News is the information we read, watch or listen to that tells us what is happening in the world. We get news from newspapers, magazines, television, radio and the Internet. It is the news that we want and need to know about the world, so it is our responsibility to find it and share it with others.
The Basics of News
When we think about what makes a news story a good news story, we usually think about timeliness, drama and consequence. Timeliness is important because much of the news we get gets reported only moments after an event happens.
Drama is also very important because most of the events that become news stories are dramatic, in the sense that they have clearly identifiable good and bad characters or situations. A robbery at a convenience store for example is likely to be news because it is a dramatic event that shows what is good and what is bad, and how those things have affected people.
Consequence is also very important because most of the events we hear about in news stories have consequences for people or their futures, whether they are positive or negative. A person who is killed in a car accident is an example of this kind of event, as is a woman who has been raped.
Proximity is also very important because most of the events in news stories are nearby, in other words, close to where the audience members live. This proximity is what enables audiences to understand the news, and make connections or understandings about it.
