News is current information about important events that have just happened, are happening or will happen. It is usually published in a newspaper, magazine or on the radio but it can also be seen on television and the internet. News is often a mix of fact and opinion, with the balance between the two varying from country to country. It is important that news reports are accurate, balanced and free of bias.
The purpose of news is to inform and educate readers, listeners or viewers. However, it is not necessarily the job of news to entertain them – that can be done by other sources such as music and drama on radio and television or crosswords and cartoons in newspapers and magazines. If there is a humour element to the story, that is even better as it will appeal to many people.
Most people are interested in stories about other people, especially if they are prominent figures or have achieved success in their chosen fields. Celebrity weddings, divorces and deaths are often newsworthy as are sports victories, defeats and other achievements. People are also interested in how the weather affects them, such as extreme high or low temperatures or rainfall. They are also interested in food and drink, health and the environment, and what is happening in their local area.
Crime is often newsworthy, whether it is a road traffic offence, burglary or murder. Unusual crimes or those that involve large amounts of money or high profile victims tend to make more news than others. People are also interested in what is going on in their governments and in other countries around the world, so they watch political programmes on television and follow political leaders on social media.
People are interested in what is going on in the world and in their own lives, so they follow fashion trends, listen to music and read books and magazines about these things. This is why the Internet and 24-hour news stations are so popular – they offer a lot of different types of information at all times.
A good way to keep up with the news is to subscribe to a few reputable, independent or impartial online or print news outlets. It is also worth signing up for a news aggregator site which will bring together all the latest reports from a range of different sources into one place. These sites will allow you to compare the various viewpoints that are being taken on a particular story and decide which is best for you. Alternatively, you could sign up for Google alerts on a subject of interest which will then send you emails when there is new news about that topic. It will save you time checking several different websites and it is more convenient than having to remember all the different logins for different news outlets.