Several famous editors, publishers and journalists have pondered what defines news. Key quotations:
"News is the rough draft of history" — Philip Graham, The Washington Post
"News is anything that will make a reader say, ‘gee whiz!’" — W.R. Hearst
"News is anything you can find out today, that you didn’t know before."
Classical example used to illustrate news value: the dog-bites-man paradox:
When a dog bites a man, that’s not news. (DOG BITES MAN)
But when a man bites a dog, that’s news! (MAN BITES DOG)
Core statement: News is not just a change in the status quo, but a change of consequence in the status quo.
SEVEN NEWS VALUES
1) IMPACT (CONSEQUENCE)
Definition: How many people are affected and how seriously the effects touch their lives.
This value gauges the breadth and depth of influence.
Examples:
A bakery strike may have less impact than a postal strike or a teacher strike.
New tax laws have impact.
Changes in national health care have impact.
Large-scale disasters: a tsunami, a hurricane, a pandemic have broad impact on many lives.
2) IMMEDIACY (TIMELINESS)
Definition: Is the news fresh or about to happen? Is it timely enough to be useful now?
Timeliness is crucial in competing with other media; recent events have higher news value than earlier happenings.
Scoops: stories brought to the public ahead of the competition are highly valued.
Additional notes on timeliness:
Anniversaries of events (1 year, 10 years, 20 years, or more after the fact) are also considered timely in many contexts.
Online media and broadcast media emphasize immediacy; online updates may need to be revised as new facts emerge.
Examples in practice: online postings as events unfold require ongoing updates with new information.
3) PROXIMITY (How close is this story?)
Definition: Closeness to home matters; local events typically matter more to readers than distant events.
Journalists compare the scale of tragedy or impact against distance from the home community.
Illustrative chain of comparisons:
If 1000 people drown in a flood in a faraway country, the story’s value may be comparable to a story describing 100 drownings in a distant part of the United States.
The 100-person story may have the same value as a story about 10 victims in our own state.
The 10 victims story has about the same value as a flood that drowns one person in our local community.
4) PROMINENCE (CELEBRITY)
Definition: The involvement of a well-known public figure or celebrity increases reader interest.
People in the public eye have higher news value than obscure individuals.
Examples and notes:
The public cared that Magic Johnson had AIDS; an ordinary citizen with the same condition would not command national media attention.
Names make news; big names make big news.
Qualifying figures include: politicians, entertainers, athletes, top business leaders, and those who have drawn notoriety for their actions (e.g., Charles Manson, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler).
5) CONFLICT
Definition: Conflict has long fueled compelling stories in literature and media; journalists seek clashes of power, rivalries, or dramatic confrontations.
Examples across domains: political battles, sports rivalries, courtroom dramas, or other clashes of power.
Rationale: Conflict is inherently newsworthy because of its inherent drama and stakes.
6) NOVELTY (ODDITY)
Definition: The new, unusual, rare, or out-of-the-ordinary.
Focus: firsts, lasts, and onlys; novelty has long been a staple of news.
Examples: unusual or surprising events (e.g., whether a man bites a dog).
Reader appeal: novelty hooks interest because it is intriguing or unexpected.
7) HUMAN INTEREST
Definition: The human, emotional, or relatable side of news; often considered a softer form of news.
Sub-categories (the emotional): stories that make readers feel happy, sad, angry, inspired, or tearful.
Content types within human interest:
Profiles of individuals with special problems, achievements, or experiences; stories of overcoming difficulties.
Local ties: a story about a real estate beat in NYC, for example.
Stories about kids or animals; about age (very young or very old); and about sex (direct or implied).
Examples: a new graduate finding an apartment after viewing many options illustrates human-interest value.
Human-interest stories are sometimes described as “heroic firefighter saves kitty in a tree” stories because they emphasize emotional or entertainment value rather than strong news objectives.
Additional note: human-interest stories may feature groups or individuals whose daily lives or quirks are intriguing but not necessarily hard-news focused.
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG VALUES
The more news values a story has, the more newsworthy it is considered.
A story can be highly newsworthy with multiple values or strong impact and immediacy even if only two values apply.
Example story that includes multiple values:
A family gathers for a father’s funeral and discovers a stranger in their father’s coffin after being shipped the wrong body and filing a lawsuit.
This story can include: conflict, human interest, novelty, immediacy (if yesterday and in Brooklyn), proximity, and celebrity (if the father or involved party is a mayor).
However, it may lack impact if the consequences to people’s lives are not substantial in scale.
Discussion prompt: Consider what would be needed to create real impact in that story and post your ideas on the Discussion Board (BrightSpace).
NEWS VERSUS FEATURES
Not all stories are news; some are features, which typically lack immediacy and direct impact.
Features are more people-oriented and fall into three categories:
1) Helpfulness
Consumer health stories, how-to guides, and pieces that help people cope with daily life.
2) Entertainment
Stories meant to amuse or assist with leisure; sports or lifestyle features often fall here.
These stories tend to embody values such as human interest, novelty, and celebrity.
3) Trends
Stories about new ideas and behaviors that influence people’s lives.
Topics can include crime trends, political trends, money trends, social issues, or popular trends in food, fashion, beauty, design, or the arts.
TO DO LIST FOR ONLINE CLASSES (SUMMARY OF ASSIGNED TASKS)
Respond to the question on Slide 17 (Discussion Board) with your ideas about the example story and the values involved.
Find five stories in the news and try to identify the news values present in each; if you struggle, review this presentation and the textbook.
Test yourself with the “What’s More Newsworthy?” questions attached below the PowerPoint on BrightSpace.
Once you feel you thoroughly understand news values, complete and submit the worksheet “What Makes It News?”
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON VALUES AND APPLICATIONS
Prompt questions to consider when evaluating a story:
How many people are affected and how severely? (Impact)
How fresh is the information? Is there a scoop potential? (Immediacy)
How close is the event to the reader’s community? (Proximity)
Does a well-known figure appear? (Prominence)
Is there a clear conflict or clash of interests? (Conflict)
Is there something unusual, new, or rare? (Novelty)
Does the story evoke a strong emotional response or human-interest angle? (Human Interest)