News is a written or broadcast account of a recent event or development. It covers any subject of interest to a wide audience, such as politics, business, sports or health. Traditionally, news has been delivered via print and radio but now the internet has become an important delivery vehicle. A news article should be interesting and accurate but not dry or boring.

Whether it’s hard or soft news, it must grab and hold the reader’s attention. News readers are most interested in things they need to know about to go about their daily lives. They want to know what’s happening in their local area, in their country or in the world at large. They also have a variety of interests in entertainment, culture and the arts.

When deciding what makes good news, it is useful to remember that events which are unusual, interesting, significant and about people make up the best stories. For example, a crop disease which is threatening food supplies is a story of concern for people to get informed about. Similarly, the opinion of someone in authority such as a bishop that women should be ordained as priests is significant and worth telling.

Some of the biggest and most well known news outlets in the world are the Associated Press, BBC and Al Jazeera. These organizations have earned a reputation for accuracy and fairness. It’s harder for smaller, specialized publications to achieve the same level of credibility but they can still appeal to a specific demographic.