News is the earliest form of reporting – it presents current and interesting events to readers, listeners or viewers in an objective manner. It should be unbiased and should not contain the writer’s opinion, although this may be apparent in the style and tone of the writing. News can be written for all sorts of publications, from newspapers and magazines to radio and television. News is reported from everywhere, at every time, and it should be able to interest a wide range of people from all walks of life.

The title of a news story is very important, as it must capture the reader’s attention and create curiosity. It should be short, but informative and, if possible, it should include a quotation. The headline should be followed by a byline, which is the name of the writer. If the newspaper or magazine has a standard headline style, following this will help to focus the writer’s thoughts.

A good rule to remember when trying to decide whether a particular piece of news is worth publishing is that it must be new, unusual, interesting and significant. The more of these criteria it meets, the more likely it is to be a good news item. For example, a coup in the country next door will be much bigger news than one happening in a remote village. Crime is also often newsworthy, but a murder, forgery or burglary must be very serious to make the front pages. Money stories are also usually newsworthy, but they must be very substantial to qualify – a fortune made or lost will attract more readers than one person giving only ten cents to a fund-raising appeal.

When deciding on the facts to include in a news article, it is often helpful to interview the subject of the story. This can be done over the telephone, through an email or in person. When including quotes in a news article, it is important to get the right words from the person being interviewed. It is often better to quote the subject directly than to paraphrase, but if you are not sure which of the two is the most appropriate, try to use both.

When writing a news article, it is important to focus on recent events. A week after a fire has occurred, it is unlikely to be of any interest to anyone. Similarly, a story about the latest fashions is not going to be of interest to most readers. It is also helpful to write a news article from the bottom up – start with the most important information and then give less and less detail as you move down through the article. This makes it easier for the reader to understand what has happened and why. This is known as the inverted pyramid style of writing. This is a common style used by newspapers and magazines around the world. It is not usually used in broadcast news, which often uses a more conventional style.