News is information about significant events that affect a group of people. It is usually published in newspapers, magazines, radio and television but can also be found on the internet. The information is often factual but not always unbiased as each person has unconscious biases which may influence the content they consume.
The things that make news are unusual, interesting and significant. They have to be something that will impact on the life of your readers, listeners or viewers and must not have happened before. They must be newsworthy and have a relevance to the community in which you are operating.
Generally speaking, human news stories are what make the most impact. This is because people are interested in what other people think and do. A man waking up, eating breakfast and catching the bus to work does not normally make the news but if that same man travelled by spaceship to Mars, that is newsworthy.
People are also interested in the world around them and so the events that happen in it – weather, wars, natural disasters, volcanic eruptions etc. are likely to make the news. However, even these are not necessarily 100% unbiased as each news organisation will have its own agenda.
It is important to remember that the main purpose of your publication or broadcast is to inform and educate your audience, not entertain them. Entertainment can be provided by other areas – music and drama on the radio; cartoons, crosswords and features in a newspaper – but it is not the job of news to amuse your audience.