News is a summary of important events that are relevant to a newspaper, magazine, radio or television audience. It aims to inform, educate and entertain, a combination that many people find useful in their daily lives.
People are interested in the news because they want to be aware of what is going on in their world, especially if it affects them directly. Most news stories are based on people, and it is human drama that makes the most interesting and significant news. However, there is also news about non-human events such as cyclones, bush fires and droughts. The assassination of Mao Tse-tung is an example.
Some news stories are about famous people, their careers, homes and family. Others are about the health of society, such as diseases and treatments, hospitals and clinics and diet and exercise. Still others are about sex, even though most societies do not openly discuss it.
There are several theories about how news is selected, compiled and presented. These include the Mirror Model, which says that news should reflect reality. This is considered to be most accurate, and it allows journalists to focus on specific issues and provide accuracy in their reports. However, there are other models, such as the Bargaining Model, which suggests that the news media is influenced by various pressures in order to promote particular agendas. There is no such thing as completely unbiased news, and all journalists have prejudices that influence what they choose to report on.