News is information about current events, obtained at every moment and everywhere, and conveyed to the public in an accurate, fast and objective manner. It is about people, places and things, but is also often about how society works. It may be about war, politics, crime, fashion, sport, entertainment, education and health.
News can be delivered in many ways, broadcast on TV and radio (or through podcasts), printed in newspapers or displayed on websites. It is an important part of our daily lives, and we can often be distracted by it. News can be used to inform us about what is happening in the world around us, and it can help us decide how to vote in elections, for example. It can also be used to keep us up-to-date with world events and to learn about different cultures and countries.
A good news story needs to be interesting, significant and about people. It should also be new. Even something that happened yesterday can be news, if it is reported for the first time.
It is generally thought that a large part of news is about politics, but it can be anything which affects human life. For example, a fire or an accident are usually news, but so are weather events, floods and droughts. News about wildlife can also be very interesting. A tiger attack or a baby seal being born can make great headlines, but so too can the death of an insect which eats crops.
Often, the best source of news is local. However, some of the most interesting news stories are from other parts of the country or even from abroad. The reason is that we are always interested in other cultures and countries.
Some people are more interested in certain types of news than others. For example, some people are very interested in celebrity gossip, but others would not be.
Other topics that are regularly referred to as news include money, the environment, food prices, wages and compensation claims. Crime is another important topic for news, and this can range from road traffic accidents to robbery and murder. However, more minor crimes often make less news than major ones.
Many of the stories in the news are not meant to entertain – though some do. The main job of the news is to inform and educate, but it can also amuse – for example with music and drama on television and with cartoons and crosswords in newspapers. This type of entertainment is referred to as “soft news”. However, there are also hard news stories that are intended to shock or disturb. These are sometimes called “hard news”. They can be very disturbing, but they are rarely pleasant to read about. They can often lead to strong feelings of anger, fear and frustration. In some cases, they can lead to a change in the law. For example, a law may be passed to protect animals from being killed or badly injured by humans, or a government might introduce new measures to reduce air pollution.