1. Timeliness: News is about what's happening *now*. It prioritizes recent events, often emphasizing the most recent developments or the latest information available.
2. Accuracy: News strives to be truthful and factual. This means verifying information from reliable sources, using evidence, and avoiding bias or fabrication.
3. Objectivity: While absolute objectivity is difficult to achieve, good news reporting attempts to present information in a balanced and impartial manner. This means avoiding opinions and personal perspectives, and instead focusing on the facts.
4. Relevance: News should matter to its audience. It should cover events that impact people's lives, communities, or the world at large.
5. Clarity: News should be easy to understand. This includes using clear language, organizing information logically, and avoiding jargon.
6. Conciseness: News often prioritizes brevity, focusing on the essential information while avoiding unnecessary details.
7. Fairness: News should present all sides of a story, giving voice to different perspectives and providing context.
8. Impact: News often aims to explain the consequences of events, their potential implications, and how they might affect individuals or society.
9. Attribution: News sources are clearly identified, allowing readers to assess the credibility of the information.
10. Transparency: News organizations should be transparent about their editorial processes and any potential conflicts of interest.
Beyond these core characteristics, news can also be characterized by:
* Format: News can be delivered through various mediums, including print, television, radio, online, and social media.
* Genre: Different types of news stories exist, such as hard news, feature stories, investigative journalism, and opinion pieces.
* Target Audience: News is often tailored to specific audiences based on their interests, demographics, and location.
It's important to remember that these characteristics are not always perfectly met, and news can be subject to bias, errors, and manipulation. Being a critical consumer of news, understanding its characteristics, and evaluating different sources are crucial for staying informed.