News is the current events that affect people in their day to day lives. This includes government decisions that affect you even if you don’t agree with them, or a disease outbreak that threatens to touch your family and friends. It also includes information about your community, like a new theatre opening or an upcoming event.
The best news stories are those that are timely, interesting and significant. A coup in another country is likely to be significant for many reasons, but you will also want to consider if the event or development is affecting your own nation and the people within it.
When writing a news story, it’s important to be as impartial as possible. It is fine to express your own opinion on a topic, but it should not be the basis for a news article. The best way to approach a subject is to find out more about it directly from the source. For example, if you are writing about a new CEO for a company, try to interview the individual or ask for a quote from them. This will give your readers a more rounded view of the situation, and can help them make up their own mind about the matter.
If you are a journalist, it’s also worth reading articles written by other members of your publication staff, to see how they approach the same subject. This can help you improve your own style and techniques. When it comes to writing headlines, it is helpful to follow the Associated Press style guidelines, unless your publication specifies something else. A good news headline should be catchy and include all the main points of your story, including who, what, where, when and how.
Once you’ve started to write your own news stories, it can be a good idea to sign up for a few newsletters that will provide you with a quick rundown of the most important developments on a daily basis. This will allow you to keep up with the news without having to do all of the work yourself, and can save you a lot of time in the long run. Some great options for a daily brief are Economist Espresso, Next Draft, The New York Times Morning Briefing, The Pnut (pronounced “peanut”), The Skimm and the Quartz Daily Brief.
Keeping up with the news is a crucial part of being an informed citizen, but it can be incredibly hard on your mental health. Trying to stay on top of everything that’s going on will eventually lead to burn out, and can leave you feeling unable to take action or contribute to society. A recent Times article shared some helpful tips on striking a balance and protecting your mental health while still staying up to date with the news.
There is no such thing as a totally unbiased news report, and it’s important to understand the biases of the journalists and news outlets you read. There are plenty of websites that can help you identify and overcome confirmation bias, but there are also more general sites that evaluate sources based on their track record of providing well researched and documented news.