News is information about an interesting, unusual or significant event or development. It must be new, significant, relevant and of interest to a wide range of people. It must be told clearly and quickly, and it must be able to be illustrated with photographs or video. It must also be accompanied by an intelligent analysis or opinion.

News items are not just what happens; they are how things happen and why they happen. For example, a man getting up in the morning and going to work by bus does not make much news. But a man breaking the world record for running 100 metres in under 10 seconds does.

The five key factors in deciding whether a story is newsworthy are:

Prominence: People are interested in famous people and the things they do, especially if they go against public opinion or are controversial.

Controversy: The news is interested in controversies, arguments, charges and counter-charges.

Magnitude: The greater the impact of a news item, the more likely it is to be reported.

The final step in writing a good news article is knowing your audience. This will dictate the style and tone of the article as well as which facts are most important to include. For example, if an article is about a local fire, the audience will be made up of those who live in the area. For a national or international news story the audience may be more general.