on radio and TV, cartoons and crosswords in newspapers. News should be accurate, but not boring.
To write a good news article you must first know who your audience is. This will help determine the voice and tone of your piece, as well as dictate what you should include in it. Once you know your demographic, you can create an effective headline that will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more.
When writing a news story, the most important details should be placed at the top of the article, above the fold (a crease caused by folding a newspaper). This ensures that the reader will see this information first, and hopefully be intrigued enough to keep reading. This is also known as the inverted pyramid format.
The next step is to list all of the main facts in order of importance. This will help your readers understand the full scope of the event, as well as allow them to compare the information from various sources. It’s also a good idea to include any quotes from interviews or other reliable sources. However, when including quotes be careful to avoid using them to support your own opinion. Remember that news is not meant to be a platform for your own political or ideological views.
Once you’ve listed all of the important facts, it’s time to begin writing your article. Remember to always use the active voice when possible, and keep your sentences short and direct. Additionally, don’t forget to proofread your work for accuracy and consistency.
In the age of online news aggregation, it’s become more common to find articles that contain multiple opinions from different sources. This is a good thing, as it allows readers to see more sides of an issue and decide for themselves what they believe to be true. However, it’s also important to be aware that many of these sites have a bias of their own. Some, like the Wall Street Journal, are believed to have a conservative slant, while others, such as Fox News, feature fiery personalities with more of a right-wing agenda.
In-depth news stories can be hard to write, but they are an excellent way to hold a reader’s attention and keep them coming back for more. These types of articles are similar to straight reporting, but they involve much more extensive research and a deeper understanding of the topic at hand. These kinds of stories typically include interviews with key individuals and may take a longer period of time to complete. Ultimately, a good in-depth news story is one that makes the reader say, “Gee Whiz!”!.