News is a collection of facts and information about events that affect people, places or things. It has been used to educate, inform and entertain readers, listeners or viewers since ancient times. It may cover any subject, from war and politics to education and the environment. It may also include human interest stories and even celebrity gossip. In the modern era, newspapers, radio and television are common sources of news. It is also possible to receive news through the Internet.
The most important factor in determining whether an event is newsworthy is its impact on the lives of ordinary people. In order to make an impact, a story must be dramatic or controversial, involve a significant amount of violence or scandal and be of sufficient importance to affect the lives of a large number of people. It is also important that the news be timely – events or incidents that have already happened are not generally interesting, but those that are about to happen are.
Most news stories feature humans and the impacts they have on each other, on society as a whole or on specific groups of people. This is because most of the time, people are affected by news, either directly or indirectly. However, a story can also be made about non-human events if they have a significant impact on society as a whole or on particular groups of people. Examples of such news are the effects of climate change or natural disasters.
In addition to deciding which news items are most important, a writer of a news article must choose how best to present the information. For example, it is often useful to start a news article with a dramatic anecdote or surprising fact to grab reader attention. This is often referred to as the lede or lead. Once the reader has been captured, it is then necessary to develop the main points of the story – usually in a pyramid structure where the most important information comes first. This is a common way of writing news articles because it helps to keep the article succinct and to the point.
Adding quotations to a news story is also common practice, although it is important to be careful about who and what you quote. Quotations should always be clearly identified as such and, where possible, should be attributed to the person who said them. For example, a name and job title should always be included in front of any statements that are made by the person being quoted.
How you consume news is a personal choice, but it is important to strike a balance between being well informed and burning out. Too much information can cause stress, fatigue and a loss of sleep, which can negatively impact your mental health. If you find yourself consuming too much news, try reducing your intake or seeking out alternative forms of news such as podcasts, enewsletters and social media feeds.