News is a report of an event or development that is new, interesting and significant. It is usually presented in a way that grabs the reader’s attention and holds it. It is important for News to be accurate but it also needs to be timely and relevant.
There are many types of News stories. One common type is about people. This could include famous people, politicians or sportspeople and how they are doing. It might be about their achievements or their scandals. There are also News stories about events or things that affect people’s lives such as weather, natural disasters, war and terrorism.
Another type of News story is about money. This includes fortunes made and lost, school fees and taxes, the Budget, food prices, wage rises and compensation claims. It can also be about how much is donated to a charity. For example, the little girl who gives her only ten cents to a fund-raising appeal might be more interesting than the businessman who gives a large sum of money.
In general, a news article should be short, so that the main points can be quickly grasped. It should be written in the third person, but it is sometimes necessary to use first names or initials on first reference if this helps clarify who the subject is. It is also helpful to identify key sources by name (if they are known) and to use active rather than passive verbs. For example, ‘Dr Jones is using this equipment to study malaria’ is more informative than ‘Mrs Smith reported on the research’.
