The Difference Between Article and News

The words "article" and "news" are usually considered synonyms for each other in the context of writing and journalism, but they actually represent different types of written materials with different purposes. There is a difference between news article and news story.

While both have the common goal of enlightenment and spreading the word, there can be considerable differences in their construction, tone, and the kind of subject matter that they deal with.

Writing or penning down something is truly not everyone’s cup of tea. It is something that requires a lot of hard work and precision. It requires skills and expertise, good vocabulary, and a grip on grammar as well.

There are different types of writings - news, articles, blogs, story writing, etc. Each style of writing has its requisites and structure. Among the writing styles, people often confuse between news and article as the same. The terms are used interchangeably, but are they similar?

This article seeks to compare and contrast news story and news article with more detailed explanations of the difference between the two.

The Difference Between News And Article Writing Is As Follows:
News Writing

As the very name suggests, news writing refers to conveying information based on true events that have taken place. A news story needs to be as direct as possible. There is no scope of altering the news story with our imagination.

One of the universal ways of writing a news story is to use the ‘inverted pyramid’ – meaning that the reporter begins by dealing with the 5 W’s and 1 H of the story before fleshing out the details. The five W’s are who, what, where, when, why, and how. The 1 H is the heading. The inverted pyramid is a straightforward way of conveying news and is therefore universally popular.

News items are factual information that needs to be conveyed to the public as quickly as possible. While writing a news story, the writer cannot be judgmental and cannot add his viewpoints. News articles thus should be short and crisp.

The facts that form part of the news are of paramount importance. To captivate the reader’s attention, the writer must focus on the opening line. Paragraphs have to be crisp, self-explanatory, and attention-seeking. The news item must give a brief idea about the story that follows the headline. In the absence of this crisp headline, the news story may fail to attract the targeted audience.

News items are generally around 300 to 500 words in length. The writer cannot use his interpretation and be biased while writing a piece of the news story. It is extremely important to do justice with all the important points.

News items are generally published in newspapers, schoolastic news magazines, and news websites.

Article Writing

An article is one that doesn’t have too many strict rules to be followed. An article can be written on any topic. The topic could be something related to the real world or something completely fictitious. Even a news item with some fictitious account can be called an article. It may or may not have relevance with the real world.

There is no word limit attached with article writing. An article can be short and crisp or long and elaborate. The only limitation in article writing is the writer’s imagination.

Articles should be interesting and creative to attract the attention of the readers. While writing an article, the writer is free to include his viewpoints, thoughts, and experiences concerning the topic. And the article writer has full discretion on whether to include a certain aspect of the topic in the article or not. There are no strict rules as such.

Generally, the heading of the article and the introductory paragraph should be clear, interesting, and precise. Also, the content should be catchy as well. While writing an article, the writer can be judgmental about a certain point. At the same time, before writing an article one must be well informed and well-read about the topic he is writing on.

Articles, in general, are written to provide deep insights on a specific topic. They are well structured. An introduction is followed by various arguments and ends with a proper conclusion.

There are many forums to publish articles, both print or electronic medium. Articles are published in newspapers, research/academic journals, blogs, opinions, and editorials.

The Key Difference

While a news item is short-lived, a well-written article will be cherished for generations. The articles of famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Martin Luther King, and others are still revered to this day.

Article writing and News writing both have their complexities and mastering them requires practice.

What are articles?

An article is a type of writing that provides commentary, analysis, and/or facts about a particular topic. Politics, current events, lifestyle, entertainment, and specialised topics such as employment are just a few areas that articles are written about.

They also carry a more comprehensive examination of the topic since they are, most of the time, longer and more detailed than news reports.

The main types of articles are analytical and expository. They present the facts from different angles and analyse them in depth to shed more light on the issues. Then the articles make use of their critical thinking to share their conclusions and recommendations so that readers might understand the matter better. Anyone with sufficient passion and competence can write a news article.

The Writing Process for an Article

There is a difference between news article and news story. Hence, the writing process differs too. Basically, a written article involves a lot of work, such as research, checking facts, and citing credible sources.

Authors try to get both sides of the question looked at without being biased; that is, you have to consider the points of view of others for the counterarguments.

The structure of an article usually has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introductory paragraph is the one that captures the reader's attention and provides the theme and the groundwork, while the supporting sentences cover the breadth of arguments.

 The conclusion provides a synopsis of the major points and any final thoughts or recommendations.

Some examples of article writing are:

• The cultural impact of a celebrity fashion trend as a feature article
• The newspaper's editorial highlighting the consequences of political power.
• A scientific article published in a peer-reviewed journal is an article that attempts to describe a scientific problem in both theoretical and practical terms.

What is News Writing?

This is just the opposite of article writing. News writing is considered to report on notable current events, new stories, or breaking news. Political issues, crimes, natural disasters, business developments, and entertainment are just a few topics that appear in news stories trying to tell readers what has happened recently. This shows a striking difference between news story and news article.

Journalists in the news business often have to struggle with the demand to get their articles published as early as possible while at the same time sticking to the principle of being impartial and factual.

The main goal of media news representation is to inform people about current events that threaten to disrupt the everyday lives of individuals or the stability of society.

The Process of News Writing

In the inverted pyramid structure, where the news articles are mostly written, the most essential and attractive information is presented first, followed by details of support and background information. The text is usually not too long and not very complicated.

By providing objective assessments of events and avoiding bias or personal views, news reporters strive to answer the five Ws: causes, effects, solutions, sources, and consequences.

They acquire information from reputable sources, such as eyewitness narratives, official statements, and recognised organisations.

Typical examples of news articles could be:

• Breaking news coverage with the newest information about a natural disaster and its impact.
• A news item that tries to make sense of a political scandal or dispute, presenting the main lines and quotes of those involved.
• A story of a major sporting event that includes its highlight moments and final scores.

The Similarities Between Informative Articles and News

As there are difference between news article and news story, but we can find similarities between these two.

1. The main aim of both articles and news is to spread education knowledge and information to the readers on a particular subject; nevertheless, the level of depth and detail of the information can be different.

2. The effectiveness and consistency of the two types of written information are supported by factual information, research, and reliable sources.

3. The authors of newspapers and news articles tend to follow the practice of journalism. These are composed of objective, impartial, and ethical reporting.

What Is The Difference Between News Article And News Story

Articles and news are similar, yet there are some significant distinctions:

1.Depth and Analysis: Articles offer more detailed and complete coverage of different opinions, expert comments, field trials, etc. On the other hand, articles in the news are mostly interested in furnishing the reader with some sort of summary of events consisting, mostly, of facts.

2. Time Sensitivity: News coverage is mostly oriented towards the covered event source and is therefore very time-sensitive, as it takes place on the spot or very shortly after the event. Unlike articles, which may focus on ongoing problems, magazines can announce them during a shorter period rather than being limited by the frequency of publishing.

3. Tone and Style: The inverted pyramid rule dictates that news writing be written in a more impersonal tone and factually. However, it depends on how the author presents the scenario and whether it is a journalistic or an opinionated article. He or she may apply the analytical comments or the descriptive approach.

4. Length and Structure: Journalistic articles usually follow a set format and are concise in order to cover the most important message as quickly as possible. Nonetheless they are restricted in the line length, thus preventing them go more in-depth of the areas and even analysis.

5. Purpose: Articles aim to offer readers in-depth viewpoints and understanding of a wide range of subjects while often aiming to educate, entertain, and influence audiences. Whereas news reports usually strive to convey information about recent happenings across the globe.

Final Thoughts

Articles and news writing are probably the most popular things among the readers of writing news and programs. While the goals seem to be the same, the differences in approach, style, and purpose reflect the fact that the two are not similar.

Readers will be in a position to form a broad and rounded perception with a variety of different perspectives by delving into many subjects and pursuing full exploration and analysis. On the other hand, information disseminated through the media is factual and reliable, reaching the masses promptly with updates about current affairs that transform the world.

Despite the fact that there is a difference between news story and news article, they both assist people to be informed and educated in any case. Authors and journalists will use both print and online news article and story to share info because media and audiences’ tastes are changing.