News is information about current events. It is delivered in a variety of ways including word of mouth, print, radio and television. People are interested in news stories that affect them personally, for example, a burglary, a car crash or an earthquake, or that involve issues of global concern such as world peace, health and the environment. The news is also about people; for example, a person who goes to extraordinary lengths to achieve success in an event makes news.
The elements of a news story are drama, consequence and timeliness. A story of a baby tiger being saved by a group of men is interesting because it involves vulnerable, though wild, animals and because the outcome is dramatic. The element of consequence means that the outcome will impact on the reader, for example, a stock market crash affects many people financially and can even lead to unemployment.
Timeliness is important because the news is about events that have happened recently or are happening now. For this reason, the newspaper on your breakfast table does not contain stories from 10 years ago, or from last year, unless they are commemorative events such as the first man walking on the moon.
The news is also about people, and is typically about what they are doing or saying. It is important to remember that the people featured in the news are often ordinary people doing or saying extraordinary things, so the information about them should be presented with humility and empathy.