News is information about events and issues that affect the public. It is the kind of material that is most commonly found in newspapers, magazines and television and radio broadcasts. News should be factual and accurate, but it also needs to be interesting and readable. Otherwise, people are unlikely to read or watch it.
The most basic consideration when writing news is who you are writing it for. Most mass-appeal publications will have a general demographic in mind, but it is important to narrow that down as much as possible for the specific article you are working on. For example, if you are writing about a fire in your city, it is likely that the majority of your readership will be citizens of that same city. An in-depth news piece may be able to reach a larger audience, but it will still be focused on one particular subject and will require extensive research.
While any event can be newsworthy, some subjects are more interesting than others. Crime, for example, can be newsworthy, but it is more interesting when the crimes are violent or unusual. Money and economics are also popular news items. This can include stories about fortunes made and lost, school fees, taxes, the Budget, food prices, wage rises and compensation claims.
Another factor is whether the subject has a high or low degree of interest in society. For example, a man getting up in the morning and going to work on his bus is not newsworthy. On the other hand, a man who gets into his helicopter to go to work might be.
A final factor is the element of exclusivity, which refers to whether the story has been made available to a specific news organization first. This can be a factor in whether a story makes the front page of a newspaper or is featured on the opening of a television broadcast.
Keeping these factors in mind, you can develop your own news articles that are both interesting and accurate. You should avoid tangential ramblings and winding sentences that do not add to the main point of your story. Also, use the first and last name of all individuals mentioned in your article. This will help readers to distinguish between different people in the same quote and avoid confusion. This practice is especially helpful when writing news about people.