NEWS:

Information not previously known that is delivered through the mass media and has some impact
on the audience.
(OR)

Any incident which is true and about what people want to know and the journalist wants to tell is
called news.

TYPES OF NEWS
News stories are basically divided into two types: hard news and soft news.

Hard News:
Hard news generally refers to up-to-the-minute news and events that are reported immediately,
Examples of hard news stories include reports on crime, court cases, government
announcements, house fires, awards ceremonies, plane crashes ,international events, etc. Politics,
war, economics and crime used to be considered hard news. A hard news story takes a factual
approach: What happened? Who was involved? Where and when did it happen? Why?

Soft News:
Soft news is background information or human-interest stories. Examples include, the release of
a new study, a demonstration by street youth or the untimely death of a young person on the
streets. Arts, entertainment and lifestyles are considered soft news. A soft news story tries
instead to entertain or advise the reader.

NEWS ELEMENT:
News Elements are those features that convert an ordinary event or statement or opinion, into
news.
Now we go into details of news elements. News must carry following elements to come up to the
ideal standards of news.
Let us go into the details of each and every news element.

1) Accuracy
When we say `a news item must be accurate' we actually mean that whatever we are required to
produce as news, or whatever we are being given in the name of news to believe in, it must be
correct in every crumb of its details.
The names of people given in the news must be correct.
The names of the places given in the news must be accurate.
The ages of the people, if required to be given in the news, must be given with precision.
The days, dates and time of the incident or speech, or accident, being treated and reported as
news, must be accurate.
Language must be correct in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, structure, and grammar.
Statements of people must be accurate.
2) Meaningful
The news should be meaningful and must make any sense. It also implies that it must carry any
one, or some of them, or all of the news values we have gone through.

3) Interesting
The news story, especially to be broadcast on radio or television, must be written and presented
in such a way that the listener may not get bored. It is quite a difficult task to be managed when it
comes to writing and presenting news bulletin since news is something that can never drift away
from the principals of accuracy and objectivity. What we actually mean by making news bulletin
interesting is the reading effect in the tone and style of the news caster and spoken language
which is to be employed while writing the lines of any news item.

4) Factual
The news story must base on the incident or statement which has actually taken place. In this era
of media, where the choice available to the listener is wide and universal, news on one channel
can easily and instantly be verified on the other channels. The taking risk of putting on air
something fabricated or concocted will definitely bring bad repute to the channel doing it. Hence
the most important element to be cared for and taken into serious consideration while presenting
news is its being factual and truthful.
5) Objectivity
Besides being accurate and factual, a news story needs to be to-the-point as well. Unnecessary
details though may be a part of the incident should be brushed aside.
Another thing that is important to be considered while making the element of objectivity certain
in a news story is that it must not be given personal touch or flavor. Even a slight impression of
personal emotions or any kind of exaggeration may endanger the objectivity of the bulletin

6) Conciseness
When it is said, a news story must be concise, it means, it should not be unnecessarily lengthy.
Where unnecessary details are to be avoided, unnecessary wording must also be pruned out.
Verbosity always kills the purpose and this is brevity that is unanimously agreed upon to be the
soul of wit. Wordy expressions and unnecessary repetition must be avoided. Instead of using “at
that time” use “now”. Your duty is to inform people about an event; you are not supposed to
make them understand a thick and problematic matter of psychology or the reasons why crimes
are getting rampant in our society. These may well be the topics of an article or feature but
cannot be touched upon in a news bulletin. One-word substitution saves the space and time, both.

7) Clarity
The main objective of news is to keep the listeners in picture of what is happening around them
and in the world. And the purpose is achieved only if there is clarity.
Simplified vocabulary, easy-on-tongue order of the words, and correct and clear pronunciation
are the key Factors, employing which, the goal of making news clear and understandable may
well be achieved.

8) Comprehensiveness
If something is comprehensive it means that it
is complete by all regards and aspects. A news item is considered comprehensive only when
it answers the every possible question that may arise in the minds of listeners. As
a general principal to make a news story comprehensive and complete five Ws and one H are to
be satisfied. They actually stand for: what, when, where, why, who and how.
What happened? When happened? Where happened? Why happened? Who did it? And How
did it happen?
Sometimes in certain stories it also becomes necessary to answer another W, and that is who for.
For instance, in vicarious crimes (crimes which are performed by an agent on behalf of some
other person or persons), it becomes necessary to give the person's name as well who the agent
did a certain crime for
.
First, to make a news item comprehensive, and then, the whole news bulletin, is
a must. A news bulletin
must also consist of all the possible news items of all those happenings which have taken place
just prior to the moment the news bulletin goes on air.
Sometimes, however, it happens that an important news lands in newsroom immediate after the
time the bulletin has started. In such case, an attempt must be made to pen down the story at the
moment and be handed to the newscaster so that in this era of neck-to-
neck competition the channel may not lag behind its competitors.

9) Cohesiveness
The last but not the least one is the element of cohesiveness. When we talk of an order, a kind of
symmetry; a well-knit, well-planned, well-organized and even end-product, we actually talk of
cohesiveness. A follow up story, i.e. the story should have the quality to further work on it.

10) What
In journalism, the “what” identifies an event and is often stated in the “lead (or lede),” the first
paragraph of a news story. The “what” is the primary subject, the reason the information is being
gathered and presented. Apart from journalism, it may be stated in a title and in a purpose
statement. The “what” may need to be defined, a process that may comprise the remainder of a
document. Example: What, specifically,…?

11) Who
A news story identifies who an event involves. The “who” may be part of the lede, and could be
the reason the story is news worthy. In other contexts, the “who” identifies the persons or groups
the “what” concerns. It might describe the audience of a document, or those who are affected by
a policy, process or procedure. Example: Who benefits?

12) When
A key part of a news story is describing when an event happened. Answering the “when”
indicates any time sensitivity related to the “what.” It may be part of an instruction regarding the
proper point at which an action should be taken. Sometimes it may be part of an “If…then”
scenario of conditional action. Example: When will it start/end?
13) Where
A news story reports the location at which an event took place. The “where” describes a
geographical or physical location of importance to the “what” At times, the where may be less
important than other factors. Example: Where are you?

14) Why
The “why” is usually the most neglected of the questions in the frame work. News stories often
lack information from authoritative sources to explain the “why.” In other contexts, the “why”
may be considered irrelevant, particularly when describing a policy or procedure decreed by an
organizational authority? Efforts to ascertain and explain the “why” may help those affected be
more accepting of any change the “what” requires. Example: Why does that happen?

15) How
For journalists, determining how an event took place may be nearly as challenging as explaining
the “why,” although more effort is usually put to satisfying the question. When describing
policies, processes or procedures, the how may be the most important part of the effort. A
considerable appetite for understanding how to do something can be found across audiences.
Sometimes effort focuses on the “what” when more work should be devoted to explaining the
“how.” Example: How much?