News is information about current events that are likely to interest newspaper or magazine readers, radio listeners or television viewers. It can cover a wide range of topics including war, crime, government and politics, education, health, the environment, business, fashion, sport and entertainment. It can also include information about upcoming events and developments. News articles are often written to inform and educate, rather than to entertain – although there is a place for humorous or entertaining news stories. Entertainment can come from other areas – music and drama on radio, cartoons or crosswords in newspapers and magazines.
While it is not possible to get completely unbiased news, the choice of what is reported can help to influence the views and opinions of readers. It is important that journalists do not inject their own opinion into a story, and instead let the people involved speak for themselves. This can be done by interviewing them or by quoting their statements.
Some people argue that the content of news is influenced by what the audience wants, but this can be difficult to prove. The interests of different societies vary – for example, the relative importance of cows and pigs may make an insect that kills one of them newsworthy in some cultures but not in others.
Choosing a news source that is viewed as unbiased can be helpful, and it is worth looking at the organization’s “about” page to find out more about their mission and ethics statement. Using a news aggregator website can also be useful, as it allows you to compare the different perspectives taken on a topic by various sources side by side.