News is a report of events or current affairs that affect the public. News is usually delivered by newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasts. It may also be published online. News is not necessarily unbiased, but it strives to present the facts in an objective manner. The subject matter of news varies with the time and place, but it generally covers people, places or things that are of interest to the majority of its readership. It is also important for news to be current, as it doesn’t do much good to talk about a topic that happened last week – the community has already moved on by then.
People are a major source of news, as their actions can affect large numbers of others. The lives of famous people are often of interest, particularly if they become involved in scandal or suffer setbacks. News is also about events that are of significant importance to a society, such as natural disasters, political upheaval, war or social discord.
Many different events occur all the time, but they are not always newsworthy. Something that happens to a man who wakes up, goes to work and eats his breakfast, for example, is not news because it does not affect other people. It is only when there is some kind of unusual occurrence that news becomes interesting and worth reporting.
The classic definition of news is “dog bites man,” but this has to be seen in the context of each individual society. If dogs are eaten in a society, for example, it will not be news if a man eats a dog, but it will be if the cat is an unusual breed of dog or the dog is being served at a feast.
It is the job of journalists to decide what should be considered newsworthy. This is based on the opinions and prejudices of the editor and the news organisation, rather than purely on market research or the interests of the readership. This can cause a certain amount of bias in the news that is reported, although some commentators believe that the media is becoming increasingly impartial as it loses its power and influence over the public.
Online news aggregators use algorithms to select and present articles from multiple sources, which can help to reduce the number of partisan articles that are presented to readers. This type of news is important, as it can provide a more balanced perspective on a story than that which would be found in just one source. However, it is still important to read the news from a variety of sources to ensure that you are getting a full picture of what is happening in the world. The more discerning reader will probably want to avoid news sites that only feature negative stories, as these can leave the reader feeling overwhelmed and despondent. However, this is not a requirement, as there are many good and reputable news outlets out there.