News is a source of information that is published in newspapers, magazines or on the Internet. It usually concerns recent events or developments.
The purpose of news media – newspapers, magazines and radio – is to inform and educate their readers, listeners or viewers. But they can also entertain them, for example with music or drama programs on radio and TV, or with cartoons and crosswords in newspapers.
Many people are interested in celebrity stories – what famous men and women do, how they live and how they look. They are especially interested when these people fall from grace or lose money.
Most people are also interested in health news – traditional remedies, medical research, disease, hospitals and clinics and diet and exercise. But they are particularly interested when it affects their loved ones or those close to them. Sex is another subject of interest in most societies, although most people will not talk about it openly and are only likely to become newsworthy when they behave in a way that goes against society’s generally accepted standards.
In-depth news stories often focus on a particular aspect of a bigger overarching story and investigate it with heavy research. In these cases it is important to be impartial and not inject any personal opinion. In general, it is better for the writer of a news article to let the subjects speak for themselves by asking them for a quote and using this in the story.