News is information about current events that are important to people. It tells about things that have happened or will happen, and keeps people up-to-date about what is happening in their community, country and the world. It also explains issues, ideas and trends that affect the everyday lives of people. News can be delivered by newspaper, radio, television or the Internet.
There are many theories about what makes a story newsworthy. These include: Controversy: People like controversies and stories that involve conflicts, arguments, charges and counter-charges. Prominence: People are interested in famous people and what they do. This includes their lifestyles, how they look and how they manage to stay on top of the celebrity game. Currency: Stories are only newsworthy if they are new and relevant to the present time. This is why so much of the world’s news revolves around war and politics.
Objectivity: The news must be objective, without personal or political bias. This means that both sides of a story are presented and analysed before the news is published. Fairness: The news must be balanced, presenting both good and bad news about the same event. This allows readers to form their own opinion of the news and make up their own mind.
Some of the key factors in deciding whether something is newsworthy include: Magnitude: Stories that are large or significant in terms of the number of people involved, impact or significance. The magnitude of an event is a factor in its impact and importance, but it is often the impact that gives the story its relevance.
Interest: A person is not interested in reading about a bug that has landed on his head, but an archbishop saying that women should be allowed to become priests could be of great significance. People are also interested in things that will affect them personally – food shortages, crops, prices, harvest sizes and the weather.
Entertainment: Stories that are amusing or entertaining keep the reader, listener or viewer engaged and will often have a witty headline or photograph. This can include stories about celebrities, sex, animals, human interest or an unfolding drama.
Other aspects of newsworthiness are the speed at which it happens, its significance and the ease with which it can be verified. These criteria are important because they allow the public to quickly identify which stories are worthy of their attention and give them credibility. They also allow the news media to target its audience more effectively. This is a vital aspect of the business and one that helps to ensure that newspapers, magazines, radio and television are popular with the general population. However, despite the popularity of News, there are still concerns that it can be biased, inaccurate or unreliable. This has led to some governments trying to regulate the dissemination of news. While this has had some success, it is impossible to control all forms of media completely. This is especially true with the emergence of the Internet and the proliferation of mobile phones.