A news article informs the reader of current events. These articles may be written for a newspaper, magazine or online publication. Writing a good news article requires researching the topic and writing in an objective tone, without adding personal opinions. The information should answer the five Ws: who, what, when, where and why.
People like to read about things that are new and exciting, so a story that is unusual or interesting is likely to be newsworthy. However, it is important to realize that not everything that happens is a news story. An ordinary man waking up, eating breakfast and getting on the bus to work doesn’t make news because it is nothing unusual or significant. A coup d’etat in the country next door, on the other hand, is very significant and therefore, newsworthy.
The way that a person decides what is newsworthy depends on their own values and beliefs. Although journalists try to be fair, they are influenced by an internal system of beliefs and prejudices which can influence the type of news story that they write. The more significant an event is, the more likely it will be reported, but even then, a journalist’s biases can influence the angle of the story that is taken.
When people are concerned about a particular issue, they will want to read news articles about that issue. This is especially true if that issue affects them personally or in some way. The Internet allows for global communication so that news stories from one part of the world can be heard in another, and vice versa. This means that news stories can spread faster and wider than ever before, but this also means that bad information can be spread just as quickly and widely.
It is important to check the facts of a news story, and this can be done by looking at the author’s credentials and organizations. It is also useful to compare claims from different sources. Using a second browser window to look up the facts of a news story can help to prevent the reader from being fooled by sensational or biased headlines.
A well written news article will include a strong lead or headline which catches the reader’s attention. The body of the article should then be arranged in paragraphs which explain the main points of the news story, giving the reader an overall picture of what happened. The article should finish with a conclusion which reiterates the leading statement (thesis) and suggests potential future developments which might be of interest to the reader. Reading other news articles and watching news shows is an excellent way to learn how to write a well structured and concise news article.
In addition, a good news article will use appropriate language. It is important to avoid words which are inflammatory, such as ‘hate’ or ‘fascist’ and to use the word ‘politics’ only when it is necessary. The article should also be free from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.