Functions of the News

A newspaper’s primary purpose is to provide reliable information to its readers.

To do so, it must maintain certain standards. Facts need to be verified and reporters have to write from an objective point of view.

Opinions supporting or opposing policies and ideas usually appear on the editorial page (if they’re written by the editors) or on the opposite page (if they are written by columnists or guest writers.) Some news outlets, especially online ones, mix news and opinion articles together

Some news outlets also include analysis articles. Unlike an editorial or an opinion piece these aren’t usually taking a position on the story, but instead feature an expert reporter’s interpretation or what’s going on in the news. (These are sometimes also called “explainers.”)

Take a look at the home page of The Guardian (a newspaper in the United Kingdom) and try to spot:

• A hard news story
• A soft news story
• An opinion article
• An analysis article