News refers to noteworthy information newly received about recent or current events and occurrences. The news can be broadcast on TVs or radios or even published in the print media. The information should not be known to someone before broadcasting or publishing.
There are different types of news available today, and each depends on the content and even the urgency of reporting. A person that disseminates the news to the public is referred to as a reporter. The following are the main types:
- The Hard news
Hard news is stories that must be reported urgently and which have a significant impact on the viewer, reader, or listener. The accounts covering events such as a disaster, an outbreak of a deadly disease, accidents, wars, political or economic crisis, natural calamities, among others constitute this type of news.
On the television, the news appears typically as ‘breaking news’, and they usually interrupt the regular programming to be reported. The stories are generally short and use less than one thousand words. The reporter delivers them in a precise manner that goes straight to the point and highlights the consequences of such events to the individuals and society.
- The Soft News
Soft news revolves around the ‘not so urge’ stories that must not be published or reported immediately. The news usually covers trends, exciting people or on-going events. The stories are typically longer than the hard news and are often told on anecdote.
The stories are generally told to entertain or advise the reader or viewer. The examples include snowfall in winter, stories of achievers in any field, stories on education, health, human angle. Events from Bollywood and centric news also fall in this category.
- The Background News
Background news is stories that give additional information on an event or occurrence. It accompanies any report, and it is referred to as a sidebar. This background news is generally short and is presented in the form of a timeline or a graph.
A journalist must include one or two paragraphs of background news that should be well-written, in the news’ body. The section helps to make the story entirely sensible.
- Personality Profile
This type of news is also known as a newsmaker. It explores the story of a person in the press who may be famous or little known. The person may be unknown but has a gripping account that can impact on others or may have been covered someday at any mens magazines. A journalist may focus on the person to encourage others who may be in a similar situation. It could also aim at attracting the attention of viewers or readers to offer help or solution.
Conclusion
There are different types of stories revolving round varying situations and events. If you are a journalist, it is advisable to know the kind of stories you are investigating and disseminating. It is also necessary to understand the guidelines for the presentation of the events.
As a reader or viewer, it is crucial to know where to obtain which type of news from the different media platforms.
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