News is information about current events that you want to share with other people. It can be from a newspaper, magazine, radio or television. You can also get news from the Internet, and there are many different types of news websites. Some focus on politics, others on business or sports. There are even news aggregators that pull in articles from multiple sources.

Writing news content is nothing new – people have been sharing current events through written word for as long as records have been kept. However, the advent of social media and online news has brought a new level of urgency to getting news out and keeping it fresh.

A classic definition of news is that it informs and educates a reader, listener or viewer. It may also entertain, but entertainment can come from other areas – music and drama on radio; cartoons or crosswords in newspapers.

What is newsworthy can vary greatly between societies. For example, “dog bites man” is not newsworthy in a society where dogs are eaten, but it would be newsworthy in a society where they are revered.

The most important news stories are those that affect large numbers of people. This includes stories about wars, natural disasters and accidents. It also includes stories about government and political events, economic issues and social movements.

Other subjects that are of interest to the general public include celebrities and the way they live. They are interested in what celebrities do and where they go, especially if it is controversial or unusual. It is also of interest to find out what they are buying and what they are selling. Celebrities in trouble are also a source of news, as are people who fall from grace or have lost a lot of money.

People are concerned with their health, so they are interested in stories about traditional remedies and medical research, diseases, hospitals and clinics. They are also interested in drugs, diet and exercise.

A well-written news article will have a snappy headline that grabs attention and summarises the main points of the story. It will then give a brief description of the background to the story and its significance. The article will then contain facts about the topic, with a little bit of opinion thrown in. It is important that the facts are accurate, so it is a good idea to check them with experts in the field.

When writing a news article, it is important to put the most interesting or controversial points at the top of the article – this is known as the fold. This is to make sure that they are read before the less interesting or unimportant stories appear. It is also important to write in an impartial tone so that readers are able to form their own opinions. Watching television or reading newspapers that have a clear bias is fine, as long as you balance them out with other sources that present a more balanced view of the world.