News are events that happen in the world that affect people. They can range from important international developments to celebrity gossip and local events. News articles should be informative and interesting so that readers will want to read them. They should have a clear headline which is often written by other members of the publication staff.

A good headline is short, snappy and to the point. It should include the main topic of the article and the name of the writer (your byline). Then it should list some of the basic facts relating to the story. This will help readers decide if they want to read the full news article or not.

The classic definition of news is “dog bites man”. However, what is newsworthy will vary from one society to the next. For example, a bug invading people’s crops is newsworthy to a peasant farmer but it won’t be to a bishop.

News can be gathered from many sources, including government and non-government agencies, newspapers, radio, TV and the Internet. The most popular news outlets are still newspapers with their large print runs, national distribution and ability to influence broadcasters and other media. However, online news sources such as Twitter have grown rapidly and are gaining in popularity.

Brighton and Foy (2007) suggest that the six criteria of Galtung and Ruge should be updated to reflect the times and changes in news media: Exclusivity; Topicality; Composition; Expectation; Unusualness; and Worth.