News is basically information about recent happenings. This can be given through a number of media: printed news, radio, television, postal services, wire services, online publishing, or via the oral testimony of witnesses and observers to recent events. In popular usage, however, the term news can include a wide variety of items that are published or announced for the public to read or learn about. In this broad sense, news can refer to any new development that becomes of significance to the public. It can also mean the news that gets enough circulation to have an affect on society.
A good example of news in this broad sense is the breaking news feature that many newspapers and television stations have. These give a concise summary of what happened with respect to a story, usually within the span of a few hours. This type of news is very important to the public because it gives them information early, and allows them time to react and make decisions about the events that have taken place. However, breaking news is not the only type of news; other types can come into play as well.
Informational news is a great example of how a relatively passive form of public information can have a dramatic effect on society. Public information agencies usually give out regular reports to the public about local happenings. They may also publish a special magazine that contains reports of the most pressing issues of the day, along with some interesting sidebars on the history of a particular issue and other such informative bits.
A very important type of news is public information. It is also perhaps the most difficult type of news to receive and keep up with. It involves information that is issued by government agencies, departments, or other organizations. It also involves people and organizations that are required to give such information, usually in the interest of public safety. It might involve numbers of people, such as the police, military, and other emergency services workers, as well as environmental and natural resources personnel.
Educational news is a somewhat different type of news. This news is usually given out by universities or other educational establishments, and is more geared towards educating the public about something rather than informing them about something. For example, the news distributed by schools will usually be about the latest developments in the schools, as well as new research being done or an ongoing series of events.
In addition to the three previously mentioned types of news, there is also a fourth type that many people would probably not think of, and that is business news. Business news agencies give out reports that focus on the businesses that are around the city or area in which they are located. These could include the latest sales statistics or financial data highlighting the successes and failures of local businesses.