News is information about events that affect many people. It could be something as big as the economy or something as small as a fire in a house. When it affects many people, it is considered to be news and will probably end up on the newscast or in the newspaper. It is best to try to get your news from a variety of sources. This way you can see the different points of view of the same event.

The items that make news are usually things that happen very recently. It is important to keep this in mind when writing a news story. If a newspaper wants to report on an event that happened last week, it might be considered an old piece of news and not worth covering.

In addition to timeliness, there are other characteristics that can make a story newsworthy. These include drama, consequence, proximity, and narrative. These will be discussed in detail later on in the class.

The skill that a good journalist needs to acquire is to know how to find newsworthy events, gather the necessary information quickly and efficiently, place it in a meaningful context, and write concisely. The readings, discussions and exercises in this course are designed to help you develop these skills as tomorrow’s journalists. In addition, it is essential to understand that no one point of view is more valid than any other in the realm of news. It is wise to vary your news sources, and to seek out those that align with your own political or social viewpoints.