News is a term used to describe the information that we read or hear about in newspapers, television, radio and online. It is a form of communication that has been around for many years and is still used today to keep people informed of events in the world.
News contains several different types of stories that are often related to a single event, issue or person. Depending on the media, these stories may be local, national or international in nature.
A common element of news is drama, which is when an event or situation becomes interesting because it has a dramatic effect on the lives of many people. For example, if a stock market goes down and a large number of people lose their jobs, that will make the news because it affects everyone’s way of life.
Another common element of news is the five Ws: Who, What, Where, When and Why. These are the basic questions a journalist asks to get the facts about a story and to write an accurate article.
The 5 Ws are also what most audiences expect when they watch or listen to news. This is why advertisers pay a lot of money to have their commercials played during TV, radio and print news programs.
These advertisements are aimed at people who want to know about the latest happenings in their lives, and they are a key part of what most television and radio stations do. As a result, the station’s gatekeepers are always trying to balance what they want to tell the public with their advertising income.
Despite this, it is important to remember that there are still several other factors that can influence the type of information audiences are looking for. These include the value of the news, the importance of the issue, and how the information is presented.
The value of the news is determined by the amount of interest, relevance and drama in the news. The more of these elements a news story has, the higher the “news value.”
A good news story will be new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people. The news value of a story can also be affected by its location and by whether it is about a local, national or international event.
In every society, what is news will vary depending on how important certain things are to the people. For example, if a farm wall collapses killing a cow and a pig, that will be a very important story in one country but a very low news value in another.
Likewise, if someone commits a crime and the police are very quick to arrest them, that will be a very high news story in one society but a very low news value in another.
Whenever possible, try to use as much variety in the types of messages you choose for your news stories as you can. This means trying to read or listen to a newspaper, radio, TV or the Internet from various sources and see what kinds of stories you like best.