News is a form of information about current events. It may be provided through newspapers, magazines, radio and television or through word of mouth. It is usually called hard news to distinguish it from soft media like music and drama programs on radio or cartoons on television.
The elements that make an event news include controversy, prominence and currency. They are of wide interest to the public. For example, if a wall collapses killing two cows and a pig, it will become news because it is unusual and unexpected.
Emotion: Stories of human interest are also of high news value. People are curious about those which affect them emotionally or make them sad.
Crime: Any crime can be news, but more serious crimes or unusual ones will get more attention. These include road traffic offences, burglaries, robberies, rapes and murder.
Money: The size of a fortune makes it a big news item; people are interested in the amount of money in the bank, school fees, taxes, food prices, the Budget and wage rises.
Prominence: The lives of prominent men and women are of great news interest. They are especially interesting when they fall out of favour, lose their money or are involved in scandals.
Currency: The amount of money in the bank is also of interest to many people, especially those who are in business or in need of large sums of money. This includes large and small companies, individuals and government.