News is information about events, developments or issues in the world. It is important to keep people informed about what is going on in their local communities, countries and internationally. News also helps to educate and explain complex topics.

What makes a story newsworthy is usually decided by a group of people who work for a newspaper, TV news channel or the Internet. These individuals are called editors, news directors or news managers and they sift through the many stories that occur each day to decide which ones will make it into print or onto their media outlet. The editors or news directors will often take suggestions from reporters and assistant editors to help them make their decisions.

In order to be considered newsworthy a story needs to be new, unusual, interesting, significant or about people. It can be something big like a coup d’etat or something small such as a celebrity getting a haircut. It is also very important to be timely, which means that the news should be current and not an event that happened last week.

The first paragraph of a news story should contain all the main facts, including who, what, where, when and why. This is the most important information that the reader will need to know. Afterwards, the article can expand into more detail and add background information. After all of the main facts have been written, it is a good idea to have someone else read the article and check for grammatical errors, clarity, consistency and accuracy.

If an editor finds any errors, they can correct them before the story is published. It is also a good idea to have the article proofread by an expert to ensure that it is accurate. Finally, it is a good idea to have the editor read the article once more before it is submitted.

The major functions of news include informing the public, educating and explaining topics that are complex and providing entertainment. The first function is essential to the survival of democracy, because it allows citizens to monitor and control their government. The other functions are necessary for a functioning society and help to shape the opinions of the population. In addition, news can be an indicator of social, cultural and political trends.