News is information about events that affect the public in some way. It has been transmitted orally since ancient times, with radio and television enabling it to spread faster than ever before and to reach more people. News can cover a wide range of topics, including war, government, politics, education, health, the environment, business and entertainment. It can also be used to highlight quirky or unusual events.

The news is often reported by journalists who perform a public service by presenting truthful facts in honest, straight-forward articles. Journalists use a range of reporting techniques to obtain information, which can include interviewing sources, researching documents and archives, and observing events firsthand.

A story must be new, unusual, interesting and significant to be considered newsworthy. Those factors are called the “five Ns” – novelty, interest, significance, prominence and nuance. If something meets all five Ns, it is likely to be very newsworthy and therefore will be covered by the media.

A good news article begins with an intriguing lead – a dramatic anecdote or surprising fact that grabs readers’ attention and leads into the story. It then gives a brief background on the subject to put the news in context – answering the questions who, what, when, where and why. The article then moves on to the ‘nut graph’, which provides more detail about the news item and why it is important. The nut graph is usually one or two paragraphs and concludes with the main point of the article.