Examples of news can be news stories on local stations, television stations, newspapers, magazines, or the internet. Examples of news produced by the news include the daily reports of people who are regular news consumers, such as school children, police officers, and the latest reports from local governments. Examples of news items that are not regularly updated are the sports section of various newspapers and magazines. However, examples of news items that are often updated are political cartoons and celebrity gossip publications.
Another distinction between news and other types of journalism is the focus of the reporting. News reporters report on events that have either occurred or will happen, while other forms of journalism provide reporting that is more theoretical. For instance, a piece of research is performed by a writer about a specific human interest topic, then the writer writes about that subject as well as anything else of particular interest to the research. In this situation, the purpose of the article is not to tell the readers or viewers a story, but to educate or entertain the reader.
A third distinction is between long time fixture news stories, which are generally run longer than five minutes, and short time feature news stories, which are generally one paragraph to three paragraphs. In a five minute news story, the reporter will discuss the major facts of the major event or news event, and then mention any personal opinions that may come into play, usually in the second paragraph. In contrast, a short time feature article will include more personal details and is written with a much smaller amount of detail, if any at all. The purpose of a short article is to inform the reader rather than entertain.