News is information about events that is new and interesting to readers. It can be anything that is happening now or has happened recently – it might include wars, natural disasters, political events and social upheavals. It can also be stories about famous people, or things that have a big impact on a large group of people such as health concerns, environmental issues and sporting achievements.
When writing news articles, it is important to be concise and direct. Use short sentences and paragraphs, and a formal tone. Vague phrases should be avoided, as should euphemisms and over-used adjectives such as “brilliant”, “fascinating”, or “unique”. Adjectives add to the word count but not to the clarity of the article. The article should be factual, and it is best to have a sub-editor who can catch spelling or grammatical errors but this should be a last resort.
Once all the facts are collected, the journalist should begin constructing the news story. This is usually done in a pyramid structure, starting with the most important points and working down to the least. The 5 Ws – who, what, where, when and why – should be included at the top of the pyramid.
News is often about people, and the human interest angle is very important. It is what attracts attention and creates engagement. A man who wakes up, eats breakfast and goes to work on the bus does not make the newspaper, but if that same man is 90 years old and is still catching the bus every day, then this is very unusual and will generate interest.