How to Write Newsworthy Articles

News is information about current events. It may be reported by newspapers, magazines, radio, television or the internet. News is important because it enables people to understand the world around them and make informed choices about what is important to them. News can also educate, inspire and encourage people.

When writing a news article the first thing to do is research your topic extensively. This is because you want to be able to give your readers the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. It is also essential to know who your audience is. This will dictate the tone and voice of your article as well as help you decide what to include in it. Asking yourself the “5 W’s” (who, what, where, when, why and how) can help you figure out who you are writing for and how to structure your article.

Once you have your facts and details it’s time to write the article. Start with a catchy headline that is informative and draws in the reader. In journalism jargon this is called a lede. Then follow it up with a paragraph that answers any important questions your audience might have about the story right away. If your information is interesting and unique this will help your article stand out from others that might be competing for the same audience.

Keeping your article local is a good idea as well. People are usually more interested in things that affect them personally than in global happenings. A good way to test this is to ask yourself, “would a girl going to college or a man marrying his girlfriend be newsworthy?”

A good rule of thumb is to have your newsworthy event meet at least five criteria: it must be new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people. However, even when an event meets these qualifications it must be of interest to a large number of people in order for it to be newsworthy. For example, if scientists discover an insect living on a plant that it has never before lived on it is probably only of interest to specialists. However, if that insect is threatening people’s food supply it could be newsworthy.

Finally, the article should be well written and grammatically correct. It is always a good idea to have it proofread by someone else after it’s written. This will not only catch any mistakes you might have made, but it will also help you improve the flow and phrasing of your words. Finally, always include a byline so that your readers can find out who wrote the article and if it’s something they should be paying attention to. This is especially important in the case of news articles that are published online.