News is information about current events. It can be presented through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through testimony from observers and witnesses of events.

Common topics for news coverage include war, government, politics, education, health, the environment, economics, business, fashion and entertainment, as well as athletics events, quirky or unusual events. The government's proclamations on royal ceremonies, laws, taxes, public health and criminals have been called news since ancient times. People manifest an almost universal desire to learn and share news, which satisfies them by talking to each other and sharing information. Technological and social developments, often driven by government communications and espionage networks, have increased the speed with which news can spread, as well as its content. The genre of news as we know it today is closely related to the newspaper.