News is information about an event, development or issue that is interesting or significant. The underlying motivation for people to create and disseminate news is that it allows them to make sense of the world around them. News is usually about human activities, but it can also be about non-human events such as natural disasters or industrial accidents. News stories are usually based on facts, but they may contain interpretations, opinions and speculation.

A good news story should be accurate and objective. However, it should also be entertaining and engage the reader. It should be written in a way that is easy to understand and follow, with the key points highlighted at the beginning of the article. It should also be well proofread and accompanied by an up-to-date works cited page.

While the news media is a vital part of society, it can also be a source of misinformation. This is especially true in cases where governments control media outlets or when journalists are being paid by a government to produce certain news items. In such cases, it is important to evaluate sources of news and information carefully.

The selection of what to report is influenced by many factors. These include:

Exclusivity: Stories that are generated or available first to the news organisation as a result of interviews, letters, investigations, surveys and polls. Bad news: Stories with particularly negative overtones, such as deaths, injuries and losses (for example job loss). Conflict: Stories concerning disagreements, arguments, splits, strikes and insurrections. Surprise: Stories that have an element of contrast, shock or the unusual about them. Audio-visuals: Stories that are illustrated with arresting photographs, video and audio or which can be augmented with infographics. Shareability: Stories that are likely to be passed on and shared by friends or colleagues, i.e. have viral potential.

Ultimately, the most important factor in the selection of news is whether it is of interest or significance to the audience. This is often determined by the values and priorities of a society, such as its level of concern about issues such as poverty, corruption and war.

However, the same news item can have different levels of interest in different societies. For instance, a wall collapse that kills a cow and a pig will be of much more interest to people living in farming communities than to those living in urban areas where these animals are less common. This is because the value placed upon cows and pigs will vary from one society to another.