News

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Broadcast News redirects here. For the film, see Broadcast News.

News is any new information or current events. The reporting of news falls into the field of journalism. News is often reported by a variety of sources, such as newspapers, television and radio programs, wire services, and web sites. News reporting is a type of journalism, typically written or broadcast in news style. Most news is investigated and presented by journalists and can be distributed to various sites via news agencies. The weather is typically presented by a Weather reporter.

[edit] Newsworthiness

To be considered newsworthy, an event usually must have broad interest in one or more news values^{[citation needed]}

• Effect (how many people were, are or will be affected?)
• Timeliness (did the event occur very recently?)
• Revelation (is there significant new information, previously unknown?)
• Proximity (was the event nearby geographically?)

In recent years increasing weight has also been given to the following news values^{[citation needed]}:-

• Entertainment (does it make for a fun story?)
• Oddity (was the event highly unusual?)
• Celebrity (was anyone famous involved?)

News items and journalism can be divided in various ways, although there are grey areas. Distinctions include between hard news (serious and timely topics) and soft news (lighter topics); breaking news (immediate events); news analysis; and enterprise or investigative reporting, in which a topic is examined in great detail.

News coverage traditionally begins with the "five W's and the H"—who, what, where, when, why and how.

[edit] Objectivity

In democracies, news organizations are often expected to aim for objectivity: Reporters try to cover all sides of an issue without bias, as compared to commentators or analysts, who provide opinion or personal point-of-view.

In the United Kingdom, limits are set by the government agency Ofcom, the Office of Communications. Both newspapers and broadcast news programs in the United States are generally expected to remain neutral and avoid bias except for clearly indicated editorial articles or segments.

Many single-party countries have operated state-run news organizations, which may present the government's views. Even in those situations where objectivity is expected, it is difficult to achieve, and individual journalists may fall foul of their own personal bias, or succumb to commercial or political pressure. Individuals and organizations who are the subject of news reports may use news management techniques to try to make a favourable impression.

[edit] Etymology

"News" developed as a special use of the plural form of "new" in the 14th century. In Middle English, the equivalent word was 'newes', based on the French 'nouvelles'.

It is not, as is often claimed, an acronym for "north, east, west, south".

[edit] See also

• Hard news & soft news
• Current events
• Weather report
• Null Hypothesis - The Journal of Unlikely Science - a satirical science website where you can write the news.