A current events essay is a piece of writing that comments on an event that has occurred in a limited time frame. This type of essay requires students to be well informed about the topic and demonstrate their ability to comment critically. Students are also expected to cite sources and authority while writing current events essays. This shows their knowledge of the topic and helps avoid cases of plagiarism.
The first step in writing a current events essay is to familiarize yourself with the news story that you will be commenting on. Read the news article, and note all of the five Ws and H: who, what, when, where, and why. You can then start to build your outline and write down all of the relevant facts from the article that you can use for your essay. As you do this, be sure to note any claims or data from the source of the information that may seem conflicting.
News sources are the best place to get information for your current events essay because they are most likely to have up-to-date information about an event that is happening right now. However, you can also find information about an event from a scholarly source, which is more likely to provide context and historical perspective. This is important when writing a current events essay because it allows you to make comparisons between similar past events and the event that is currently occurring.