News is the current events that affect a society, including political, economic and social developments. It may also refer to the news media itself, which consists of newspapers, television and radio channels, and websites that provide information and commentary about current affairs.
People need to know about what is happening around them in order to make informed choices and decisions. Keeping up to date with the news is essential in all societies and it can be done through reading newspapers, magazines and listening to radio or watching TV. New technologies such as the Internet have made it easier for people to access the news from different sources and have changed how they receive and distribute it.
A story is considered to be newsworthy if it is new, unusual, interesting or significant. It is usually about people but it can also be about non-human things such as a flood, cyclone, bush fire, drought or volcanic eruption.
What makes a story newsworthy will be different in different societies. A man waking up, having breakfast and going to work on the bus every day does not make very much news because it is an ordinary everyday event that does not affect other people in any way. However, a coup d’etat in the next country over could be very big news indeed. The news value of an event can also be affected by whether it is exciting, scandalous or entertaining. Typically, news stories about violence and scandal tend to get more coverage than other stories.