News and characteristics

Defining  : What is News?

Summary

- News is information that affects our lives.

It  define as "newsworthy."

- The more of these elements in a story, the bigger the story will be.

- A dozen elements that qualify as news are as follows: Timeliness, Consequences, Proximity, Conflict, Mayhem, Celebrity, Novelty, Humour, Trends, Sex, Inspiration/Human Interest, Helpfulness.

Characteristics of news

1)      Timeliness

2)      Consequences

3)      Proximity

4)      Conflict

5)      Celebrity

6)      Novelty

7)      Humour

8)      Trends

9)      Inspiration/Human Interest

10)  Helpfulness

Let's look at each quality:

Timeliness - if it's new, it's news. Iit has a profound impact on a lot of people's lives each year. Timeliness is the most important determining factor in deciding if a story is news.

Consequences - if it has an impact, it's news. If nuclear war breaks out, it will have an impact on the lives of people all over the world. No news organization that is doing its job will fail to report a story that the editor believes will have an impact on its readers.

Proximity - if it's close to home, it's more likely to be news The closer it is to home, the more likely it is to arouse interest and be defined as news. If it happens in your community, it belongs on the front page of your newspaper.

Conflict - where there's conflict, there's news. This is partly because where there's conflict, there's more likely to be an impact on our lives. But it's also because conflict is dramatic, and exciting, and even entertaining. Newsworthy that journalists sometimes succumb to the temptation of trying to generate conflict among the people they're writing about to make a better story.

Violence - violence is news. There's a nasty and cynical expression in the news business, "If it bleeds, it leads" Alas, there is more than a little truth to this, and this tendency by the news media may have a harmful impact on our perception of our society and the quality of our lives. Be that as it may, car accidents, drive-by shootings and schoolyard bullying all meet the criteria of news.

Celebrity - someone is prominent, what they do is more likely to be news. This is unhappy news to many people, but we all know it's reality. If a street person assaults someone, it's not news. If an entertainer, a sports star or a prominent politician does the same thing, it is news. The more prominent the person, the bigger the news.

Novelty - if something's bizarre, it may be news.

Humour - if it'sfunny enough it's news. Most everyone enjoys a chuckle, so if an event or development has a funny aspect, that may interest journalists.

Trends - a trend is developing, it's news. Trends are important. They can have an impact on our lives. Knowing about them can help us make wise lifestyle or business decisions.

Inspiration - uplifting stories are news. If a story shows someone's perseverance, grit, courage or decency in the face of adversity, it can be news.

Helpfulness - if it helps you, it's news. Maybe. Need instruction on an easy way to have a flatter tummy, build a birdhouse, get a university degree while living in jail, raise happy, well-balanced children while holding down three jobs? These are all legitimate topics for news stories.