This is a question journalists and editors have been debating for centuries, and because it’s a difficult question to answer, this one may go a little long. So…depending on what has happened that day, a news story might be about what the powerful and the wealthy are doing. Or it might be about what the leader of the country (or the leader of the government) is doing. It might be about crime, or scandal, or political feuds, or controversial issues. It might be locally-focused, or it might involve the entire country (or some other place in the world). In a typical newscast (or in a typical newspaper), news stories can be about all these things, and more— including sports, entertainment, music, the weather, etc.
A news story is a story that informs the public. It is usually about something interesting and important that is happening currently, and it contains the 5 Ws and an H (who did, what did they do, when did they do it, where did they do it, why did they do it, and how did they do it). So, if it’s a crime story about a robbery at a well-known department store, it would contain those 5Ws and an H, but in telling the story, it might also contain quotes from witnesses or the police— whatever would add to the information. And it would be told conversationally: not like a long list of facts. Also, a news story does not guess or speculate: it tells what is known, as factually as possible.
A typical newscast on radio or TV involves selecting the biggest and most important events and then crafting stories that are concise yet thorough, using sound or images to better explain. A newspaper or magazine story contains more details, but it still needs to be told interestingly. Not all of the day’s events are considered newsworthy: presidents and prime ministers give lots of speeches, but not all of them will be in the newscast (a speech about a major policy change or a response to a crisis might be). Celebrities say and do lots of things, but not all of them are newsworthy. Weather happens, but a tornado might be the lead story, while the fact that it’s going to rain tomorrow will not (unless there has been a drought and the possibility of rain becomes news).
Each day, reporters select the stories they believe are the most important for their audience to know. But they want to tell those stories in a way that holds the public’s attention. Years ago, stories were told in a very formal and serious style. Today, the topics may be serious, but the reporters and anchors tend to be less formal and they focus on making sure the story is understandable. And while there is continues to be a debate over which stories are newsworthy and which ones are not, reporting the news thoroughly, fairly, and factually is a very important activity; and those who do it well will earn the public’s trust.
mbcworld 