News is a genre of articles that inform, educate and amuse your audience. It may be hard to find the right balance when crafting a news story, but it is essential that you write your piece in such a way that it will catch people’s attention and be accurate. If it’s not, your audience will tune out and find another source of information – perhaps music or drama on radio or TV; crosswords in newspapers.
In general, it is more interesting to read about things which are happening now than about things which happened a long time ago. Events such as a girl going to school, or a man marrying a woman of the same age are usually more interesting than an assassination which has already taken place. It is also important to remember that while something might have been newsworthy in the past, it can still be newsworthy today if it is being reported for the first time.
The smorgasbord model of news dictates that any event can be made into a news story, provided that the journalist can decide which facts should be emphasized and what significance they have. This is why it is so important for journalists to understand what makes a good news story. It is also why they should be careful not to influence their audience through the news that they report, especially with their choice of words, which can have a significant effect on the way the story is perceived.