What Is News?

News is information about events and developments that are significant and interesting. It is also usually about people, because the things they do and say affect the world.

News can travel through many different media. In modern times it can be televised, radio, printed or live on the Internet.

The main purpose of news is to inform and educate the public, although it may also be used as a means of entertaining or to spread propaganda. Newspapers, magazines and broadcasting news services often aim to present information in an impartial manner.

Journalism is influenced by an internal system of values and beliefs, which in turn influences the angle of news stories. In addition, journalists are subject to a number of “quasi-objective” judgments about what is important, which are based on their familiarity with cultural experiences and history.

In addition to these prejudices, newspapers and radio news broadcasters are subject to legal constraints against bias. For example, in the United Kingdom, Ofcom enforces a legal requirement that newspapers and radio news programmes must not present any bias.

As a result, most journalists are faced with the difficult task of deciding which of a wide range of stories to include in their reports. They must decide which are the most relevant, interesting or significant and which are the least likely to be picked up by their audience.